Dr. Tadria is a renowned passionate feminist and gender equality advocate for at least 50 years is the first Executive Director Mentoring and Empowerment Program for Young Women (MEMPROW), an organization based in Uganda that she started with Mr. Tadria in January 2008. Hilda is also a co-founder and Board member of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), a fund raising and grant making organisation, supporting women’s work. In 1985, while still at Makerere, she founded Action for Development, an organisation that is still vibrant and active in protection of women’s rights in Uganda. She has 35 years of experience as a gender trainer, institutional development management and 25 years of Board experience. Hilda has worked in diverse institutions, with a professional career life span of over 50 She started as a Research Assistant at the Makerere Institute of Social Research in 1970 immediately after obtaining her first degree and rose to the position of Associate Professor in Sociology at Makerere University before joining the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) as a Senior Consultant and coordinator of the Women in Development Programme. She left to join the Africa Capacity Building Foundation as a Programme Officer. She has also worked as an International consultant on gender and development in many organisations such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNIFEM and governments within the Africa region before joining the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, where she worked as a Regional Advisor on Economic Empowerment of Women.
Dr. Tadria holds a first class degree in Sociology from the University of East Africa, a Masters’ Degree in Social Anthropology from Newnham College, Cambridge University, England and a Doctorate Degree in Social Anthropology and Women Studies from the University of Minnesota, USA. She has technical competencies in Capacity building for Social Development, Gender mainstreaming strategies and processes (such as Gender Training, Gender and Development Policy design and Analysis), Gender and Development Needs and Social Impact assessments, Programme/Project evaluation, Process consultancy, Project design , Participatory Training and Meetings Facilitation. She also has extensive knowledge of many African countries having worked directly in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Ghana, Rwanda and Eritrea.
Hilda’s major influence has been in developing organisational management capacities, gender responsive policies, mentoring girls and young women into leadership and working to dismantle institutionalised systemic discrimination and violence against girls and women in Africa. For her work, she has received Awards in recognition of her contribution to the Girl Child education from Federation of Women Educators and Plan International (Uganda Chapters) and; from International Plan Parenthood Federation (AFRICA) for her advocacy work for women’s access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. In 2019 she received, from the Uganda Government, a Medal of Honour for her worker in promoting girls and women’s rights. In 2012, she was described as a Heroine and one of the 50 women in Uganda who made a difference.
Dr. Tadria retiried on 1 April 2020 to join the Board
