Our People Make the Difference
BORDA Directorate
Judith Ringlstetter
General Manager Bremen, Germany
Joining BORDA in 2017, Judith brings an excellent background as a banking officer and also acts as HR Manager. She holds a Master of Law and Business and speaks four languages.
Thorsten Reckerzügl
General Manager Bremen, Germany
Thorsten holds a Diploma as Environmental Engineer and an MBA in Sustainability Management. He has been working with BORDA since 2000, acting as advisor to our project teams in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa, contributing to practical work on the ground and various studies as well as co-authoring our DEWATS handbook. He has also worked as WASH expert, project manager and country program manager for numerous institutions. Thorsten joined our Bremen team in 2016.
Willem van Rheenen
Regional Director Africa Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Willem coordinates BORDA's regional office for East and Southern Africa. With a team of 30 staff members and a partner network, he aims to implement holistic environmental sanitation programmes with local sanitation and community experts in fast-growing African cities in order to ensure clean water for all. He has been with BORDA since 2018.
Pedro Kraemer
Regional Director Las Américas Mexico City, Mexico
Pedro coordinates BORDA’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean. With a team of 30 staff members and a strong partner network, he aims at fostering the development and dissemination of integrated, decentralised water and sanitation solutions. He has been with BORDA since 2001.
Stanzin Tsephel
Regional Director South Asia Bangalore, India
Stanzin is responsible for the implementation and administration of all BORDA South Asia operations. For over 10 years his work has focused on the environment and poverty, working with organisations such as Stockholm Environment Institute, International Water Management Institute, Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society in Bangalore, the Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDeG), and the Government of Uttaranchal, India. He has an M.B.A from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) and a Master degree in Environment Change and Management from University of Oxford, England. He joined BORDA in 2012.
Frank Fladerer
Regional Director Southeast Asia Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Frank coordinates the implementation of BORDA’s regional portfolio with country and partner offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam as well as the AIT-BORDA Hub in Bangkok. A current focus of his work is the management of urban waters as a contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and realising the New Urban Agenda. He has been with BORDA since 2003.
Alexander Miller
Regional Director West & Central Asia Amman, Jordan
Alex coordinates BORD's country offices in Western and Central Asia. With a team of more than 50 staff members, he aims at building up local sanitation experts and scaling up regional sanitation initiatives. He has been with BORDA since 2009.
BORDA Staff
A small rotating sample featuring members of our 400+ global team
Dina Zawahreh
Regional Human Resources Coordinator Amman, Jordan
Dina is responsible for overseeing and managing all BORDA Human Resources needs in operations as well as for our programmes. She is leading the implementation of BORDA strategies and systems in both the BORDA WesCA regional office here in Amman and country offices throughout the region. She has been with BORDA since 2018.
Jane Junkert
Project Finance & Project Controlling Bremen, Germany
In our Bremen HQ, Jane is responsible for keeping the knowledge, skills and motivation of our employees in line with BORDA's mission and in a good working environment. In compliance with legal requirements and funding guidelines, this includes contract management, support in personnel planning and HR development as well as internal and external communication. She joined BORDA in 1999.
Aksana Jihad
Project Manager Erbil, KRI
Aksana is responsible for technical and administrative coordination. She also supports the creation of cost structures and work plans, and manages in-country strategic partnerships. She has been with BORDA since April 2017.
Hendra Gupta
Project Manager Bangkok, Thailand
Hendra is responsible for managing the Regenerative Sanitation Hub project, a collaboration between BORDA and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand. He aims to establish a testing centre for decentralised wastewater treatment products and to promote a decentralised approach to wastewater management in the region. He joined BORDA in 2017.
Pham Thi Hai Yen
Country Director BORDA Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam
Hai Yen manages BORDA Vietnam’s cooperation programmes and project office operations. That includes controlling project funds and coordinating BORDA’s activities with local partners, donors, and government agencies. Her role is to inspire all relevant stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector towards the implementation of DEWATS and the Integrated Sanitation Approach. She joined BORDA in 2008.
Carley Truyens
South Africa Coordinator Durban, South Africa
Carley is responsible for managing BORDA’s activities in South Africa, including coordination with partners and project teams, establishing new strategic partnerships, and guiding the country strategy. She promotes integrated, decentralised sanitation solutions nationally and regionally. She has been with BORDA since 2015.
Abdurasul Kayumov
Regional Coordinator SEA Bremen, Germany
Abdurasul is a regional coordinator for Southeast Asia at HQ. He is responsible for regional backstopping as well as internal evaluation and impact monitoring of BORDA’s global activities. With a doctorate in transboundary water management and rural development, plus extensive expertise in project monitoring and evaluation in Central, South and Southeast Asia, he has worked as a consultant for various development organisations. He joined BORDA in 2017.
Mohammed Noor
Country Director Erbil, KRI
Mohammad represents BORDA towards partner organisations and Iraqi government agencies in legal, administrative and financial terms. He is also responsible for conveying BORDA’s goals and interests to German and other international development organisations in Iraq/KRI.
