Global Fund for Children (GFC) is the only global nonprofit dedicated to finding, funding, and coaching truly community-based organizations that empower children and youth.
We are a trusted resource for journalists on topics related to international development, child and youth empowerment, grassroots investment and innovation, child rights and safeguarding, gender equity, and community and youth action for social change.
If you’re a journalist interested in speaking with an expert at GFC or would like to be added to our media list to keep up-to-date on the latest news, please contact us. Depending on the topic, we may also be able to connect you with one of our 100+ community-based partner organizations working in the areas of education, gender equity, youth empowerment, and freedom from violence and exploitation in more than 20 countries around the world.
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Press Contact
Blondie Ndebele
Communications and Marketing Fellow
[email protected]
+1 (202) 222 0813
Our Impact
- GFC has invested $65 million in more than 1,000 organizations, reaching over 11 million children and youth worldwide.
- On average, organizations’ budgets triple during their GFC partnership, enabling them to expand and improve their programs for greater impact on children’s lives.
- Our partners have received international recognition for their work defending and empowering young people, including 8 CNN Heroes Awards, 11 World’s Children’s Prizes, and 37 Ashoka Fellowships, among others.
- Our work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Forbes, Business Insider, Gulf News, Newsday, BuzzFeed, Yahoo! Finance, The Telegraph India, Devex, The Voice, Diario Libre, and AllAfrica, as well as the Financial Times’ Seasonal Appeal.
About Us
Global Fund for Children (GFC) partners to build a world where all children and youth enjoy equal resources and opportunities in society and live free from violence, discrimination, and exploitation. To that end, GFC invests in innovative local organizations, helping them deepen their impact and build their capacity for social change. Together, GFC and its partners advance the rights of children and youth facing poverty and injustice and equip them with the tools and skills to reach their full potential. Since 1994, Global Fund for Children has invested $65 million in more than 1,000 organizations, reaching 11 million children and youth worldwide. For more information, visit www.globalfundforchildren.org.
Experts
Rodrigo Barraza
Regional Co-Director for the Americas, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Gender and Masculinities; Youth Empowerment in Latin America; Migration in the Americas
Rodrigo Barraza supports community-based organizations throughout the Americas by co-leading GFC’s grantmaking and capacity development work in the region. He has extensive experience engaging boys and young men in promoting healthy masculinities and advancing gender justice, and he is an expert in workshop facilitation techniques. Rodrigo also has extensive experience working with migrant children and women in Mexico’s southern border region, and he is knowledgeable about youth empowerment in Latin America. Rodrigo had led GFC’s healthy masculinities initiatives in Mexico and Central America and supported the organization’s work with adolescent migrant girls in the Americas.
Prior to joining GFC, Rodrigo worked for Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Matías de Córdova and for Voces Mesoamericanas, where he was responsible for the Migrant Children and Youth program. Rodrigo holds a PhD in gender studies and a master’s degree in applied anthropology from the University of Salamanca in Spain, along with a master’s degree in international cooperation from the National University of San Martin in Argentina. Read his full bio here.
Joseph Bednarek
Senior Director of Global Grantmaking, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Migration in Southeastern Europe; Support for Children Living with Disabilities; Civil Society in Eurasia
Joseph Bednarek supports community-based organizations around the world by leading GFC’s global grantmaking as well as co-leading the organization’s grantmaking and capacity development work in Europe and Eurasia. Joe has extensive experience supporting a range of civil society organizations in Europe and Eurasia, including organizations working with migrants in Southeastern Europe and with children with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and other countries.
Prior to joining GFC, Joe worked as the Director and Education Programs Manager for the Ukraine field office of IREX, implementing education programs funded by the US Department of State. Joe has also worked as the administrative coordinator for the Chicago-based nonprofit Health for Humanity and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. He has a master’s degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian studies from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Georgetown University. Read Joe’s full bio here.
Nayara Castiglioni
Program Officer, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Youth Empowerment; Social and Climate Justice; Environmental Education
Nayara Castiglioni has over eight years of experience in socio-environmental grassroots organizations and environmental education. She has worked to strengthen young people’s understanding of socio-environmental issues and to mobilize young people to act on social and environmental agendas, including climate justice. Nayara works as a Program Associate on GFC’s Americas team, supporting the Partnership to Educate All Kids (PEAK) initiative in Brazil and Colombia, which helps children who have experienced COVID-19 pandemic-related education disruptions, among other programs. She also supports GFC’s Spark Fund initiative in the Americas, a youth-led fund that invests in youth-led and youth-focused groups tackling important issues such as inequality, climate change, and mental health.
