Dear Friends
I am absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer at Children for Health, Lilanga Hasini Batawalage
Lilanga is a Medical doctor and Public Health Specialist with experience spanning the UK, South Asia, and international development contexts.
Her work sits at the intersection of health management, policy, research, and systems innovation, with particular strengths in public health intelligence, climate change and migration health, gender integration, and emergency preparedness.
Across a career that includes roles within the United Nations, evidence-based project development, national level policy reform, and health data intelligence and project management support to the UK local authority health systems, she has consistently delivered impactful, evidence-based public health initiatives. She brings strategic thinking, technical leadership, and a collaborative, equity focused approach, alongside a genuine commitment to community level innovation.
This appointment follows a long, careful, and highly competitive selection process, with an exceptionally strong field of candidates. Lilanga stood out for both her vision and her ability to build on existing strengths while helping the organisation grow. The Board is excited to work with her as we enter this next chapter and look forward to what we will achieve together.
I am NOT retiring! Just stepping back from the day to day running of the organisation. I expect to be contributing to the field of child participation in health for many years to come.
HIFA profile: Clare Hanbury qualified as a teacher in the UK and began her career teaching 6-13 year old children in schools in Kenya and Hong Kong. For many years, Clare worked for The Child-to-Child Trust based at the University of London's Institute of Education where, alongside Hugh Hawes and Professor David Morley she worked to help embed the Child-to-Child ideas of children's participation in health into government and non-government child health and education programmes in numerous countries. Clare has continued to work to promote these ideas as a freelance adviser and trainer. She has worked in East and Southern Africa, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Yemen. In 2013, Clare founded Children for Health, a British Registered Charity that provides accurate engaging health information for those working or living with children and inspiring them to use fun methods to mobilise children as health activists in their families and communities. Clare is a member of the HIFA Working Group on Information for Citizens, Parents and Children. http://www.hifa.org/projects/citizens-parents-and-children Email: clare.hanbury AT zen.co.uk