Charles Apondu is a peacebuilding and programme management professional with 14 years of experience in inclusive governance, conflict management, peacebuilding, and conflict-sensitive sustainable development across East Africa. He has managed multi-donor programmes funded by the European Union, US Department of State, Cisco, Ministry of Foreign Affair (MFA) Finland, USAID, UNHCR and UNICEF. His experience covers peacebuilding, elections and governance, Women, Peace and Security, Youth, Peace and Security, early warning and early response, natural resource management, livelihoods, disaster risk management and livestock market systems.

Most recently, Charles worked as the Peace Project Coordinator with Finn Church Aid Kenya, where he led peace and integrated livelihood projects in the Kerio Valley, Kenya. Previously, with Mercy Corps, Charles managed programmes addressing election violence prevention, digital peacebuilding, conflict management, natural resource management and livestock market systems. He managed a $1 million US Department of State-funded election violence prevention programme across five Kenyan counties, a €1 million EU-funded conflict management project, and coordinated a $5 million USAID-funded Livestock Market Systems Activity in northern Kenya.

Charles is skilled in conflict and context analysis, mediation and negotiation, early warning early response, results-based management, gender mainstreaming, youth programming, stakeholder engagement, capacity building and adaptive project management. He is a certified Do No Harm Trainer and a certified Program Management for Development Professionals (PMD Pro) professional. He holds a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Management from Kenyatta University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Nairobi.