Fundraising & Development

Alisson Figueroa has worked in community social development with NGOs and private companies for over 10 years. Nicaragua is going through different social, economic, and environmental challenges and as a game changer, she feels the responsibility to make a positive contribution. That is why she is interested in being part of the Virtual Leadership Institute because she knows with this program she will have all the necessary tools for her professional development and to be able to implement her inclusive recycling proposal. Through this program, she will be able to find a community network in which she can maintain her development focus and involve local corporations to be part of the change as well. The result of her proposal is that families have a second source of income and that it can be a model for other communities in the country.

Kathia Salazar is a development professional with over five years of experience. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholarship Recipient. Kathia leads fellowship program operations at Latitud, supporting founders building world-class tech companies in Latin America. She is a Global Changemaker Alumni and co-founder of the organization’s mentorship program, supporting youth through skills development and mentoring. Her involvement in entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact has made her collaborate with different international and civil society organizations and the private and startup sectors. Kathia has been an External Youth Expert at the I-CoDI Challenge by the UN International Telecommunications Union to develop innovative solutions to youth challenges, an Online Moderator at UNESCO MGIEP to lead a series of discussions on Education and the Environment, and a Mentor at UNMGCY. As a former finance professional working in the banking sector, Kathia’s mission is to mobilize capital for development and bridge opportunities and talents to empower the next generation of leaders, especially youth and women from underrepresented communities.

Maria Jose Lopez Oporta is Chemical Engineer at the National University of Engineering in Nicaragua, specializing in environmental management with an emphasis on water and design of drinking water supply, among other studies and courses in environment and food, she has worked as a volunteer leader for non-profit organizations in WASH program for rural communities in her country, as well as designing a water system for rural communities also she has worked as an administrator in a wastewater treatment plant project. She has collaborated in urban and rural water and sanitation research programs to improve water quality, She won first place in the sanitation area of the E-Hackathon Cewas and Young water Solution. In addition to being a professional, she is also an entrepreneur throughout her years, she has been working on personal projects, She is creative and believes in empowering women.

Maryangel Alemán is a fully trilingual professional with a strong academic background in Global Business and Innovation with more than three years of experience in the areas of research, team leadership, and entrepreneurship. She has a broad expertise and knowledge in managing, monitoring, and evaluating projects with social impact in Central and South America. Some of the organizations she has worked with are the Organization of American States (Peru), Techo Costa Rica, AIESEC Brazil, World Vision, Global Shapers, and Thrive Nicaragua. Through her professional experiences, she has been able to connect with social entrepreneurs, key partners, and donors from the United States and Europe. Furthermore, her strong educational background in business and professional experiences provided her with a broad knowledge in Project Management, Partnership Development, and Administration. Her postgraduate in Innovation gave her strong creativity skills and an excellent entrepreneurial mindset.

Wilbert Ríos is an economist with a specialization in development. He has more than 15 years of experience in the social sector and has volunteered since he was 12 years old, with which he has had the opportunity to carry out projects in Tanzania and Nepal. Wilbert has three years of formal experience in the financial sector and a little more than four years of formal experience in the social organizations sector. Wilbert is a young man passionate about the design and execution of social projects. He is currently the Development Director of the organization Agua Para La Vida, where he is in charge of fundraising, alliances, communications, design, project follow-up, support in the administrative area, human resources, and processes. He also has a diploma in Youth Leadership, in addition to being awarded volunteer of the year in 2015. In his free time, Wilbert likes to travel and visit new places in and out of his country. He is an energetic, passionate, charismatic, and friendly young man with a big heart.

Romina (Romi) Vasquez works with and for people with disabilities, which is her greatest passion. She is the founder and CEO of Friends x Inclusion, a social enterprise of people with and without disabilities that focuses on visibility, awareness, social skills training and creating spaces for leadership and empowerment among youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is co-founder of “SOY COMO TÚ! Agentes por la Inclusion”, an awareness program for people with disabilities to improve educational inclusion and community empowerment. She is also the co-founder of “Includanza,” a program to promote inclusion through performing arts, and “La Tiendita Inclusiva,” an economic empowerment platform that promotes job placement through entrepreneurship. Through these projects, Romina provides support, dissemination, promotion, accompaniment and space to entrepreneurs with disabilities, in addition to raising awareness in society through disability-themed products. On top of that, she is a founding member of the “Be Your Hero” project, the first camp for people with disabilities in Bolivia, and the President of the Network of Young Entrepreneurs of La Paz, Bolivia. She is proficient in Bolivian sign language and the Braille system. In total, she has worked with people with disabilities for almost 9 years in different organizations, programs and projects as a volunteer in different countries such as Mexico and the United States.

