Touch employs a team of highly skilled professionals who are committed to improving healthcare and promoting health access in sub-Saharan Africa. Our team brings a wide range of expertise, with private and public sector backgrounds spanning from management consulting, clinical medicine, public health, and non-profit organizational management. Together, we address the multifaceted challenges facing health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.
Massi brings more than 20 years of experience in public, private and global health. Prior to joining Touch in 2012, Massi was a Senior Manager at McKinsey & Co., where he served large public and private health clients in Europe, US, South America, and the Middle East. His work focused on health system reforms, healthcare financing and organizational performance for governments and public health institutions, and strategy, market access, and process optimization for private health sector players. Massi holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an Executive MSc in Health Economics, Policy and Management from the London School of Economics, and an MSc in Aerospace Engineering from the Polytechnic of Milan.
Ajay Saini joins Touch Foundation as Chief Financial Officer and brings a broad range of experience in nonprofit management, finance, and administration. Before joining Touch, Ajay was the Director of Finance and Administration at Equality Now and most recently served as Vice President of Finance and Administration of DKMS. Ajay holds a B.S in Accounting and Business Management from DAV College in Chandigarh, India.
Allison joins Touch Foundation as Chief Advancement Officer, bringing over 20 years of nonprofit experience in global health and fundraising. Prior to joining Touch, Allison served as the Regional Director for Development for Planned Parenthood North Central States. She currently sits on the Board of Care 2 Communities and the KLM Foundation. Allison holds an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University, School of International & Public Affairs.
Valerio joined Touch in 2013 and currently leads the development and implementation of Touch’s programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Previously, Valerio served as a management consultant at A.T. Kearney and as a Systems Engineer at Alenia North America. Valerio received his Laurea (equivalent to Masters of Science) at the Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ in Rome, Italy; a Master’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology; and an M.B.A. degree from the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Abdul-Ahad joined Touch Foundation in 2019 as a Project Manager based in Dar Es Salaam. Abdul-Ahad is responsible for managing the WISN+POA project. Prior to joining Touch, Abdul-Ahad worked as a Senior Project Manager at Capita and Project Manager at Network Rail. He also worked for Moby Group, based in Afghanistan and served as a President at University College London Union. He has a BSc from Royal Holloway and an MSc in International Public Policy from University College London (UCL). Abdul-Ahad holds an Associate’s for Project Management (APMP) qualification awarded in 2016. He is fluent in Pashto and has an intermediate understanding of the Farsi dialect.
Zheni Culjak joined Touch Foundation as our Senior Accountant in May 2022. Zheni brings to her role 20 years of financial experience in European and American institutions. She has worked as a Controller for companies like L’Oréal, the New York Times, and Credit Suisse. Most recently, Zheni was the Senior Manager of Accounting and Administration for DKMS Transplant Center. Zheni holds a Master’s degree of Finance from Stopanska Academia “Dimitar Tzanov”, Bulgaria.
Linda rejoined Touch in 2019 after spending two years as a Program Manager in Mwanza, Tanzania from 2015 – 2016. In her current role, Linda is responsible for program implementation in the Lake Zone of Tanzania as well as the implementation of the m-mama program in countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to joining Touch, Linda worked for ten years in strategy and operations consulting at A.T. Kearney, Deloitte, and Right Lane Consulting. Linda graduated from the University of Melbourne (Australia), where she majored in Finance, Management, and Psychology.
Samy Ellouze rejoined Touch as a Project Manager in 2020, after having spent 18 months with the team in Mwanza in 2017. His role involves developing the m-mama ICT application and m-mama implementation in countries outside of Tanzania. He has 8 years of experience in management consultancy and project management. He has an MA in Strategy and Management from Toulouse Business School.
Lucas serves as Senior Manager responsible for Touch’s Institutional and Program Development efforts. Prior to this, he spent 2.5 years managing healthcare projects from the Foundation’s Lake Zone office in Mwanza, Tanzania. Lucas’s previously worked as an Operations Consultant and Chief of Staff at PwC in London, following the founding of a Personal Impact business. Lucas holds a degree in Economics from the University of Manchester, with a sub-focus on Social and Business Anthropology.
Donath joined Touch Foundation in 2019 as an Office Assistant. He provides procurement, finance, program, and daily operations support in the Mwanza office. Donath received a Certificate in Procurement and Supply from the College of Business Education in 2019.
Dr. Wilson Kitinya joined Touch Foundation in 2021 as a Medical Specialist based in Dar Es Salaam. He has over 10 years of experience working in both clinical and international NGO settings. Before joining the Touch team, Dr. Kitinya worked as a Deputy Project Director at Jhpiego. Prior, Wilson worked with Sikika, where he focused on Human Resources for Health, Health Financing & Governance research and advocacy. Prior to Sikika, Wilson worked with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health; first as a Tutor at Mafinga and later as a Principal at Masasi Clinical Officers’ Training Centre. He is an experienced medical doctor with an MSc in Clinical Education from Edinburgh and an MBA for Doctors from Neu-Ulm. He received his undergraduate education (MD) at University of Dar es Salaam.
