senior leaders
team
OUR senior leaders team (SLT)
Self Help Africa's SLT supports the Board in the achievement of its objectives.

Niamh deLoughry
CEO
Niamh DeLoughry is the Chief Executive of Self Help Africa.
Niamh brings over 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector to the role. She served formerly as Deputy Chief Executive of the RDS Foundation, where she led the social impact programmes of one of Ireland’s oldest philanthropic organisations.
Niamh was previously a member of the global leadership team at Right to Play, the Canadian NGO working to create safe, inclusive learning environments for millions of children across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and among Indigenous communities in Canada. Her career also includes roles with French NGO Première Urgence International, US-based World Education and Trocaire, giving her substantial international humanitarian and development experience.
Niamh is deeply committed to empowering people and communities and to advancing inclusive, sustainable social change.

WEZI GIBSON
Head of Governance & Strategic Initiatives
Wezi Gibson is Head of Governance & Strategic Initiatives at Self Help Africa.
Wezi has more than 17 years of experience in the international non-governmental organisation sector.
Wezi has previously worked for organisations including ActionAid, Feed the Children International, Concern Worldwide and United Purpose in Malawi, where she was Deputy Country Director - Operations. Wezi has worked in South Sudan, Chad, Zambia and Malawi, and held the role of Donor Compliance Advisor with Concern Worldwide in Ireland.
Wezi is an ACCA qualified Accountant and holds a Bachelor Degree of Accountancy from The University of Malawi and a Masters in Strategic Management (Innovations) from Dublin Institute of Technology (now Technological University Dublin). Wezi joined Self Help Africa in January, 2024.

MARTHA HOURICAN
Chief Operations Officer
Martha Hourican is Director of Public Engagement at Self Help Africa. Martha is a senior leader with 15 years of experience in business development, relationship management and leading high performing teams in a non-profit environment.
She has worked previously with GOAL in New York and in international development in Sri Lanka and Guatemala.Martha began working with Self Help Africa in 2009, when she oversaw the successful establishment of the organisation in New York and Boston.
Since 2016, she has been Director of Business Development in the UK and Ireland, developing and implementing a fundraising strategy, and overseeing fundraising activities in both markets. Martha has a BA in History from Trinity College Dublin, an MA in Development Studies from University College Dublin, and an MSc in Climate Change from Dublin City University.

Kathrin Hall
Director of International Programmes
Kathrin Hall is Director of International Programmes at Self Help Africa. Kathrin has 20 years of experience in project and programme design and management, stakeholder engagement, development, business, and marketing.
Kathrin previously worked at the Met Office for nine years, ultimately as Head of International Development, where she was responsible for the design and delivery of large scale climate programmes in more than 25 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, South America, and the Pacific.
Kathrin joined Self Help Africa in 2022 as Head of Programme Funding, and since October 2023 has also served as interim Director of Impact, Strategy & Policy. Kathrin holds a first-class degree from the University of Hertfordshire, and is a Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Practitioner.

Patrycja Jurkowska
Head of Global Finance and ICT
Patrycja Jurkowska is Head of Global Finance and ICT at Self Help Africa. In her role she oversees the global finance and ICT function, aligning financial operations with strategic objectives.
Patrycja leads group-level reporting, budgeting, and audits while driving continuous improvements in financial systems and processes.
She has career expertise in change management, business transformation, and auditing, and a track record of supporting donor compliance, integrating financial processes post-merger, and enhancing financial oversight across multinational environments.
