Chief Executive Officer Expand Nicola Chevis - Chief Executive Officer Nicola joined Vision Aid Overseas in March 2017. Since 1994 Nicola has worked for different International Non-Governmental Organisations starting with Oxfam GB coordinating their work in East Asia and then in Mozambique, with GOAL Ireland as a Country Director in Sierra Leone and with Voluntary Services Overseas first as a Country Director in Vanuatu and then as their global head of programming planning and monitoring and evaluation based in London. Latterly she worked for Save the Children International firstly for their Global Campaign to reduce maternal and child mortality and for the last 3.5 years as their Deputy Director and then Interim Director for their Child Protection work globally. Nicola brings her strengths in driving high quality programmes, institutional funding, working with volunteers for development impact and leading high performing teams to the CEO role. To contact Nicola, email [email protected]
Finance Team Expand Lorraine Finnie - Director of Finance & Administration Lorraine joined Vision Aid Overseas in January 2018. Lorraine is a qualified accountant with over 25 years experience. Before joining Vision Aid Overeseas Lorraine spent some time working with the charity RP Fighting Blindness, reviewing and recommending improvements to the accounting and budgeting processes. Prior to that Lorraine worked at a senior level in Royal Mail Group and Post Office Ltd for over 20 years, strategically, tactically and operationally across Treasury, Insurance, Business Partnering, evaluating investment decisions, implementing controls and processes. Lorraine worked on several large scale projects including building a business case to gain EU approval to secure funding for the Post Office from the UK Government and a multi-million pound acquisition of an insurance business. To contact Lorraine, email [email protected] Team members Trudy Moody Finance and Admin Officer [email protected] Fouzia Toufeeq Finance Officer [email protected] For general finance enquiries please email [email protected]
Programmes Team Expand Anne Buglass - Director of Programmes Anne Joined Vision Aid Overseas as Programme Manager in September 2015. She liaises with our staff and partners overseas to manage and develop our international programme work, as well as supporting the development and deployment of Professional Volunteers. Prior to joining Vision Aid Overseas, Anne was Deputy Director of Operations at an international volunteering organisation. To contact Anne, email [email protected] Team members Judith Trigg Professional Volunteer Co-ordinator [email protected] Giulio Venturi Vision Centre Supply Manager [email protected] Karen Sparrow Education and Training Director (Volunteer) [email protected] Ibrahim Abdallah Programme Development Adviser [email protected] For general volunteering enquiries please email [email protected]
Fundraising Team Expand Lynn Stevens - Director of Fundraising & Communications Lynn joined Vision Aid Overseas in March 2019. Lynn began her career in the not-for-profit sector as a grant maker at the Big Lottery Fund, before jumping the fence and beginning to fundraise for charities in 2007. Since then, she has lead on fundraising and communications at two international NGOs: Target Tuberculosis (improving access to information, treatment and care & support for this preventable and curable disease in Africa and Asia); and at Find Your Feet (supporting sustainable rural livelihoods in Africa and Asia). Lynn now leads a skilled team that secures funds from grant makers, wins support from local, regional and national businesses, encourages people to take up challenges, organises events, writes and talks to supporters so they feel connected with our cause, and shares real, inspiring stories of change. To contact Lynn, email [email protected] Team members Jaymie Duke Fundraising Manager- Trusts and Foundations [email protected] Giulio Venturi Vision Centre Supply Manager [email protected] Howard Payne Warehouse Manager [email protected] Ellie Moody Communication, Marketing and Fundraising Officer [email protected] Ila Lilachand Fundraising Assistant and Warehouse Assistant [email protected] Praful Nayee Warehouse Assistant For general fundraising enquiries please email [email protected]
Country Representative- Ethiopia Expand Belachew Paulos - Country Representative Belachew Paulos joined Vision Aid Overseas in April 2016. He was born in a small town in Ethiopia called Yirgacheffe, 395 km away from the capital city, Addis Ababa. In 2012, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Optometry from Hawassa University. Since graduating, he has been working as an Optometrist at Zewditu memorial hospital in Addis Ababa. In his spare time, Belachew is the President of the Ethiopian Optometry Association. To contact Belachew, email [email protected]
Sierra Leone Team Expand Alfred Yambasu - Country Director Alfred Yambasu is an experienced public health specialist and program manager. Previously he was a health program manager for GOAL Sierra Leone for 3 years, gaining experience of the Sierra Leonean Health systems working in both preventive and curative health institutions. Alfred has experience working with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and National and International non-governmental organisations such as Vision Aid Overseas, GOAL Sierra Leone, St Luke society, the Shepherds Hospice and Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF-Belgium). He has managed funding from various funding agencies including UNICEF, EU and USAID successfully. Alfred became Sierra Leone Country Director for Vision Aid Overseas in 2014. To contact Alfred, email [email protected] Team members Allie Saccoh Programme Officer [email protected]
Zambia Team Expand Karen Edwards - Country Director Karen joined Vision Aid Overseas in 2008 as Project Manager, but since 2010 she has been based in Lusaka as the director of our programme of activities there. A qualified occupational therapist, Karen has a Master’s degree in Community Disability Studies for Developing Countries from University College London and has lived and worked in several countries as a disability researcher and programme manager for several NGOs. She has worked long term in Namibia, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Russia. Her work with Vision Aid Overseas combines her interests in disability prevention, sustainable development and community eye health services and of her passionate love of Africa. To contact Karen, email [email protected] Team members David Mwitumwa Programme Officer [email protected]
Country Director- Ghana Expand Lutuf Abdul Rahman - Country Director Lutuf joined Vision Aid Overseas in October 2018. He is an experienced public health specialist and project manager with experience in capacity building, grant management, research and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the areas of public health, education, advocacy, gender, livelihoods and water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH). Lutuf has worked with several International Non-Governmental Organisations including; University Research Co. LLC on the USAID ProMPT project as an M&E Specialist, Global Communities as a Country M&E Specialist and The Partnership for Child Development (an NGO of Imperial College London) as a Nutrition Programme Manager. Lutuf has also consulted for several organisations including; Save the Children, Nigeria; International Rescue Committee, Nigeria; Ibis, Liberia and many more. Lutuf holds a joint MSc in International Health awarded by the Royal Tropical Institute, Netherlands; Queen Margret University, Edinburgh and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm. To contact Lutuf email [email protected]
Regional Representative- Southern Africa Expand Jens Hinricher – Regional Representative (Southern Africa) Jens has been involved with Vision Aid Overseas since October 2013, having served on the Board of Trustees for two years before becoming Vision Aid Overseas' Regional Representative (Southern Africa) based in Pretoria, South Africa. He has lived and worked overseas for a number of years and held a variety of senior appointments including General Counsel of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lusaka, Zambia and, lately, as the Head of Legal at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Jens is now in charge of developing Vision Aid Overseas network in Southern Africa and supporting the Executive and Country Directors. He also provides strategic programme advice to assist the Board of Trustees in aligning the Vision Aid Overseas strategy with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’ (IAPB) Africa Agenda and Vision 2020. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) and was recently elected as a Member of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA). To contact Jens please email [email protected]