F leming KATHERINE
International Development Award
Celebrating 20 Years
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Katherine (Katie) Fleming graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in 1985. After completing studies as a Rhodes Scholar (1985-1987), she began her career as a programme officer for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Eastern and Southern Africa. From 1993 to 1995, Katie served at UNICEF’s headquarters in New York City followed by a return to Africa. She died at her home in Tanzania in May 1999 at the age of 35. Katie dedicated her life’s work to overcoming child poverty in Africa. As with her work at UNICEF, she was committed to human rights and defense of those rights on behalf of children everywhere. Family and friends created the Katherine Fleming International Development Award in loving memory of her lifetime dedication to supporting the elimination of child poverty in Africa. Each year, an African woman leader from Coady International Institute receives the prestigious award at the StFX Homecoming Coffee with Coady event. In 2019, the Katherine Fleming International Development Award will have supported 20 African women leaders in attending Coady programs, enabling them to contribute further to social change in their organizations and communities.
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Memories of a wonderful human being In September 1995, both of our families landed in Bamako to join UNICEF-Mali. UNICEF did put us up at the same hotel while we were looking for housing. We all got along very well and quickly became friends. What I didn’t know than is how well we would work together for the next three years and the amazing ground-breaking work ahead of us, which in the end, would influence the whole organisation. With UNICEF-Mali, Kate was head of Education Programme and I was the Deputy Representative and managing the overall program. Kate reported to me directly. When I saw Kate going up and down the hotel pool, I knew this was no ordinary swimming. I was soon to learn Kate was an Olympic level swimmer, a Rhodes scholar, and a few other things. She would say these things as matter of fact with that little grin in her face ‘’et puis voila c’est tout”. One could only but start laughing with her. The one thing that first impressed me with Kate in office was her determination. I’m sure it will not be a surprise for those who knew her well. Mali official language is French and Kate’s French was so, so at best. In Kate’s mind that translated into a challenge. And a challenge is meant to be taken heads on. She would simply refuse to speak a word of English in the office and she struggled for weeks on. Guess what! She became fluent in no time. That’s our Kate! In 1996, the Mali government with World Bank support, initiated an Education Sector Investment Programme ( SIP) where UNICEF was to play a major role. This meant better coordination of majors’ actors under government leadership with a strong focus on improving quality teacher training, children learning achievement with expanded and improved infrastructure. Kate was very young, 32 years old. Yet she was able secure a place at the policy table while engaging on substantive issues always with a smile. It was a joy watching her moving through the corridors and getting the job done. It is also during that period that UNICEF globally was developing its Right-Based Approach to Programming (RBAP) informed by the United Nations Child Rights Conventions (CRC) which provides a base line for Child Rights worldwide. The challenge for organisations such as UNICEF was to translate the CRC spirit and aspiration into tangible programme results for children. Did I mention challenge! Yes, I did! So, under my leadership Kate creative mind and people skills went into overdrive. We undertook a nation-wide consultation process which led to, a first of its kind, conceptual framework for Mali Children Situation Analysis (SITAN) entirely based on the Child Rights Convention. This provided the foundation to develop the first Country Program Document (CPD) to be approved by the Board of Directors in New York Head Quarter as a National Response to the CRC. Without Kate perseverance, clear thinking and ‘’joie de vivre”, it would have been much more difficult to accomplish. In fact, this approach developed in Mali was ahead of its time and it took some time for the UNICEF to integrate the learning into its overall program planning. Kate was ahead of her time. She left us way too early but she will never be forgotten. Louis-Georges Arsenault Deputy Representative UNICEF Western Africa Regional Office Mali 1995-1998
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I met Kate Fleming in 1994 while we were both working in the Planning Office at UNICEF Headquarters in New York. I worked in the Statistics and Monitoring Section and she was in Planning. We were both pregnant with our second child at that time. Needless to say, this was a very exciting time in our lives; we were full of hope and anticipation about our growing families, as well as our future careers, particularly as young working mothers.
