Payal Patel

Payal Patel

Associate Director, Programs Division

Payal Patel is the Associate Director, Programs Division managing AJWS’s natural resource rights grantmaking portfolio in Anglophone Africa (Liberia, Kenya and Uganda). Payal has over 16 years of experience in research, evaluation, programming and grantmaking related to sustainable community development, land rights and women’s economic empowerment, with a focus on East Africa. Originally from Kenya, Payal has had a longstanding passion for human rights and social justice on the African continent. Prior to working with AJWS, Payal was a Gender and Development Specialist at the International Center for Research on Women. Payal has also worked on monitoring the performance of the UN Human Rights Council in addressing key civil and political rights issues. She holds an M.A. in International Development from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, and a B.A. in International Relations and Economics from Wellesley College.

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