Meléne Cynthia Rossouw
South Africa

Melene Cynthia Rossouw is an attorney with twelve years of experience in the legal, governmental, and non-governmental sectors. She is the founder of the Women Lead Movement, an organization that promotes social empowerment initiatives in local communities. The Women Lead Movement aims to educate and advocate for social and political change by utilizing the constitution and international human rights legislation as a tool for development. Melene is also an advocate for gender-equality and through Women Lead Movement programs also educates communities on women’s rights and gender-based violence. Melene holds a master’s degree in Public and Constitutional Law from the University of the Western Cape. She is an inaugural Obama Foundation Leader in Africa, a Future Africa Forum on governance contributor, and a spokeswoman for the global campaign on gender equality by the ONE Foundation. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Melene plans to continue her work educating communities on the constitution by establishing women community forums as a vehicle for coordinated community action.