Meet The Team
Sally Mostafa | Founder & CO-Executive Director
Over 10 years of experience in NGOs including her current role, transformed WeAre1 into a thriving successful entity, growing up with a single mother showed Sally how mothers suffer to help their kids even during the hardest times, and that’s the source of her passion. Wearing various hats to cover all the cases we have. Worked on programmes by population services international.
She successfully founded an education startup in the field of skill-building, one of her projects was loan a little help a lot unlocking capital for the underserved women in India, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. By donating as little as $25, you can be part of the solution and make a real difference in a woman’s life.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Ashbourn university in the UK, and a master's degree in international humanitarian action from Fordham University in New York City.
Lamieha Kunduhov | Founder & CO-Executive Director
Lamieha is a Syrian feminist who has been active in social movements for over a decade. Trained in international affairs, her work as a business developer, marketing, and strategist has focused on strengthening and supporting movements for transformation.
Lamieha is a KSA- based feminist with a passion for exploring how organizations can better embody feminist values and practice to build stronger movements. She has worked as a facilitator, researcher, and strategist on diverse women’s rights and justice issues.
She joined WeAre1 in 2021 and has co-authored numerous WeAre1 reports on funding trends impacting women’s rights organizing. She is responsible for strategic oversight to the operations function, specifically ensuring that WeAre1 upholds the feminist principles and values in its operations.
Building and executing strategies for companies using her creative thinking, outstanding relationship development skills and the ability to key in on strategic partnership issues.
Michelle white | Founder
Medical doctor started weare1 to fulfill a lifelong dream of pursuing her humanitarian work dedicating all her time and work to support women and children. Michelle started her career as a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for over 25 years, she started her career with Texas Tech Uni, health center, bringing over a decade of experience, later on, she started a new experience with the perinatal center of Iowa.
Michelle didn’t just assist in maternal transport or prenatal diagnosis through the use of ultrasounds and/or genetic counseling. Delivers babies, determining the method most appropriate to ensure health and safety of both infant and mother. She also started giving educational classes helping women understand more about their rights,
she did campaigns helping women and children in India and Egypt and she was the first one to organize campaigns helping the Lebanese women and children after the 2020 explosion collaborating with Emirates red crescent and ICPS . She speaks 4 languages English, Arabic, Spanish and German, living her life on the move trying to help as much as she could to be able to sleep knowing that WeAre1 didn’t shut the door in anyone face giving them a NO instead of giving them a helping hand.
Moustafa Ali | Founder & Marketing and Strategy
International marketer for over 13 years started his job in NYC, but helping the less fortunate was his real passion, he started volunteering ever since he was in school, he volunteered for the UN village for 3 years, later on, he volunteered for saint Jude cancer center for 8 years putting a smile on the children’s face. Also, he led a campaign to help the Haiti victims.
His passion for women’s and children’s health and rights is grounded in his deep belief in justice and equity. Moustafa is African/Lebanese originally and his strong sense of family and community are the moral compass by which he approaches his work.
He has an extensive humanitarian work background in women’s health and children's education. Recently Moustafa served as a program director focused on the ECCE program in India and Egypt educating 350 children from the age of 3 to 6.
Project inform, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) makes a positive contribution to children’s long-term development and learning by facilitating an enabling and stimulating environment in these foundation stages of lifelong learning. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Ashbourn university in the UK, and an executive MBA from UCLA.
Beata Rajeckaite | Communication Coordinator
Beata is the Communication Coordinator that brings over 7 years of experience in developing communication strategies and inspiring others by identifying compelling stories, facts, and outcomes. She follows her passion to activate and engage groups and individuals towards empowerment and solidarity with social justice holding a special place in her heart.
leading workshops on entrepreneurship, marketing & communication strategies, leadership, and networking. She cant stop engaging residents, stakeholders, and other local organizations in the area towards the self-sufficiency and empowerment of the community.
Beata enjoys exploring and escaping the hectic city every chance she gets, to be able to recharge and give 100% to Women’s Human Rights’ brave defenders of social justice.
Drew Carlyle | Program Manager
social activist, aspiring historian, political artist, and mobilizer based in Germany.
She holds an MBA in international relations and diplomacy from Robert Kennedy College in Switzerland.
In parallel to her day-to-day work, Drew’s interests and skills surround the fields of feminist Human Rights, Digital Security, Advocacy, African and Asian History Politics, and Activism.
Drew grew up in the USA , and moved to Europe to pursue her studies, all the while holding her dream for strategic and collective change in the developing countries.
Baraa Mahamed | Engagement Officer
Baraa grew up in Lebanon but spent a lot of time volunteering for women’s campaigns and projects around in developing countries , where she found her passion in working for and on behalf of women. Before joining WeAre1, she spent over a decade doing fundraising,
communications, and event planning in the nonprofit, and higher education sectors. Baraa is an active member of the community, always making time to volunteer, raise funds, and advocate for causes, campaigns, and candidates that she believes in. She holds a BS in Public Relations from the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Baraa’s dream is to give women in developing countries the sustainable life they deserve, a life without the gender gap.
Michelle McKinney | Human Resources Officer
Dedicated and hard-working humanitarian with a strong passion for helping anyone in need, comprehensive background in providing professional support to women and children. Offers well develop knowledge of sociology and excellent problem-solving skills.
Michelle has spent over ten years working as a human resources professional at non-profits, where she happily served those dedicated to serving others and fighting the good fight. She holds a masters degree from NYU in Human resources.
She has a bachelor's degree in science in sociology from the University of Ottawa, leaving her roots to make a change in the world.
Sonja velvo | Program Support Officer
Sonja brings her rich lived experience and deep passion for and commitment to justice, equity, health, and well-being. Before joining WeAre1, she served as a Program Officer for UNW where she resourced and supported feminist and women-led groups advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Sonja has extensive experience advocating for women, adolescents, and young people. She has led research that examined the shift from traditional to medicalized female genital mutilation/cutting and assessed the health sector’s response to the practice. Additionally, she has also served in various advisory capacities. Sonja holds an MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Albert Chavez | Advocacy Officer
Born in Valencia, Spain, Albert is passionate about supporting the leadership of intersectional feminist movements worldwide. Before leading WeAre1’s advocacy work, he engaged advocacy for reproductive and economic justice, managed projects on women’s rights and gender justice in South Africa, worked with UN Special Procedures, and helped organize workshops to implement UN Security Council Resolutions.
He earned an LLM in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from the University of East London. Albert often reflects on how to practice social justice values as the parent of two young boys and he manages a weekly community meeting for parents and caregivers.
Maimoona Akel | Finance Officer
Maimoona’s passion for women’s human rights stems from an upbringing that lacked them. As a child, she saw young girls pressured into marriages and the damage and trauma that often resulted. It is now her passion to work towards furthering women’s human rights.
She gained extensive bookkeeping, accounting, and financial management experience working with several Impact and non-profit organizations, but struggled to find what she felt truly called to. Joining WeAre1 has felt like the culmination of her journey. She greatly admires the passion of her co-workers and hopes to help support them in the work that they help facilitate in the world.
Chanel
Last but not least, Chanel Originally from Spain 2 years old mixed chihuahua/Papillion weight 2kg, WeAre1 tiny mascot bringing us a lot of joy and sometimes help, playing fetch is her favorite game . Supervising the team to make sure we get the job done.