Kate was an exceptionally talented young woman. From the moment I met her, I was deeply impressed by her extraordinary intelligence and her high level of competence. Kate was an exceptionally talented young woman. From the moment I met her, I was deeply impressed by her extraordinary intelligence and her high level of competence. She was an unusually clear thinker and also a very capable writer. I was not only impressed by her talents, including being a Rhodes scholar and an Olympic quality swimmer, but I also strongly admired the depth and commitment she demonstrated in her personal relationships, particularly in her marriage to John Zutt, and her devotion as a mother. One of the more vivid memories I have of Kate and John, was John regularly bringing Madeline and Nicholas to the office so that Kate could nurse her newborn. One of the fondest memories I have of our time in the Planning Office was the surprise baby shower that the Office had organized for both of us. We were totally caught by surprise. It was a very heartwarming gesture and it was a joy to share this celebration with her. On June 20, 1994, Kate gave birth to a baby boy, Nicholas, and about two weeks later, on July 5, I had my daughter Devon. Kate and I grew closer during our maternity leave when she would visit me on the Upper West Side in New York and we would go for long walks in Central Park with our babies. There was so much to share and advice to give; she was a very supportive and resourceful friend. There were several other young mothers at UNICEF Headquarters who were pregnant at that time, including Linda Bifani (now Kelly). As UNICEF did not have any place in the building to facilitate breastfeeding, we formed a small group to try to establish a creche in the office to enable us to bring our babies to work. Unfortunately, this did not work out due to the building insurance code. However, we were ultimately successful in arranging for the UNICEF medical clinic to make a room available to breastfeed, or express our milk. Unfortunately, Kate and I lost touch after she moved to Africa in 1995 and I was utterly shocked to learn of her passing in May of 1999. I will always cherish my happy memories of her and our brief time together during such an important time in our lives. Tessa Wardlaw UNICEF Headquarters New York Chief, Data and Analytics Section 1993-1995
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I left UNICEF in 1999 when I started to work for the World Bank, and the only person I am still in contact with is Sally Burnheim, who is now with another UN Agency. Kate was a programme officer in Nairobi she dealt with UNICEF’s projects, the governments in Africa and the staff in the country offices in Eastern and Southern Africa. She was a huge supporter of advocacy programs, and building capacity of local governments to deliver services to women and children. A lot of the work consisted of monitoring the country programs, ensuring that their documentation was accurate and timely, and helping them prepare proposals and programs for funding. My work, as the Regional ICT Officer for Eastern and Southern Africa, was to support the ICT needs of UNICEF staff in the region, and to ensure everyone had the technology and training they needed to do ‘the real work’ of the organization. So we never really worked directly together, except that she was part of the team I was serving. I suppose we worked in the same office from 1991 until around 1994, or so. Then they moved to New York.
Everyone admired Kate for her consistent good mood. She was always on top of her game, always cheerful and willing to help colleagues, whether it was with understanding a situation or planning action. I only have great memories of her. Kate moved on ahead to New York while John and Madeline (a little baby) stayed in Nairobi for two weeks to sort out the shipment and other details for departure. John and Madeline came to live with me for that time, as I had a big house. I loved having them around. Everyone admired Kate for her consistent good mood. She was always on top of her game, always cheerful and willing to help colleagues, whether it was with understanding a situation or planning action. I only have great memories of her. After they left Nbo, I only saw them again once (they were living in New York and I visited them for an overnight when I was on mission). Of course I have seen John since then, but not frequently. Arleen Seed Regional ICT Officer UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) 1990-1993
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Some time, one is fortunate to meet a person who in a short span of time connects with you as if you had known each other forever. Kate Fleming was for me such a person. We met for the first time in Nairobi late 1990. She had just joined UNICEF a few months earlier as a junior Programme and Planning Officer. She was much younger than me, around the same age as my daughter, but that did not matter.
