Caroline Ngonze is Senior Manager of the Education Plus Initiative, which is co-led by the Executive Directors of five UN agencies – UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women. The initiative is centered on the empowerment of adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa, with secondary education as the strategic entry point to prevent and respond to HIV through a holistic, rights-based multi-sectoral approach.
Over the last two decades, Caroline has led multicultural teams and managed multi-million-dollar budgets to steer global programmes across more than 41 countries in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific regions, and is recognized for spearheading initiatives to accelerate actions and investments for socio-economic empowerment of women and girls. Caroline is known for providing leadership to nurture global partnerships, spearheading outreach initiatives, as well as hosting high-profile engagements at highest political levels. This has involved collaboration at global, regional, and country levels of governments, UN agencies, networks of adolescent girls and young women, civil society, regional organizations, private sector and academia.
Anthropologist and Psychologist with a Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Costa Rica. Director of the Citizen Childhood Program of PANIAMOR Foundation.
With more than 15 years of experience in the design, validation, and institutionalization of cultural change models for the development of social and economic agency from early childhood, as well as the promotion of a culture of peace, respectful parenting, and prevention of the different forms of violence that threaten the rights of children and adolescents, including physical punishment and humiliating treatment.
She has led the Project “Recreando Valor – Aflatot” since 2014, achieving the incorporation of social and financial education in the educational curriculum of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Education for children between 3 and 7 years of age.
Luan Imeri is Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) in North Macedonia, and also works as Associate in the Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research-Skopje Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
He has been engaged with the civil society sector in the country and in south-east Europe region for more than 20 years. He is part of the Aflatoun since 2010. Recently, Luan was in charge for the developing of elective subject called Financial Literacy for the accompanying the New Concept of Primary Education (2020) in the country.
He has leaded and participated in projects supported by USAID, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNDP, UNWOMEN, World Bank, CNA, and EU, projects who aimed to empower children and young people. Luan have extensive work experience and knowledge in financial education, peace education, inclusive education, project management, human recourse management, human rights, conflict management, and mediation.
He is Aflatoun Master Trainer.
Melisa Mumcu is a professional with a notable background and a profound dedication to the advancement of financial education and sustainability. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and has earned a Master’s degree in Financial Economics.
As the Secretary-General of the Financial Literacy and Inclusion Association, Melisa Mumcu is at the forefront of efforts to enhance financial literacy and inclusion. With an awareness of the necessity of financial literacy for sustainable development, she has conducted training sessions aimed at reducing the unbanked population, integrating financial literacy into educational curricula, and promoting financial awareness among individuals, particularly women and children.
Her research encompasses a diverse range of topics, including income inequality analysis across OECD countries, where she examines factors such as income distribution, labor force participation, and higher education involvement.
Joost is a Professor of Economics (Chair: Global Economic Challenges) at the Utrecht University School of Economics, Director of the Utrecht Centre for Global Challenges (UGlobe), and researcher with the Utrecht University Strategic Theme Dynamics of Youth. He previously worked as a Senior Economist at The World Bank and managed its Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF). He was also part of the management team at Porticus, a global philanthropy, and held academic positions at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), and Harvard University. He holds a MA and PhD in Economics from Brown University.
Aside from research and teaching, Joost works closely with a range of societal partners to bridge the gap between science and practice in education. This includes ongoing collaborations with Aflatoun and its partners in India and the Gambia, leading the facilitation of the Global Learning Community (GLC) in Whole Child Development – a network of 80 education organisations from around the world -, and the Demand Driven Research Initiative, a collaboration with the Network of Impact Evaluation Researchers Africa (NIERA).
She is the CEO of the National Confederation of Cooperatives or NATCCO, in The Philippines. NATCCO is a federation of 888 cooperatives with 6.4 million members. She has been working with the cooperative movement since 1993. She was appointed as CEO of NATCCO in 2009 and the CEO of the Mindanao Federation of cooperatives from 2000 to 2009.
She has the privilege of being a resource speaker at various international conferences, including as a plenary panellistpanel 1st International Summit of Cooperatives and break-out panelist in World Council of Credit Unions.
She was the Chairperson of CODE-NGO, the biggest coalition of NGO Networks in the country; she is a member of the Philippine Coop Sector Council of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. She has once been appointed as the Co-Chair of the Regional DevElopment Council X; former member of the Government Panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the years 2004-2008. She is the Vice-Chairperson of the Sectoral Apex Organization for Finance Cluster and the Treasurer of the National Alliance of Cooperatives.
A chemical Engineer, member of the Higaunon tribe of Bukidnon, she is a graduate of Master’s in Business Management of Asian Institute of Management, Makati City.
Godfrey Dzveta is the Director of Tariro Foundation of Zimbabwe Trust, an Organisation for Persons with Disabilities (OPD) operating in Zimbabwe,s Manicaland Province. The work of organisation is mostly premised on disability inclusion and empowerment.
As a committed disability advocate for persons with disabilities Godfrey Dzveta saw it fit to have the organisation be part of the AFLATOUN network and reach adolescent youths with disabilities with social skills and financial literacy. Since joining the network in 2022 the Aflateen+ curriculum has empowered the communities the foundation works with to acquire life skills and have an appreciation of self-reliance upon being empowered with financial literacy. With experience as an education practitioner and development worker, Godfrey came across challenges of drug and substance abuse, child marriages, gender-based violence, school dropouts among others affecting learners and twice affecting learners with disabilities.
The introduction of the Aflateen+ curriculum to reach our marginalised groups is a positive move that brought awareness and empowerment to the adolescent youths with disabilities. Tariro Foundation of Zimbabwe Trust works on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially the SDG 10 on the reduction of inequalities faced by persons with disabilities.
Sophie Chen has been working in Better Education for 13 years, dedicated to the promotion of financial literacy education for children and teenagers, deeply involved in the organization’s product development, brand fundraising, team management, and has a wealth of experience in CSR public welfare.
In recent years, she has been exploring innovative theory of “Positive Wealth Cycle” to support youth individuals to effectively respond to the challenges of economic life and hopes to accompany children and youth to grow up to be independent, warm and responsible economic citizens.
Mithu Naroo is a Coordinator of the Primary Education Project (PEP) Diocese of Hyderabad Church of Pakistan and he belongs to the rural tribal Kachhi community.
He completed his high secondary education at the Diocesan Boys Hostel Mirpurkhas and started with PEP as an intern in 2009 and has worked in different positions to gain experience and improve his professional skills. He also continued his study during the job and expects his degree in Master of Business and Administration (MBA) in HR in 2023. He has attended many national and international professional training on various topics. He is a role model for the tribal people, especially for the youth who belongs to the rural areas because they appreciate and are inspired by his commitment, faithfulness, and hard work.
Currently, he is leading almost 200 employees of the PEP-DoH and implementing seven projects in different thematic areas.
Tuğba Saptır received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Public Administration at METU. She always tried to be a part of many extracurricular activities to get a larger sense of the debates in the social sciences and to improve herself in interdisciplinary field. Upon graduation, she started to pursue her master’s degree in design at Kadir Has University and continues her studies on children’s rights and public space.
She also currently works at Habitat Association as International Relations Director and responsible for the development of multi-stakeholder projects with the private sector, public sector, and NGOs in the fields of sustainable development, digital skills development, entrepreneurship, and the disaster management. She develops and conducts various procedures within the international network with the business development team and carries out the organizational activities and relations in the international networks and act as the representative of the organization.
