Doreen Njoki Irungu is a food systems and gender equity leader driving inclusive, climate-resilient development across rural Africa. She is the Founder of Ustawi Afrika, an organisation dedicated to empowering semi-arid and rural communities through an integrated model that combines microfinance, sustainable agriculture, water access, and knowledge dissemination, thereby strengthening food security, improving livelihoods, and building long-term resilience.

Doreen is also the Co-founder and African Coordinator of the Network of African Women in Food and Agritech (NAWFAT), where she champions the growth of women-led agribusinesses and agri-tech ventures. Through NAWFAT, she mentors and supports 37 women founders, providing strategic guidance, access to resources, and ecosystem linkages that enable them to scale sustainably. In addition, she serves as a Gender Expert for the M-Venture Project, empowering rural women farmers producing cassava, millet, and sorghum with capital, inputs, and technical training to improve productivity and income.

Under Doreen’s leadership, Ustawi Afrika has delivered measurable, community-wide impact: a 27% increase in food production, a 37% reduction in malnutrition and household hunger, and the construction of 250 water pans to secure sustainable water access in climate-vulnerable regions. She has facilitated the formation of 300 self-help groups, strengthening collective action and peer support, and directly impacted over 15,000 rural women in underserved and marginalised communities.

In recognition of this transformative work, Ustawi Afrika received the 2023 Stop Hunger Global Award in France, highlighting its contribution to combating hunger and advancing women’s economic empowerment. Through her visionary leadership, Doreen continues to advance gender equality, climate resilience, and inclusive food systems transformation across Africa.