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]
Fundraising Team Expand Andy Holliday - Director of Fundraising & Communications Andy joined Vision Aid Overseas in August 2015 having spent the previous seven years with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, latterly, as Head of Marketing Membership & Fundraising. Previously, Andy had worked in the commercial sector for several years. Before then he spent over eight years as Head of Regional Fundraising with Development Charity ActionAid and also working as a Fundraising Consultant with a number of national and international charities. Assignments overseas included time in Sudan, India and Nepal. To contact Andy, email [email protected] Team members Jaymie Duke Fundraising Manager- Trusts and Foundations [email protected] Howard Payne Warehouse Manager [email protected] Sarah Namusobya Senior Fundraising Officer- Communications [email protected] Ellie Moody Fundraising Officer- Events [email protected] For general fundraising 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 giulio.vent[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]
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]
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. Team members David Mwitumwa Programme Officer [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. Team members Allie Saccoh Programme Officer [email protected]
Country Representative- Ethiopia Expand Balachew 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.
Country Director- Ghana Expand Abena Adubea Acheampong - Country Director Abena joined Vision Aid Overseas in October 2017. She is an experienced Development and Management expert with extensive experience in design and management of education, community development, volunteer and quite recently skills training and development Programmes. She has over 15 years of direct management experience implementing successful Programmes in most regions of Ghana. Previously, Abena was Country Director for World University Service of Canada in Ghana, where she supported the Ghana Education Service and Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Abena has also previously held positions as Country Coordinator for the Uniterra Programme, Country Manager of the Australian Volunteers for International Development Programme and finally as General Manager of the Student and Youth Travel Organization.
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]