Joan Minja
Joan Minja joined Room to Read in 2025 as the country director of Room to Read in Tanzania.
With over 15 years of experience in strategic program management, including roles with Shule Bora and EQUIP-Tanzania, Joan holds extensive expertise in planning, budgeting, execution and team management. Her experience includes close collaboration with the Tanzanian government (MoEST and PO-RALG) and education development partners, ensuring the successful delivery of educational programs.
Before joining Room to Read, Joan led a results-based financing education program (EPforR) under the UK-funded Shule Board initiative, which focused on systematic level reformations to improve education outcomes by aligning financial incentives with performance. Joan’s role included overseeing safeguarding components, identifying risks, implementing mitigation strategies, and training staff on safeguarding awareness.
Joan’s professional accomplishments reflect her commitment to improving education and gender equality in Tanzania. She was awarded the Tanzania Women of Achievement Award in 2014 in the sports category, and in 2023 presented a paper titled "Incentivizing Effective Allocation of Teachers and Teaching and Learning Materials in the EPforR Programme in Tanzania" at the UKFIET conference.
Originally from the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and raised in Dar es Salaam, Joan graduated in 2013 from the University of Peloponnese in collaboration with the International Olympic Academy in Greece, earning a master's degree in Olympic Studies.
Beyond her professional achievements, Joan served as President of the Amateur Boxing Federation of Tanzania. She is also a FIFA-recognized woman referee, instructor, and assessor, with a deep passion for football.