Curriculum Vitae (Part-time) BSc in Information Science Faculty of Information Science, Moi University (Kenya)

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1 Curriculum Vitae Rose Ndakala Oronje Flat 20, Manhattan Court, Tongdean Lane, Brighton, BN1 6XZ, UK Cell Career Objective To be part of a high performance team that is visionary, focused and result-oriented, and to, continuously, enhance my capabilities. Strengths Excellent communications and interpersonal skills, organizational skills, leadership skills, can work under pressure, and meets deadlines. Core Educational Qualifications DPhil in Development Studies Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex (UK) Thesis Topic: Reproductive Health Policy-making in Kenya: What Drives Change? MA in Communication Studies University of Nairobi, School of Journalism (Kenya) (Part-time) BSc in Information Science Faculty of Information Science, Moi University (Kenya) Other Professional Qualifications Jul 2007-Sept 2009 Certificate in French, Alliance Francais de Nairobi (Part-time) Mar 2006 Certificate in Communicating Research to Policy Makers May-Jun 2003 Certificate in MS Access, Strathmore University Sept 2002-Feb 2003 Certificate in Web Design, Development and Management, Intertek Microsystems Computer Skills Web Management - proficiency in HTML, MS FrontPage, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash Desk-Top Publishing (DTP) - proficiency in Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop, and InDesign MS Office - Word, PowerPoint, Excel & Access Work Experience Mar Present Jan - Dec 2009 Part-time Communication Specialist, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Nairobi Responsible for supporting AFIDEP s overall communication program. Communications Manager, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi My overall responsibility was to develop an effective communication strategy that promotes the use of APHRC s research evidence in policy and programs, and oversee its implementation. Specific duties and responsibilities included: Publications: Leading the development and production of non-technical publications i.e. newsletters, brochures, annual reports, policy briefs, and fact sheets Editing research publications i.e. working papers and research reports Coordinating and overseeing the production and circulation of all publications Engaging with Policymakers and Program Implementers: Establishing and maintaining links with key policymakers and program implementers in the sub- Saharan African region 1

2 Organizing meetings to share research evidence with policymakers and program implementers Identifying and taking advantage of opportunities for engaging policymakers with research evidence Media Relations: Establishing and maintaining effective links with the mass media (local, regional and international) i.e. contacts and working relations with reporters and editors Organizing media briefings, receptions and conferences Developing media releases and statements, commentary and feature stories Organizing and participate in media interviews Facilitating sensitization and training workshops for journalists on health and population issues Jul 2004 Dec 2008 Others: Participating in community-level dissemination workshops and sensitization/mobilization events Strengthening the capacity of APHRC s researchers in communicating research to general audiences such as policymakers, journalists, and program implementers, among others Establishing links and maintaining APHRC s active participation in important advocacy networks Overseeing the management of APHRC website Overseeing the management of APHRC library Leading the development of funding proposals for communication and advocacy activities; participating in the development of funding proposals for research activities In-charge of APHRC s overall public relations activities, including activities that share information with the general public on APHRC s work with the aim of enhancing the Center s public image Communications Officer, APHRC, Nairobi My overall responsibility was to develop and implement an effective and comprehensive communication strategy that promotes the use of APHRC s research evidence in policy and programs. Specific duties and responsibilities include: Publications: Writing and editing non-technical publications i.e. newsletters, brochures, annual reports, policy briefs, and fact sheets Editing research publications i.e. working papers and research reports Coordinating and overseeing the production and circulation of all publications Media Relations: Establishing and maintaining effective links with the mass media (local, regional and international) i.e. contacts and working relations with reporters and editors Organizing media briefings, receptions and conferences Writing media releases and statements, commentary and feature stories for the media Organizing and participating in media interviews Monitoring media coverage of health and population issues Facilitating sensitization and training workshops for journalists on health and population issues Engaging with Policymakers and Program Implementers: Establishing and maintaining links with key policymakers and program implementers in the sub- Saharan African region Making presentations at policy and program engagement meetings Sharing research evidence with policymakers and program implementers through face-to-face meetings and circulation of publications, both hard copy and e-publications Others: Organizing dissemination workshops as well as community sensitization/mobilization events 2

