Victoria Marwa Heilman
Victoria Marwa Heilman is a dedicated architect who transitioned from a teaching career at Ardhi University to focus on grassroots work, assuming her current role as the Executive Director at TAWAH in 2023. At the forefront of her efforts is a significant project in Mhaga Village, Kisarawe District, where women are empowered through brick-making, construction apprenticeships, and building homes for the elderly, aiming to uplift both the community and the built environment. She earned her PhD in Architecture from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and holds a master’s degree from the Catholic University of America, as well as a bachelor’s from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is a 2004 Ford Foundation IFP Fellow, an Eisenhower Fellow since 2016, and a Mama Hope Global Advocate since 2020. In 2022, Victoria was recognized as an SDG Innovation Champion for Sustainable Cities and Communities. She was also named one of the 50 influential African Women Architects in 2024, and her work has been published in ‘100 Women: Architects in Practice’ (2024).