Diaspora Group for Global Citizenship

Mya Chemonges-Murzynowska

Co-chair – National

Aneel Singh Bhopal

Co-Chair – Global Justice

After completing an LLB (Honours) and MSc in Criminal Justice, Aneel has been involved in the third sector for over a decade supporting various causes in both paid and voluntary roles. Previously, Aneel has worked for the Central Scotland Equality Council (CSREC) managing a large scale environmental and equalities project which supported people from BAME communities in the Forth Valley area. With the Scottish Refugee Council, Aneel has also coordinated regional support for refugees, asylum seekers and new migrants, across the South West of Scotland, through engagement with community organisations, local authorities and public sector agencies. Aneel currently works as Deputy Director of the West of Scotland Regional Equality Council (WSREC), an equalities and human rights organisation, based in Glasgow.

Aneel is a regular contributor to BBC Scotland’s ‘Thought for the Day’ and currently sits on Refugee Action’s ‘Insight Advisory Hub’.

He has experience of volunteering with Interfaith Glasgow, SEVA Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland.

Rezaur Rahman

Secretary

MD Rezaur Rahman, known as MD, was born and raised in Bangladesh and has called Scotland home since 2009. With a global outlook, he considers himself a citizen of the world, committed to building an inclusive society with equal access to community, well-being, and essential resources.

Currently pursuing a PhD at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, MD’s research—partnered with Police Scotland—focuses on the impact of social mixing activities in fostering meaningful interactions between migrant and non-migrant communities.

MD chairs the West Lothian Community Race Forum, a registered charity promoting racial awareness and equality, and celebrating cultural integration in West Lothian. Recently named a Lifetime Ambassador for West Lothian College, he works with the college to support students and staff while receiving their backing for his community efforts.

He also serves as a board director of Theiya Arts, an organization creating inclusive spaces for diverse communities through activities like dance, yoga, and mindfulness to enhance well-being.

With his lived experience as a migrant and expertise in research, policy, and community engagement, MD brings valuable insight into social relationships and integration, having demonstrated skills in conflict resolution, problem-solving, and best practices for community support.

Johannes Gonani

Born and bred in Zimbabwe and currently living and working in Scotland since 2005. Johannes is a ‘Christian, husband and father’. His passion is working with diverse ethnic communities, and he is the Co-founder and Operations Manager of Pachedu charity.

Pachedu was set up in 2016 to help ethnically diverse groups in the West of Scotland be more visible and pro-active in shaping their communities. Johannes also works part-time as Project Coordinator at West of Scotland Regional Equality Council; he is an appointed church Elder at Zion Christian Church and sits on the Board of Directors for Engage Renfrewshire and West End Community Growing Growers Association (WEGGA).

Edeo Kalo

Edeo Kalo is a professional economist who focuses particularly on contemporary economics, development, the environment, and the water economy. Currently, he is lecturer at Glasgow University’s GIC College while pursuing a PhD at the University of Strathclyde.

He is enthusiastic about humanitarian and human rights concerns in Oromia, Ethiopia. Edeo has a long-standing interest in environmental protection, sustainable development, and the eradication of poverty. He has been serving as a trustee for the Oromo Relief Association (ORA) charity for several years, and he has successfully linked the ORA with the Scottish International Development Alliance.

He is also the chairman of Oromo Community Scotland, a successful organisation that supports refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland

Dr Kingsley Oturu

Dr Kingsley Oturu is the Chief Executive of the African Scottish Development Organisation (www.asdoonline.org.uk), which he founded in 2007.  He is passionate about charity, which led to his winning the extraordinary achievers charity award in work involving NHS Scotland, Strathclyde University, Scottish Government Global Citizenship program and other wide variety of stakeholders in sending Medical Equipment for research and aid to Nigeria, Africa.

