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In partnership with the Academic Impact Initiative of the United Nations Department of Global Communications

 

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THEMATIC SESSION: SDG 3
Thursday October 6, 2022
11:30am - 12:30pm SC A,B,C

SDG 2

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

PANELISTS

Moderator Jennifer Hogge Ellsworth - Engage Now Africa

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Jennifer Ellsworth is currently the Executive Director for Engage Now Africa (ENA), a global NGO that works to eradicate poverty in Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Namibia. Before coming to ENA, she helped manage the philanthropic giving for the global humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Jennifer has worked as the Director of International Family Policy and United Nations Liaison for United Families International in New York. She also worked as a consultant at the Middle East Peace Institute, developing education and public health programs to serve vulnerable populations in West Bank and Gaza. Jennifer received a Certificate of Completion from Cambridge University, a master’s degree in Public Policy with emphasis in International Development and Government Affairs, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University. As part of her master’s program, she lived in Gudular Tamil Nadu, India, to work on poverty eradication projects. She has been an Adjunct Professor at Utah Valley University’s Center for National Security Studies, where she teaches national security issues of Africa and failed states. She is currently completing coursework at Utah State University’s Center for Anticipatory Intelligence.

 

Luis Camara Manoel - Ecclesiastical Representative

Manoel

Luis Camara Manoel has been involved in international development and relief efforts in various forms for a span of two decades. His work has taken him to areas ranging from Western Africa, Southeast-Asia, Pacific, Central and South America.
Earlier in his career Luis led multiple organizations within Fortune 10 companies in a variety of software and information systems projects.  He is the author of multiple articles in IT industry publications.  
Luis currently serves as senior manager of member-focused humanitarian initiatives for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, overseeing efforts in childhood nutrition, microenterprise, education and food security. 
He holds a degree in International Relations and a masters in business administration.

Yvonne Nsabimana - Ngoma y’Africa Cultural Center

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Yvonne is originally from Rwanda.  She received her master’s degree in Public Administration from BYU Marriott School in 2016, and then pursued another master’s degree in Educational Studies with Western Governors University in 2018. She did her undergraduate work in Belgium in Corporate Logistics and Transportation Management. 

She is a strong advocate for creating unity and antiracism education through intercultural exchange between all participants of different nationalities and cultures. She believes that: “dance is a conduit of individual and community healing.” (Monteiro, 2011). Having experienced firsthand the benefits of African dance on coping with mental health and war trauma she faced in Rwanda in 1994, Yvonne founded of Ngoma y’Africa Cultural Center, a (501)c3 nonprofit organization comprised of African refugees and immigrants as well as US Citizen families based in Provo whose mission is to preserve and increase understanding of African culture through the arts such as storytelling, languages, music, dance, and other educational experiences. 

Yvonne enjoys living in Utah and has 4 children and creates a sense of community everywhere she goes. She serves on several community-building organizations involved with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She currently teaches African Cultural Dance at BYU, sits on the BYU Marriott School Dean’s Advisory Board for Black Race Initiatives, is one of the founding members of the Ethnic Studies Coalition in Utah, and teaches Black History with Rise Virtual Academy.  She was also one of the Adult Staff at the 2016 Utah Region Leadership Development Camp with the Red Cross.  Her main areas of interest are poverty alleviation, refugee resettlement, peace & conflict resolution, international development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

 

Rebeca Rios Kohn - Arigatou International

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Rebeca Rios-Kohn is a citizen of Uruguay and France with 30 years of experience working for the United Nations in the areas of human rights, women, and children’s rights. After receiving a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond, Virginia she practiced law in the states of Virginia and New York. Since 2015 she serves as Director of Arigatou International New York Office, a not for profit organization working for children’s rights and well-being with its headquarters in Japan, and leads the initiative Prayer and Action for Children. She was one of the lead writers of the Faith and Children’s Rights: A Multi-religious Study on the Convention on the Rights of the Child,  developed by Arigatou International with UNICEF and other partners, (2019). Previously, she held senior level positions with UNICEF and United Nations Development Programme. During her tenure with the UN, she worked in over 30 countries leading advocacy initiatives promoting children’s rights and their well-being.