Shweta Shah joined Mercy Corps in January 2012 and has spent her Mercy Corps career working on a range of issues, from empowering girls to helping communities better prepare for disaster.

In her current role, she is responsible for advising on current Mercy Corps Nigeria education programs and building the education portfolio. She develops the teaching and learning strategies that improve the learning outcomes of marginalized Nigerian children. Shweta ensures that gender equity and protection of children and vulnerable adults is incorporated into all programming.

Shweta strongly believes in Mercy Corps’ value and mission to help build productive and just communities. She’s proud of the impact the organization has in the communities it works in. She loves working with a group of passionate team members who also have technical expertise. She also loves Mercy Corps for the freedom it provides in testing out new innovative ideas.

Her career at Mercy Corps began in Nepal as a liaison officer for a school-based disaster risk reduction program. Then she worked as the Deputy Program Manager for Mercy Corps Nepal’s Supporting the Education of Marginalised Girls (STEM) program.

She first began working on a girls’ education program in Nigeria during a short term assignment, an opportunity that allows Mercy Corps team members to provide their expertise and support outside of their current role. She then managed the program full-time for two-and-a-half years. The main objective of the program is to improve learning outcomes and access to income-generating opportunities for more than 21,000 marginalized Nigerian girls.

While she now lives in Abuja, Nigeria, Shweta is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. She got her diploma in French language from Alliance Francaise in Paris. She did her master’s degree in conflict management from Tribhuvan University in Nepal and Ruhuna University in Sri Lanka.

She loves traveling, doing yoga and playing with her dog Kanchu.