Esther Mukundane
Esther is a development expert who has worked in the East African region’s agricultural, rural, and economic development sectors, particularly in Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda. Her areas of expertise are food and nutrition security, climate-resilient agriculture, public health, early childhood development, gender, livelihoods, and youth and women’s economic empowerment.
Before joining Gardens for Health International, Esther served as the country director for Aspire Rwanda and Sustainable Harvest Rwanda, providing strategic leadership and successfully advancing their agriculture, nutrition, and market-oriented goals. She also led impactful projects for the United Nations Development Programme in Kenya, Oxfam Great Britain, Women for Women International Rwanda, and Uganda Cooperative Alliance. At Gardens for Health, her work entails overseeing and managing programs that focus on nutrition-sensitive agriculture to tackle malnutrition among children under five years of age in Rwanda.
Esther is an alumna of The Fulbright/ Hubert. H. Humphrey Fellowship Program of Agriculture and Rural Development at Cornell University. She is an alumna and an advisory board member of the African Food Fellowship / Wageningen University and Research in Sustainable Land Use. She is also an alumna fellow and a certified Food System Leader of the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture / Alliance for the Green Revolution of Agriculture. She is a member of the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition.
Esther holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Hons), and a Master of Development Evaluation and Management, and she is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Public Health. She enjoys playing basketball, reading, photography, sightseeing and traveling.