Darian brings almost 20 years of development experience in the Asia-Pacific, working in Timor-Leste (2009-11), Afghanistan (2012-13), Papua New Guinea (2016-2019) and the Solomon Islands (2020) across various sectors including governance, economic development and emergency response. He also has background in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, Kiribati and the Philippines. He has held academic posts at the Australian National University and University of Canberra, and served as a departmental liaison officer for the Federal Family and Community Services Minister.
Darian worked for over a decade managing the Australian Government aid program as a governance and humanitarian specialist; and several years as a technical adviser with Abt Associates and DT Global, associate director with Palladium, and senior consultant with Alinea International. In his current capacity as CEO of the financial inclusion NGO, the Credit Union Foundation of Australia (CUFA), he drives a dynamic program portfolio across the Asia-Pacific to support the economic development and resilience of disadvantaged communities. Cufa fosters empowerment in line with a three pillar strategy targeting how vulnerable people: (1) earn: through microenterprise and livelihood programs; (2) save: through financial literacy; and (3) invest: through access to digital tools and diverse finance sources.
Annamaria Cosatti is the Programme Manager of the For Families Programme at The Human Safety Net, the flagship community initiative of the Generali Group. The Programme, aimed at supporting parents living in vulnerable circumstances, currently involves 57 NGOs in 24 Countries.
Annamaria comes to The Human Safety Net with 10 years of experience in Save the Children Italy’s national programmes, where she was Head of ECD Unit. She has been part of the Save the Children International Early Learning Working Group, The Transatlantic Forum on inclusive Early Years and many working groups on ECD at the national level.
In 2019 she lead the field coordination of a pilot study that was administered directly with children in Italy and aimed to analyse the increase of inequalities among children before entering in kindergarten, and the potential “equalising” effect of childcare services (“The Best Start: Inequality and opportunities in the first years of life,” Save the Children, 2019).
Andualem Tesfaye boasts an impressive background in both education and professional experience. With a Master’s degree in Research and Development and a Bachelor’s degree in Educational Planning and Management from Addis Ababa University, Andualem also holds two Diplomas in Ethiopian Language and Literature from Kotebe College of Teachers Education and Business Administration from Royal College. Notably, Andualem is certified as a Global and Regional Child and Youth Social and Financial Education Master Trainer by Aflatoun International in Amsterdam. With a rich experience spanning over 22 years, Andualem’s expertise covers a wide array of areas including Early Childhood Development, Child Protection, Education, Youth Development, Livelihood, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Health, and Manpower Administration.
Andualem’s proficiency extends to grant and sponsorship program design and coordination, as well as successful management and organizational development, which is highlighted in his role as the Executive Director at Future Hopes Integrated Development Organization. Throughout his career, Andualem has provided valuable capacity-building trainings and support to prominent national and international organizations such as ChildFund Ethiopia, World Vision, Hope Intersperse, National Child Initiative, Dorcas Aid, and similar organizations.
Beauty Mogasha is a seasoned leader with master’s in development studies and more than 20 years’ experience in building and leading diverse teams of professionals, fostering a collaborative and empowering work environment.
She has successfully designed and implemented a range of innovative programs aimed at poverty alleviation, education, and healthcare for vulnerable communities. These initiatives have positively impacted countless individuals and communities, leading to sustainable change. Beauty Mogasha continues to be a driving force behind the organization’s success, leading with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering dedication to creating positive change.
Her leadership is instrumental in achieving meaningful impact in the communities we serve. A program Director at Stepping Stones International an organization that aims to unlock the potential of orphaned and vulnerable children and youth ages 12-25 through holistic development, strengthening families, and activating sustainable opportunities to become self-sufficient in Botswana.
Kiko Zang is Orca’s Head of Growth. She joined Orca as its first business hire with experience in consulting, business operations, product development & management. In addition to businessacumen developed through her time at Mattel, Deloitte and IDEO, among other leaders in their respective industries, Kiko Zang’s life and work across three continents have also made her keenly empathetic to cultural and sociological nuances, making her well-positioned to drive Orca’s strategic growth in a global scale. (When she’s not working, Kiko Zang can usually be spotted near water, amidst bookstacks in
Originating from Nepal, Girman Thapa has been employed by the government since 1997. He commenced his government journey as a teacher trainer, dedicating 12 years to this role. Following a promotion to undersecretary, he assumed various positions, including senior instructor at the Educational Training Centre, District Education Officer, head of the Regional Office of the National Examinations Board, and undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MoEST). Presently, he holds the position of Director at the National Centre for Education and Human Resource Development (CEHRD) under MoEST, where he oversees the effective execution of MoEST’s policies, plans, and programs.
As the head of the teacher training section, Girman Thapa leads the implementation of policies and programs related to teacher professional development. He also assumes responsibility for crafting strategies and action plans for teacher training, designing teacher training standards, curricula, and materials, as well as managing the budget and programs for the teacher training component at provincial Education Training Centres and local levels.
Throughout his career, Girman Thapa has received recognition for his contributions, including being honored with the National Education Award and twice being celebrated as the best head of district-level offices during his tenure as District Education Officer.
Ebrahim Mansour is an Associate Professor of Accounting and Financial Information System with more than 20 years of academic and management working experience. He used to be the Head of MIS Department at Applied Science University (ASU), Amman, Jordan, Head of Accounting Department, Vice Dean and Acting Dean at the Hashemite University (HU), Zarqa, Jordan. Beside his working as an associate professor at the Hashemite University, he has been a visiting Lecturer at several universities in Jordan (Jordan University, German-Jordan University, and Arab Open University).
He is now the Director of the Hashemite University Career Center where he is responsible for providing specific and specialized training for students to identify their career path, building their core competences, outline their job opportunities, create their own businesses, and enhance their concepts of entrepreneurship. Dr Mansour has a PhD in Accounting and financial Information Systems from Brunel University, London, UK and he is a member of several Academic and professional societies.
Aaron (Alan) Wang is the Executive Dean of Arete College, a liberal arts college based in Shanghai, and the founder and president of Be Better Education, which the largest non-profit organization dedicated to financial literacy and entrepreneurship for kids & youth in China.
He also works as the board member of several philanthropic foundations including New Education Foundation, Adream Institute, and Aflatoun International Foundation. He has 18 years of experience in Education & Philanthropy fields in China covering research on educational policy, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and social enterprise.
Shereen Maurice Seif, founder and executive director of a nonprofit organization: Martyria Foundation for Culture and Development. An Egyptian pharmacist holds a Master’s in International Business Administration from ESLSCA, France, and a Professional Certified Trainer Certificate from AUC. Shereen has 22 years of diversified experience and roles in Egypt’s pharmaceutical, medical and development sectors. She started her career in the Pharmaceutical Field for 11 years, then shifted her career to the invitro fertilization field, where she spent another nine years.
Although she successfully progressed through different roles during her career journey, in 2021, she decided to follow her passion and dedicate her time to community developmental work, where she started her non-profit organization.
Shereen led many initiatives and successful projects to drive change in the Egyptian community, such as medical convoys and hygiene campaigns in rural areas, “Sharing Life” initiative to help youth find meaning in their lives and support other needy children. Shereen is self-driven by the vision that everyone is called to make a difference and strongly believes in transformational leadership, transformation through inspiration. She is known for her passion and resilience in improving the culture and environment.
