| |
Jake Perera has a BA in Business Administration and experience in leading the non-profit NGO “Fridsro” in Sri Lanka for 10 years. During his time as CEO of Fridsro the organization, comprised of two orphanages, a hospital, schools, income generation programs, skill training, small business development, humanitarian relief programs, development projects and community development projects. An important lesson that he learned from working at a grass-roots level is that a community must gain ownership of its problem and be an active partner in finding a sustainable solution. Jake has a passion to help others create sustainable solutions for children in need and their families.
You can call him an entrepreneur, a craftsman, an artist, an agriculturist, a social worker, a businessman; but Paul is more than any of these titles. Trained as a physiotherapist, he never dreamt how God would turn his life into a different career with a different purpose.
“Teach them a trade and empower them. It will help them to stand on their own feet,” says Paul after 25 years of hard labor in empowering people. In 1983, Paul started, proVISION INDIA, an organization that goes into a needy community and looks for available resources within the community. It may be a leaf, a seed, a particular plant or items like waste paper, these materials are used to teach people how to process them into finished products and market them to shops. These products include craft items like pots, fruits, greeting cards etc. Paul is a resource for over 500 areas of skill training such as fabric, wood craft, waste recycling (paper recycling), organic farming, metal craft, resin products and candles.
Paul has one message to pass on: “Empower people so that they will empower others.” www.provisionindia.org
Dr. Dawn McClellan graduated from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in 1990. From 1990-1992, she was a commissioned officer in the United States Public Health Service stationed in North Dakota. Here, she lived on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, providing services to Chippewa Indians. She volunteered in a small, rural hospital in Western Kenya for 6 months in 1993. From 1993-1995, Dr. Dawn completed the specialty program in pediatric dentistry at Ohio State. From 1995-1997, she practiced pediatric dentistry in Saudi Arabia. She moved to Las Vegas in 1998 and entered private practice.
In 2001, Dr. Dawn founded Children's Dental Care International. It is a
501(c)3 non-profit organization. CDCI promotes education, preventive, emergency, and primary dental care to children in under-served parts of the world. Since 1987, Dr. Dawn has traveled to over 60 countries and has practiced dentistry in many of them. Dentistry has taken her from an AIDS orphanage in the Bahamas, to young soldiers caught in civil war in Somalia, to children born in refugee camps in Sri Lanka, to forgotten urban poor in the slums of India, and to isolated tribes in rural western Kenya and to the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Dawn is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Nevada Dental Association. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
www.tinyteeth.org
Six weeks after he was born in Santa Cruz, California, Marcus Shaw moved to Calcutta, India with his missionary parents, Ron and Felicia Shaw. He was raised and schooled in India but returned to the States to continue his education. Marcus holds an undergraduate degree from Texas A & M University and a Master of Business Administration from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. He is also certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP). Marcus has made significant contributions to the planning and implementation of large-scale relief projects and has a desire to see non-profit organizations maximize their potential when it comes to financial stewardship and effective project management. He is currently based in Colorado Springs with his wife Fabiola and their two children, Karsten and Isabella.
Gerilyn Attebery is a California native and graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1999 with a BS in Graphic Communications. During her college career, she took her first trip overseas to India doing philanthropic work which began a lifetime of travel and building friendships with people all over the globe. During her last year at Cal Poly, she studied abroad in Bangkok, Thailand studying Asian culture and Asian Business Management. In Thailand, she was also given the opportunity to volunteer at a children’s home during her course of study. The following year, she worked as an au pair in Rennes, France.
In 2001, Gerilyn began her career with Lonely Planet, one of the world’s largest travel publishers where she was able to meld two of her loves: travel and design. She worked in Melbourne, Australia for 2 years as Senior Designer and is currently Lonely Planet’s US Design Manager in their Oakland, California office. She is experienced in print and digital design, production, art direction and design management.
On two separate occasions, Gerilyn has volunteered with Fridsro, a children’s home in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Her last visit in 2008 was part of a scholarship that Lonely Planet provides to staff when they volunteer during their vacation. Gerilyn is also a staff representative for Lonely Planet’s foundation, Planet Wheeler.
www.atteberydesign.com
Dr. Ron Shaw completed a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Calcutta, a Master’s in Education from the University of Santa Clara, California, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.
He has established more than 30 schools overseas as well as in the USA. He has traveled the world training teachers and administrators. He is in great demand as an inspirational speaker and an educator. He is an author and has been responsible for the translation of books for the benefit of teachers and administrators in Southeast Asia. Over the years ,he has served as an Educational Consultant on many boards. He has served as the President of the All India Anglo-Indian Schools Association, as well as on the State Board of Education, Government of West Bengal.
