Amnani Abdul Kadir

Amnani Abdul Kadir leads partnerships and organizational development for Women’s Aid Organization (WAO), the largest service provider for gender-based violence in Malaysia. Her role as the director of this division encompasses strategic partnerships, fundraising, branding, public education, social media advocacy, and volunteer community engagement.

In 2022, as an Acumen Fellow, Amnani honed her skills in public relations, brand management, and business development through her tenure with various prominent organizations, including Chanel, Current Law Journal, and a boutique PR agency under Reed Midem (SEA). Her journey into women’s rights began in 2015 when she joined WAO’s para counsellor training, focusing on crisis calls, which led her into community work.

Amnani has actively contributed to and produced several pivotal campaigns for WAO to raise awareness about issues affecting women, such as #IKnowHer (2015), #BangApaHal (2018), #WhenIwas11 (2018), #7DaysPaternityLeave (2019), and #JustACallAway (2020).

Driven by her passion for community mobilization, Amnani has led and organized demonstrations to raise awareness about child marriage and paternity leave in 2018 and 2019. Her advocacy work involves content creation and on-ground community mobilization for public education. She firmly believes in crafting messages and thought-provoking campaigns that are relatable and easily understood by children.

Currently, Amnani’s focus lies on youth engagement, the promotion of healthy relationships, the eradication of intimate partner violence, and the advancement of gender equality and safe workplaces for women in the private sector through WAO’s gender mainstreaming programs, namely We Pledge and Level Up.

That’s the challenge of making an impact; you may not always grasp the influence your actions and presence have, which can serve as a catalyst for change. This change can either enhance or disrupt a life. It’s our responsibility to remain mindful of our actions and decisions, as they carry consequences that can impact the lives of those around us.