Sponsorship Spotlight: Journey to Guatemala
Thursday, May 8th – 8:00pm ET
Host & Speakers
Speakers
Pauline Okumu – National Director, World Vision Rwanda
Pauline is a seasoned humanitarian and development practitioner, with over 25 years of experience in leadership, program planning and management, financial management resource mobilization, operations management, donor and stakeholder engagement, and compliance. Pauline’s mission is to support high-quality impact in the humanitarian and development sector, especially for the most vulnerable children in society.
Marie Léonce Murebwayire – Health & WASH Program Manager, World Vision Rwanda
Marie has more than 8 years of experience in WASH Programs both in International Development Organizations and government including academic institutions. She provides technical leadership and guide the National Office Strategy in Health and WASH program supporting the program design, monitoring, evaluating, reporting, planning and streamlining partnership processes with donors.
Emmanuel Niyongira – Senior Operations Manager, World Vision Rwanda
Emmanuel Niyongira has 20 years of experience and has previously served as the Resilience and Livelihood Program Manager in World Vision Rwanda. He provides Strategic leadership & Performance Management to the Clusters and Grants Management teams while fostering partnerships with Donors, Support Offices, Global Center and Government of Rwanda in line with National Office Strategic priorities.
Jorge Galeano
Director for Central America
World Vision International
Jorge has over 24 years of experience in development work ranging from field roles to strategic leadership at the Latin America and Caribbean level, providing him with a holistic view of the current challenges and opportunities for World Vision. He has led and supported strategy formulation, strategic stakeholder engagement, fundraising, global initiative rollouts, board relations, among other responsibilities.
Alma Garza
Manager of Sponsorship Operations
World Vision Guatemala
Alma has been a part of World Vision’s team for over 19 years. She started working as a staff member of an Emergency Response project after Storm Stan in 2005. Alma later joined the Infrastructure Unit team, then served as Operations Direction Assistant. For more than 12 years she has been supporting the child sponsorship programming, which has been one of her most enriching work experiences and one of the most amazing service opportunities she has ever had.
Boris Salguero
Project Manager
World Vision Guatemala
Boris manages Non-Sponsorship Projects at World Vision Guatemala, focusing on areas such as food security, economic development, infrastructure, and health. As an Agronomist Engineer with over 18 years of experience, Boris specializes in project development, senior management, and strategic leadership. He has served as Operations Manager for agricultural and forestry projects, as well as a specialist in project management and evaluation for initiatives funded by the IDB and World Bank.
Gerardo Schaart
Field Operations Director
World Vision Guatemala
Gerardo has worked in humanitarian efforts and rural development for over 32 years. For the past 10 years he has been serving World Vision Guatemala (WVG). His role as Field Operations Director allows him to actively participate in all the activities that WVG carries out with children and their families. Gerardo leads the Technical Programs, Sponsorship, and Projects teams, and his mission is to make operations efficient to achieve the greatest impact in the lives of the most vulnerable.
Host
Marie Bettings
Director, Program Excellence & Impact Delivery
World Vision Canada
At World Vision Canada, Marie leads a team of program and grant managers to implement programming across more than 50 countries with funding from both private and public donors valued at more than $350 million. Marie has held leadership roles in program management, strategic communications, and donor engagement, spanning nearly 20 years in the international development sector, with a particular focus on health, gender and nexus programming within fragile contexts.
Diego Plua Perea is currently National Specialist of Networks, Participation and Social Action of children, adolescents and youth in World Vision Ecuador, has held positions as a technical development of children and adolescents and Technical Projects Specialist in Protection and Social Action in advising technical teams of program areas in the implementation of projects and routes to strengthen the systems of protection of rights in the Coastal Region of the country. He has more than 16 years of experience in social activism and projects for the rights and development of children and youth in Ecuador.
Diego is a facilitator and creator of training methodology for youth leaders and manager of processes for social advocacy. He is an advisor of the “Red Nacional Wamprakunapak Yuyaykuna” “El pensamiento de los jóvenes” promoted by World Vision Ecuador, this social movement is a space for participation formed by more than 1,300 young people from 8 provinces of the country.
Diego has obtained an honorable mention as a youth leader by the Government of Ecuador and recognition by the Government of the United States and its Embassy in Ecuador as a professional leader who has changed the lives of thousands of young people in the country.
Diego has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Communication and a Diploma in Governance and United States History.
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