Kopi Marara Sekoaila is an advocate for education, gender equality, justice and the empowerment of women and girl children who come from disadvantaged rural backgrounds. The UCT and Wits graduate has worked for the HIV/AIDS Inclusivity and Change Unit as an AIDS Change Educator and as a Student Life Representative for Obz Square at the University of Cape Town. During her postgraduate studies at Wits, she volunteered for the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation (Wits Branch).
She currently tutors part time at Reddy to Learn Tutors and co-runs a girls grooming academy called Bereka Lekgarebe (work girl child) for girls aged 12-21 who come from disadvantaged backgrounds in Botlokwa, Limpopo. She is an aspiring Policy Analyst and Foreign Service Officer who envisions herself playing an active role in the local and international political economy. Her fellowship at ASRI is closely aligned with her strong desire to work in the local and international political economy. She envisions herself putting her civil service experience, skills and research interests into good use in the next 10-20 years through working in the field of policy analysis in the public and private sectors in South Africa and at an international level through working for international humanitarian organisations which have a specific focus on the economic and social affairs of developing countries. During her fellowship at ASRI, she yearns to thoroughly engage with socio-economic issues that continue to plague South Africa and challenge herself to sharpen her leadership, research, writing and communication skills so that she is better able to become a more engaged and active change agent that commits herself towards ensuring, together with other leaders and civil servants, the betterment of her community and country at large.