3 April 1-21, 2005 Jul 2002-Jun 2004 Mar 2002-Jun 2002 Dec 1999-Feb 2002: Nov 2000-Jun 2002 Strengthening the capacity of APHRC s researchers in communicating research to general audiences such as policymakers, journalists, and program implementers, among others Establishing links and maintaining APHRC s active participation in important advocacy networks In-charge of APHRC s website developing, editing and updating content In-charge of APHRC s library supervising the cataloguing, classification and indexing of new documents, issuing of library materials, and the overall maintenance of the Center s library database Leading the development of funding proposals for communication and advocacy activities; participating in the development of funding proposals for research activities Handling information requests and inquiries from the public regarding APHRC s work In-charge of APHRC s overall public relations activities, including activities that share information with the general public on APHRC s work with the aim of enhancing the Center s public image Communication Intern, Guttmacher Institute (US) Areas of training: Synthesis of technical research findings into simple clear messages for non-scientific audiences Development of press releases and policy briefs based on research findings Engaging with policymakers Publications Officer, Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, Nairobi Editing the Institute s publications and supervising their production (Discussion Papers, Policy Briefs, Annuals Reports, etc) In-charge of the Institute s media relations establishing and maintaining links with journalists; preparing key outward-bound communication materials such as commentary articles, media briefs; and organizing media functions i.e. press receptions and luncheons, press interviews In-charge of the Institute s website - updating both content and design. Coordinating the circulation (including e-circulation) of the Institute s publications upon printing Public Relations Account Executive, Corporate Reflection, Nairobi In-charge of the Public Relations Society of Kenya (PRSK) account with the responsibilities of: Organizing their media events such as press luncheons, press receptions, etc.; Preparing and producing press statements and the PR Arena, a professional publication of the PRSK. Editor, College Publishers Limited, Nairobi Writing and editing stories for various trade publications including the Hotel Manager Magazine, Medical Review Journal, Construction Review, and Golfer Magazine Freelance Editor, Macmillan Kenya Publishers, Nairobi Editing manuscripts for English and Kiswahili textbooks for primary and secondary schools. May-Aug, 1998 Internship as an Editorial Assistant, Longhorn Kenya Publishers, Nairobi Editing English, History and Geography manuscripts with guidance from the English and Humanities editors. May-Aug 1997 Internship as a Library Assistant at the Kenya College of Communications Technology, Nairobi 3

4 Other Professional Experience Cataloguing, classifying and indexing library resources, as well as assisting in lending and receiving of library resources. June 8-19, 2009 June 1-5, 2009 March 16-27, 2009 April 30, 2008 July 6, 2007 Mar 5, 2007 Jun 20, 2006 May 22, 2006 Dec 6, 2005 Two-week Workshop on HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health: Communicating Information and Effective Interventions to Policymakers in Nairobi, Kenya. Workshop organized by Population Reference Bureau (PRB, US) and Kenya s National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD, Kenya). One-week training for researchers from Tanzania s National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) on Communicating Research Effectively in Mwanza, Tanzania. Workshop organized by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). Two-week Workshop on HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health: Communicating Information and Effective Interventions to Policymakers in Nairobi, Kenya. Workshop organized by PRB (US) and NCAPD (Kenya). Skills Building Workshop on Communicating Research to Effect Change at the Investing in Young People s Health and Development conference, April 27-30, 2008, Abuja, Nigeria Facilitator Skills Building Workshop on Maximize Your Message: Using Research in HIV/AIDS Advocacy at the World-YWCA s International Women s Summit, July 3-11, 2007, Nairobi, Kenya Media reporting on Violence against Women and Girls in Africa: Health Effects and Implications at the International Women Media Foundation s consultative/training workshop for journalists in Nairobi to commemorate the International Women s Day (Mar 8). As a resource person, I also participated in discussions on challenges that journalists face in covering stories on violence against women and charting the way forward. Facilitator Skills Building Workshop on Effectively Communicating Scientific Evidence to Policy Makers, Program Implementers & Non-Scientific Audiences at the 2 nd Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights, June 19-21, 2006, Nairobi, Kenya Speaker Talk on Communicating Research Evidence to Non-Scientific Audiences at the annual WBCA (University of Witswatersrand/Brown University/University of Colorado/APHRC) colloquium, May 19-22, 2006, Nairobi, Kenya Skills Building Workshop on Maximize Your Message: Using Research in HIV/AIDS Advocacy at the 14 th International Conference on HIV/AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), December 4-10, 2005, Abuja, Nigeria Key Achievements Won the competitive Commonwealth scholarship to pursue PhD studies at the Institute of 4

