MARYANNE KAMUNYA

· Assisted 25 vulnerable women and children with diverse cultural backgrounds, providing crisis intervention and culturally responsive safety planning.

· Performed risk assessments and transitional planning, ensuring safe transitions from shelter to community and creating an empowering environment.

· Delivered crisis counselling, housing support, and legal advocacy, liaising with agencies and accompanying clients to appointments, supporting the elimination of abuse.

· Maintained accurate client records and documentation, contributing to program statistics and reporting to track client progress and ensure accurate attendance records.

· Participated in staff meetings, professional development, and external committees, enhancing team collaboration and contributing to the agency’s overall functioning and community engagement.

· Led a research project with 4 focus groups and 3 interviews of over 35 refugee claimants, demonstrating project management and accurate record-keeping skills.

· Facilitated inclusive discussions in English and Swahili, ensuring culturally responsive engagement and producing a detailed report on refugee challenges.

· Analyzed data from focus groups to identify settlement and integration issues, developing recommendations to enhance community services.

· Supported community outreach in developing and monitoring strategies, aiding in the mobilization and support of refugee claimants and advancing immigration research.

• Facilitated collaborative meetings among women's shelters, CHMC agents, building contractors, architects, and a diverse range of stakeholders to advance the project's mission of contributing to the construction of multiple second-stage shelters across Canada
• Developed comprehensive meeting themes and agendas meticulously tailored to address the specific requirements of women's shelters while simultaneously addressing immediate project priorities, ensuring productive and inclusive stakeholder gatherings
• Conducted research on funding opportunities for women's shelters, and organized findings into structured tables for client reference while proactively generating creative ideas and proposing pragmatic solutions to optimize project effectiveness.

· Created weekly learning materials for 30 adult learners with developmental disabilities, including Indigenous individuals, focusing on adult learning principles.

· Built supportive relationships through trauma-informed counseling, addressing academic and behavioral issues in a safe and empowering environment.

· Fostered engagement by facilitating culturally responsive discussions, enhancing accessibility and effectiveness for diverse learners.

Tracked and reported progress with daily and weekly check-ins and assessments, ensuring clear communication with learners, parents, and guardians. Attend team meetings and participate in training to enhance my skills.

• Analyzed and synthesized insights from 50+ qualitative academic journal papers, contributing to vital data collection for community research initiatives
• The objective was to inform the public and stakeholders about COVID-19's significant effects on service provision and mental well-being of victim service providers
• Leveraged Atlas.Ti software to code and transcribe 100+ qualitative data sets from surveys and interviews, contributing to research papers and reports for the Department of Justice
• Engaged in extensive interviews with over 10 seasoned victim service professionals, actively seeking to deepen our understanding of vicarious trauma and resilience and benefiting from their valuable expertise
• Applied content and thematic analysis techniques to evaluate interview and focus group data, which informed research reports and the creation of Canada's inaugural Victim Services and Vicarious Resilience Toolkit.

• Conducted academic research comparing African nation-states' economic, social, and political development to the Northern Hemisphere, aligning with Associate Dean Rita Kiki Edozie’s research initiatives. This work contributed to community research initiatives focused on Africa and global trends.
• Leveraged stakeholders, Rita Kiki Edozie, academics, and university administrators, to lead the planning and execution of UMass Boston's inaugural Africa Day, ensuring its resounding success.
• Coordinated all aspects of event planning, from vendor selection to budget management (20,000–25,000 USD), while effectively managing consultants, contractors, and services to achieve a seamless and impactful Africa Day.
• Supervised and directed a team of 20 graduate and undergraduate student leaders and volunteers, fostering a collaborative environment that contributed to the event's success.
• Demonstrated effective leadership and delegation skills in managing Africa Day with 200 attendees, skillfully handling stakeholder questions, and ensuring a seamless and memorable experience.

• Developed and maintained a comprehensive funding database, cataloging available and recurring opportunities, resulting in a 20% increase in stakeholder awareness of grant requirements and deadlines, thereby facilitating efficient access to potential funding sources
• Contributed to the creation and execution of a robust monitoring and evaluation plan for KadAfrica's passion fruit farming programs, leading to an accurate assessment of progress and impact. This data-driven approach facilitated informed decision-making, resulting in a 15% improvement in program effectiveness.
• Managed media inquiries and cultivated stakeholder relationships, leading to a notable 30% increase in positive media coverage and enhanced communication of KadAfrica's mission.
• Supported content creation efforts for KadAfrica by collaborating with the communications team and the CEO, resulting in a 25% increase in the production and dissemination of impactful content.
• Provided leadership in training and supporting a team of over 25 volunteers, resulting in a remarkable 95% volunteer satisfaction rate, ensuring a positive and fulfilling volunteer experience.

Completed Coursework: New Millennium in History Perspective, Introduction to Politics, Introduction to Sociology, Critical Thinking, Introduction to International Politics, Individual and Society, Understanding Gender, Comparative Politics, Political Economy of International Relations, Poverty, Development, and Globalization, Gender and Development, Third World Politics, Urban Gender, Politics, Politics and Administration, Sexuality, Conflict in World Culture, Identity, and Globalization.

Completed Coursework:

Victimology Theoretical Perspectives, Victims of Crime, Victimization and the Law, Violence Against Women, Indigenous Peoples: Understanding and Reducing Victimization, Victims and the Media, Men and Victimization, Professional Development and Self Care, Childhood Victimization, Diversity and Victim Assistance, Victimology: Assessment and Intervention, Victim Assistance Services, Field Placement.

Recipient of [Best Distinguished Thesis Award, [May,2020]

Thesis Title: Human Rights and Justice Rights Approaches to Gender-Based Violence (GBV): The Case of Kenya's Sexual Offense Act (KSOA).
Completed Coursework: Advanced Negotiation & Mediation, Theories of International Relations, Issues in World Politics, Cross-Cultural Conflict, International Relations Research Methods, International Political Economy, International Development, Global governance, Human-right Based Approaches, Gender, Development and Globalization, Master's Thesis.