Some time, one is fortunate to meet a person who in a short span of time connects with you as if you had known each other forever. Kate Fleming was for me such a person. Two years later, she was transferred to New York where she worked with my colleague Richard Jolly whose office was next door to mine and in the Planning Office so we were able to talk and see each other often. Kate was one of these energetic, creative, hard-working individuals who always found time to do anything and everything and still look relaxed. One of the many issues that she was focusing on, in addition to work, was how women working for UNICEF could be able to breastfeed their babies after returning from maternity leave. She had just had another baby herself so she knew the challenge from personal experience. Having struggled with the same issue while working in banking in Norway many years earlier, I fully understood the challenge so she absolutely had my support to find solutions. I have to admit that we were not a 100 per cent successful, but at least we tried and were able to do something that was better than nothing. While Kate enjoyed working at UNICEF Headquarters in New York, her passion was to work for children in Africa, and she was very happy when she got appointed to another position in UNICEF, this time in Bamako, Mali. We continued to keep in touch, and I continued to be impressed with what she was doing. For that reason, I was very happy when she, a couple of years later, was appointed as Senior Programme Officer in UNICEF in Tanzania. Katie in New York City, October, 1987
Then came the devastating news, Kate had suddenly passed away. It was of course a tragedy for John, Kate’s husband and their children and the rest of the family. But the loss of Kate was also a tragedy far beyond that. I had the privilege to be one of the speakers at the memorial service for Kate which took place in New York and I spoke about this. I also spoke about how one can wonder about all what she could have done and accomplished in addition to what she had already managed to do so well, had she not been taken from us far too early. I will continue to cherish the memory of Kate. Karin Sham Poo UNICEF Headquarters New York City 1993-1995
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Katie Fleming: The Young Woman from Thunder Bay Katie walked into The Planning and Coordination Office at New York Headquarters in 1993, virtually unannounced, ready to roll up her sleeves and get cracking. “Thunder Bay” on her resume caught my imagination right away. This mythical name brought images to my mind of girl swimming champions. Was one of those young Amazons standing in front of my desk? She had just moved to New York from the ESARO Regional Office in Kenya. Only recently did I learn that Kate, in fact, held the Canadian record for the 100-meter butterfly briefly when she was 13 or 14. Kate did not talk about herself. Instead, she focused on the next challenge and soon demonstrated that she had the stamina and teamwork ethic of a champion. She was straightforward with me from the outset about her goals. She intended to learn everything she could about UNICEF Headquarters and then find a way to a posting in Africa, preferably Francophone Africa. She had landed in the right spot at Headquarters to ferret out everything that might be useful to her, from programming through operations. UNICEF’s Strategic Plan was this Office’s responsibility, as was the initiation of the Management Excellence effort after the consultancy awarded to Booz Allen and Hamilton to conduct a wide-reaching management review.
This was the young woman from Thunder Bay who knew no fear or evil. Kate had arrived with her husband, John Zutt, and her small daughter, Madeleine (Mado), who would pop into the office with her mother from time to time, adding more fun to the 13th Floor, where Petra Morrison and our team busy with work on The Progress of Nations kept a collection of small toy frogs and colored pencils on hand to ease the tension of data review. In the midst of this three-ring circus, Kate could pick up a piece of analysis and with her facile pen and bring it to a concise conclusion. Her improvements would dance on the page and could also stand up to tough scrutiny from specialists. She took this for granted, but saved her real attention for delving into everything available about interventions that made a difference for girls’ education, especially in Africa. In New York, she and John also celebrated the birth of their second child, Nicholas.
