Christina Sudi, Tanzania

“I want to use my knowledge and skills to make changes at the community level. I aspire to educate community members on the ‘how’ of development and then understand the ‘why.’”

Christina Sudi, the Gender and Youth Advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Water Resources Integration Development Initiative (WARIDI) in Tanzania, has 10 years of experience in community-based development work across multiple fields. As a participative leader, she enjoys facilitating mutual learning and encouraging and organizing dialogues among different groups of people. Her passion for international development work stems from her commitment to bring about change. “I want to use my knowledge and skills to make changes at the community level. I aspire to educate community members on the ‘how’ of development and then understand the ‘why.’”

“Diversity and inclusion means addressing the different needs of men and women by designing activities in which all are included. For example, to increase women’s participation in water related decision making, we look at the time of the meetings, proper information, seating arrangements, and social norms.”

Christina works with the challenges of diversity and inclusion daily. In her role, she implements WARIDI’s gender and youth integration strategy, conducting trainings for the project’s staff. Coordinating with senior staff members, technical experts, and stakeholders, the strategy Christina implements aims to empower women and youth, including male engagement and monitoring and mitigating gender-based violence within the context of the project. “I aim to champion diversity and inclusion in my work with Tetra Tech by being an advocate in whatever I do. As the Gender and Youth advisor, I support other teams to ensure they have integrated a gender and youth inclusion strategy in their plans, activities, tools, and reports. The gender team has also introduced a Gender Champion award, recognizing a staff member each quarter who incorporates gender and youth inclusion in all spheres of the project.”

She believes Tetra Tech fosters a close-knit and supportive community enabling our staff to work hard and deliver high-quality programs for beneficiaries. “It’s important when all people are included in the stages of development, through initial phases, planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. This enables them to have a sense of ownership and encourages participation to a successful end.”

Working with Tetra Tech has enabled Christina to contribute to the long-term sustainability of diversity and inclusion within WARIDI’s project activities. With the trainings implemented and technical support provided, Christina has successfully trained 168 women’s groups, 61 community leaders, 47 WARIDI staff members, and 12 community facilitation teams. Continuing these accomplishments towards the sustainability of the project’s activities, she has incorporated the government into her strategy and these trainings.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with Tetra Tech. My experience has enabled me to be an expert in my field as well as built my confidence. I was exposed to work at the community, national, and international levels.”