MA Global Leadership Alumni Influencing Change
Royal Roads University's Master of Arts in Global Leadership (MAGL) alumni are making a difference in the world! From influencing food systems to reducing maternal mortality rates, you can find them impacting positive changes around the globe.
Spearheading food systems leadership
Brenda, Director of Creative Thought, Global Food Lead, was honored by the Manitoba Women in Agriculture and Food as Champion of Diversity In June of 2019. In her interview, Brenda was asked what motivates her in good times and through roadblocks. Brenda points out it is her closeness to her adult children and to her grandchildren:
“I have, throughout my adult lifetime, laid all discussion bare to my children and to this day they continue to be my wise council, inspiration and my anchor. I am determined, maybe too much so, but when you are a sole provider with children to feed and a ranch to run, a job to do and an audience to inform, you must be determined. As a woman of faith, I trust implicitly in the future. Little children bring me joy and often at the darkest of times if I can be near children then I am lifted. A great and challenging conversation is a motivator for me. I see such talent in so many – it amazes me and pulls me forward.”
Asked what she is doing and why, Brenda tells, “I just completed my Master of Arts in Global Leadership and am designing leadership programs here on Vancouver Island where I now live. After a life time of extensive travel and hundreds of presentations it is time to be rooted and engage at a deeper level. My MA project, Three Times a Day – Critical Questions toward a New Dialogue in Food Leadership will be expanded for global interaction, I am working locally with food security hubs and my mentees are flying in for private sessions (and a little time in paradise).”
Reducing maternal mortality rates in Nigeria
Mary Mandy is focusing on fundraising and bringing awareness alongside The Greater Hands Foundation (GHF) to Nigeria’s women’s high rates of maternal mortality. Cross River State, Nigeria has one of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Nigeria with a maternal mortality ratio of 2000/100,000 live births and infant mortality rate of 120/1000 live births.
In April 2019, a young woman died because she did a self-delivery from home because she didn't have the money to go to the hospital. GHF is working to reduce and prevent heartbreaking occurrences like these but currently, GHF is struggling financially to sustain its activities/interventions. According to Mary, GHF needs to continue with its community mobilization, behavioral change communication and advocacy activities to increase demand uptake of integrated reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) services at health facilities. The organization is working towards reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates by 15% and 10% respectively.