Christoph Sodemann
Head of Public Relations Bremen, Germany
After 20+ years in journalism and public relations, Christoph joined BORDA in 2016. With our HQ and regional PR teams, he coordinates BORDA’s global PR activities: websites, social media, videos, print materials, our presence at international events, and training on water reporting. He also directs communication in the EU project consortium INNOQUA.
Tariq Sharefy
Admin & HR Manager Kabul, Afghanistan
Tariq is responsible for BORDA Afghanistan’s administrative and human resources management department. He supports our operations by supervising staff as well as planning, organizing and implementing administrative systems. He has been with BORDA since 2016.
Torsten Schwentuchowski
Head of Administration, Support and Infrastructure Bremen, Germany
As one of BORDA’s longest serving employees, Torsten knows BORDA and its people very well. He ensures the good performance of the offices in Bremen and Berlin, and regional offices make use of his background as well. He has been with BORDA since 2002.
Laura Roig Senge
BORDA Zambia Project Manager, BORDA Africa Regional Advisor Lusaka, Zambia
Laura has a dual role, working at both country and regional levels. In the Zambia office, Laura is in charge of annual work, budget and time planning and controlling, organisational development, stakeholder management, and quality control. As BORDA Africa Regional Advisor, she supports the BORDA Africa team with project planning, controlling and evaluation activities. She joined BORDA in 2015.
Angela Kapembwa
Civil Engineer Lusaka, Zambia
Angela is responsible for BORDA’s M&E and R&D related activities in Zambia. She also supports technical design tasks, provides technical support to Zambian regulatory authorities in the development of national by-laws, regulations and standards for sanitation, and she supports the development of training materials for capacity-building in Zambia. She joined BORDA in August 2017.
Lloyd Govender
Candidate Civil Engineer Durban, South Africa
Lloyd is responsible for project management and technical design. He supports the conceptualization, design, and planning of decentralized wastewater treatment systems, and he specialises in partnership and relationship development. He has been with BORDA since 2017.
Farshid Saljuqy
Country Director Kabul, Afghanistan
Farshid is responsible for the leadership and management of BORDA Afghanistan following the strategic direction set by the organisation. He ensures that our operation meets the expectations of its clients and provides quality services for people in Afghanistan. He has been with BORDA since 2014.
Alex Wolf
Head of Monitoring & Evaluation, Research & Development Bremen, Germany
Alex works with colleagues at HQ and in the regional offices to elaborate concepts for BORDA's global M&E and R&D programmes. He is also responsible for scientific collaboration with BORDA's academic network. Alex has been working for BORDA since 2014.
Rajesh Pai
Senior Technical Advisor Bangalore, India
Rajesh provides technical advisory and leadership support for BORDA projects in different regions across South Asia. He brings his domain expertise to engineering technologies for sustainable and cost-effective solutions for wastewater treatment and solid waste management, public sanitation and community-based sanitation (CBS) systems, eco-friendly sewage/wastewater management projects, and faecal sludge management projects. He joined BORDA in 2015.
Saman Khalil
Site Engineer Erbil, KRI
Saman is responsible for conducting DEWATS feasibility studies and compiling the collected data. He supervises construction, provides progress reports, oversees stakeholder coordination, engages in capacity building, and supports our regional office in Amman as a communication focal point. He has been with BORDA since May 2017.
David Dietz
Country Director BORDA Cambodia and Myanmar Phnom Penh, Cambodia
David manages BORDA’s country programmes in Cambodia and Myanmar. Localising the SDGs by piloting the Integrated Sanitation Approach in Kratie (Cambodia) and Yangon (Myanmar) is at the centre of his mission. In partnership with UNICEF and CARITAS CH, upscaling School Based Sanitation projects in Cambodia is also a priority. David joined BORDA in 2014 and has been country director since 2017.
Aubrey Simwambi
Senior Engineer and Head of Project Department Lusaka, Zambia
Aubrey is responsible for the content and quality of all technical works as well as the supervision of technical and social staff. Due to his knowledge and his kind personality, Aubrey is known and valued in the Zambian water and sanitation sector, and is the heart of the BORDA Zambia office. He joined BORDA in 2013.
Abdul Qayoum
Project Engineer Kabul, Afghanistan
Abdul is responsible for conducting feasibility studies, creating technical designs and supervising construction of decentralised wastewater treatment systems in Afghanistan. He also conducts trainings on DEWATS construction, operation and maintenance for various project stakeholders. He has been with BORDA since 2012.
Anas Abu-Khalaf
Project Engineer Amman, Jordan
Anas is responsible for designing DEWATS systems and provides technical support for the whole team. His focus is on new technologies involving sanitation and faecal sludge management. He has been with BORDA since 2017.
Jonas Maronilla
Country Director BNS Philippines Manila, Philippines
Jonas manages BORDA programmes in the Philippines. His focus is on providing social and technical assistance to local government units, national agencies, SMEs, and other stakeholder organisations in the fields of wastewater, faecal sludge, and solid waste management. He has been with BORDA since 2006.
Awat Zangana
Logistician Erbil, KRI
Awat is responsible for assisting the Country Director / Senior Engineer in all communications with national and international partners and authorities, as well handling logistics for training workshops, seminars and conferences. He has been with BORDA since October 2017.