Hamida Jahamah, is a visionary lead in both Humanitarian Response & Development sector, offering more than 10 years of experience in programme and Quality management.
As the Country Director for Plan International Jordan and previously as the Head of Technical &Quality Unit for the past five years, Hamida led providing strategic vision to PlJ’s work including playing a crucial role in setting the first Country Strategy and coordinating the thematic interventions under (ECCD, GBV, SRHR, Gender, and MERL) . Previously, with Save the Children International, She led the technical support under the Syrian Emergency Response in relation to protection with a focus on localization, sustainability and community empowerment lens. She also supported the cross-border humanitarian interventions inside Syria and in camps within her journey with Save the Children and UN Women. She has extensive expertise in Safeguarding Policy implementation, Gender Equality, and Adolescent Girls Programming and Child Protection in Emergencies.
Hamida is a Chevening Scholar and holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and Human Rights from the University of Essex at the UK. She also has represented Jordan in different international conferences and worked with various national/government entities to shape the humanitarian and development agendas and redefine the focus on children and community’s positive engagement and leadership.
Professor Md. Farhadul Islam is the Chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), Bangladesh. Prof. Islam did his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Management from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Then he joined the Bangladesh Civil Service Education Cadre as a Lecturer. After spending 15 years teaching at different government colleges, he joined NCTB and spent 17 years in this vital organisation. Prof. Islam served NCTB in different capacities including the positions of specialist of primary education, senior specialist; chief coordinator of the National Curriculum 2012; curriculum developers for Business Organisation and Management; controller of textbook distribution and dignified positions like the Member (Textbook) and the Member (Finance) of NCTB.
Professor Md. Farhadul Islam attended different training programmes for his professional development. He had intensive training from Assumption University, Thailand on Curriculum and Assessment. He also attended a workshop on the Inclusion of Disaster Management in Textbooks in the Philippines and another workshop on Curriculum and Textbooks in Sri Lanka. As an educational bureaucrat, Prof. Islam also attended a series of training programmes on procurement by the World Bank and the Secondary Education Sector Investment Programme.
Prof. Md Farhadul Islam is fond of reading and spending time with family members. He is married and a proud father of two children.
Hazel Ann Modino is a dynamic young woman with extensive experience in the cooperative movement. She has been a part of NATCCO since 2008 and currently serves as the Children and Youth Program Team Lead.
In this capacity, Hazel plays a vital role in designing tailored programs for young members and fostering connections with international organizations, civil society groups, and government agencies, thus expanding NATCCO’s outreach to youth. She also conducts training and activities for cooperative youth coordinators, teachers, and young members.
Hazel is a Development Educator for Asia, an Aflatoun Global Master Trainer for Social and Financial Education, and a certified Cooperative Development Trainer. She’s a passionate advocate for youth empowerment, financial literacy, and gender equality.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Management, Hazel combines a solid educational foundation with practical experience. Her unwavering dedication to cooperatives and enhancing the lives of young individuals showcases her immense potential for the future.
Antonio Miele was born in Naples in 1974 and graduated in Economics in 1999 from Università degli studi of Naples. He possesses over twenty years of experience in HR, with a particular focus on recruiting and training. In 2017, he created “Trainingaming,” a role-playing game centered around soft skills, which has been utilized in schools, universities, and Master HR programs.
Since 2018, he has held the position of president at Students Lab, an experience that has afforded him the opportunity to explore new realms and meet fascinating individuals.
His expertise lies in E-Learning, Talent Management, HR Consulting, Coaching, and Organizational Development.
Rizwana Akhtar has served as the General Manager Program at Sahil since 2007. Her career has spanned diverse sectors, with a focus on development, humanitarian work, and rights-based organizations, including roles at the National Rural Support Program, Plan Pakistan, Concern Worldwide, and the Family Planning Association of Pakistan.
In her role, Rizwana is responsible for proposal development, logical frameworks, program planning, implementation oversight, monitoring and evaluation, and donor reporting. She also represents Sahil nationally and internationally and is actively involved in government-established committees for child protection.
Rizwana’s academic background includes an MPhil in Agriculture, reflecting her expertise and commitment to continuous learning. She has furthered her skills through various capacity-building workshops in project development, monitoring, report writing, interviewing, enterprise development, community development, community policing, and Aflateen+.
Phithop Sibounheuang is currently serving as a Project Manager and Marketing and Financial Education Manager at Ekhphatthana Deposit-Taking Microfinance Institution (EMI). Phithop’s journey in the field of microfinance and education began in 2012 when he started working with people in rural areas.
In Phithop’s capacity as a representative of the Microfinance Sector, they are committed to helping EMI’s clients and children access social and financial education, which can be applied in their daily lives. To further this goal, the Aflatoun Program for children’s education has been implemented. Phithop has worked closely with the Ministry of Education and Sports, training more than 100 teachers across 69 schools.
As an Aflatoun Master Trainer, Phithop is eager to expand the Aflatoun program for the young generation in Lao PDR. He firmly believes that many schools and countless children and youth in his country still require additional social and financial education to apply in his everyday lives. Phithop is thrilled to be a part of this program and contribute to making it a reality.
In addition to his work in microfinance, Phithop has adapted Aflatoun’s activities for EMI’s adult clients. This allows them to teach their children at home as well, ensuring that the knowledge is passed on to the next generation.
Patricia Fafa Formadi, a Development Practitioner and Director of New Dawn for Social Development (New Dawn), formally a staff of Women & Development Project (WADEP) and a Lecturer of the University for Development Studies (UDS) Ghana. She has worked over the years on Gender and Development issues of concern to women, youth, children and socially excluded.
A partner of Aflatoun International for the past 16 years, developed materials on Social and Financial Education/Literacy, implement as well as train partners in Ghana and Anglophone Africa. She has represented Anglophone Africa partners on the Global Aflatoun Board for two terms, bringing her expertise to bear on the network. With a passion on Gender, Patricia has developed strategic interventions to promote sustainable improvement in socio-economic and political lives of women, youth/children and socially excluded in rural and urban areas in Ghana to bridge the gender gaps.
She has researched on microfinance and financial literacy in her context, developed materials on Transformative Leadership, Business and Negotiation skills, Sexual & Reproductive Health Education, Legal Issues on laws that affect women’s most in Ghana, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion Pedagogy for tutors in Colleges of Education. A strong Participatory Facilitator/Trainer Gender and Women’s Right Advocate.
He joined the Indian Administrative Services in 2000 and worked in various capacities in the Union Government of India and the state of Andhra Pradesh. Since Dec 2021, working as Principal secretary, Department of Skill Development and Commissioner School Education in the Government of Andhra Pradesh. He oversees the implementation of Technical and Vocational training programs and Skill Development activities in the state.
As Commissioner School Education, looks after the administration and management of over 45,000 Government schools in the state with 4.5 million students and 200,000 teachers. Notable works include implementation of a World Bank project to improve the learning outcomes among students in state schools. Responsible for the implementation of Entrepreneurship Mindset Development Program (EMDP) in 3500 High schools where over 200,000 children were trained in the entrepreneurial skills and help them transform from childhood to adulthood.
From 2000 to 2014 worked in the state of Andhra Pradesh state at various capacities and implemented several innovative programs in Health, Education, Disaster management, Local governance, Housing and Sanitation. He strongly believes in building State Capability for sustainable development through People’s Participation, empowerment of Women, decentralization, and use of Information Technology to provide good governance.
