Introducing Charity Monareng, Executive Director of SSDP International
Hello Everyone, I am Charity Monareng and I am the new Executive Director of SSDP International. A little bit about myself, I have a background in Criminology, International Studies, Social Development and currently pursuing my PhD studies at the University of Cape Town in Public Law. I have been working in the field of drug policy since 2018 and have experience advocating for policy reform and harm reduction at the national, regional, and international levels. I have a weird fascination with gangs and that is where my interest in drug policy and drugs in general came about. I am very passionate about issues around women and youth and have done a lot of voluntary work in marginalised communities in South Africa with young people in assisting with their development.
I am really excited to be joining the organisation because I get to work in a space that I have always wanted to be in, we have so much potential and young people bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the drug policy space. And my mission is to ensure that the experience and reputation I have gained in the drug policy space will enable our voices to be heard and amplified in all the relevant spaces, not only in the drug policy space but in other movements where the youth voice is missing.
I look forward to meeting and working with you all.
Join us on Thursday the 18th of May at 7 pm GMT+1 for a webinar introducing Charity! Register now.
A note from Róisín Downes, founder of SSDP International:
It has been a pleasure and an honour to lead this incredible network over the last few years. I joined SSDP as a nervous 18-year-old looking for a way to make a difference in drug policy, and it has been a rollercoaster ever since. Since then, have seen the power of communities of young people and people who use drugs in ways I could never have imagined. This space has changed my life forever, and I am so grateful. It’s been a true joy to shepherd this community and it’s a bittersweet feeling to let it go, but I couldn’t be more confident that Charity will guide SSDP Intl to even higher heights.
I want to thank all of my incredible team, in particular Moronfolu Adeniyi, Iulia Vatau, Sara Velimirovic and Orsi Fehér. I also want to thank the Global Core Team and Beatrix Vas and Ruby Lawlor for helping through the founding of the organisation. Of course, I would like to thank our outstanding board members who have led us through thick and thin. Finally, I’d like to thank all those who supported me on this journey, particularly those who guided me and listened to me complain for hours, especially Jake Agliata, Jamie Bridge, Luis Montoya and Rachel Wissner.