Hensford Mzimela
Site Technician Durban, South Africa
Hensford is responsible for performing operation and maintenance tasks at the Newlands-Mashu Demonstration and Research DEWATS in Durban. Additionally, he ensures that the site is presentable and welcoming to local, national and international visitors and researchers. He joined BORDA in 2018.
Jacob Woelki
Country Director BORDA Mali Bamako, Mali
Jacob has headed our office in Bamako, Mali since August 2019. The Mali team focuses on driving change in the sanitation sector by scaling up the combined expertise and issue ownership of local private, public and community stakeholders. BORDA Mali also implements innovative approaches to food security through a trusted partner network in Mali’s conflict-ridden central and northern zones. Jacob was previously a project manager for BORDA Tanzania and holds an MSc in International Land and Water Management from Wageningen UR.
Delia Pensulo
Head of Administrative and Finance Department Lusaka, Zambia
Delia is in charge of all administrative and finance-related tasks in the Zambia office as well as the supervision of administrative staff and the management of office logistics. Her smooth running of the BORDA Zambia office, ensures that the rest of the team is free to concentrate on project activities. She joined BORDA in September 2017.
Manoj Kumar T.
Accounts Executive Bangalore, India
Manoj handles accounting and office administration at the BORDA South Asia regional office in India. He joined BORDA in 2017.
Saja Addasi
Environmental Engineer Amman, Jordan
Saja is involved in conducting environmental and social impact assessments and providing sustainable sanitation solutions suitable to the local context. Saja is always eager to expand her current skillset and knowledge, which is why she is also works with the PR team to convey BORDA’s core values in the best possible way across all our media outlets. She has been with BORDA since 2017.
Farid Safi
Technical Director Kabul, Afghanistan
Farid manages BORDA Afghanistan’s technical engineering and urban planning departments. He also provides support in the conceptualization, planning and detailed designing of decentralised wastewater treatment systems and faecal sludge treatment plants. He has been with BORDA since 2015.
Musa Mtshali
Site Technician Durban, South Africa
Musa is responsible for performing operation and maintenance tasks at the Newlands-Mashu Demonstration and Research DEWATS in Durban. Additionally, he ensures that the site is presentable and welcoming to local, national and international visitors and researchers. He joined BORDA in 2018.
Alvin Anderson
Office Administrator Durban, South Africa
Alvin is responsible for coordinating financial administration, assisting with project steering and reporting, supporting knowledge and content management, and liaising with Bremen HQ. After a year in Bremen working for econtur gGmbh as part of the South-North weltwärts Bremen volunteer programme, he joined BORDA in 2018.
Ali Jelal
Senior Project Engineer Erbil, KRI
Ali is responsible for managing all DEWATS projects from initial feasibility studies, design and tendering through to the supervision of final construction works. He is also overseeing technical coordination and support between our KRI country office and the WesCA regional office in Amman. He has been with BORDA since February 2015.
Margaret Zulu
Social Coordinator Lusaka, Zambia
Margaret is in charge of all social interventions including stakeholder management, activity planning, and implementation. She has extensive knowledge of the water and sanitation sector and its key players from governmental institutions, national and international NGOs, and the private sector in Zambia—a perfect fit to represent BORDA in various stakeholder meetings. She joined BORDA in 2017.
Bounchan Khamphilayvong
Country Director Laos Vientiane, Laos
Bounchan coordinates the BORDA Laos project office, promoting the holistic management of urban waters through capacity development and the implementation and dissemination of integrated approaches for polycentric urban water management. This includes DEWATS service packages, decentralized solid waste management (DESWAM) and faecal sludge management (FSM). He joined BORDA in 2009.
Dana Barqawi
Regional Coordinator (Urban Planning) Amman, Jordan
Dana coordinates the urban planning aspects of various projects within the region and handles numerous managerial tasks to improve planning and implementation. She enjoys engaging with the local community to ensure transparency and sustainability within all projects. She has been with BORDA since 2016.
| 2019 | FSM5 Conference |
| 2018 | World Urban Forum 9 |
| 2017 | 40 Years BORDA |
| IWA Development Conference | |
| Establishment of City Sanitation Alliance | |
| FSM4 Conference | |
| 2016 | New Urban Agenda |
| 2015 | UN Agenda 2030 and SDGs |
| Opening of BORDA Las Américas office in Mexico City | |
| 2012 | FSM1 - 1st Faecal Sludge Management Conference in Durban |
| 2011 | Opening of BORDA West & Central Asia office in Kabul (now in Amman) |
| IWA: Development Solutions Award Practice for BORDA | |
| 2006 | Opening of BORDA Africa office in Maseru (now in Dar es Salaam) |
| 2001 | Opening of BORDA South Asia office in Bangalore |
| 2000 | Millenium Development Goals |
| 1992 | Earth Summit - Agenda 21 in Rio de Janeiro |
| 1988 | Southeast Asia - BORDA’s first regional office in Indonesia |
| 1981 | 1st UN Water Decade |
| 1979 | 1st international biogas workshop |
| 1977 | Our founding 07.07.1977 |
