The 2026 Cohort Arrives in Iceland
GRÓ GEST is pleased to welcome its 2026 cohort of fellows to Iceland. This year’s cohort brings together 24 professionals from 15 different countries across Africa, South -and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, reflecting the programme’s continued global reach and strong engagement with partners in low- and middle-income countries.
The first fellows arrived in Reykjavík on January 8 and were today officially welcomed at the University of Iceland by GRÓ GEST Director Dr Irma Erlingsdóttir, who emphasized the importance of the fellows’ professional experience, commitment, and potential to contribute to transformative gender equality work in their respective contexts.
The 2026 cohort consists of practitioners working across a wide range of sectors, including government ministries, national commissions, universities, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, and community-based organisations. Their areas of work span gender mainstreaming in agriculture and fisheries, women’s economic empowerment, youth leadership, gender-based violence prevention, political participation, environmental governance, mental health advocacy, and gender justice and human rights.
Throughout the semester, the fellows will complete the six modules that constitute the GRÓ GEST postgraduate programme. These modules combine feminist and intersectional theory with applied tools for policy and project development, enabling fellows to critically analyse gendered power relations while designing context-specific, implementable interventions. Teaching is complemented by workshops, permanent team-based learning, guest lectures, and engagement with Icelandic institutions and civil society actors.
A central element of the programme is the fellows’ collaborative work in permanent teams, where they draw on their diverse professional and regional backgrounds to deepen learning and exchange perspectives. The semester will also include field-based learning activities, including the annual field visit to the South of Iceland, where fellows explore local approaches to gender equality, sustainability, and social welfare.
GRÓ GEST is proud to host the 2026 cohort and looks forward to supporting the fellows during their time at the University of Iceland as they strengthen their capacity to advance gender equality and inclusive development in their home institutions and regions.
The 2026 GRÓ GEST fellows are:
Abraham Danton Banda (Malawi); Aftab Ahmed (Pakistan); Aro Mahefa Andriamahenina (Madagascar); Daryna-Mariia Zavhorodnia (Ukraine); Diana Chepkorir Rotich (Kenya); Esther Chinecherem George (Nigeria); Everlyne Nthenya Mumo (Kenya); Fatmata Lamarana Sulaiman Barrie (Sierra Leone); Georgio Al Chidiac (Lebanon); Gloria Essau Swilla (Tanzania); Godfrey Junior Malongo (Malawi); Hasatu Bah (Sierra Leone); Katrine Enimil Armah (Ghana); Linda Tali (Uganda); Nadeesha Manomi Abeynayake Madduma Withanachchi (Sri Lanka); Nana Akomeah Boateng Yamoah (Ghana); Norah Lumnyi Ngwa (Cameroon); Phiona Katushabe (Uganda); Priyansha Jain (India); Resty Nabaggala (Uganda); Sagar Satyal (Nepal); Saniya Giri (Nepal); Suricia Yatiana Esther Conteh (Sierra Leone); Vikram Amrawanshi (India).