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I had assumed that Kate would be able to bring little Nicholas to work, at least while she was breastfeeding. The MENA Regional Office had made it easy for me to do this in Amman. We hatched grand plans to enlarge the possibilities for all working mothers to have a small childcare space at Headquarters where they might retreat to breastfeed during the day. What could have been more natural and needed? It was not so simple, we found, to walk the talk of UNICEF policies in Manhattan. Karin Sham Poo championed the initiative but ran up against NYC real estate rental restrictions that even she, with her financial and negotiating prowess, could not overcome. Kate did not dwell on this problem, but instead focused on her aim to move with her family to Francophone Africa. In 1995, off she went with John, Mado, and Nicholas to Bamako, Mali as the Project Officer in Education. I followed her career from a distance, knowing UNICEF had a winner in place. Her sudden, unexpected death just after taking up her new duties as Senior Programme Officer for Tanzania in 1998 devastated us all. Her friend from Oxford, Steven Dunne, in his eulogy, reassured family and friends that Kate had found herself at home in Africa where breastfeeding and carrying your children about on your hip came naturally to all. “In fact, Katie often brought her kids right into work with her. She was famous for conducting meetings with Nicholas on her hip, or for having Madeline coloring on the floor of her office, or for interrupting work several times a day to breast-feed Alexander,” he said. Nothing has ever been more difficult for me than reading the psalm at her memorial service in New York at the Church Center. This was the young woman from Thunder Bay who knew no fear or evil. Leila Bisharat UNICEF Headquarters New York 1993-1995
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I remember Katie very well. I worked in a different UNICEF office in Nairobi back in the 90s, but I knew her and John quite well on a personal level. We stayed in touch with her for several years after she and John left Nairobi. Her death was a great tragedy that affected me very deeply. I’m sorry for your loss all these years later. I would be happy to speak with you about what I know, albeit quite limited on a work basis. I’m living in New York, if you should happen to have any trips planned. It would be nice to meet you in person. Katie was incredibly kind and generous towards me when I first arrived in Nairobi as a 31-year-old single woman in need of a friend. Sally Burnheim UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) 1990-1993
I worked with Kate for two years in Nairobi with UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), Nairobi as External Relations/Communications Officer. I think her title was program officer or program coordinator. At the regional office, the work is mainly to support the UNICEF country offices. So for me this was related to external relations and I think for Kate it was more on Monitoring, Evaluation and Education because she was working closely with Justin Maeda who was the regional education advisor. Kate’s work would have been related to coordinating with NGOs, UN agencies, supporting UNICEF country offices in the Eastern and Southern African region in their education activities; organizing regional training workshops; identify training needs, communication, and advocacy strategies for World Summit for Children, Convention on the Rights of the Child, A Global NGO Summit in Kadoma, Zimbabwe in preparation for the World Summit organized by ESARO. Tanja van de Linde External relations/Communications Officer UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) 1990-1993
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Yvonne Marimo Becomes First Katherine Fleming International Development Fellow on 20th Anniversary Yvonne Marimo (Diploma in Development Leadership, 2011) is the founder of the Global African Business Woman Network (GAWN). An entrepreneur and a personal development practitioner, she has a passion for empowering women and girls to embrace entrepreneurship as a tool for combating poverty and financial exclusion. In 2011, Coady awarded Yvonne the prestigious Katherine Fleming International Development Award, which provides a bursary to a deserving woman leader from Africa each year. “The award inspired me to dream big – to reach out beyond the limitations of my own country or continent,” Yvonne says. “I have been able to do this through the Global African Business Women Network, a digital platform that brings together African women entrepreneurs on the continent and those in the diaspora so that they can connect, share experiences, and learn from each other.” This year marks a significant anniversary of supporting African women’s leadership, and partnership with StFX University and Coady International Institute. In 2019, the award will support Yvonne in returning to Coady to complete a fellowship at Coady’s International Centre for Women’s Leadership. “Studying at Coady gave me the knowledge, skills, and confidence I needed to complete my work within evidence-based frameworks and methodologies,” Yvonne says. “Being at Coady gave me a sense of purpose.”
