Malaika Project
International Coordinating Committee
Malaika Project  Founder & Coordinator
Jennie Howland, MD, MPH
Massachusetts, U.S.A.
jenniemalaika@yahoo.com

Jennie founded Malaika Project in 2003 as a medical student at University of Massachusetts Medical School under the “Village Concept Project” philosophy of IFMSA.  On one of her many trips to Tanzania, she was invited to visit Nyamuswa by Max Madoro, Project Coordinator for Zinduka, a local Tanzanian non profit organization.  At the request of local organizations and the local government, she agreed to bring volunteers to assist them in meeting the self defined needs of the community.  Since her first experience in Tanzania in 1993 with School for International Training, Tanzania has been her second home.  She has worked with street children in Arusha , Tanzania and at a remote hospital in Endulen, Ngorongoro Tanzania with the Maasai.  Jennie now returns to Tanzania every year with Malaika Project.  She has an MPH in International Health from Boston University and has also worked in Swaziland, Kenya, and Nicaragua.  She is currently a resident in Med/Peds at Baystate Hospital.


HIV Program Director
Jeff Pitcher, RN
Toronto, Canada
jeffpitcher@yahoo.com

Jeff  has assisted with the implementation of the Malaika HIV Program since its inception in 2003. His interest in Tanzania came from a medical outreach mission when he fell in love with the friendly people and the beautiful land.  He is a nurse with a varied background working in ER and Trauma departments, developing a tuberculosis program for the homeless in Toronto, and bringing health care to the Arctic in Nunavut. He is also involved with the Salvation Army’s International disaster team and has responded to emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, SARS in Toronto and Ground Zero after 9/11. Through his work and volunteer experiences he has been able to advocate for and support people living with HIV and AIDS.


Unite For Sight Program Director
Sachin Jain
sachin_jain@rush.edu


Malaria Program Director
Stephanie Wilmore
London, U.K.
stephaniewilmore@gmail.com

Stephy joined Malaika Project in 2005 with the goal of bringing insect treated bednets (ITNs) to Nyamuswa. She is a medical student at University College London, and wrote her dissertation on the role of ITNs in the fight against malaria.  She has a Bachelor of Science in International Health from the International Health and Medical Education Centre (IHMEC) in London.  Her work with some of the world experts in malaria at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, notably Professor Chris Curtis, and with Caroline Maxwell in Moheza, Tanzania, was invaluable in setting up the Malaika ITN Project in Nyamuswa.  She is also involved in Medsin, the UK branch of the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA).


Malaria Program Coordinator
Nirali Desai
Chicago, U.S.A.
nirali_desai@rush.edu

Nirali founded the Malaria Project in 2004 when she conducted a study on “Barriers to Malaria Prevention in Nyamuswa, Tanzania” under the guidance of Dr. Gordon Trenholme, Director of Infectious Disease at Rush University Medical Center.  She has continued to be involved in designing the Malaria Program and ITN distribution project.  She is a medical student at Rush Medical College in Chicago, IL. and has a B.A. in Psychology and Media Studies from Northwestern University .  Her other interests include Complementary and Alternative Medicine, volunteering at clinics for the uninsured in Chicago, and peer health education.


Malaria Program Coordinator
Alexandra Kazanovic
Massachussets, U.S.A.
alexandra.kazanovic@umassmed.edu

Alex first traveled to Nyamuswa in 2005 to work on the Malaria prevention project to reduce the incidence of malaria in the community by increasing mosquito net usage.   She is a student at University of Massachusetts Medical School and continues to be involved with the Malaria Program development and fundraising for the bednets so that everyone in Nyamuswa can sleep under an ITN.  She graduated from Boston College in 2002 and has a background in clinical research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  Alex coordinates other volunteer activities including student involvement in the Worcester free clinic and soup kitchen programs. Her other interests include the sport of rowing which she began at Boston College and is still actively participating in today.


Reproductive Health Director
Amber Jamanka
Massachussets, U.S.A.
amber_jamanka@hotmail.com

Amber joined Malaika Project in 2004 when she first developed the barriers to condom study for Nyamuswa.  She has an MPH with a dual concentration in International Health and Epidemiology from Boston University.  Her interests are in Reproductive Health, Women’s Health, Maternal and Child Health, Gender Equality, HIV/AIDS Prevention, Adolescent Health, and International Development.  She has worked and traveled in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, including Senegal, where she lived for three years.  She speaks Spanish, French, and Wolof.



MALAIKA PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITEE

Brian Singer
Zawadi Project (www.projectzawadi.org)
New York, U.S.A.
bsinger35@hotmail.com


Winna Shango, Pharmacist
Tanzania Food & Drug Authority
Tanzanian Ministry of Health
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
whango@yahoo.com

Winna Shango is a Pharmacist working with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Tanzania. He has a Master Degree in Health Management. He is among the founders and directors of Neema Project – an International Pharmeceutical Students Federation (IPSF) village concept project in Bagamoyo – Tanzania, establishing a local dispensary. His experience and expertise were essential to the development of Malaika Project and he continues to contribute to the ongoing management of Malaika Project in an advisory capacity.  He has a strong interest in public health programs.


Nancy Lynn, MPH
California, USA
Nml1020@yahoo.com