Ms. Molarisi Mehale

Ms. Molarisi Mehale serves as Chair of the Global Advisory Board for the Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation Portfolio at the Centre for Development in Social Justice (CDSJ) and brings more than 24 years of distinguished experience in international development, public health, social protection, child protection, gender-based violence prevention and response, HIV and AIDS programming, and adolescent and youth-centred interventions across Southern and Eastern Africa.

She is a seasoned executive, strategist, and programme leader with a strong track record of designing, leading, and stewarding complex multi-stakeholder initiatives that improve outcomes for children, adolescents, adolescent girls and young women, families, and other underserved populations. Her profile is complemented by exceptional depth in executive leadership, chief of party functions, programme governance, donor stewardship, partnership cultivation, business development, budget management, stakeholder coordination, technical advisory support, capacity strengthening, and institutional growth.

Over the course of her career, she has worked extensively with major bilateral, multilateral, and international development partners including USAID, CDC, the United Nations, the European Union, GIZ, and the Global Fund, and has built a reputation for aligning institutional priorities with donor expectations in ways that produce credible, scalable, and sustainable results. Her leadership record reflects an unusual ability to manage at scale, having overseen multidisciplinary teams of more than 1,000 personnel and directed programming across international, national, district, and community levels.

Key career appointments include Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Karabo ea Bophelo OVC and Youth Project at Baylor College of Medicine, Chief of Party for the USAID-funded 4Children DREAMS and OVC portfolio at Catholic Relief Services, Regional Senior Program Officer for East and Southern Africa at FHI 360, Child Protection and OVC Advisor at Save the Children International, and HIV and AIDS Coordinator at Peace Corps. Her direct work experience spans South Africa, Lesotho, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique, with a broader regional footprint extending to Eswatini, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Namibia, and Kenya.

At CDSJ, she brings exceptional gravitas, strategic reach, donor confidence, and institutional wisdom to the Global Advisory Board, helping to shape the organisation's partnerships and resource mobilisation architecture, expand its external alliances, and position it as a credible and influential African institution committed to transformative social justice.