Prior to joining GFC, Nayara was the Executive Director of Engajamundo, a youth-led NGO based in Brazil, where she was responsible for fundraising and institutional partnerships. She has a post-graduate degree in environmental management and a bachelor’s degree in environmental chemistry. Read her full bio here.
Amé Atsu David
Regional Co-Director for Africa, Global Fund for Children
Areas of Expertise: Human Rights; Gender Justice; Comprehensive Sexuality Education
Amé Atsu David is a recognized human rights and gender equality activist with extensive experience in capacity development and rights-based program design and management. Based in Liberia, she supports GFC’s Africa team, strengthening the capacity of the organization’s local partners in West Africa to address the root causes of gender-based violence, advocate for gender justice, and empower girls and young women to act as agents of change in their communities.
Before joining GFC, Amé spent ten years as a consultant developing and delivering effective capacity building trainings that break taboos, transmit scientifically accurate and rights-based messages to children and young people, and inspire collective action for social change. She was contracted by UNESCO, UNFPA, and UN Women, as well as other international nongovernmental organizations such as Save the Children International, Plan International, Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), and ActionAid, among others, to provide tailored training and mentoring support to government institutions and civil society organizations, including religious leaders and youth and community-based organizations, on human rights, gender justice, and comprehensive sexuality education. She is currently a member of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) Sexuality Education Committee.
Amé started her career as a Regional Program Manager with Save the Children Sweden in their Dakar-based West Africa Regional Office working on harmful traditional practices and HIV prevention among young people. She holds a diploma in translation from the University of Ghana and is bilingual in French and English with intermediate Spanish skills. You can read her full bio here.
Katherine Gilmour
Senior Regional Co-Director for Europe and Eurasia, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Gender Equity, Including Healthy Masculinities; Youth Leadership in Philanthropy; Participatory Grantmaking
Katherine Gilmour plays an integral role in GFC’s healthy masculinities work in Europe and Eurasia as well as working with the global team to develop GFC’s masculinities strategy. She also leads GFC’s Spark Fund initiative, a youth-led participatory fund that provides youth-led and youth-focused groups with financial support and capacity development.
Katherine has worked on women’s and children’s rights, as well as wider gender justice work, for her whole career. Prior to joining GFC, she was the Gender Justice Officer at the Church of Scotland, where she led the organization’s national gender mainstreaming work; set up and funded transformational gender justice projects; trained faith and community leaders; and worked with local communities to develop responses to gender injustice in their own settings. Katherine has a background in policy, organizational development, and training work in violence against women, homelessness, and children’s organizations. She has a master’s degree in international human rights law from the Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUI Galway, with a particular focus on legal theory and women’s and children’s rights, and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Glasgow. Read her full bio here.
Shivonne Graham
Senior Director of Marketing, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Fundraising in the UK; Feminist Leadership in the Third Sector; Crisis Management in the Third Sector
Shivonne Graham advances the rights of children and young people by fundraising to support community-based organizations around the world and by helping to lead GFC’s UK office. She has over a decade of experience leading charities as a Managing Director, Trustee, and Chair of the Board, which has given her extensive expertise in the Third Sector in the UK, including in fundraising and charity boards and governance. She also has extensive knowledge of feminist leadership and crisis management in the nonprofit sector.
Shivonne has 25 years of experience in marketing, fundraising, and communications in a range of charities and nonprofit organizations, leading teams to success at Shelter, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, Comic Relief, Global Radio Charities, Amref Health Africa, and most recently as Managing Director of Women for Women International – UK. Shivonne is an alumnus of Civil Society magazine Fundraising’s 50 Most Influential list. She holds a degree in development and international relations from the University of Sussex. Read her full bio here.
