Who is The Workroom?

Christa Robijn

Christa Robijn-van Riet, an associate at The Workroom, blends a background in resource mobilisation and fundraising with leadership roles in NGOs and INGOs in Africa. With a focus on strategy and sustainability, she has led several change management and restructuring processes, covering the fields of strategy, fundraising, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. Pro-bono work includes developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks, fundraising strategies, and programme implementation plans for social enterprises in Southern Africa. Her consulting experience includes strategic planning, research, building high-performance teams, developing fundraising strategies and planning organisational change. Diverse projects have seen her travel and work in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Mauritius, Canada, Chile and India. Holding an MBA from Business School Netherlands, she’s a Nuffic fellow dedicated to lifelong learning. Passionate about human-centered design, Christa optimises processes, stays ahead of trends, and fosters creative environments for collaboration. As part of the Workroom, she contributed to developing the Oxfam in Africa strategy for Oxfam International.

Eleanor Du Plooy

Eleanor is a Cape Town based interdisciplinary practitioner and consultant working on social justice issues such as gender equality and diversity and inclusion, using diverse mediums and approaches. She is a process facilitator with over 14 years’ experience in the social justice field via NGO’s and think-tanks in Africa and through independent projects. Much of her work is centred on promoting a feminist, psychosocial lens for understanding and responding to social issues and examining the complexities of the personal as political. She is a trained anthropologist and has a keen interest in using and promoting mind-body techniques including emergent design and methodologies with groups and individuals, to stimulate reflective thought and building sustainable peace and justice. Eleanor has over recent years explored what it would take for organisations to realise their diversity, equity and inclusion ambitions and how to support and promote organisational well being.

Friederike Bubenzer

Friederike is an independent South African peacebuilding practitioner with over 15 years’ experience in developing and delivering peacebuilding and transitional justice interventions across the African continent.  Her research and advocacy focus is on the interconnectedness and integration of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and peacebuilding. Her current work is focused on developing the World Health Organisation’s Global Health and Peace Initiative. Previously she has worked on the advancement of the integration of MHPSS and peacebuilding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, the ARQ National Psychotrauma Center and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
Friederike is a keen and avid writer. She is the co-editor of ‘These are the things that sit with us’ with Pumla Gobodo Madikizela and Marietjie Oelofsen (Jacana, 2019) and ‘Hope, Pain and Patience: The Lives of Women in South Sudan’ with Orly Stern (Jacana, 2011).

Rutendo Nyaku

Rutendo Nyaku is an Associate at The Workroom, where she specializes in social media engagement and management. With a keen eye for digital strategy, she crafts compelling narratives that amplify voices and foster meaningful connections across platforms. Her previous role as a Machel-Mandela Fellow at the Brenthurst Foundation, and Digital Transformation officer at the UNDP Chief Digital Office sharpened her expertise in strategic advisory and communications.A versatile professional, Rutendo’s experience spans research, political and media policy, and high-level dialogue coordination. She was an election observer in the 2023 Liberian election and contributes her insights as a non-executive board member for two nonprofits dedicated to promoting authentic African narratives and addressing legacies of violence in post-conflict states. Rutendo’s research focuses on digital transformation, youth engagement in trade, enabling conditions for small and medium enterprises (SMMEs), and the intricacies of political representation, particularly in electoral processes.She holds an MPhil in Justice & Transformation from the University of Cape Town, equipping her with the analytical tools to navigate complex societal challenges.

Sylvestre Musengimana

Sylvestre Musengimana has over 12 years of experience as a consultant in monitoring and evaluation and is a professional trainer, with a strong track record within the East African Community. He is a certified specialist in Performance Evaluation and Analysis by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). His consulting expertise encompasses project monitoring, evaluation and learning, quantitative and qualitative research, training needs assessment, capacity building development and, strategy development and review. He has assessed several projects funded by donors such as the World Bank, USAID, the European Union (EU), UNHCR, WFP and FCDO. He has led and managed multi country research projects in more than 20 countries of Africa by providing both technical assistance and logistics support to various team members. Sylvestre is an active member the International Consultants Alliance (ICA World). He is also a member of the advisory group of the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Action (ALNAP), responsible for updating guidelines on the evaluation of humanitarian action using the criteria of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD). He is fluent in English and French.

Vanessa Buvens

Vanessa is a freelance consultant working on fundraising, strategy and innovation for mission-driven organisations. She has over 10 years experience designing programmes and raising funds for social enterprises and NGOs, helping them build strong foundations, deliver on their mission and become more financially resilient. She has been working with the Workroom supporting a range of national and international clients, looking to navigate rapidly-changing funding landscapes, challenge traditional ways of working and overall, stay future-fit and relevant.

Viwe Kobokana

Viwe Kobokana is a transformation strategist specialising in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She has been working as the Transformation Coordinator at UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences in the Dean’s office since October 2022. In this role, she serves as a co-chairperson of the faculty’s employment equity committee, represents the faculty on the institution’s Employment Equity Forum, is a member of the Dean’s Management Committee, and serves as an executive committee member on the faculty’s Transformation and Equity Committee. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Human Life Sciences and Postgraduate diploma in HIV/AIDS Management at Stellenbosch University and is currently completing an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. While at SU, she served as the Stellenbosch University Student Representative Council Chairperson 2021/2022, while working as an intern at the NGO Matie Community Service. Her passion for and journey in student leadership culminated in her being awarded with a Rector’s Award for Excellence in Service Provision in 2021. She is guided by her values of respect, empathy, accountability, inclusivity, and knowledge. With a passion for social justice and transformation, she aims to empower, protect, and amplify the voices of marginalised communities through all that she does.