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Annie Porbeni Nigeria
Organization at the time of receiving the Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Niger Delta Women for Justice (NDWJ) Current Organization: State of Minnesota “Someday, I would like to use both my academic and practical experience and build a generation of forward thinkers where the focus on the human is more important than the focus on the bottom line. I believe treating the human with dignity creates a positive, profitable, and promising work environment for all.” – Annie in 2019
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Sophia Ayoo Kenya
Organization at the time of receiving the Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Forum for African Women Educationalists – Kenya Chapter (FAWEK) “FAWEK aims to ensure that Kenyan girls receive quality education and equal chances in life. This intends to make them grow into women who have the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to contribute to the economic, social, and democratic development of the society. Our work therefore focuses on influencing action to reduce gender disparities in access, retention, participation, and performance through a range of initiatives.”
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Viness Lourens Mangoye Zambia
Organization at the time of receiving the Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Panuka Trust In 2002, Viness Lourens Mangoye was the founder and president of Panuka Trust, a community-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) aimed to mobilize women from eight villages in the Nkandela region who are actively involved in adult basic education and income generation ventures. “Panuka envisages a peaceful, gender sensitive Zambian society enjoying liberty and human dignity.”
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Constance Hambwalula Zambia
Organization at the time of receiving the Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Zambia National Association of Physically Handicapped (ZNAPH) “Zambia National Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities (ZNAPD) is a mass membership organization that was formed in 1981 with the aim of fostering and promoting the welfare and interests of persons with disabilities.”
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Emily Sikazwe Zambia
Organization at the time of receiving the Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Women for Change “My journey in social justice has not been an easy route. My journey in the fight against poverty has been one of trials and tribulations. However, these violations have not changed my philosophy, that injustice to one is injustice to all. This is the same philosophy that Katie adopted when she made that decision to fight poverty in Africa.” - Emily Sikazwe in her 2004 acceptance speech
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International Impact Research Associate for Stephen Lewis (1989-1990), Toronto, Ontario
Associate for Stephen Lewis, Canada’s Ambassador to the UN (1987), New York City Antigonish, Nova Scotia (1982-85) Saint Francis Xavier University
Special Assistant to Richard Jolly New York City (1993-95) UNICEF headquarters Head of Education Programming Bamako, Mali (1995-98) UNICEF Western Africa Regional Office Mali
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ia Oxford, England (1985-87) Rhodes Scholar
Education Programme Officer Nairobi, Kenya (1990-93) UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO)
Senior Programme Officer Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1999) UNICEF Eastern Regional Office
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Idah Nambeya Zambia
Organization at the time you received Katie Fleming Award from Coady: The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) Current Organization: The Stephen Lewis Foundation, Toronto, Canada “Coady is a place that brings the world together. People from different countries - who are champions of different development projects and/or organizations - come together not only to learn but to share and exchange knowledge that enhances the learning. My ability as a change leader was at a different level. I came back home to Zambia as a true community leader and created systems that still work today.” – Idah in 2019
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Phumzile Ndlovu
South Africa Kwazulu Natal Durban
Organization at the time you received Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Philakahle Wellbeing Centre Current Organization: Bridging the Gap of South Africa (BTSA) “To be acknowledged in honour of Katie Fleming – a woman who believed in the strength of other women - encouraged me to establish my own organization that supports children, young women, and women in Kwazulu Natal.” - Phumzile in 2019
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Amina Mlawa Tanzania
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Sahiba Sisters Foundation Current Organization: Affirmative Action on Gender Equality Network (AGEN) Affirmative Action on Gender Equality Network (AGEN)’s vision is to, “maintain and advance our position and status as the most reputable charitable international NGO dedicated to empowerment of grassroots women, men, and youth in Sub-Saharan Africa and the African Diaspora in the United States of America and from across the Globe”.
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Dawn Mokgautsi Botswana
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Francistown Network of Support Groups “At a time when millions of women are struggling for their rights, respect, and dignity so that they can be recognized and participate meaningfully in development around the world, I feel privileged to be here… I feel a responsibility in my heart as I stand here among you, much as I imagine Katie felt. I share her devotion to make a difference.” - Dawn Mokgautsi in her 2008 acceptance speech.
