Cardiologist, Researcher, and Founder of WOLBEL. Professor Chillo is dedicated to improving healthcare access and empowering women and youth. With expertise in Clinical Cardiology, Education, and Cardiovascular Research, she works to strengthen health training, promote gender equity, and support underserved communities. Through WOLBEL, she champions girls’ education, sexual and reproductive health, and socio-economic empowerment, including for marginalized groups. She raises awareness to support underserved women with Rheumatic Heart Disease needing life-saving cardiac surgery.

Associate Professor of Finance and Enterprise Development with expertise in gender, financial inclusion, and business modeling. She researches women’s roles in entrepreneurship, energy, and leadership, and supports women in agriculture and fisheries to build sustainable business models. A strong advocate for empowerment, she promotes girls’ financial literacy and champions women’s access to finance, resources, and top leadership positions.

Professor Lilian Daniel Kaale, is an Associate Professor of Food Science and Technology at the University of Dar es Salaam and a Founder of WOLBEL. She is a visionary leader dedicated to empowering women and girls through science, enterprise, and practical skills development. As a passionate advocate for women’s economic independence, Prof. Kaale translates her specialized knowledge in food science, value addition, product development, and post-harvest management into actionable training. Her central focus is on fostering self-employment by equipping women and girls with the practical skills needed to start and scale resilient food-based micro-enterprises, thereby creating sustainable livelihoods and strengthening food security within their communities. This dedicated work is supported by her commitment to sustainable agricultural solutions. Prof. Kaale works closely with smallholder farmers to combat food waste and reduce significant post-harvest losses through the development and local manufacturing of sustainable, appropriate technology. This includes essential equipment like efficient driers and various processing machines (e.g., tomato paste making equipment). By merging advanced research with critical community and farmer needs, Professor Kaale’s career exemplifies women leading change by uniting scientific expertise with high-impact community and entrepreneurial empowerment.

Adia Chillo is a STEM-based student and Director of Programs at Wolbel, whereby she coordinates and supports the implementation of key programs aimed at empowering women and girls.