He is a Medical Doctor with a PhD in International Health and Development (Queen Margaret university, Edinburgh, Scotland UK). He is currently involved in influencing sustainability policies and practices in the Scottish health care sector and supporting SMEs to achieve Net Zero.  Dr Kingsley Oturu serves on the Scottish Government Global Citizenship Board, the Climate Change Board of the Faculty of Public Health, Royal College of Physicians, and the Global Citizenship Group of the Scottish International Development Alliance.

Carolina Wani

Carolina has a public health, health promotion and digital health systems background. She is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Computer & Information Sciences at the University of Strathclyde. Her research critically examines the factors influencing the advancement of digital mental health interventions for adolescents in low-and middle-income countries. Her research contributes to Goal 3 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages).

Her current study aims to co-design a digital mental health intervention to address the needs of adolescents in South Sudan. The solution will be responsive to the technological and health systems infrastructure in that context.

Bertha D. Yakubu

Bertha is a social justice activist and founder of African Women’s Group Scotland (AWGS) and Nigerian Open Educational Resources (NOER). She is passionate about women’s rights and increasing the inclusion of diverse communities in Scotland. She holds an MPhil in Public Health and an M.Ed. in Science Education. She has previously worked for Aberdeen City Council, was an educationist, school administrator and ICT analyst. In 2022, Bertha received an MBE, and has been the recipient of a variety of other awards including three from Aberdeen City Council – in 2016 for making a difference in other women’s lives, in 2001 for being one of the 100 most influential women in Aberdeen, and won Aberdeen Woman of the Year Award in 1995. Bertha also won the Scottish Unsung Heroine award in 2001.

Bertha is influential in a wide range of African and Caribbean diaspora networks including Mama Africa, African and Caribbean Christian Fellowship Aberdeen, Grampian Racial Equality Council, African and Caribbean Elders Scotland, African Council, African and Caribbean Womens’ Association, African Churches in Aberdeen and African Youth Group.

Virginia (Vee) Toyi

Virginia, also known as Vee, has a background in law, policy, and community engagement and has worked in Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, with over two decades of experience working across public bodies and communities to advance racial and social justice in Scotland. Her work currently sits at the intersection of race and environmental justice, exploring how climate, sustainability, and inequality impact racialised and Global Majority communities through an intersectional lens. She contributes to supporting Scotland’s local and global development sector to adopt fairer and more decolonial approaches, to become more inclusive, while promoting diaspora and Majority World-led action for global justice.

Vee also volunteers with several African black-led community organisations representing different diasporas, supporting capacity building, strengthening community voice and promoting social cohesion across Scotland. She is committed to advancing global citizenship, racial justice, intersectionality and cultural understanding across communities.

Francesca Sophia Muñoz

Francesca Sophia Muñoz is a community engagement and participation professional working across grassroots, national and international contexts. Her work focuses on justice, accessibility, and inclusive systemic change, with a strong emphasis on amplifying underrepresented voices and strengthening connections between communities and institutions.

Oluwasemilore (Olu) Oladosu

Olu is a young Nigerian in Glasgow, Scotland wanting to make it a more conducive place for everyone, with the best interest of the people of Scotland at heart. Olu attended St Andrews RC Secondary School where his passion to help people found like minded individuals. Olu is an innovative person who has worked with charities like St Andrews hospice and the Mental Health Foundation to create awareness about issues that need to be addressed on a global scale. Olu founded the LOUD Foundation which is a growing online community that prioritises awareness of mental health issues and erasing the stigma behind mental health struggles. Olu also did a research placement on the gender discrimination in STEM and what can be done to engage women and young girls in the industry. He is a former member of DataKirk which is a community that helps build soft skills and broaden knowledge on information technology.

Catherine Chavula

Catherine Chavula is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Strathclyde. She works at the intersection of technology, people, and information. Her research combines human-centred and computational approaches to understand how people search for, interpret, and use information across different social, linguistic, and infrastructural contexts, and how information systems can be designed to better support diverse communities.

Her work focuses on addressing inequities in information access, particularly in resource-constrained and underrepresented contexts. She studies information access challenges in areas such as women’s health, migration and information, multilingualism and using English-as-a-second language, and online (gender) digital divide.

