Geline Fuko

Adv. Geline Alfred Fuko (born c. 1980)is a Tanzanian lawyer, and human rights activist who is a graduate of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's programme in Comparative Local Development. She has helped to promote democracy in Tanzania in organisations such Tangible Initiatives For Local Development Tanzania (TIFLD) She was instrumental in designing and managing the first and the only Online Public Database on constitutional resources.In 2016, she was granted a Mandela Washington Fellowship by the United States Department of State. Her achievements were specifically highlighted by President Obama at the YALI Presidential Summit in Washington, D.C. on 3 August 2016.

Born in Tanzania around 1980, her early education was based on rural Tanzania in the following regions Ruvuma, Singida and Tanga before joining a law school at the University of Dar Es Salaam, graduating in 2007. In 2010, she embarked on an Erasmus Mundus master's degree, spending nine months in Italy, and shorter periods at Corvinus University in Budapest, Hungary, and with United Nations Volunteers in Bonn, Germany. She then returned to Italy where earned her master's degree from the University of Trento in 2012.

As a graduate lawyer, thanks to her interest in human rights, Fuko first worked for a non-governmental human rights organisations where she followed parliament sessions and emerging legislation, providing information services for the public. On returning from her Erasmus studies, sheworked with various human rights organisations including Media Institute of Southern Africa, Tanzania chapter (Misa Tan), SIkIKA, before going back to LHRC and headed the LHRC Online Public Database on Constitutional Resources, supporting public with information on how the constitution is written, translated and implemented Tanzania's constitution She designeddigital management system for administration of public engagement with the resource centre. Together with Fuko'sTanzaniaCivilSocietyConsortiumforElectionObservation (TACCEO), she head the election observation centre,the centre that coordinated information flows from long and short term election observers and data clerks 2015 Tanzanian general election.

In 2016, Fuko was selected for a Mandela Washington Fellowship which provided her with academic and leadership training in the United States. Those who had participated in the courses attended a reception in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. In his address to over 1,000 people who attended the event, President Obama specifically highlighted the achievements of Fuko:

"Geline is a lawyer, an advocate of the High Court and human rights activist.A few years ago, she thought people in Tanzania should be able to use their mobile phones to read their constitution, so she went out and designed Tanzania’s first database of constitutional resources, opening up her government to more of her people so they could understand their law and their rights and their responsibilities.So thank you so much, Geline, for the great work."

Fuko later commented that she never remotely imagined that her contribution to Tanzanian society would be acknowledged by someone as famous as President Obama.Kandova, James (8 August 2016). "Tanzanian woman gets Obama tribute for new constitutional database". IPPmedia. Retrieved 22 February 2020.</ref>

She says that she enjoys being a music producer and performing hip hop.s://www.em-a.eu/en/ema-activities/ema-star-award/ema-stars-2015.html|title=EMA Stars 2015: Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association|website=www.em-a.eu|access-date=2020-02-23}}</ref>

When interviewed by Salima Hamisi of Hamasa Magazine in 2018, Geline Fuko concluded: "I have a burning desire to see a better Tanzania and I believe there are youth who can make it happen with a combination of efforts, will, determination, coordination and support. She is a recipient of multiple local and international awards for her engagement in community work in Tanzania"

Adv. Geline is the founder and the Executive Director of Tangible Initiatives for Local Development Tanzania (TIFLD). It is a tech driven NGO registered to operate in Tanzania Mainland. TIFLD’s mission is to contribute to the development of policies and laws that promotes democratic principles , strengthening institutions, mainstream the marginalised and build resilience communities. They work to promote sustainable development through participatory approach and innovative tools.”. She leads the team in the designing and management of technology initiatives such as Bunge forum, an online Parliamentary forum that promotes citizen oversight and issue based accountability