Osaeed Zakarneh

Osaeed Yahia Zakarneh is not just a professional, but a force of change. With a career spanning over ten years, he has left an indelible mark in the fields of advocacy, research, campaigning, and project management. His knack for exceeding expectations, securing funding through innovative proposals, and driving sustainable change has made him a beacon of success. Currently, as the Policy, Influencing and Media Manager at Oxfam GB in Amman, Jordan, Osaeed is the architect behind Oxfam’s influencing strategy for the Gender, Economic, and Climate Justice Programs in Jordan. His strategic insights have led to significant policy wins and increased funding, making him a key player in the organization’s success. But his influence extends beyond Oxfam. As a consultant and trainer, Osaeed has shaped capacity strengthening methodologies for various organizations, including Plan International, INJAZ, and Global Platform Jordan. His methodologies have been widely adopted, fostering positive change in the organizations and regions he has touched.

Mouna Balghouthi

Mouna is a Civic Education and Youth Engagement facilitator at MitOst organization. In 2017, she was awarded the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) scholarship at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, USA, where she served as the main Arabic professor and academic counselor, and studied political science, black power, and entrepreneurship. Previously, Mouna worked as a project coordinator and research fellow at the Maghreb Economic Forum (MEF), a Swiss-Tunisian Think-and-Do Tank, where she led two projects on youth engagement and gender equality. She developed proposals and budgets and organized conferences while fostering sustainable partnerships with different national and international stakeholders. She is a fervent forward-looking social activist and a staunch believer in change. She is interested in continuing to work in the field of civic education focusing on social development and youth engagement.

Yosra Aniba

Yosra is a 27-year-old Tunisian who is pursuing her master’s degree in pervasive information systems at the University of Tunis El Manar, where she is conducting research on autonomous robot decision-making in a dynamic and uncertain environment.

During her free time, she likes reading and learning about different cultures, civilizations, and history. This is what has enabled her to speak and understand 8 different languages since a young age. In 2012, she won second place at a Korean language competition, after only 7 months of studying the language.

Yosra participated in the Lazord Fellowship in 2016. She was placed as a project manager at the Tunisian Association of Public Auditors (ATCP). While at ATCP, she worked on the project Cabrane, which was the winner of the Digital Award for Transparency in 2017.

Riadh Zaatour

Riadh Zaatour is a 27-year-old who is originally from Jebeniana, Sfax. He participated in the Lazord Fellowship in 2016-2017, and was placed at Search for Common Ground. Through this opportunity, he learned new approaches on how to counter violent extremism in Tunisia. Later on, he worked with WeYouth on the We Vote project, which was a project on the first free municipal elections.

Marwa Ben Rejeb

Marwa is a 27-year-old Tunisian urban planner who believes in the power of change. For this reason, she has been engaged in civil society since 2007 when she volunteered with different NGOs in her hometown Gabès.

Marwa is currently working and studying at the same time. She is enrolled as master’s student in local governance and was placed as a Lazord Fellow at NGO RAJ Tunisia where she works as a project coordinator.

Last but not least, Marwa’s passion for making a difference is the fuel that makes her develop her personal and professional skills.

Manel Abdelwahed

Manel has a degree in Information Technology from Campus El Manar University.

She began her professional experience at SagemCom for 6 months and at start-up IRIS for 2 months as a trainee. This allowed her to gain experience and to develop communication and team-working skills. It helped her improve her technical skills, as well.

IT developers are often considered geeks who think in a binary manner, but Manel loves social contact and is still addicted to reading books. Life was not that kind to her; she has faced difficulties and dealt with sickness, loss and struggle. That makes her the better person she is today. She would not do anything without her mother’s help. Manel’s mother is her inspiration.

During the Lazord Fellowship Program, she was a program assistant at NGO Kawakibi for Democracy Center. She felt honored to be a part of their team.

Faouzi Zribi

Faouzi Zribi is a young Tunisian activist who is originally from Sfax.

After his Bachelor’s degree in Experimental Science, he continued his studies in the Faculty of Medicine of Sfax to become a doctor. In 2009 he joined the ATL MST SIDA where he began to discover civil society. He also joined other NGOs involved in supporting all aspects of civil society, including the promotion of democracy and citizenship, human development, support for human rights, and poverty reduction.

The more he develops his leadership skills, the more he feels the responsibility to use his skills to benefit society. His main motivations as a global citizen are assisting and advising people in need. Faouzi believes in the importance of the notions of solidarity, listening, and sharing in making the world a better and more humane place.

During the Lazord Fellowship Program, he was a program manager at the ATL MST SIDA.

Amira Guebsi

Amira is a 27-year-old energy engineer passionate about civil society and its role in national development, open to new ideas and flexible about working through challenging issues.

Since her graduation from the National Engineering School of Monastir she has been doing various activities such as volunteering, organizing events, and coaching students in social entrepreneurship.

In September 2016, she joined Jamaity’s communications team for a three-month internship where she learned diverse social media strategies such as live coverage of civil society events, reporting, and writing articles.

As a Lazord Fellow, she joined the Arab Institute for Human Rights organization as a Communications Assistant, promoting human rights and citizenship values in marginalized areas.

Abdelmajid Djebali

Abdelmajid is 24 years old and he specializes in political communication, a branch that combines political sciences and communication sciences .

In April 2017, he was selected by the European Union to attend a training on religious tolerance and the acceptance of differences in Lecce, Italy, with the Erasmus+ program. After that, he received the Youthpass certificate from the European Union.

In June 2017, he was selected by the US Department of State to participate in the Middle East Partnership Initiative Student Leaders Program in the USA. He learned about project management and politics in the USA at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.

He is able to manage his time, and to devote it to fully focusing on his mission; therefore he is available for any given position. In general, he is innovative, creative, and supportive. He has a great capacity to work, especially on a team. In addition, he has different skills relating to negotiation, communications, and solving issues.

He has had different positions at well-known organizations in Tunisia such as Jamaity (Jamaity.org), where he was given the opportunity to work with various stakeholders and actors, and was able to gain different skills in the fields of human rights and community development.