Abir Ibrahim (USA)

With nearly eight years of experience, Abir Ibrahim is a recognized practitioner, organizer and thought leader on social and economic development, African Affairs, women & youth leadership and global health. Her mission-driven lens and approach has amplified women contributions and helped elevate national and global discourse on gender, next generation leadership and women in development. Ms. Abir was appointed as UNICEF USA's Community Engagement Fellow in 2017 where she served as the focal person for community partnerships and mobilization for movements and causes that put children first. Prior to UNICEF, she worked for a variety of public and private institutions, including UNICEF Sudan, IHF Kenya, and led major USG funded projects. In 2014 she was appointed as Peace Corps Health Advisor in Tanzania. In response to the death of her neighbor due to AIDS and the prevalent gender gap in poverty, Abir founded Inua Naturals. Inua works to economically empower marginalized women farmers and artisans through agribusiness and innovation, while at the same time providing community-driven solutions to improve access to health and education. In collaboration with local partners, Ms. Abir build the first secondary school in her small village in Tanzania, serving 2000+ students. She also partnered with UNICEF to rehabilitate an impoverished school for 540 underserved girls in rural Sudan. Ms. Abir’s commitment to alleviate poverty and improve girls access to education led her to represent Sudan at the UN Human Rights Summit Council in 2018, where she briefed the council on the importance of girl’s education and the 3.9 million Sudanese children without access to primary education. She also briefed the United Nations Economic and Social Council on gender inclusion in underserved communities and later represented UNICEF USA at the International Rotary Convention in Toronto with CEO Caryl Stern. Abir has an academic grounding in Psychology and a Master's in Public Health. Her work has been featured in the African Business Magazine, 21Ninety, Blavity, Voice of America, AllAfrica, HuffPost, The Guardian and other media outlets. From the front lines of injustice and often in the face of extreme insecurities; Abir continues to innovate the advocacy efforts on behalf of women and children. A Sudanese born global citizen, Abir enjoys utilizing her multilingualism, personal and professional experiences to advocate, connect and empower underserved communities.