User:Bushra Razack/sandbox

Bushra Razack, CEO of Philippi Village (Born 1987)

South African-born community development specialist, Bushra Razack is the CEO of Philippi Village, a business and community hub located in Philippi, Cape Town. A professional consultant with extensive international experience including in Ghana, Kenya, Cameroon and South Africa.

Razack is a non-executive board member of Boschendal Wine Estate. She is on the board of Sunshine Cinema, an organisation that uses mobile solar-powered cinema in a box loaded with African films, to spark open conversation. She is on the steering committee of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business’ Bertha Centre.

Early Child Life

There is a growing realisation both within commercial organisations and within the NGO space of the importance of stakeholder relations and the role these engagements play in the risk management space. Razack, who has a long history of working in the humanitarian and development sector, has hard won experience of just how critically important it is to map out exactly who stakeholders are, to understand their respective priorities and how to find mutually beneficial solutions.

Her first exposure to the sector was at the age of 12 when she wrote an essay about the importance of human rights. As a result of that essay, she was invited to represent South Africa at the

Millennium Young People’s Congress in Hawaii. That same year she co-authored a book, ‘Rescue Mission’, a youth assessment of the Millennium Development Goals which was launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg and started working for Peace Child International, a charitable organisation which works to empower young people through youth-led development. Throughout the remainder of her primary and high school years she worked on youth development projects, travelling the world with Peace Child to countries like Morocco, Egypt, Serbia, India, Canada and Scotland.

Career

After completing school, she moved to Ireland doing volunteer work for various organisations, including working to protect minorities through consulting and project coordination work in Europe.

Thereafter she accepted a position to work for a carbon offsetting company in East Africa.  The focus was energy efficient cooking technologies, food security and deforestation.

She has managed Eye Care strategy for a district eye centre in Kenya developing the strategy for their low vision centre and community outreach programme. She led the program development of all outreach activities, mobile clinics and community consultations.

In South Africa, Razack was instrumental in the establishment of a much-needed orphanage and emergency placement centre in Mitchells Plain. Bushra was the first female to be appointed as National Program Manager at Islamic Relief South Africa.

Bushra is highly driven and committed to ensuring honest and positive outcomes to make the world a better place. She is an incredible place maker and recognizes local and community assets,

inspiration and potential. She successfully creates spaces and programs that are relevant and harnesses ideas and assets of the people that these projects affect in a way that is not just a box

ticking exercise. By being dedicated and hands on, Razack is achieving real shifts and meaningful results.

She has worked with organisations such as Standard Chartered Bank, CBM, Seeing is Believing, UNOCHA and Right to Sight International.

Awards

In 2017 she was one of 100 young South African leaders selected to the prestigious Mail & Guardian Mzanzi Top 100 list. During 2018, she won the 'Power Woman of the Year award in Innovation.