Beyond her research, a key theme of her work is addressing the digital gender divide through community-led initiatives that improve participation and representation of women and minority groups in digital spaces. She currently co-leads Motokazi, an initiative to improve the representation of Malawian women on Wikipedia, and she is working collaboratively with partners in both Malawi and Scotland.

Mila Dagher

Born and raised in Lebanon, Mila is pursuing an MA Hons in International Relations at the University of Edinburgh. Having lived through Lebanon’s compounding socio-political and economic crises before relocating to France in 2021, her commitment to diaspora communities is rooted in lived experience. At Edinburgh, Mila has been an active voice in student advocacy. As Education Officer for Girl*Up, she organised panel discussions examining forced migration through a gendered lens, focusing on women and LGBTQ+ individuals navigating asylum systems in Scotland and beyond, bringing together partners including the Refugee Sponsorship Circle. She has also contributed to advocacy and fundraising through the MENA Society and the Coalition for Palestine. A life woven across Beirut, Marseille, and Edinburgh has shaped her understanding of global citizenship and strengthened her conviction that belonging and responsibility extend beyond borders. She is working towards a career that supports migrants and advances global justice.

Ramatu Umar Bako

Ramatu Umar Bako is a strategic partnerships, policy, and community engagement specialist with over 15 years of international experience across the public, NGO, academic, and development sectors. She has an LLB (Hons) and BL in Law, Msc Global Conflict and Peace Processes from the University of Aberdeen as well as an MSc in Adult Education, Community Development and Youth Work from the University of Glasgow.

Her work spans equality, human rights, health equity, stakeholder engagement, policy influencing, and programme management, with a strong passion for anti-racism, inclusive leadership, and community empowerment. Ramatu has worked in international development with organisations including the British Council, Oxfam, Save the Children, and DAI, and has consulted for UN Women, the United Nations, USAID, and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, among others.

She is Trustee and Secretary of the Board of Kairos Women+, a panel member for the Access to Elected Office Fund Scotland, a member of the Scottish Government Women’s Health Plan Lived Experience Strategy Group, and part of the Community of Practice Right to Health. She also volunteers with Pachedu and SharpenHer, supporting leadership, equity, and community development initiatives. A Nigerian by birth and a Scottish lass at heart, she is a proud mum and passionate advocate for equal opportunities and life long learning.

Wezi Munkhodya

Born and raised in Malawi and now based in Inverness, Scotland, Wezi brings a cross‑cultural perspective shaped by lived experience in both the Global South and the Scottish Highlands. He is a procurement and supply chain professional whose work across public sector and international development settings has strengthened systems, accountability, and equitable access to essential services.

Alongside his professional career, Wezi is deeply committed to community empowerment. He supports young people, early‑career professionals, and diaspora communities through career consulting, mentorship, and skills development. His work centres on creating opportunities, amplifying underrepresented voices, and promoting fair and inclusive approaches to global citizenship.

With roots in Malawi and a growing footprint in Scotland, Wezi is passionate about building bridges between communities, challenging traditional development narratives, and contributing to more just, collaborative, and people‑centred global engagement.

Rahab Shimuli

Rahab is a Kenyan community development practitioner and Chevening Scholar currently completing an MSc in Public Policy and Management at the University of Glasgow. With over seven years of experience designing and delivering programmes across youth empowerment, civic leadership, entrepreneurship training, partnership development, and impact-driven programme design. Her work has consistently centred grassroots communities as agents of their own development.

She is the founder of Jalera Organics, a social enterprise addressing child malnutrition in rural Kenya, and has led programmes with organisations including BoldStep Initiative and the Safe Environment Hub. She currently serves as a Student Ambassador at the University of Glasgow and secretary of the newly formed Kenyan Students in Scotland Association.

As a member of the Diaspora Group for Global Citizenship, she is committed to amplifying diaspora voices in Scottish policy and strengthening the connections between Scotland’s development sector and communities across East Africa.