Tsolo Maoeng joined the Touch team in Lesotho as Project Manager in 2021. Tsolo brings extensive experience in monitoring and evaluation and project implementation coordination. Before Touch, he worked with The European Union, African Development Bank, and World Bank Group development projects to the Kingdom of Lesotho. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from the National University of Lesotho and an advanced diploma in Project Management from the Institute of Commercial Management United Kingdom.
Shabani Ally joined Touch in Mwanza in 2013 and is currently working as an Operations Analyst. He provides management, finance, and operations support to the team. Shabani is a graduate of Open University of Tanzania and received an Advanced Diploma in Computer Sciences in 2016.
Giulia joined Touch Foundation in September 2019 in Mwanza. Prior to joining Touch she lived in Milan, Italy where she worked at Accenture as a Management Consulting Analyst. Giulia has previously lived in East Africa for several months for both work experiences and volunteering projects. She holds a bachelor degree in International Management and Economics and a Master of Science in Management from Bocconi University.
Bonaventure joined Touch in Mwanza in 2016. His role is to manage the daily financial operations and ensure compliance in our financial and procurement activities. Before joining Touch, Bonnie worked in finance and accounting for a variety of global NGO’s such as Abt Associates, Helen Keller International and World Vision. Bonnie also worked for Africare Tanzania. Bonnie graduated from St. Augustine’s University in Tanzania with a BBA degree in Accounting and also holds a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration – Finance from St. John’s University in Tanzania.
Salome joined Touch in 2020 in Mwanza as Human Resources and Administrative Manager. She brings with her ten years of experiences with HR, finance, operations and administration. Prior to Touch, Salome managed operations and HR at Tanzamaji Limited. A graduate from Finlandia University, she holds a B.S. in Business Administration.
Saleh joined Touch in 2018 and is based in Dar Es Salaam. Saleh is responsible for developing and implementing Touch programs working alongside USAID in Tanzania. His work at Touch involves collaborating and creating effective relationships with the Tanzanian Government responsible for healthcare in the country.
Previously, Saleh worked as a Manager at AstraZeneca and Assistant Manager at Deloitte. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and received his Bachelors in Economics from Royal Holloway University of London.
Joelle joined the Touch team in August 2022 in the role of Development Assistant based in New York. She is a recent graduate of Fordham University where she studied international relations, digital technology, and media. She brings experience in non-profit communications, outreach, and administration for organizations such as Catholic Relief Services and One Fair Wage. Joelle served as President of Fordham Experimental Theatre and brings a range of talent in creative communications to her role with Touch.
Alice joined Touch Foundation in August 2019 in Mwanza, Tanzania. Prior to joining Touch, Alice worked in strategy consulting in Melbourne, Australia. She worked closely with nonprofit organisations and the state and federal government on their strategic projects, and supported the development, implementation and evaluation of programs across a range of industries. She holds a Bachelor of Criminology from Durham University in England and a Master of Management specializing in Marketing from Melbourne Business School.
Steven joined Touch Foundation in October 2022 as ICT Officer based in Dodoma. He has more than 5 years of industry experience building Information Systems & Web Applications. His role involves supporting the national scale-up of the m-mama program by ensuring the m-mama ICT system is fully functioning and by managing m-mama ICT system maintenance and operations. Before joining the Touch team, Steven Minja worked as a Software Developer at Vodacom Tanzania. He holds a bachelor’s degree of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Dodoma.
Haidari joined Touch Foundation in October 2022 as a Field Specialist for the m–mama program. Prior to joining Touch Foundation, Haidari worked for Vodacom Tanzania Limited, AIM Group (T) Limited and IDTECH Holding Limited. His experience spans a wide range of industries including telecommunications, non-profit organizations, and financial services. Haidari, a graduate from Iringa University, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Tourism as well as additional certifications in IBM Data Analytics, Project Management, Health and Safety, and Digital Marketing.
Nolasco joined Touch Foundation in October 2022 as a Field Specialist for the m-mama program based in Dar Es Salaam. His role involves supporting the national scale-up of the m-mama program by ensuring the program is in operation for the whole country. Prior to joining Touch, Nolasco worked as a Case Management Officer at Action for Community Care (ACC). He has a BA in Education from St. Augustine University of Tanzania and a Masters of Community Development from Mount Meru University.
Restituta rejoined Touch in October 2022 as a Field Specialist for the m-mama program after spending three years as a Dispatcher Team Leader in Sengerema, Mwanza, Tanzania. Prior to joining Touch, Restituta worked for five years at Sengerema Hospital as a Data Officer. She has also worked with AGIPAHI (Arial Glaser Pediatric AIDS Health care Initiative) and ICAP (International Centre for AID Care and Treatments Program). She holds an Advanced Diploma in Information Technology awarded at Institute of Accountancy Arusha.