Our Team

Operations Director

Anita specializes in health and community protection, working with adolescent girls and women to prevent and respond to violence. She is passionate about providing safe spaces where girls can develop their confidence, leadership skills, and share their experiences in order to fight against gender inequality and make decisions about their futures.

She has worked as a supervisor for the International Rescue Committee’s Women’s Protection and Empowerment Program, as a doctor focused on GBV response, and advocate in campaigns promoting women’s rights. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Goma.

With Colors of Connection she directs operations in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, including managing the Girl Awakening Program, and training and supporting to our local partner Tulizo Elle Space.

Executive Director & Co-Founder

Christina is an artist and humanitarian. She has been driven to support the creativity of youth and girls, inspired by her own experiences of utilizing the arts to work through challenges as an adolescent. She was awarded her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hunter College and her Master of Science in International Affairs from the New School with a focus on conflict and security. She has worked as a consultant with the Population Council, and Assymetrica.

With Colors of Connection, she has designed and implemented programs in Liberia, Burkina Faso and Democratic Republic of the Congo. As Co-Founder and Executive Director she is passionate about creating more space and value for collaborative arts, and artistic healing and expression in places where resources are scarce and traumatic experiences are high.

Program Officer

Melanie is a development practitioner and creative with a passion for prioritizing the experience and expertise of beneficiaries, survivors, and women. She holds a Master in Public Policy from The Harvard Kennedy School with a concentration in Political and Economic Development. She co-wrote a thesis on the ethical engagement of survivors of sexual violence in research and monitoring & evaluation in conflict and post-conflict zones. 

With a multi-disciplinary background in art and mental health advocacy, she previously taught art in Kenya for three years and was a greeting card designer at a social enterprise employing women who are survivors of sex trafficking in the Philippines and young adults orphaned during the Rwandan genocide. She has also worked with MIT D-Lab in developing its creative capacity building program in Rhino refugee camp.

Currently, she is thrilled to be at Colors of Connection—using the creative arts as a tool for delivering mental health care in even the most low-resourced and highly-traumatic contexts, and foregrounding the agency and resilience of girls and young women.

Director of Finance and Administration

Raymond Bahati Nzayo is a seasoned finance and administration professional with over 13 years of experience managing financial operations for international NGOs in the humanitarian and development sector. He holds a degree in Commercial and Financial Sciences, specializing in Accounting.

With expertise in budget preparation, financial risk assessment, cash management, and expenditure forecasting, Raymond excels in ensuring financial transparency and efficiency. He has a strong track record in budget monitoring and revision, financial reporting, and tax management, as well as recruitment, staff performance management, and oversight of national and expatriate personnel. His skills also extend to managing partnerships and consultants, strengthening financial systems, and ensuring compliance with donor regulations.

Raymond has served as a financial manager responsible for budgeting and reporting at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), as a Country Finance and Administration Officer at Fauna & Flora International (FFI), and as a Finance Officer for UNICEF’s Ebola response in Ituri province. He continued his work in financial management with Vivo International before joining Colors of Connection in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. At Colors of Connection, he oversees financial and administrative operations and provides training and support to the financial and administrative staff of local implementing partner Tulizo Elle Space (TES). His financial expertise play a crucial role in sustaining the organization’s impact in Goma, DRC.