Dinçer Demir is a senior trainer employed at the Teachers Academy Foundation (ÖRAV), an NGO located in Türkiye. With 12 years of prior experience as an English teacher in state schools, he transitioned to his current role in 2019. His responsibilities encompass the design and development of teacher training programs, as well as project management.
Dinçer holds a master’s degree in educational technology and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. His areas of expertise and interest include educational technology, instructional design, formative assessment, online course development, feedback mechanisms, cognitive teaching and learning strategies, cognitive load theory, and the mechanisms of the learning process.
Nazan Mustafa holds a doctoral degree in Sociology Sciences, specializing in Sociology of Organization, and her doctoral dissertation is titled “MODEL OF FINANCIAL EDUCATION INTEGRATION INTO CORE CURRICULA.”
Since 1997, she has accumulated extensive and meaningful work experience in pedagogical, psychological, and psycho-social fields across various organizations, including the Center for Protection of Women and Children, Danish Red Cross, International Institute of Children, SOS Children’s Villages, and more. Additionally, she has served as a teaching assistant for pedagogical group subjects at the Faculty of Education at the University of Mitrovica.
Throughout her career, she has excelled in creating relationships and collaborating with various stakeholders in the public, private, and civil society sectors, as well as international networks. In this regard, she has held roles such as head facilitator, trainer, mentor, consultant, and team leader.
She also boasts extensive experience as an active participant on both the national and international levels within the Aflatoun International organization. Her contributions include serving as a master trainer in Kosovo, Greece, Turkey, and Moldova, as well as taking on roles such as the European Region Representative in the Non-Formal Contextualization Workshop for Child Social and Financial Education, a representative of Europe for Child Participation, an International Task Force Leader for Child Participation, an author of manuals, and a member of the advisory group for curricula and supplementary materials.
Kabutakapua Kabanza Alphonse is the Deputy Inspector General responsible for the National Continuing Education Service for pedagogical operators in technical and vocational education, known as SERNAFOR TECHNICAL, at the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Previously, he managed the Inspector General’s office responsible for the certifying evaluation at the end of primary and secondary school cycles in our education system. Within this Inspector General’s office, he serves as the liaison between all Ministry authorities and Aflatoun International. In this capacity, he is considered the focal point for Aflatoun and has participated in all workshops organized by the Inspector General’s office as part of the implementation of Aflatoun activities under its partnership agreement with the Ministry of EPST. He has also attended two regional Aflatoun meetings in Addis Ababa and Abidjan.
Throughout his professional career, he has collaborated with various technical and financial partners on projects related to the revision of curricula for Technical and Vocational Education.
Cris joined Girl Rising in 2022. She currently serves as the Development Director. She is passionate about storytelling as an engine of social change and gender equity. She works with institutions, corporations, students, and individuals to raise awareness and drive action toward a world where all girls can learn, rise, and thrive.
Cris grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia, and began her career working for Colombian-based organizations in Communications and Public Relations. Excited to explore the power of communication and storytelling to catalyze social change, she pursued her M.A. from Ohio University in Communication and Development Studies, focusing on Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. Her background in the International Development sector includes working for the Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute at Ohio University, implementing strategies to create awareness about the risks of infectious diseases in low-income countries.
From 2019 – 2022, she led the Development efforts at MEDLIFE, a Peruvian-based non-profit. Her work contributed to the success of a global virtual fundraising campaign during the peak of COVID-19, resulting in implementing mobile clinics, and other structural solutions to tackle food insecurity and lack of healthcare access in vulnerable communities in Perú, Ecuador, and Tanzania.
Nasser Burdestani is a professional banker with more than 20 years experience in Treasury Operations with demonstrated success in delivering exceptional performance. He is the founder and director of Aflatoun program in Kingdom of Bahrain since November 2020. He is the founder and former coordinator of Amnesty International (Manama Group) and regional campaigner (Middle East & North Africa) at International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). He also led many social and cultural initiatives such as managing Bahrain Human Rights Film Festival for two years and organizing the biggest blood pressure reading campaign in Kingdom of Bahrain for which he obtained the recognition from Guinness World Records.
Burdestani holds Master of Science in Finance from University of De Paul in Chicago, U.S.A and Guinness World Record for the longest reading marathon by a team.
He is currently working as a Manager in Treasury Operations of Bank ABC, Bahrain.
Deedar Ahmed Mirani is a revered figure known for his extensive contributions to socio-political activism, human rights advocacy, and peace promotion. With a diverse set of roles, including CEO of Pahel Pakistan, Vice Chairman of Rwadari Tehreek, National Convener of the Young Human Rights Defenders Network Pakistan, and Chief Editor of “Pehreen Vikh” Magazine, Mirani has firmly established himself as a key player in his nation’s progress.
His academic journey began with a degree in International Relations in 1997, followed by Master’s degrees in English Literature and Sociology. Mirani possesses over 19 years of experience in humanitarian and development organizations, displaying a wide range of skills, from executive management to research studies and capacity building.
Throughout his career, Mirani has made significant contributions in areas such as emergency response, human rights, democratic empowerment, and development initiatives. In 2009, he founded Pahel Pakistan, a non-profit organization dedicated to climate change mitigation, human rights advancement, education, food security, livelihood enhancement, and humanitarian response.
Pahel Pakistan operates independently from government influence and political ideologies, with a commitment to transparency and excellence. It collaborates with influential entities like UNWOMEN, USAID, UNDP, and more, making a profound impact on communities in 12 districts of Sindh Province.
Mirani’s legacy includes his focus on uplifting marginalized groups, including elderly women, differently-abled individuals, religious minorities, transgender persons, and pregnant and lactating women. His international engagements have further solidified his role as a global advocate for human rights and peace.
Deedar Ahmed Mirani’s tireless dedication and strategic acumen have left an enduring imprint on the landscape of progress, illuminating the path towards a more just and equitable society.
Hamidou BARRY is the project coordinator for the GAP-CAMIDE consortium in Mali. He holds a Master’s degree in General Public Law obtained in Mali and has taken several other related courses. He is also the coordinator and promoter of a consultancy firm called Leelewal Gonndo. A member of the Association Malienne des Éducateurs Aflatoun (AMEA), of which he is the Administrative Secretary, Mr BARRY has 10 years’ professional experience with various organisations.
He has taken part in several workshops and meetings organised by Aflatoun International and other organisations on education in general and capacity-building for women. These include participation in the training of trainers on Aflateen+ in Dakar in 2018, participation in various meetings and online training of Aflatoun International partners since the beginning of Covid, and participation in the regional workshop of Aflatoun partners in Abidjan in June 2022.
As part of his mission in relation to financial education, he has piloted activities such as: organising and holding training sessions for primary school teachers in financial education since 2014, coordinating the activities of the Dubai Cares Aflateen project between 2019 and 2023, organising an advocacy, contextualisation and validation workshop for the Aflateen manual in 2019 and following up the file and obtaining validation of the Aflateen manual by the MEN.
He is also a resource person and Aflatoun’s national representative on financial education issues at the level of the working group on financial education (CNSMO-Mali) as part of the development of the BCEAO’s national financial education programmes in the WAEMU zone. In this way, he is helping to bring together players from Mali’s ministerial departments, local associations and NGOs and Aflatoun International. Hamidou BARRY is an Aflatoun trainer and is currently training to become a Master Trainer.
