Lusungu provides technical advice and leadership to SDDirect's work in the field of Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention as part of SDDirect’s GBV Portfolio team. She is the Country Co-Lead for SDD’S programmes portfolio in Malawi and the Engagement and Influencing pillar Co-Lead for the FCDO funded ‘What Works: Impact at scale’ programme.
Lusungu is a Malawian feminist activist with over 15 years’ experience in Women and girls’ rights work focusing on prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG). She has worked with various organisations from grassroots to international organisations, such as ActionAid International, World Education Inc/Bantwana, Prevention Collaborative and Jesuit Refugee Service. She has technical expertise advocacy and influencing, designing, adapting and implementing gender transformative approaches for VAWG prevention and response and capacity strengthening for organisations/practitioners of VAWG prevention programmes. Lusungu led the prevention work of the holistic Malawi FCDO funded VAWG Prevention and Response Programme; Tithetse Nkhanza. Prior to joining SDD, Lusungu worked with The Prevention Collaborative where among other things, she co-led the development of the VAW/C prevention Cluster programme, an initiative which brings together multiple organisations across regions for peer learning on VAWG prevention essentials, key elements of success, and programme strategies over a 6-month period.
Lusungu has experience and expertise in feminist movement building and is part of the advisory cycles of African feminist movement building initiatives. She is the Co-Chair of the Woman Kind Worldwide Board of trustees and sits on several other international women and gender diverse people’s rights organisations boards.
Lusungu has a master’s degree in development studies from the Institute of Development Studies. In her free time, Lusungu is the creator and host of the ‘And The Women Came’ podcast focusing on stories of women showing up for each other. She also loves reading fiction and is a mama to a cool little dude!
