Celebrating Women Trailblazers: Leading the Way to Gender Equality
At Adam Smith International (ASI), our mission is rooted in empowering people to achieve better, more prosperous, and fulfilling lives. Through our work to strengthen economies, stabilise societies, and enhance government effectiveness, we ensure that these efforts lead to tangible, real-world improvements for the individuals and communities we serve. This #InternationalWomensDay, we proudly celebrate the remarkable achievements of women who are leading the charge for gender equality across our global projects. Their dedication and leadership inspire us to push boundaries and create lasting positive change in the regions we work in.
This year’s theme, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”, emphasises the critical need to empower the next generation, especially youth, young women, and adolescent girls, as essential drivers of lasting change.
At ASI, we are committed to taking decisive steps toward gender equality, and we honour the incredible women who are driving transformative change through their vision, resilience, and innovation. Here are some examples of women working in our projects below, showcasing their impactful contributions to fostering gender equality and social justice.
Elizabeth Macleod: Championing Justice and Empowering Communities in the Lake Chad Basin
Elizabeth is a senior policing adviser on the Lake Chad Basin Support Framework, which aims to enhance social cohesion, security, and justice. She has played a pivotal role in strengthening justice for survivors of sexual crimes in Borno State, Nigeria—an area with a high incidence of SGBV against women and girls.
Her contributions include training facilitators who equipped 110 police officers with specialised skills, leading to the creation of 35 sexual crime investigation teams—now evolving into a national model. Her advocacy also led to the adoption of forensic evidence collection in SGBV cases, improving investigations and securing justice for survivors. Additionally, she organised 13 seminars for 1,302 officers, fostering lasting behavioural change in SGBV response.
Beyond her professional work, Elizabeth is deeply engaged with local communities, supporting football teams and promoting social cohesion. She has been recognised as a Steering Committee member for the SGBV Survivors’ Coalition and is affectionately known as Sarauniya (Queen) across Maiduguri.
Inclusive Agriculture in Timor-Leste: For ALL Women and Girls—Rights. Equality. Empowerment.
In Timor-Leste, women with disabilities face limited opportunities in agriculture due to barriers and social stigma. Through TOMAK’s hydroponic activity, young women like Mana Mafalda are engaging in agriculture, creating sustainable livelihoods and breaking down barriers.
Through climate-smart agriculture, Mana Mafalda is a living example of Rights. Equality. Empowerment., proving that women with disabilities are leaders in resilience, innovation, and economic empowerment.
The To’os Ba Moris Di’ak (TOMAK) is a 10-year agricultural livelihoods programme funded by the Australian Government in Timor-Leste. Its goal is to ensure rural households live more prosperous and sustainable lives.
From Prosecutor to Pioneer: Helen Knipe’s Global Journey in Criminal Justice
Helen Knipe began her career as a prosecutor in Scotland, which laid the foundation for her work as a Criminal Justice Advisor. Her journey in this role has taken her to many diverse and fascinating locations, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, and numerous places in between.
In a recent project with ASI in Hargeisa, Somaliland, she worked alongside local colleagues to draft legislation, share expertise on legal frameworks, and promote international co-operation. Helen finds particular satisfaction in delving into the intricate aspects of the law with legal professionals from diverse systems to identify practical solutions. While such work can be highly challenging—especially when technical legal terms carry different meanings across jurisdictions—she believes the effort is always worth persevering.
Punita Mandal: A Trailblazer for Women’s Empowerment in Madhesh Province
Punita Mandal is our Provincial Head for Madhesh Province for Samartha Programme. She hails from traditionally marginalised communities. One of the key reasons we wanted to work with her was her past work experience supporting people in conflict especially women and marginalised group. Her career journey starts from small town in Saptari district (one of the poorest regions of country), she has worked in many parts of Nepal. Her work after 2015 Earthquake in affected areas supporting women was really commendable, which propel her to 3-year mission in Sudan. While selecting a candidate for Madhesh Province, notorious for massive cases of discrimination towards Girls and Women, we were adamant to have a female to lead/promote female leadership who hails from same province, to manage group of local based team.
Nar Maya Sunar: A Trailblazer for Equality and Social Change in Nepal
Nar Maya Sunar has recently joined Adam Smith International (ASI) as the Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and Social Protection Lead. Born in a remote village in Nepal, she has faced caste and gender-based discrimination from an early age.Beginning her career as a social mobiliser, Narmaya has dedicated over 17 years to the social development field, where she has actively fought against cultural barriers and social stigma.
As a female representative of a marginalised community, her journey has been far from easy; she has had to prove herself numerous times to rise from a social mobiliser to a leadership role. Narmaya firmly believes that resilience, courage, and persistence are essential to dismantling discrimination. She is committed to continuing her efforts to eradicate gender and caste-based discrimination, with the hope that future generations will not have to endure the same hardships.
