Maria Nakalanda is an environmental enthusiast, gender equality activist and public health professional. She is currently working as a Gender, Health and Environment officer at RA.
She believes that a health and climate adaptive generation can only be achieved by mastering the equilibrium between gender equality, environmental conservation which in turn leads to better health. Her core is to support and expand RA’s mission of integrating gender, rights-based family planning and reproductive health actions with conservation and natural resource management actions; advocating for gender equality with emphasis on girl child education for regenerative human development, healthier people and planet.
Maria’s background in Nursing and Public health along with her passion for environmental conservation provides a unique dimension in executing her tasks with diligence and handling public health concerns in the communities with the required flexibility and unbiased judgment.
She has over 08 years’ experience in clinical and public health work, strategic planning and advisory, capacity building, multi-sectoral program integration and research.
Her wealth of experience is accrued from working with various public and private organizations and public NGO’s including the Great Outdoors Forest Wellness Centre, Uro-Care AMBSO, Rakai Health Sciences Programme RHSP, Marie Stopes-Uganda, Naguru Pharmacy, Kalisizo Hospital and Uganda Child-Care Denmark.
Maria brings to RA her professional ability to address public health issues along with her passion to address gender and environmental conservation issues. She is able to adapt to cross cultural and fragile environments, is experienced in data collection, programs implementation, interpretation and management.
Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health & Health Promotion (BPHH) Uganda Martyr’s University Nkozi and a Diploma Comprehensive Nursing –Masaka School of Comprehensive Nursing.