Simone Zurschmitten’s work within the IGAD Land Governance Project focuses on Women’s Land Rights. Her academic specialisations are Food Security and Agriculture as well as Gender and Development. She has worked in various professional fields, including youth work, child protection, gender and migration. Throughout her career, she has pursued her ambition to contribute to more equitable communities. In her earlier years in Zurich, she supported children and young people in reaching their full potentials, and promoted the rights of girls and young women. Her next career step took her to London, where she worked for the UK government as a social worker and team manager within Child Protection Services. One of the most pressing issues she was faced with in her day-to-day work was gender-based violence and its impact on survivors, their families and communities. Through persistent advocacy work, Simone Zurschmitten sought to assist survivors with services for their immediate protection, and the improvement of their livelihood in the long-term. Upon her return to Zurich, the employment with the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration allowed her to foster her expertise in migration and project management.

To get in touch you can email her at simone.zurschmitten@igad.int.