John Hecklinger
President and CEO, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Social Innovation; Trust-Based Philanthropy; Grassroots Investment
John Hecklinger drives social change by helping effective community-led organizations around the world connect with the resources they need to empower children and youth to reach their full potential. He is an expert in social innovation and grassroots investment and a passionate advocate for trust-based philanthropy. John also has extensive knowledge about how the nonprofit sector operates. He has been interviewed, spoken at conferences, and written articles on trust-based philanthropy, sparking social innovation in complex systems, and disrupting the way philanthropy gets done, among other topics.
John joined GFC in 2017 after more than two decades in global philanthropy and the private sector. Prior to joining GFC, he served in a series of roles at GlobalGiving, driving the growth of the world’s first crowdfunding marketplace for global causes. John previously led partnership efforts at CARFAX Vehicle History Reports and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bangui, Central African Republic. He holds a master’s degree in English from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia. Read John’s full bio here.
Kulsoom Khan
Senior Regional Director for Asia, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Anti-trafficking in Asia; Social Entrepreneurship; Youth Empowerment in Asia
Kulsoom Khan supports community-based organizations throughout Asia by leading GFC’s grantmaking and capacity development work in the region, as well as by setting GFC’s regional strategy and building networks for GFC and its partners. She has extensive experience supporting youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship programs throughout Asia, as well as anti-trafficking and child protection efforts in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other countries.
Prior to joining GFC, Kulsoom led several initiatives at the social entrepreneurship organization Ashoka, including managing global relations with Asia offices, developing the Global Fellow Security program, and expanding the organization’s work in Pakistan. Kulsoom currently serves on the Board of the global translocal network Accountability Lab, and on the Board of Vision, a citizen sector organization that increases awareness of child abuse and develops child protection interventions in Pakistan. She previously helped launch Vision’s Child Rights Initiative. Kulsoom holds a master’s degree in human rights law and a bachelor’s degree in law and society from American University. Read her full bio here.
Alexander Kyerematen
Senior Regional Co-Director for Africa, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Community-based Organizations in Africa; Livelihoods and Economic Empowerment Programs in Africa; the African Private Sector’s Role in Development
Alexander Kyerematen supports community-based organizations throughout Africa by leading GFC’s grantmaking and capacity development work in the region. Alex has extensive experience supporting livelihoods and economic empowerment programs in Africa and is knowledgeable about philanthropy and development across the continent, including the African private sector’s role in pushing development outcomes and the challenges facing civil society groups in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa.
Prior to joining GFC, Alex served as a Senior Associate Program Director at Geneva Global, where he collaborated with community-based organizations to design and implement strategic philanthropic investments. He previously negotiated the placement of bilateral and multilateral project funds and structured and managed disbursements to support public-private partnership projects while at Fidelity Bank Ghana. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of Wooster, a master’s degree in international business and policy from Georgetown University, and an MBA in international business from Hult International Business School. Read Alex’s full bio here.
Daniela Martinez
Program Manager for the Americas, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Participatory Development; Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment; Indigenous Peoples’ Empowerment
Daniela Martinez has extensive knowledge of participatory development, particularly in Central America, and is passionate about the empowerment of girls, women, and Indigenous communities. She works closely with GFC’s local partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen their capacity and network-building. She has coordinated an initiative to advance the rights of and opportunities for adolescent girls in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as well as a global initiative helping children who have experienced COVID-19 pandemic-related education disruptions.
Before joining GFC, Daniela worked for seven years with Vital Voices Guatemala, securing funds from major international donors, creating participatory learning methodologies, and implementing training programs for over 500 emerging women leaders. She also worked as a Strategic Partnerships Consultant for Project Concern International and as a Business Development Consultant for Catholic Relief Services. Daniela holds a master’s degree in development management from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a dual bachelor’s degree in political science and french studies from Bryn Mawr College. Read her full bio here.
Kimberly McClain
Regional Co-Director for the Americas, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Trust-based Philanthropy; Youth Empowerment in Central America; Grassroots Civil Society in Latin America
Kimberly McClain supports community-based organizations throughout the Americas by co-leading GFC’s grantmaking and capacity development work in the region. Kimberly has extensive experience supporting youth empowerment programs in Central America and practicing trust-based philanthropy, and she is knowledgeable about grassroots civil society across Latin America. She has led the expansion of GFC’s partnerships for adolescent girls in Central America; innovation in monitoring, evaluation, and learning; and the design of GFC’s global education response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining GFC, Kimberly served as the Regional Director for East and West Africa, Latin America, and global projects at the international development nonprofit Pact and conducted research and designed programming in Guatemala and El Salvador. Kimberly began her career in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, working for a local nonprofit focused on gender and rural development. She has a master’s degree in social change and development and international economics from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University. Read Kimberly’s full bio here.
