Programme Development Manager, Zambia 

Rita joined mothers2mothers in 2006 as a Program Development Manager focused on establishing and strengthening the international expansion of the m2m model in Zambia.

Rita marries her formal qualifications in Public Health with extensive experience in HIV/AIDS community outreach programmes. She was the HIV/AIDS Department Manager for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Zimbabwe, where she coordinated the HIV and AIDS Program Portfolio for CRS throughout the country, and provided strategic guidance and technical support to 20 local partner organizations in integrated Community-based Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC).

Her rich experience in the field of community-based care, makes her a social ambassador and a key strategic individual for extending PMTCT services into Africa. She served as the HIV technical point person for three agencies of the Consortium for Southern Africa Food Security Emergency (C-SAFE) to increase access to food for vulnerable households affected by HIV/AIDS and chronic illnesses, and has undertaken research around treating pediatric HIV with antiretroviral therapy in South Africa as well as OVC and home-based care programming in Uganda, Rwanda, and Malawi.

Rita holds a BSc degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, and a Masters degree from the University of Cape Town.