Cadiz Clavijo earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from the University of San Francisco Xavier in Chuquisaca and completed postgraduate studies in Strategic Marketing at the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar. Most recently, Cadiz worked at a nonprofit institution called PRODECO, where she worked as a communications consultant for a project focused on indigenous access to health care and traditional medicine. In the past, she was part of the “Instituto Nacional de Estadística,” where she worked in rural areas and led a survey team that updated citizen data and created mapping of designated communities. Cadiz also worked for two years at Plan International Bolivia in the area of sponsorships and communications, where she ensured the safety of sponsored children by controlling the standards of incoming and outgoing communications. She found her first job at the Tribunal Electoral Departmental de Chuquisaca, where she registered and trained elected citizens as electoral jurors. During her studies, she worked as a volunteer at the Red Cross Chuquisaca, an NGO called “Realidades,” and AIESEC MKT. She has been involved in many youth groups. Today, she is a member of “Sinchi Imillas”, a group of young women that revalues indigenous music through women’s rights.

Silpaa Gunabalan is from Pleasantville, NY, and is serving as an American India Foundation Banyan Impact Fellow in Bengaluru, India. She studied at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where she majored in Human Biology, Health, and Society with minors in Global Health and Inequality Studies. While at Cornell, she participated in global health research in Moshi, Tanzania where she investigated acute respiratory infection in children under five. Before the fellowship, Silpaa recently worked at a free health clinic in New York City where she spoke with patients to identify the social determinants of health they experience. Silpaa remains passionate about health equity and healthcare promotion through community-based initiatives. She is excited to join the Virtual Leadership Institute to hone her leadership skills and connect with social change professionals around the world.

Zainab Farooq is a HR professional with 8 years of working in a key position at UN WHO. She has also worked in one of the most prestigious universities in Pakistan and writes articles for a well-known Pakistani newspaper. She’s an active social worker and has worked as a volunteer for UNESCO World Heritage in Turkey. Zainab has led many mental health campaigns and runs a website on social issues. She believes that all people have a role to play in this world and we should try to bring positivity to the community.

Neha Amineen Khan is from the beautiful city of Lahore, Pakistan. In 2016, she completed her higher secondary education at the Punjab College for Women, and in 2022 she graduated from the University of Punjab in Environmental Sciences. Through her years at the university, she developed a strong sense of helping the community. This was because of her engagement in teaching the young students of the area from middle-class and poor families. For this purpose, Neha and her sisters founded the Al-Ameen Tuition center. Apart from this, she has recently joined the NGO Hamari Pehchan in India and works to raise funds for the NGO. Apart from this, she has been a marketing executive for the Paragon Overseas Consultants, where she promoted the company on different platforms and social media and also helped in organizing an event.

Qamer Ali is a value-driven young social impact professional who leads with empathy, passion, and curiosity. She is currently serving as the coordinator of the Young Athletes Program Sindh at Special Olympics Pakistan, a prominent global nonprofit organization working for people with intellectual disabilities. She implements and manages projects which include various pieces of training, medical screenings, and competitions in order to elevate the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities. Under Special Olympics Pakistan Young Athletes Pro program, more than 30 special schools are registered with 100+ special children. Previously, she worked in the social enterprise Circle, where she was part of the Digital Acceleration Program for women and was able to teach and assist women entrepreneurs through the provision of skill development and social media management training. She is passionate about youth empowerment and community engagement and the development sector’s role in supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. She is committed to ensuring that local community knowledge, skills, resources, and women remain at the heart of community development and the forefront of decision-making. She is excited to learn, make an impact, and join the network of worldwide leaders that will provide her with a new lens to look at the world.

Nouman Alam is a fellow at Teach For Pakistan (a non-profit organization in Islamabad). Having graduated from Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan with a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and a Bachelor’s degree in Disaster Preparedness and Management from the University of Peshawar. While working as a fellow, Nouman is playing the role of the teacher as a leader in the public school in rural Islamabad. His core responsibilities are teaching science and math subjects to 130 students, and implementing a community E-learning program to help underprivileged students easily access English literacy and numeracy without coming to the school. His field of interest is education equity building through advanced lesson planning, E-Tech approaches, and climate education incorporation to make climate leaders for climate change tackling. Previously, he worked with a non-profit organization named Pak for Math and Science as an internee with the main responsibilities of designing hands-on activities and stories script for math and science teachers.