Throughout both her professional and personal life, Susan Kajura has been at the forefront of devising integrated models of care for vulnerable youth, promoting their access to essential health services and educational resources. She has done this by skillfully bringing together formal and informal community, civil society, government and private sector partners in coordination and delivery efforts.

A dynamic and innovative leader, Susan has more than 20 years of senior management experience in designing, managing, and steering projects and programming ranging from smaller, foundation-funded action learning to large-scale, multi-sector, multi-million-dollar interventions. She headed the very first Bantwana Initiative programs in Uganda and Zimbabwe, starting in 2006, and has gone from strength to strength since. In recent years, Susan led the highly successful Better Outcomes for Children and Youth (BOCY) project, and was Senior Technical advisor on a subaward under the Integrated Children and Youth Development (ICYD) Activity, building the capacity of local partners and government to deliver integrated services to children and caregivers living with HIV.

Susan has overseen the operations of the foundation-funded SAFE program as well as the transition of the country office into the independent Bantwana Initiative Uganda in 2023. Susan combines adaptive management and technical skills—honed while leading local and international NGOs—with an unflagging energy and focus on promoting OVC care, literacy, and special needs education. Her enthusiasm and passion are contagious—and light fires under us all!