E. N. G. B. Charles Elamaldeniya, is the Founder and Chairman of the Network for Education, Children, and Youth (NECY). With an educational background that includes a doctorate in professional studies from GULL University, a Bachelor of Management Studies from OUSL, and diplomas in international relations, psychology and counseling, English, civil engineering, and GIS from various esteemed institutions, he brings a diverse skill set to his role.
His professional journey spans over 35 years in the government sector and more than 15 years in the NGO sector, providing him with a deep understanding of both worlds. NECY, which he founded in 2009 and officially recognized under the Company Act in 2013, is a testament to his commitment to education, child rights, and youth development in Sri Lanka.
Under his leadership, NECY has achieved significant milestones. They have been actively involved in the Aflatoun program since 2010, impacting the lives of over 350,000 children and youth through Aflatot, Aflatoun, and Aflateen initiatives. Their collaboration with government schools and children’s clubs has been instrumental in promoting financial literacy and entrepreneurship among young people. The MOU was signed with NIE Sri Lanka and Aflatoun international will help to introduce formal schools. The curriculum for financial literacy and entrepreneurship is planning to launch from 2024.
In 2022, NECY introduced a project management curriculum, engaging more than 15,000 children in practical learning experiences. This initiative exemplifies his dedication to holistic education and sustainable development.
Looking forward, NECY envisions a connected network of children and youth organizations across all provinces, advocating for quality education and the rights of young people. With a legacy of resilience, collaboration, and a shared commitment to nurturing the potential of the next generation, he is immensely proud of NECY’s achievements and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. Together, they are shaping a brighter future for the children and youth of Sri Lanka.
Arjun is the Lead for the Life Skills Collaborative (LSC), a large multi-stakeholder collaborative to catalyse government action around life skills in India. The LSC has 18 organisations working together on championing life skills for India’s young people to thrive by co-creating public goods in the space.
LSC has partnerships with the State Governments of Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Mizoram and Uttarakhand and has built a platform for life skills organisations to share and learn which has brought over 50 organisations together.
Arjun has spent most of his 20 years of global work experience in the education sector. He led the Schools and Partnerships work for the British Council in India and led the design and delivery of several large-scale projects, including the delivery of British Council’s global Core Skills programme in India.
Prior to that he was a senior member of the founding team of the Centre for Assessment, Evaluation and Research (CAER) – a public private partnership between the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Pearson Foundation. He has a management degree from the Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad and has worked in consulting during the start of his career with Deloitte, USA.
Mark Stevenson has worked in the world of banknotes for over 30 years. His activity ranges from managing banknote printing plants in Asia, Africa and Europe to banknote technology development, business development and more recently, cash sustainability and innovation. He has worked for a host of banknote industry leaders including, De La Rue, Crane Currency & Koenig & Bauer.
In 2010, Mark founded the International Banknote Designers Association (IBDA) and has acted as President since then. He also co-founded the CUBE (Center for User Behaviour & Education) in 2018 to create industry access to techniques, know-how and technologies designed to improve the banknote User Experience.
Today Mark is Market Development Manager at Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions with a mission to improve how cash can do more for society. He believes that this work will involve industry engagement and buy-in from a wider scope of actors than ever before and leveraging the intrinsic characteristics of banknotes to create more value for the people who depend upon them most.
Hatem Askar is a seasoned professional with over 10 years of experience in the e-learning industry. As the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of UMAMI E-Learning Solutions, Hatem has been at the forefront of driving innovation and redefining the learning experience. With a global perspective, he has led over 50 projects, developing digital content for various sectors across 20 countries on four continents reaching more than 6 millions learners, including collaborations with NGOs, governmental bodies, and private enterprises.
Hatem’s dedication to making education accessible and effective on a global scale is evident in his impressive track record. His role not only transforms UMAMI but leaves a lasting impact on the e-learning community. His commitment to technology-driven education continues to empower learners worldwide, and Hatem Askar remains at the forefront of this transformative industry.
Talia (they/she pronouns) is passionate about designing equitable and child centered education programs, with 16 years of experience in non-formal education, public health education and sport for development.
Talia’s areas of expertise include facilitation, curriculum design, gender inclusion, MEL, sexual and reproductive health education, and skateboarding for social good. She was Programs Director for the international NGO Skateistan (2013-2021), working in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. In 2022, Talia worked with Aflatoun to develop a comprehensive training on Adolescent Participation project for UNICEF Thailand/EAPRO.
Talia has sat on the editorial board of the Journal of Sport for Development and holds a Master’s of Education from Queen’s University, Ontario. When not working she can be found skateboarding and learning how to surf.
Bénéwendé Bonaventure SEGUEDA is a senior official in the Burkina Faso Ministry of Education, where he has worked for over twenty years. He is a primary education inspector specialising in educational analysis, management and planning. A former director of policy formulation and a former director of sectoral statistics at the Ministry of National Education, he is currently Permanent Secretary of the Strategic Development Plan for Basic and Secondary Education.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a master’s degree in management of education systems (Alexandria), a master’s degree in educational planning and management (IIEP/Paris) and certificates or attestations in fields such as results-based management (RBM), management and good governance, gender and monitoring and evaluation.
He has taken part in a number of national and international assignments on various education issues, including the development of strategies, projects, action plans and monitoring reports, teacher issues, education information and management systems, cooperation, learning assessment, etc.
Mr SEGUEDA has experience in developing education strategies, projects and programmes, action plans and organisational capacity-building plans, as well as in the fields of education decentralisation and EMI.
Viola Çekani is engaged at Dorcas Albania since 2008 and actually she holds the position of a Programme Manager General. Viola finished her college studies in English Language teaching. She worked in Media (radio) for 7 years and also taught English language for a year.
Later she did her MSC in “Leadership and Human Resource Management”. She has been quite active in the Civil Society and Networks in Albania and the Balkans. Viola has quite some experience in training and project evaluation within her organization.
In Dorcas she is actually involved in programme writing, M&E, reporting, coordination, fundraising, strategic planning, PR, capacity building, corporate positioning. She has expertise in Integrated programming and Social Empowerment and Protection projects. She has from the start of the cooperation with both organizations (Dorcas and Aflatoun), been coordinating and facilitating Aflatoun-related activities in Albania.
She has received two Training of Trainers trainings on Aflatoun, one in Albania in 2016 and one in Budapest, Hungary in 2019.
Fariza Soltogulova works at the Ministry of Education and Science in the field of development and implementation of state educational standards for school education and has recently been in charge of issues of social and financial education in general educational organizations of the republic.
During her work at the Ministry, she twice participated in reforming the school education system of the republic, and is also actively involved in the development of legal documents in the field of school education. When preparing legal documents, she considers the continuous improvement of the activities of educational organizations, the direction to improve and develop educational content, the surrounding educational environment, respect for the rights and freedoms of each participant in the educational process, support from the government of the country, etc.
Since the beginning of supervision of social and financial education, she has been analyzing educational programs in terms of their inclusion for compulsory study in general educational organizations of the republic.
Fadhili Kyabira, a Congolese national hailing from Uvira in the Province of South Kivu, has been deeply concerned about the persistent human rights violations afflicting his region for over two decades, a distressing issue well-documented in multiple UN reports on human rights.
