Theo Sowa

Chief Executive Officer
African Women’s Development Fund

Theo Sowa is Chief Executive Officer of the African Women’s Development Fund and a renowned women’s rights and social justice activist. She previously worked as an independent advisor on a wide range of international social development issues. Her earlier work was with children at risk in UK and international settings, leading to an appointment to the Board of the UK National Youth Agency by the then UK Minister for Education. Theo has worked for many years as an Advisor to Graca Machel and other public sector and civil society leaders on a range of global issues, including women’s rights, child rights, African and global women’s leadership, and strategic advocacy. She has worked with a variety of international multilateral organisations, civil society organisations and national government bodies, including Save the Children Fund and UNICEF. Theo’s work has had a special focus on the promotion and protection of women and children’s rights in armed conflict situations, as well as on women and youth leadership. As a feminist activist her work has encompassed an intersectional approach to promoting equality and justice. She has a special interest in strengthening the role and impact of philanthropic activity in Africa and internationally. An experienced writer, Theo has produced a number of policy reports for NGOs, journal and magazine articles and was also a contributing editor to a book on the Impact of War on Children and the co-author of a book on Groupwork with young people. She is co-editor of a UNICEF Innocenti / Harvard University book on Children and Transitional Justice.

Theo has been a board member of many civil society organisations, including a Trustee of Comic Relief (and the Chair of its International Grants Committee) and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. She is currently on the Board of the UBS Optimus Foundation, the Graca Machel Trust, the Africa Advisory Board of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and is a Patron of Evidence for Development. Theo was awarded a CBE in 2010.

Her TedEx talk can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfIQgPb7pQs