Lerato is a seasoned leader with over 15 years of experience in women’s rights, public health, and advocacy. She has held several key leadership roles including Technical Advisor for Advocacy and Co-Director for Gender and ICT Policy, leading efforts to advance gender equality, health equity and inclusive development.
She has worked with global bodies such as UN Women, USAID’s TB Programme South Africa, the Union for Lung Health, and the International Telecommunication Union – driving high-level advocacy, research, and campaigns that push systemic change.
Lerato is deeply connected to both local and global women’s rights movements, with a strong focus on human rights, gender justice and health communication. Her work has been featured internationally, spotlighting issues of gender equity, digital rights, and access to health. She excels at building cross-sector partnerships, managing major campaigns and grants and influencing policy. An alum of the University of Pennsylvania’s Social Impact Changemakers Programme, she holds a Master of Science (MSc) in International Marketing from the University of Sussex.
At SJI, Lerato leads the Gender Justice Participatory Fund, championing community-led change through innovative, inclusive approaches.