In 1981, Dr. Shaw founded the Institute for Educational Administration in Calcutta, India. He also started “Heart For Asia” in 1997, a registered non-profit charitable organization (501(c) 3), which even today helps the needy, especially in Southeast Asia. Now, though semi-retired, he still travels training people in the fields of Education and Administration.
A California native, Stacey Porter graduated with a Bachelor’s in Social Work from California State University of Sacramento. She furthered her education at National University where she earned her Multiple-Subject and Special Education Teaching Credential. In addition, Stacey has her Master’s in Special Education.
She has been a Special Education teacher for the past 10 years, working with a diverse population of students with a variety of disabilities and needs. Presently she is the Department Chair for Special Education at Highlands Academy of Arts & Design and she is mentor for new teachers.
In August of 2005, Stacey assisted in developing curriculum and teaching strategies for children with special needs at The Fridsro School, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Stacey’s passion in life is to educate and empower students regardless of their physical or mental challenges.
Rajiv Patnaik graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering in 1996. He worked as an Electronic Engineer in multiple companies ranging from startups to large Corporations like Intel. He has experience in design, sales, marketing, and manufacturing.
In 2005, Rajiv gave up his Engineering career and did some philanthropic work as a Management Consultant in Sri Lanka and India. He is experienced in grant writing, fund raising and public relations. He also has experience in managing, coordinating and strategizing for: a children’s home for 80+ children; humanitarian projects in war conflict (as well as in natural disaster areas); and a Tsunami Development Project that included building 300 homes, health, education, and livelihood projects. He is also knowledgeable on income generation ventures within the social service sector.
Rajiv has attended leadership conferences and has read books on governance and best method practices. It is his goal and desire to empower organizations in the social service sector to have the discipline to pursue excellence to research the root cause of problems and then follow through to produce innovative, cost efficient and sustainable solutions.
www.rajivpatnaik.com
Julie Perera was raised in Calcutta, India by her missionary parents. She later moved to the States and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). Julie and her husband Jake moved to Sri Lanka in 1998, where they spent 10 years working with “Fridsro Children’s Home.” During her time there, Julie gained experience in: running institutionalized care for 75 children, starting a school for children with special needs, relief work (tsunami/flood/war victims). Since 2004, Julie has focused on the development and implementation of “Kid’s Club.”
The Kid’s Club Program is designed as a 1 -year educational program to provide positive educational and social-emotional opportunities for children and teens. The primary focus is to support self-esteem growth and life skill building. By initiating self-awareness, this program is designed to foster personal growth and inter-personal relationships through the use of educational curriculum, music and art. In addition to developing these skills, provision is made for food and basic health and hygiene necessities.
This program has been successfully implemented with children groups such as: orphanages/children’s homes, street kids, war effected young people, and those that have committed crimes or have been victims of crimes. The Kid’s Club program is modeled by our Resource Team and then implementation is continued by the local leadership.
Julie enjoys working with children and believes that each child is a gift from God.
Mr. Gihan Galekotuwa holds a Diploma in Management. He began his career as a hospital administrator in a semi -governmental hospital in Sri Lanka in 1987.
He joined the Fridsro Community Based Rehabilitation Movement in Sri Lanka in 1994 and is at present an Executive Director for ‘Fridsro’, an NGO based in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He is also the project leader of the Community Based Rehabilitation and Development program there.
Mr. Galekotuwa has had a special responsibility for developing Community - Based Rehabilitation (CBR), island -wide in partnership with the State. In this role he has had vast experience working with people who have disability at grass- roots level, implementing with them rights based strategies and supporting their efforts for self – advocacy and empowerment.
He has served on the National Council for persons with Disabilities in terms of section 3(b) of the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act No 28 of 1996, a position appointed by His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka and also mobilizes and coordinates the activities of NGOs in concern with persons with disability in Sri lanka. He is presently a member of the National CBR steering committee and the national CBR Resource Group.
He also holds the position of the Technical Adviser to the Kandy District Disabled Persons Organization and is a National Resource Person on CBR. He is a National CBR trainer as well.
Piet de Jong was born and raised in the Netherlands. With his family in agricultural background, he developed a high interest in horticulture at an early age. He finished his diploma in horticulture in 1988. During and after completing his Bachelor of Science Studies in Horticulture in 1999, he worked as a quality manager in two leading horticultural companies.
In 2001 Piet moved from Holland to Sri Lanka to work for 3 years as a volunteer in a children’s home where he set up a small flower farm for educational and income generating purposes. He worked further on several horticultural projects as an external consultant. When the tsunami hit Sri Lanka in December 2004, he dedicated most of his time to tsunami related projects which were funded from the Netherlands.
For the past 2 years, Piet has been a consultant for the largest producer of flowers in Sri Lanka. This company produces a wide range of flowers for the local and the export market.
Piet is passionate about growing flowers and plants and wants to assist in sharing his knowledge with others. He would like to work with small business development for those who are underprivileged.
|
|
