Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier’s two-decade career has included several years working for civil society, promoting the rights of women, older persons, and refugees, including refugees with disabilities, and working towards the inclusion of marginalized groups. Francis has built multi-stakeholder partnerships, taught at higher education institutions, and designed codes of conduct for public officers.

Earlier in his career, apart from university teaching, he held several roles within the governance and anti-corruption sector and oversaw the formation of anti-corruption coalitions both in Uganda and Kenya, and supported various agencies in the design of tools, policies, and operational procedures and guidelines.

Prior to joining the Disability Rights Fund, Francis has been the Humanitarian Coordinator at DanChurchAid (DCA)—Uganda, supporting the humanitarian actors and partners working with Persons of Concern (PoCs), Persons with Specific Needs (PSNs), and mainstreaming disabilities rights in humanitarian work. Prior, he was a program manager at AVSI Foundation in Uganda for urban refugee program, managing the reception and integration of forced migrants, supporting youth capacity building through skill-building, coordinating linkages to apprenticeship programs, facilitating the provision of start-up kits for livelihoods and economic empowerment, among others. Francis was a grants coordinator at Oxfam, supporting vulnerable and marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities, women living in exploitation, abuse, and violence (WEAV), older persons and minorities rights groups. Prior to this, he was capacity development advisor for ActionAid Kenya, supporting rural based branches. Local Rights Programs (LRPs) on capacity building of grassroots advocacy organisations, including youth, women, and farmer groups on poverty alleviation programs. Francis has also worked as a university lecturer at Makerere University, Department of Philosophy and Development Studies, for six years.

Francis holds a Master’s degree in Ethics and Public Management, majoring in Ethics, Human Rights, Development, and Social Accountability from Makerere University in Uganda and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the Pontifical Urban University of Rome, Italy, and several postgraduate diplomas.