Dr. Mary Kulabako (Ugandan) is a seasoned education specialist with a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from Unicaf University, Malawi Campus. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Vocational Pedagogy and a Bachelor’s Degree in Adult and Community Education from Kyambogo University, along with a Diploma in Education (Secondary) from the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo.

With a strong academic background and extensive practical experience, Mary has held roles such as Lecturer at Kyambogo University and humanitarian education practitioner with various international NGOs in Uganda and beyond. Her expertise spans University, secondary, primary, and early childhood education, with a notable focus on early grade reading programming and capacity building for staff and partners in both development and fragile contexts.

Mary has contributed significantly to transformative education initiatives across East and Central Africa, including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia. She possesses in-depth experience in program design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, curriculum development, training material creation, and training teams of evaluators and data collection enumerators.

Her work consistently emphasizes inclusivity, leveraging community and parental engagement to enhance access to education for marginalized learners—those often excluded due to factors such as ability, socio-economic status, or geographic location. She has successfully implemented and managed programs funded by esteemed organizations such as USDA (via WFP’s McGovern-Dole School Feeding Program), USAID, KOICA, and DFID.

Mary’s expertise in resource mobilization and proposal development, coupled with her ability to mentor and build the capacity of national and local teams, underscores her commitment to fostering quality education and skilling opportunities. Her proven track record in delivering impactful education programs makes her a valuable asset to RUFORUM’s mission to expand educational access and equip the next generation with essential skills.