NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Liliosa Mbirimi is the Program Director of the Leila Janah Foundation, overseeing its endeavors to alleviate global poverty through a unique Give Work model for low income women and youth in East Africa. The foundation runs two key programs: Its anchor program is the Give Work Challenge, a twice-a-year business plan competition for micro entrepreneurs with either existing or new social businesses, designed to help them receive funding, mentorship, and other forms of support. The second is The Woman Founder Award, which trains and gives grants to women in rural western Kenya to launch businesses.

Liliosa has led dynamic growth teams for over 18 years in the digital economy and youth employment space and is passionate about social justice. Prior to her work with the foundation, Liliosa held positions at both Sama and its non-profit predecessor, the Sama Group, ending her time there as the Impact and Marketing Manager for Sama.  She is currently a Fellow of the Women’s Impact Alliance for women that play a pivotal role in social and environmental change across the globe.