5 Publications Development Studies, University of Sussex (UK) in Won a grant from the Wellcome Trust on Public Engagement with Science in Played a key role in the establishment of a fully-fledged Policy Engagement and Communications unit at the African Population and Health Research Center ( ) spearheading strategies and recruitments. Managed the policy engagement and communication activities for the African Population and Health Research Center single-handedly for three years ( ). During this period, I published quarterly newsletters and annual reports, facilitated media coverage (through press releases, feature stories, working through individual journalists & journalist associations); and engaged with government officials and MPs in sharing research. At the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, I edited over 15 research reports, two annual reports and several policy briefs in two years, and none of these was published with errors. Best Publishing Student for the 1999 Class at the Faculty of Information Sciences, Moi University Oronje, R.N., L. Ibisomi, V. Murunga, and E.M. Zulu (forthcoming). Linking SRH and HIV at Policy and Systems Levels: Experiences from Kenya and Lesotho. (Paper accepted for presentation at the 2011 ICASA Conference Dec 4-8, 2011 in Addis Ababa, and the 6 th African Population Conference Dec 5-10, 2011 in Ougadougou). Oronje, R.N., J. Crichton, S. Theobald, N. O. Lithur, and L. Ibisomi (forthcoming). Operationalising Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in sub-saharan Africa: Constraints, Dilemmas and Strategies, International Health and Human Rights. Oronje, R.N., C. Undie, E. Zulu and J. Crichton (2011). Engaging media in communicating research on sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-saharan Africa: Experiences and lessons learned, Health Policy and Planning, June 16; 9 Suppl 1:S7. Online at: Oronje, R.N., K. Otsola, C. Okigbo, and E. Kahurani (2009). How Researched Communities Perceive Research: The Case of the Nairobi Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Poster presentation at the INDEPTH Network Annual and Scientific Conference, Pune, India, October 25-30, Oronje, R.N., J. Crichton, C. Undie (2008). Facilitating use of Research by Parliamentarians and Journalists. Poster presentation at the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health, Bamako, November 16-19, Fotso, J.C., A. Ezeh, R. Oronje (2008). Provision and use of maternal heath services among the urban poor in Kenya: what do we know and what can we do? Journal of Urban Health. Online at: doi: /s Oronje, R. N. (2007). Coverage of Reproductive Health Issues in Kenya s Print Media: A Case of Two Kenyan Dailies. Unpublished MA Research Report presented to the School of Journalism, University of Nairobi. Oronje, R. N. (2006). Challenges faced by African organizations in knowledge sharing: the case of the African Population and Health Research Center, KM4D, vol. 2, no. 1 (May 2006). Online at: Select newspaper articles: Reproductive Health: Fruits and Odds of Early Sex Education in The Daily Monitor, March 14, 2008 (feature story on the controversy surrounding calls for early sexuality education in Africa). Catch them Young in The EastAfrican, May 28-June 3, 2007 (feature story on adolescents and HIV/AIDS). Climate Change makes Nairobi good for Malaria Parasite in Daily Nation, July 5, 2007 (news story on research findings in the Horizon magazine). Build Cities to contain Population Explosion in The Standard, July 27, 2005 (commentary piece on urbanization and poverty in sub-saharan Africa). 5

6 Personal Information Free Primary Education isn t UPE in The Standard, October 21, 2004 (feature story on schooling among the urban poor in Kenya) Nationality: Kenyan Marital Status: Married Languages: English, Kiswahili, and working knowledge of French Interests Reading informative books; Watching plays; Playing badminton and bowling; Making new acquaintances 6