His overarching goal revolves around harnessing cutting-edge technology to tackle the pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges facing the world today. Fadhili aspires to address the socio-economic hardships faced by vulnerable populations, with a particular focus on marginalized groups such as women, children, youth, and other individuals at risk of exclusion, who often fall victim to gender-based discrimination. His vision is to empower these communities, enabling them to lead lives of dignity and tranquility within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Fadhili Kyabira has been dedicated to serving his disadvantaged communities since 2017, holding the role of Coordinator within the organization “Centre d’Encadrement et d’Appui en Faveur des Personnes Démunies”. Possessing an Engineering Diploma in Information and Communication Technology, he combines his technical expertise with a profound love for nature and a relentless thirst for exploration and discovery.
Marta Czerwińska is Aflatoun Manager in Poland. Since 2005 Marta has been working for polish NGO Science for Environment Foundation where she brings together the academics and community leaders in order to implement the idea of sustainable development. Economist, trainer, researcher and psychologist in one.She creates and coordinates programs supporting people with energy and interesting ideas. Involved in the development and implementation of social and educational projects on a local, national and international scale. She works with local community leaders, activists, representatives of educational institutions and non-governmental organizations. She is constantly looking for spaces that require strengthening. Likes listening to people. Loves activities focused on solutions and mobilization of local resources for the common good.She has been involved with Aflatoun for thirteen years, particularly regarding coordination, program development and training of trainers and educators in child-centered methodologies.
Michelle Tjeenk Willink is currently the Head of Partnerships and Communications at AFRIpads, a Ugandan-based Social Enterprise providing menstrual health and hygiene education alongside quality washable menstrual products, Michelle is a former Aflatoun International colleague.
She has 13 years of global experience in both private and non-profit sector work in (financial) education, training, entrepreneurship and gender equality programming. She believes in the power of public-private partnerships to create the kind of pragmatic solutions needed in moving the needle on the gender inequality gap.
Ala’a Mneizel, a Catalyst for Innovation, embarked on an impactful journey with Ruwwad Al Tanmyeh in 2019. In her role as the lead of Ruwwad’s Innovation Space, she harnessed her passion for digital fabrication, design education, and innovation. Ala’a designed tailored educational curricula that fostered design thinking, creative solutions, and practical innovation within a space equipped with an array of design and digital tools. This empowered the young beneficiaries of East Amman/Al Natheef to tackle complex challenges and become active agents of positive change within their communities. She also served as a design thinking trainer, conducting hands-on digital fabrication workshops, equipping youth and aspiring designers from the community with the skills and mindset to creatively address real-world problems.
Currently, Ala’a serves as the Programs’ Coordinator and M&E officer at Ruwwad/JO, where she combines her solid experience in design education with her organizational prowess and engineering foundation. Prior to her journey with Ruwwad, she spent six enriching years in the world of education, teaching design and technology subjects in prestigious IB schools in Amman, Jordan. With a bachelor’s degree in architecture, Ala’a brings a unique blend of design expertise and pedagogical know-how to every endeavour in the programs, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. She identifies with she/her pronouns.
Fatou Dally Bittaye serves as the Principal Education Officer for the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in The Gambia. She is a teacher by profession and a curriculum developer. She obtained a Degree in Biology from the University of the Gambia, Post Graduate Diploma in curriculum from the Open University of Tanzania and a master’s degree in education from the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom.
Since 2006, she has been working as a Principal Education Officer designated at the Curriculum, Research, Evaluation, and Development Directorate and acts as the deputy director.
As part of the responsibilities assigned to her, she supervises, and monitors office functions and coordinates the Science department.
Fatou currently serves as a National Coordinator of the Aflatoun Programme that had boosted and changed the lives of Gambian School children moderately. She has also contributed immensely towards the integration of the social and financial education into the national curriculum of the Gambia.
Sulaima Ramadan is a passionate advocate for educational and social entrepreneurial reform in Palestine, dedicating herself to this cause since 2012. As the founder and CEO of Ibtikar for Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship since 2018, she spreadheads transformative initiatives in education and entrepreneurship. Ibtikar’s primary objective is to enhance these ecosystems by working closely with teachers, students, women, and youth. Employing quality education and social entrepreneurship education, Ibtikar seeks to create profound social change and contribute to a brighter future and better wellbeing amidst the challenging political and economic situation in Palestine.
Sulaima’s journey includes roles as a mentor, trainer, and manager, collaborating with organizations like IFWEA, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), UNITE 2030, the Swedish Institute, the University of Cambridge, Mowgli Mentoring and The Union of Cooperation Associations for Saving and Credit-Palestine. She’s also been a Senior Fellow at the Melton Foundation, contributing to global problem-solving.
Her dedication has taken her to various parts of the world where she’s been involved in initiatives promoting education rights, healthcare awareness, citizen media, decent work, women’s rights, and freedom of expression.
With a strong educational background in International Cooperation and Development, Sulaima combines her extensive experience with a passion for quality education and social entrepreneurship. Her commitment positions her as an expert, striving to make a positive impact on Palestinian society.
Sina Grebrodt is a design and innovation devotee. She graduated Cum Laude from the esteemed Design
Academy Eindhoven, where she gained a deep appreciation for the intersection of art and technology.
During her academic journey, Sina embarked on an exchange program at ArtCenter Pasadena, specializing in Interaction Design. It was during this transformative experience that she had the opportunity to collaborate with Koenig & Bauer Banknote Solutions, on a visionary project titled ‘The Future of Banknotes’.
This collaboration evolved into her current role, where Sina is fascinated by the potential of bridging the physical banknote with the digital world.
Beyond her design pursuits, Sina holds a firm belief in the transformative power of financial literacy which
she approaches with playful curiosity. She eagerly anticipates learning from the diverse and vibrant financial literacy community at the Aflatoun International Conference 2023.
A postgraduate in Social Work from Tata Institute of social sciences, class of 2001 and a qualified teacher, she brings along a diverse work experience ranging from project management to capacity building, fund raising to donor management from last 19 years. She is specialist in program strategy, program designing & development and donor management. She has worked with various grassroot level organization with focus on child rights and education. She is Global Master Trainer of Aflatoun International in South East Asia. She also provides valuable guidance to 2 grassroot level Environmental organization in the capacity as Board Member.
MelJol has been working with underprivileged children, youth and women, encouraging them to Conserve, Nurture and Grow resources and exercise their right to be part of socio-financial mainstream. MelJol uses innovative child centered active learning methods to imbibe in children and youth a sense of resilience, citizenship values and 21st century skills for sustainable development of self and society.
Zendakwaye Zendakwaye is a man aged 54 graduated with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Politics and Administration from the University of Zimbabwe in 1989. I have 31 years working experience in teaching, training, public health, networking and coordination. I have also been consultancy in strategic planning, resourse mobilisation, research, advocacy and corporate governance.
I have had board experience with local children’s homes Alpha Cottages and Lirhanzo, local NGOs Hope Tariro Trust and Family AIDS Caring Trust and Child Rights Coalition and National Association of Non Governmental Organizations in various portfolios including chairpersonship, secretary, treasurer and board member.
My experience with immunisation and medication was more when l worked for Zimbabwe AIDS Network as a Regional Coordinator focusing more on People Living With HIV on treatment, care and support and focus on prevention on the general populace from 2002 to 2012. Our programming included prevention and treatment of other chronic and life threatening conditions like hypertension, cancers and diabetes.
My current involvement with Children’s Homes also involves encouraging uptake of nationally promoted immunisation programmes.
With over 20 years’ experience in international development. Titise Kode joined the Vitol Foundation in 2018 as the Head of Education. She started her career working in gender and development which led her to work with various organisations focused on HIV/AIDS, community development and most recently education.
