About
The international development sector has a communications problem it would rather not talk about.
It raises money using images and stories that can strip dignity from the very communities it claims to serve, treats people as content, and calls it awareness. Bukky Smith works at the intersection of communications and social change because she believes the sector can do better, and that doing better starts with considering power and who gets to shape the narrative.
She works in communications within the international development sector, where her focus spans strategy, campaigns and thought leadership on how organisations tell stories and who they serve when they do. Bukky leads #OverExposed, a growing movement challenging how the sector uses imagery in fundraising, and writes and speaks on dignity-centred communications, locally led development and the ethics of how organisations represent the communities they work with.
Beyond her professional work, Bukky has built organisations designed to create lasting opportunities for people and communities. She founded Young and Mentored in 2019, a youth leadership movement for young people and co-founded Givers Trust, a UK-registered charity supporting widows and vulnerable children across Africa. She serves as Board Chair of Givers Trust, sits on the boards of multiple organisations and is a founding woman of The Women's Collective.
She has produced documentaries as part of UNFPA-funded work, led the production of a university manual addressing violence against women and girls under the UNESCO Spotlight Initiative, and delivered EU-funded work spanning public health and child welfare.
She holds an MA in Public Policy from Nottingham Trent University and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
