Field Staff

Elizabeth Burleigh is the Chief of Party for C-Change/Namibia.  She holds an MPH in International Health, an MPH in IEC/Social and Behavior Change and a PhD in Medical Anthropology. Before coming to C-Change she lived and worked for seven years in Zambia, six years in El Salvador, and ten years in Guatemala, and provided short-term technical assistance to programs in Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In the US, she worked for three years among Native Americans and Hispanic populations in the Southwest and provided assistance to relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Elizabeth has a strong background in civil society and public sector strengthening and community-based programming in HIV and AIDS, integrated child health, reproductive health, and malaria.  She is grateful to have been given the opportunity over the years to work so closely with dedicated colleagues from all over the world.  She has been blessed with a 30-year marriage and is the proud mother of two grown sons.  Now that she is in Namibia, she is enjoying getting to know the beautiful country and its diverse people and is working with the talented C-Change/Namibia staff to strengthen behavior change communication for the prevention of HIV.

Stephanie Van der Walt is a Social and Behavior Change Technical Advisor for C‑Change/Namibia. She was born in Windhoek, Namibia and grew up in the south of Namibia in Keetmanshoop. She studied BSocSc (Nursing) at the University of Free State, South Africa, and worked in Tygerberg Hospital at the cardiac unit. She married a farmer in the West-Coast Winelands region and this is where her love for community work started. At age 24, she was appointed as a Chief Registered Nurse at an Infectious Diseases Hospital and was also responsible for the management of eight community health clinics. In 1998 she completed her BCur Honors degree at the University of Stellenbosch and her Masters degree, graduating with distinction. She lectured at the University of Stellenbosch in Community Health Nursing, Primary Health Care, Nursing management and Nursing Education. Stephanie completed her PhD in 2006 and moved back to Namibia, her country of birth. She worked with AED’s BES and NEPP projects from 2007-2009 as a Workplace Wellness Technical Advisor assisting the Ministry of Education with the development and implementation of their Workplace Wellness Programme. She joined C-Change in May 2009.  She loves scuba diving and farming is her passion – she is a registered Braunvieh Stud Breeder and spends most of her weekends on her farm among her cattle, which she regards as her “children”.

Grace Hidinua is a Social and Behaviour Change Technical Advisor for C-Change/Namibia.  She holds a Bachelors degree in Social Work and Community Development from the University of Namibia, and a Masters of Public Health degree in Global Health with a concentration in Reproductive Health and Population studies from Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, USA. Grace also has had professional training in Management and Reproductive Health. She joined C-Change in May 2009, having worked for the Namibia Global Fund Programme Management Unit MoHSS on HIV, TB and Malaria. She also previously worked for the Namibia Planned Parenthood Association, a local affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, on sexual and reproductive health issues in Namibia. She considers some of the challenges currently faced by the country as moving partners working in the field of HIV and AIDS from knowledge-based and awareness interventions for HIV/AIDS prevention to long-term behavioural change interventions.

Erica Chaze Sibalatani Libuku is a Social and Behaviour Change Technical Advisor for C‑Change/Namibia.  She holds a Masters degree in Public Health, a university degree in Health Services Management, a university Diploma in Comprehensive Nursing Science (General Nursing, Psychiatric, Community Nursing Science & Midwifery Science), and a Diploma in Gender and Development studies, obtained from the University of Namibia (UNAM). She previously worked for Nestle as a Medical Delegate and prior to that as a nurse. Erica is the seventh of a large family of five girls and four boys.  She was born and grew up in the Eastern part of Caprivi region, Namibia where most of people speak Silozi. She is married with three children, all of whom share the same birth date of 26 February - lucky for her as she only has to organize one big birthday party each year.

David Olivier is the Finance and HR Manager for C-Change/Namibia.  He was born in a small village near Mariental in the south of Namibia, but grew up in Mariental. After school he worked for Standard Bank of Namibia for over nine years. He joined the largest open pit Uranium Mine in the world, Rössing Uranium, where he received a scholarship to further his studies in Cost and Management Accounting at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa.  Following that, David joined the Society for Family Health PSI (Social Marketing Association – SMA) in Namibia as a Finance Manager for over 6 years.  In March 2008, David began work with AED’s NEPP project, and in September 2008 began working with C-Change. He played competitive rugby until 2006 and says he is now is looking for a new hobby.

Marilyn Prescilla /Nanus is the Executive Secretary/Administrative Assistant for C‑Change/Namibia. She joined the team in January 2010. Before joining the team she was employed as a Project Administrator for the VCT IR within the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Directorate of Special Programmes.  For seven years she also held various administrative positions at public, private as well as faith- based institutions. She was born and grew up in Windhoek. She holds a BTech in Business Administration from Polytechnic of Namibia in 2008. She is currently pursuing a BTech in Accounting and Finance which she is due to finish in three years. She is the second to last of seven siblings. She has one son. She loves playing hockey and singing. Marilyn has represented the country at various major hockey tournaments on the continent and was part of the under 21 National Women’s Team which brought home a bronze medal in 2004. She wants to own and manage her own business one day.