Prior to joining the Vitol Foundation, Titise worked at Comic Relief, as Strategic Lead for the Children and Young People’s programme. She was also Special Advisor to the Chair of the GAVI Board and also held the post of Head of Grants at the Southern Africa Trust. Most recently, Titise served on board of the Global Schools Forum and the Chevening Reading Committee.
She was an alternate on the Grants Performance Committee of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and served on the Expert Review Panel of ‘Build a world of play’.
Andrea Sticha is a Research Director at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and the Deputy Academic Director at the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC). With her research, which is dedicated to financial literacy and wellbeing of households in the U.S. and around the world, she seeks to inform policy as well as develop and promote financial literacy programs.
At GFLEC, she leads research activities and develops analyses for educational and policy initiatives. Sticha holds a Ph.D. in Finance as well as a M.Sc. and B.A. in Business and Economics from the University of Basel (Switzerland). She has published her research in numerous journals and spent two years at NYU Stern School of Business before joining GFLEC in 2017.
Fadi Khoury’s lifelong learning and personal growth journey led him to pursue a rewarding career in hotel management. His dedication to self-improvement shone through as he earned several life skills, leadership, and NGO Management certifications from the prestigious American University of Beirut.
His commitment to community service ignited when he volunteered with the YMCA in the late 80s. Throughout his dedicated service, he embarked on a transformative journey within the organization. His ascent began as a junior officer, and today, he proudly serves as a Senior Coordinator for Education and Training at YMCA. In this pivotal role, Fadi has honed his skills in crafting innovative curricula and facilitating impactful training programs.
For the past 15 years, Fadi has been an integral part of Aflatoun as a global master trainer with over 500 training days. Through his unwavering commitment to social and financial education, he has made a significant impact on the lives of countless individuals.
Fadi continues to make an indelible difference through his work in youth development, and as an experienced trainer. Fadi’s unwavering commitment to personal growth and his passion for the arts remain a constant source of inspiration for all who have the privilege of knowing him.
After obtaining a degree in Public Administration and Rural Development, Erika Szabóová started her career in her hometown Komárno in the local Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family.
While working there, she also volunteered for the UNICEF Slovakia Child Friendly Schools Programme, to later become the manager of the programme. She led the Slovak part of the EU/UNICEF campaign #EmergencyLessons about the importance of education and schools during crises, conflicts or natural disasters.
She has worked with the Open Society Foundation Bratislava and Škola dokorán – Wide Open School n.o. since 2017. In her professional career, she focuses on topics such as child rights, democratic values, equality, and social responsibility.
Safi Rahman Khan is the Director of Education, Skills Development and Migration at BRAC, the world’s largest development organisation. He is responsible for overseeing non-formal education for children living in poverty, skills development for disadvantaged youth to get gainful employment, services to reintegrate workers forcibly sent back from abroad, and awareness and services for safe overseas employment.
Prior to joining BRAC, Mr Khan worked in Apex Footwear, Bangladesh’s leading publicly listed footwear company, in different roles including as the Executive Director overseeing human resources and compliance.
Mr Khan was previously the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Freedom Foundation, an indigenous grant-making organisation, where he guided the Foundation’s revised strategic focus. Prior to that, he was the Country Representative of Ashoka Innovators for the Public in Bangladesh, a US-based international network of social entrepreneurs working on system changing ideas.
Mr Khan has taught courses on NGOs and Social Entrepreneurship and conducted workshops on corporate governance for NGO Board members. He is currently on the Board of two Bangladeshi not-for-profits, Nagorik Uddyog and Safety & Rights, and was previously on the Boards of The Resource Alliance (UK) and the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (Philippines). He holds a liberal arts degree and an MBA.
To Kim Lien is the Director of the Center for Education and Development (CED). She has over 30 years of experience in development, governance, environment, education and women’s empowerment in Vietnam. She has specialized in the research, design, management and monitoring of development projects, particularly relating to education, environmental protection, women’s empowerment and capacity building for local organizations. She has a proven record of supervising and implementing highly successful development projects in challenging program environments. In addition to extensive experience in education and development sector, she also is an expert on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), an advisor to businesses in the area of disaster risk prevention, adaptation to climate change, sustainability, corporate phinlanthropy, and other initiatives to mobilize participation of the private sector in development and education work.
She has extensive experience in education, development, local governance, capacity building for local organizations and women’s empowerment in Vietnam. Since joining CED in 2012, she has led the design and implementation of national, regional, and sectoral programs related to education and private sector engagement in Vietnam and in the Southeast Asian region
Han Valk is the founder and CEO of HVFC International. HVFC is a consultancy firm that supports purpose driven organizations to increase their impact by – amongst others – increase and diversify their funding base. It’s team works from all over the world, such as The Netherlands, United States of America, Denmark, United Kingdom and Singapore.
Han – and many of his colleagues – have worked in the nonprofit sector. In his 20 years of experience he has worked as fundraising director for ICCO (now Cordaid), KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation and Fairfood International and as CEO of ICCO USA, Inc.
Han is married and the proud father of three children and holds a master’s degree in International Development.
Puiyen Urrutia is an empathetic and collaborative leader. In 2018, she joined Children International and serves as a technical leader for Guayaquil’s early childhood programs, language and math tutoring, English as a second language, and digital skills.
She designs and manages innovative, quality and rights-based educational programs, listening and understanding the educational needs of users from empathy, contextualized to the educational reality of her country and its gaps, applying active and playful approaches for non-formal learning and incorporating life skills education and positive parenting as cross-cutting taxes. During her career working with urban children, youth, and adults across the lifespan, she believes education must be experiential, empowering and transformational.
Puiyen promotes an educational environment where every student, parent, and teacher feels valued, safe and included.
Ilya Sverdlov is the Director for Global Partnerships, Donor Relations and European operations at the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI), a global network of financial policymakers and regulators in 90 developing and emerging countries. Mr. Sverdlov has been with AFI since 2013 and is a member of the Senior Management Team. Operating from the AFI European Representative Office (ERO) in Luxembourg, he oversees engagement with AFI’s strategic partners, government agencies, academia, multilateral institutions, and the private sector. He also directs engagement with the financial policymaking community in Europe and Central Asia.
Over the past 25 years, Ilya has worked in various capacities to advance the global development agenda, including previously in the World Bank Group, Yale University, and in the private sector.
Ashley is Executive Director of the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF). She has been with PMIEF for nearly 3 years. The mission of the PMIEF is enable youth to realize their potential and transform their lives through project management. Prior to this role, served for seven years as an Academic Programs Specialist at PMI, helping to connect college and university students with PMI through membership, certification, and the academic sponsored research grant program.
Prior to PMI, Ashley spent more than 10 years working in higher education, specifically student affairs; most recently as Dean of Students at a private college in Philadelphia, PA, USA. She holds a doctorate in Higher Education, specializing in curriculum development. Ashley lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA with her husband, son, and elderly cat.
Anne Marie van Swinderen is the Founder and Managing Director of L-IFT – Low-Income Financial Transformation and initiated FINBIT, a financial inclusion StartUp. Anne Marie has worked in the development finance sector and microfinance in three continents since 1989. She has deep experience in research, evaluation, product development and customer-centric approaches.
Most of her work has focused on young people and women. To support youth and women’s empowerment, L-IFT developed FINBIT’s self-diaries approach, enabling people to build their financial history and economic data. This strengthens their ability to grasp their financial situation and enables them to achieve better economic outcomes.
