Board Members

Nur Hidayati Handayani (CHAIR)
Indonesia

Handa has been a dedicated member of WGNRR since 2010. Her advocacy journey began at the age of 18 when she volunteered for a sexual and reproductive health and rights organization. This experience ignited a lifelong dedication to human rights. Handa seamlessly integrates her academic knowledge with practical expertise to uphold WGNRR’s values of feminist leadership, justice, and intersectionality. She holds a Master’s in Counselling from Auckland University and an MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care from Oxford University. As a trained mental health counselor, she specializes in supporting marginalized communities within humanitarian settings and serves as a program specialist addressing gender and SRHR-related issues.

Alexa Johns
Alexa is the Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APA), Thailand. She has years of experience in coordination, advocacy, knowledge, and programme management. She is an expert in advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender, and accountability and engages in the regional and global political processes including Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA).

Alexa earned her master’s in International Relations from the International School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Dina Chaerani
Dina is a young professional and seasoned SRHR advocate known for her transformative work fostering SRHR awareness across marginalized communities. She co-founded Sexdugram, an online platform providing comprehensive pre-marital sexuality education for Indonesian children and youth, and Lapor Yuk!, an online reporting application to prevent sexual violence against children. With a background in development studies and specializations in children and youth studies, Dina orchestrates inclusive initiatives that bridge knowledge gaps while championing policy changes. She serves as a Programme Associate at YIELD Hub and manages the Action Learning Online Community and Groups. Her empathetic community engagement fosters safe spaces and drives equitable SRHR rights globally.

Grace Isong Akpan
Grace is a feminist advocate and non-profit leader working at the intersection of SRHR, including on SRH access and HIV prevention, gender equality, economic justice, and movement building. She is the Executive Director of the Institute for Gender Equality and Sexual and Reproductive Health (IGE-SRH), a youth-led organization advancing the health, safety, and rights of marginalized communities in Nigeria through advocacy, community-led programming, research, and technology-driven solutions. Grace also serves in various leadership and advisory spaces focused on advancing gender justice and human rights. She is passionate about building sustainable feminist movements, expanding access to care and opportunities for marginalized communities, and ensuring that lived experiences shape policies and systems change.

Jihan Jacob
The Philippines

For over a decade, Jihan has leveraged the power of the law through her work at a global human rights organization advancing reproductive rights as fundamental human rights in Asia. She ensured technical excellence and coherence in strategic litigation and innovation in legal strategies across a broad range of sexual and reproductive rights issues in the region. Her experience also included strategic engagement and partnerships with various donors, UN bodies and agencies as well as global and regional pro bono actors to build and enforce rights-based legal frameworks on SRHR, and defend them against regression. Further, she has contributed to academic and legal discourses by delving deeper into the legal frameworks that can support reproductive rights in articles and opinions she has authored.

Jihan is a Senior Advisor at the LIGHTS Institute, a firm dedicated to advocating for the crucial synergy of law, information, communication and technologies (ICT), and human rights. She is also a Steering Committee member of the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN).

She obtained her Master of Laws under the International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Programme at the University of Toronto. She previously worked as a law professor at the San Beda University in Manila, Philippines. She was also a government lawyer representing indigent clients. She has been practicing law for over 15 years and is currently based in the Philippines.

Rose Koenders
The Netherlands

Rose brings over 25 years of expertise in sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and international cooperation. Known for her ability to lead organizations and impactful partnerships, she is committed to driving inclusivity and structural change. Throughout her career, Rose has excelled at navigating the complexities of cross-cultural collaboration, promoting rights based advocacy and youth participation, and ensuring her strategic initiatives not only achieve results but also foster a more equitable and inclusive society. Currently, she works for Rutgers, the Netherlands Centre on Sexuality.