About Us

Deepa Nambiar is a dedicated advocate and systems-change practitioner with nearly two decades of experience in the forced displacement and humanitarian sectors. As Global Director of the Pledge for Change, she works closely with INGOs, donors, local partners, and the Secretariat to advance its vision of a more equitable and locally led aid system. 

She brings particular expertise in organizational strategy and leadership; coalition-building; advocacy; equitable partnerships and power-shifting approaches; and facilitating inclusive, values-driven processes within organizations and networks.

Deepa has led work at national, regional, and global levels, including as Director of Partnerships at Asylum Access Global; Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator at the International Detention Coalition; and founder and Executive Director of Asylum Access Malaysia. She also chaired the Southeast Asia Working Group of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN). Her broader experience includes work with the Global Movement Against Statelessness, UNHCR, the UN Committee Against Torture, and earlier work as a corporate litigator.

Deepa holds an LL.M. from Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar and an LL.B. from the University of London. A certified yoga instructor and practitioner of Conscious Leadership, she brings a grounded and reflective approach to leadership, rooted in both personal and systemic transformation.

Originally from Malaysia, she is now based in Madrid, Spain.

Sidhee Patel is the Pledge Coordinator, transitioning from administrative support to actively engaging in humanitarian and development sectors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and has participated in several programs, including the Development Hub’s Skill Share Program focused on Decolonizing Development, the Resource Alliance Leadership Programme, the Dragonfly Collective, and the Justice-Based Approach Foundation Course. She continues to develop her leadership skills and is committed to social justice and empowering the Global South within the development and humanitarian fields.

Mr. Blessing Christopher is a seasoned Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Specialist with over 12 years of progressive experience in the humanitarian and development sectors. Blessing has demonstrated exceptional expertise in driving the successful delivery of a diverse portfolio of projects, including accountable governance, humanitarian response, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. Throughout his career, Mr. Christopher has been instrumental in designing and implementing robust MEAL frameworks that have significantly enhanced project performance and accountability. His work is characterized by a strong commitment to evidence-based decision-making and the utilization of comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure project objectives are met efficiently and effectively. 

Mr. Christopher’s contributions have been pivotal in various high-impact projects encouraged by his ability to work in diverse teams and facilitate collaboration with local communities, diverse groups of stakeholders, within local and international organizations, ensuring that interventions are contextually relevant and impactful. Blessing’s professional career has been built on academic trainings from the University of Benin in Nigeria, the University of Pretoria in South Africa and The Nigeria Defence Academy, in Kaduna State Nigeria. Until joining Adeso Africa, Mr. Blessing Christopher was with Christian Aid Uk for a period of 8 years where he held the role of Senior MEAL specialist, before then he has worked with the Catholic Relief Service and The Society for Family Health as a field Research consultant for a combine period of 6 years.  

Mr. Blessing Christopher hails from Nigeria and is married to one wife and they are both blessed with 2 children. He is passionate about football and spends the greater part of his spare moments playing football.  

Emmanuel Amani is a Communication Strategist and Public Relations Practitioner. He is a graduate from Daystar University with a double major Bachelor of Arts in Communications (Electronic Media) and a Bachelors of Public Relations. He is passionate about photography, storytelling and creative arts. He is dedicated to local empowerment and humanitarian initiatives across the globe. He also enjoys site seeing and trying recipes when outside the work environment.

With over ten years of experience supporting the engineering technology industry, Najma brings a strong foundation in operational excellence, organizational development, and corporate support services. Throughout her career, she has focused on building efficient systems that empower teams to perform at their best.

One of her proudest achievements has been establishing an operations department from the ground up for a multinational organization. From designing workflows and defining processes to training team members, she built a structure that strengthened day-to-day performance and supported long-term growth.
In addition, she has led the development and implementation of company-wide policies covering travel, administration and corporate security—ensuring compliance, improving efficiency, and creating clear, practical guidelines that employees can confidently follow.
Najma is passionate about creating organized, secure, and people-focused environments where innovation can thrive. Known for being dependable, collaborative, and solutions-oriented, she enjoys working closely with cross-functional teams to keep operations running smoothly behind the scenes