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Inviolata Mwali Mmbwavi Kenya
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Grassroots Empowerment Trust Current Organization: International Community of Women Living With HIV (Kenyan Chapter) “I remember then Director of Coady, Mary Coyle telling me in my ear after graduation, ‘I am looking up to you….’ This, for me, was a huge expectation. I promised not to fail this expectation. I have lived with this statement as a huge but sweet burden. Every time I do something, I remember this statement.” – Inviolata in 2019
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Anna Meela-Kulaya Tanzania
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Current Organization: Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Anna began working for Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) in 2001 as a legal. Now, she is the Deputy National Coordinator of WiLDAF Tanzania. “Working for women’s rights is definitely not an easy thing. I expect a lot of challenges, and with this encouragement, I will continue to work for women in my country and all over the world.” – Anna in her 2010 acceptance speech
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Yvonne Marimo
Zimbabwe/United Kingdom
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Self-Employed Women’s Association of Zimbabwe (SEWAZ) Current Organization: Global African Business Women Network (GAWN) “Women want to be ‘masters of their own destiny.’ The award inspired me to dream big. To reach out beyond the limitations of my own country or continent.” - Yvonne in 2019
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Pamela Obonde Kenya
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Angolo Community Development Centre (ACDC) “To begin to be understood, we must first learn to understand’. I believe Coady Institute will sharpen my leadership skills, and I will go back to my community equipped with knowledge and skills to enable me to better understand my community and the people I work with.” - Pamela Amoiya Obonde upon arriving at Coady in 2012
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Afi Azaratu Yakubu Ghana
Organization when receiving Katie Fleming Award from Coady: Foundation for Security and Development in Africa “From the little I have read about Katie I can comfortably say that there are a number of values we share. One distinct one I have spotted is our sensitivity for the plight of others, and another is acting when we see injustice.” – Afi Azaratu Yakubu in her 2013 acceptance speech.
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Kate Ibeanusi Nigeria
Organization at the time you received Katherine Fleming Award: Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) Current Organization: Initiative for Sustaining Family Unity “My Coady experience showed me in practical terms how one can learn while incorporating field experience and applying the learning at the same time. It was an opportunity that empowered me to look deep within myself. It provided the space to analyze my strengths, capabilities, and weaknesses. Above all, it emboldened me to believe in my cause and pursue it selflessly with or without material rewards. Coady Institute and all it stands for has a liberating influence on the participants, that I have not been able to see elsewhere.” – Kate in 2019
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Patricia Blankson Akakpo Ghana
Organization at the time you received Katherine Fleming Award: Network of Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) Current Organization: Network of Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) “The Katherine Fleming Award gave me the opportunity to reassess and improve my abilities to be of a better service to humanity. My ultimate goal is to work to ensure the realization and enjoyment of the fundamental human rights of women and girls.” – Patricia in 2019
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Mabuyakhulu Abingo Siphiwe Phumla Swaziland
Organization at the time you received Katherine Fleming Award: Compassionate Swaziland Current Organization: Compassionate Swaziland “Drawing from Katherine’s sacrifice to the less fortunate in society and in particular Africa, my studies at Coady inspired me to take lead in advocacy against social injustice as well as cultural and traditional norms that stand as barriers against women, girls, and the poor.” – Mabuyakhulu in 2019
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Namadi Peggy Saka Kenya
Organization at the time you received Katherine Fleming Award: Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children (KAACR) Current Organization: Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children (KAACR) “I am not the custodian of all knowledge. I learned to appreciate the knowledge held by others and the intelligence they have. I am now able to harness this knowledge and intelligence among the people I serve/lead, to make my leadership even more authentic by utilizing it.” – Namadi in 2019
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Grace Arach Uganda
Organization at the time you received Katherine Fleming Award: Foundation for Women Affected by Conflicts (FOWAC) Current Organization: Foundation for Women Affected by Conflicts (FOWAC) “The life and the work of Katherine Fleming is a reflection of my effort for the disadvantaged and the marginalized in society.” – Grace in 2019
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