Sisonke Msimang, Director

Sisonke Msimang is non-executive director of Southern African IDEAS (Pty.) Ltd.

Executive Director September 2008 – present

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa Johannesburg

With a background in HIV and AIDS programming, I am responsible for defining and driving the strategic direction of an organisation that operates a budget of approximately R250 million per annum and funds projects in ten countries across the Southern Africa region.  This involves the management of a staff complement of close to sixty professional and administrative staff across the region, working on issues as diverse as human rights and democracy building, governance and accountability, resource extraction and its consequences, media, ICTs and gender and women’s rights.  I also oversee the functioning of the Johannesburg main office, and provide administrative and strategic oversight to Country Directors in Luanda, Angola (a staff of fourteen) and Kinshasa, DRC (a staff of ten).

Programme Director

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa September 2007 – September 2008

Johannesburg

I was responsible for overall coordination of the thematic areas of OSISA’s work.  This involved working closely with programme managers on all aspects of monitoring and evaluation.  The role also involved convening programme issues (PI) meetings, ensuring quality control of projects going before the board of directors, and attending to the quality of programme evaluations and assessments carried out by staff.

Programme Manager:  HIV and AIDS

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa April 2005 – September 2007

Johannesburg

I was responsible for the design and management of the HIV and AIDS programme.  My day-to-day duties involved liaison with OSISA’s partners in the ten countries in which OSISA has operations, (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).  I was responsible for communicating OSISA positions on critical issues, developing policy briefs and advocacy materials and initiating and supporting activities that enhanced the capacity of civil society organisations to participate in policy and law-making processes in the region.  This brought me into contact with parliamentarians, and other policy-makers, and government officials on a frequent basis.  I was also responsible for managing a grant portfolio of $US 3 million.  

Gender Advisor July 2003 – April 2005

United Nations Secretary General’s Task Force on Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa

UNAIDS Johannesburg

Conducting a rapid assessment of collective response of UN, government and civil society organisations in Southern Africa to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in relation to women and girls.  This included the drafting of a regional report to the handed to the Secretary General of the United Nations, as well as the facilitation of a number of county visits and a regional consultation with members of the SG’s Task Force. 

Consultant August 2002 – June 2003

Margaret Sanger Centre International

Africa Regional Office Johannesburg/Lusaka

Provision of technical assistance to the Ministry of Education in Zambia.  Primary tasks included capacity-building assistance to the Educational Broadcasting Service staff in relation to gender, life-skills, HIV/AIDS and sexuality as well as the development and testing of tools related to Life Skills and HIV/AIDS aimed at teachers serving rural communities.  Also worked with Director to develop curriculum for Monitoring and Evaluation course; developed a Community Youth and Gender Initiative based in the township of Diepsloot, whilst working with programme staff and participants in all MSCI training courses to strengthen skills in gender analysis by providing a series of gender seminars.

Programme Specialist Sept.  2001 – May 2002

HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Thematic Section New York

United Nations Development Fund for Women

Conceptualised and designed program framework for UNIFEM’s work in the area of young women and HIV/AIDS; provided support to the Thematic Advisor regarding HIV/AIDS and gender strategy for Africa and developed a proposal for funding aimed at working with young women and men in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Programme Officer July 1999 – July 2000

African Gender Institute Cape Town

National Programme Officer May 1998 – June 1999

UNFPA South Africa Pretoria

Programme Officer

Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) April 1997 – May 1998

Short-term Consultancies

Consultant July  – September 2002

United Nations Development Program Maseru

Provision of technical assistance to the Government of Lesotho regarding the sectoral response to HIV/AIDS at both a macro and micro level.  The terms of reference include participation in a diagnostic mission, analysis of on-going programs in regards to the youth sector, specifically in regards to the allocation of the 2% of government funds recently provided to HIV/AIDS and support to the UNDP country office in preparing sections of its new country program related to AIDS.  Tasks also include support in drafting Lesotho’s next proposal to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. 

Consultant May – July 2001

UNICEF/UNIFEM Johannesburg/New York

Developed youth component of United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS activities for a joint initiative by UNICEF and UNIFEM aimed at ensuring the participation of young people in lobbying and advocating for youth-specific HIV/AIDS issues at the Special Session.  This included the moderation of an electronic discussion on HIV/AIDS, the development of a program of activities for youth participants and the facilitation of daily briefing sessions for all youth sponsored by both agencies.

Consultant Aug. 2000 – January 2001

UNICEF Nairobi

East and Southern Africa Regional Office

Designed and facilitated youth activities that took place at the African Development Forum in Addis Ababa under the theme, ‘AIDS: Africa’s Greatest Leadership Challenge.’  This included the commissioning of papers on youth, HIV/AIDS and leadership, drafting of programme, coordination of Youth Focus Group, facilitation of workshops and the day-to-day management of a small team of consultants and facilitators. 

Formal Education

Bachelor of Arts: Political Science & Communication Studies

Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, United States of America                        May, 1996

Master of Social Science (MSocSc) 

University of Cape Town , Cape Town, South Africa                            December, 2006