L-IFT is active in 12 countries at the moment and supports youth organisations, business development NGOs and financial service providers to integrate FINBIT’s technology and bring participants data empowerment.
She designs and manages innovative, quality and rights-based educational programs, listening and understanding the educational needs of users from empathy, contextualized to the educational reality of her country and its gaps, applying active and playful approaches for non-formal learning and incorporating life skills education and positive parenting as cross-cutting taxes. During her career working with urban children, youth, and adults across the lifespan, she believes education must be experiential, empowering and transformational.
Puiyen promotes an educational environment where every student, parent, and teacher feels valued, safe and included.
Gloria is a seasoned international professional with more than 15 years of demonstratable programme design, leadership and progressive management skills in adolescent and youth development, accompanied by significant experience in the humanitarian/emergency development context. Gloria has designed and managed adolescent and youth empowerment programs in many countries for UNICEF, UNHCR and UNRWA in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa; Sudan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Jordan, Iraq, and Syria and is currently leading programing on adolescent development and participation in East and Southern Africa Regional office, UNICEF.
She is passionate and deeply committed to understanding issues affecting adolescents, youth, women, and children, at the regional, National, and sub-national levels. She is determined to lead and advocate for age and gender-sensitive policies and standards and co-create with young people, women and their communities to ensure change through scalable and sustainable programming.
Gloria is passionate about adolescent and youth Empowerment, adolescent girl agency and programmes that equip all young people to achieve their full potential and thrive.
Gözde Koca Aktaş is the Community Investment Programs Senior Supervisor at Garanti BBVA. She holds a master’s in Innovation and Organization of Culture and Arts from the University of Bologna in Italy. With an extensive corporate communication, sponsorship and project management background, her career expands over several industries, including banking, health and culture. During her initial professional career, she worked as a sponsorship executive for a well-known non-profit cultural institution in Istanbul.
After 6 years in the arts and culture sector, she transitioned to a role as a corporate communication coordinator at a prominent health-focused non-governmental organization (NGO). There, she honed her skills and made significant contributions over a span of three years. Since 2020, she has been passionately driving her career forward as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professional, combining her diverse experiences and knowledge to make a meaningful impact on society through her work.
Nardeen Matta is a young Egyptian woman who is managing the Social Empowerment and Protection programs at Life vision for Development NGO. She holds a bachelor’s degree in both Biomedical Engineering and Psychotherapy.
Nardeen has volunteered and worked with vulnerable and homeless children since 2011. And in 2015 She decided to shift her career from Biomedical Engineering to be fully dedicated to working with vulnerable and marginalized communities.
In November 2018, she joined Life-Vision and worked at a community center located in the garbage collectors’ area (Manshyet Nasser), an urban slum on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt with a population of 345,000, where more than 70% of the population received little or no education. They make a living by collecting garbage, sorting, and recycling waste from all over Cairo.
The program she’s currently managing is called “El-Wahat” which means Oases, the name indicates the objective of the program; child development by providing safe havens for children to learn, play, innovate and discover their talents and potential as an asset to society. The program targets the socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable children, adolescents, women, and their extended families living in the area through applying different projects that address social and financial education, life skills development, violence prevention and empowering community leaders through institutional strengthening.
Majid Navid, a dedicated educator and passionate advocate for education, embarked on his teaching journey at the age of 17 in a rural setting. With a background in economics and a deep interest in economic development and system dynamics, he has become a multifaceted force for change in the field of education.
He is a storyteller who has collected numerous tales of teenagers and young facilitators who dared to strive for change. These stories showcase his unwavering commitment to inspiring the next generation.
Majid envisions that the human touch in teaching will predominantly revolve around the social and project facets of education in our schools. To this end, he tirelessly promotes the development of facilitation skills among teachers, recognizing their crucial role in shaping the future of education.
With a forward-looking vision, Majid believes that in the future, the prevailing model of education must transform. He envisions a shift away from the traditional “banking model” of education, emphasizing the importance of fostering critical thinking and active participation.
He highlights the need for educators to adapt and consider the growing influence of AI. He believes that if we as teachers do not change our view of education, the advancement of technology and artificial intelligence will force us to reconsider our role as omniscient teachers and find the meaning of life in building a future together with our students.
Marianna Barsoum Earned her master’s degree in Control Management and Auditing from the University of Pantheon Sorbonne Paris-1 in 2006. During her studies, she started her career in 2000 having, various internships and projects. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Banking Management from Sadat Academy for Management Science she worked for 23 years in the field of development aid and mainly in Terre des Hommes Foundation and the ILO, providing capacity-strengthening support to governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as syndicates.
From 2015 to 2019, working as a Programme Policy Officer at WFP in charge of the Education enhancement activities focusing on teachers training, class management, interactive educational tools to combat child labour and youth empowerment, concentrate on vocational training and capacity strengthening for the employment sector. Her experiences in development work, as well as in her contribution and involvement at the international fora, combined with her desire to link the civil society sector with the United Nations and to bridge the gap of understanding which so often exists between the different sectors, and to achieve social change in rural areas in Egypt led her to her current position as Activity Manager for the Community Hub Programme and job creation for Youth at WFP. In addition to the geographical focus on Egypt, her main interest is in social entrepreneurship and broader concepts of cross-sectoral leadership and social innovation, thus bringing new ideas and approaches to WFP country office.
Abdulla Al-Abdulla is the Executive Director of Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), a Programme of the Education Above All Foundation. In this capacity, he provides senior leadership to ROTA’s work in prioritising youth-led actions in the areas of climate action and green skills. He is a passionate advocate of engaging young people in decisions that affect them as not just a right, but a matter of principle.
In his previous role as ROTA Quality, Impact & Strategy Director, Abdulla led a team that developed ROTA’s strategies, ensuring that the highest global standards of quality were met in order to maximise impact, credibility, voice and recognition of youth beneficiaries and stakeholders.
Prior to joining ROTA in 2011, he was Head of the Statistics Unit at the Department of Agricultural Affairs in the Qatar Ministry of Environment, involved with statistics, food security, economics and policy analysis.
Abdulla has an Executive MBA from HEC Paris majoring in Innovation and Social Business and a BSc in Agricultural Sciences from Qatar University
Bianca Isaincu is a Policy Analyst in the Financial Markets Division, working on financial education, financial consumer protection and financial inclusion. She has contributed to developing reports on digital financial inclusion, financial education and supported countries develop national strategies on financial education.
She has worked on various financial education topics for over 10 years, with a special focus on children and young people. More recently, Bianca was part of the team developing the EC/OECD/INFE Financial Competence Framework for Adult in the European Union, focusing on sustainability issues and developed a first OECD report on sustainable finance and implications for financial consumers.
Bianca holds a bachelor’s in economics and a Master degree in international and development economics from University of Pavia, Italy.
Jack is the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Rural Inclusion, a UK based award-winning social enterprise with a vision for rural communities across the world to be equipped with the skills to be resilient and prosperous. In his role, Jack has led the development of Ostrii, an offline mobile application for community agents to deliver video-based training and conduct monitoring. Ostrii has a specific focus on the delivery of financial literacy in rural communities, and the application has been used by key organisations in the finance and development sectors in seven countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
Prior to Rural Inclusion, Jack worked across the financial sector, including experience in insurance broking, fintech and insurtech. Jack is also the host of an international development podcast called The Social Impact Journal.
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