Corey Oser
Vice President of Programs, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: International Development; Human Trafficking; Girls’ and Women’s Empowerment
Corey Oser advances rights and opportunities for young people by helping youth-centered and youth-led organizations become more effective and connected. Corey has more than 20 years of experience working in international development with local and international NGOs to empower women and girls, prevent and respond to human trafficking, and address other important issues. Her regional expertise includes East Asia, East and West Africa, and the Balkans.
Corey joined GFC in 2017 after establishing and leading a global capacity-strengthening effort at Polaris that equipped organizations to identify victims of trafficking, respond effectively, and create data-informed solutions. Corey previously spent a decade improving economic and social outcomes for women and girls in conflict-affected countries through leadership roles with Women for Women International. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs and development from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from Bates College. Read Corey’s full bio here.
Hayley Roffey
Global Managing Director, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Youth Empowerment; Shifting Power in Philanthropy; Fundraising
Hayley Roffey advances the rights of children and young people around the world by fundraising to support community-based organizations and by championing youth participation in philanthropy. She is an accomplished senior leader in the nonprofit sector, with expertise in development and fundraising and more than a decade of experience working to empower children and youth. Hayley champions shifting power in philanthropy by promoting participatory grantmaking and involving young people in decision-making processes.
Prior to joining GFC in 2017, Hayley led asphaleia action, a UK charity that delivers specific interventions to vulnerable children and young people, including unaccompanied migrants, across the south of England. In addition to extensive fundraising experience, Hayley has also started new organizations as an external consultant and led business development projects with UK-based charities. Hayley holds a postgraduate diploma in marketing and marketing management from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a postgraduate degree in magazine journalism from Cardiff University, and a bachelor’s degree in drama and dramatics/theater arts from the University of Winchester. She is also trained as a designated safeguard lead. Read Hayley’s full bio here.
Karen Walker-Simpson
Senior Director, Funder Safeguarding Collaborative
Areas of expertise: Safeguarding; Preventing Sexual Harassment and Abuse
Karen Walker-Simpson leads Funder Safeguarding Collaborative (FSC), which is housed within Global Fund for Children and was created to strengthen the ability of grantmaking organizations to prevent abuse and exploitation across their operations. Karen has more than two decades of experience developing and delivering services to children and families in the UK, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Karen started her career working with children in care in the UK before moving to Ecuador to run Fundación Juconi, which provides therapeutic support for street-working children and their families. Prior to joining GFC, Karen spent eight years as a Safeguarding Specialist for international NGOs working across Africa, Asia, and Latin America before moving to Comic Relief as the organization’s Head of Safeguarding. Karen has a master’s degree in international human rights from the University of London and is completing her professional doctorate, which examines the effectiveness of safeguarding standards and donor requirements when applied by NGOs in East Africa, at University of Bedfordshire. Read Karen’s full bio here.
Liza Yanovich
Director of Learning and Evaluation, Global Fund for Children
Areas of expertise: Trust-Based Learning and Evaluation; Education in International Development; Migration in Eurasia
Liza Yanovich leads the design and implementation of GFC’s learning, evaluation, and research practice. Her approach to research and strategic learning is founded on the belief that generating evidence should translate into action. She works with partners in different parts of the world, learning from their vast experiences and exploring opportunities for innovation and adaptation. Liza incorporates youth empowerment and innovation in her approach.
Prior to joining GFC, she worked as a consultant designing and carrying out evaluations of education projects funded by USAID, DFID, and NORAD, and conducted private sector development research at the World Bank. Liza also worked at the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. Department of State where she taught Russian to senior American diplomats, designed curriculum materials, and led seminars related to foreign policy. She has extensive field work experience in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and West and Central Africa, working with hard-to-reach communities and building and maintaining relationships with local individuals, government representatives, and non-governmental organizations. She holds a master’s degree in international relations and a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and French. Read Liza’s full bio here.