Mary-Yvonne Ododah

Board Treasurer

The Youth Café is pleased to welcome Mary-Yvonne Ododah as a new Executive Board member.

Ms Mary-Yvonne is a Project Strategist with 13 years of experience in Project Management, Operations, Research, and Resource Mobilization to improve quality of life (focusing on issues relating to the underprivileged, women, and marginalized communities) in the Global South. 

She graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Management. Mary-Yvonne has also acquired a Diploma in Project Management and Scrum Master Certification from Alison.

Currently employed as the Head of Operations at Epuka Ugaidi, she sets and implements business strategies and plans, establishes policies that promote the firm's culture and vision, and oversees the company’s daily operations and executive work.

MentHer Magazine named Mary-Yvonne as one of Africa's top 20 female Social Impact Founders. She co-wrote and edited a training manual for a youth group that was used to train teenagers in five nations in the Horn of Africa. She was also a member of the research team that created a report on COVID-19 for the Kenyan government, focusing on containment, mitigation, recovery, and reopening (CMRR) to ensure a smooth, coordinated, and sustainable exit from the coronavirus epidemic in Kenya.

Mary-Yvonne has served on boards of different institutions. She formerly served on the coordinating board of the Reach for a Dream foundation. Currently, she is a member of the Save-a-Girl Initiative (SAGI) board of directors.

As the new Board Treasurer, Ms Mary-Yvonne aims to collaborate with like-minded youth to contribute to the development of youth leadership, the strengthening of movements, the expansion of sexual and reproductive freedoms, the promotion of rights-based approaches to reducing gender-based violence, and the advancements of the human rights of people who are structurally excluded

Ms Mary-Yvonne is excited about the opportunity to work with brilliant and creative teams at the Youth Café, where she aims to share her experience from a Pan-African perspective and contribute to the shaping of tomorrow's youth to help Africa fulfil Agenda 2063 goals, make SGD work, and provide chances for others.