Alex has 25 years’ experience of leading teams and projects in South Africa, Mozambique, Ghana and the UK. He has worked for NGOs, at the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford, and UNDP Mozambique, where he was programme manager of United Nations Volunteer. In South Africa he helped to pioneer community-based township approaches to IT training. In Ghana and UK he worked with street youth and developed livelihood programmes for the homeless.

Laura heads a policy team for a UK transport agency. Her background is in mitigating the effects of climate change whilst promoting social justice. She has delivered carbon reduction projects in the UK and researched slum climate change in Ghana.

Nick works in economic development in the UK linking the economic needs of low-income communities with urban transformation. He has over 10 years experience managing programme budgets with government, charity and private sector funders.

Gordon is the founding vice-chair of LA Connects, the London social enterprise forum. He has undertaken research in Ghana and helped to establish a voluntary project in Mumbai, Thalia, working with children from slum and street communities.

Board member Dan Taylor is a town planner and urban regeneration specialist with 20 years’ experience in UK local government to reduce poverty through physical and socio-economic projects. Passionate about international development, Dan also leads youth expeditions to the developing world to complete hands-on community projects every year.

Board member Maku Obuobi whose family are from Ghana has decades of experience of monitoring and evaluating poverty reduction projects in the UK and more recent specialist experience of funding and monitoring international development projects for international donors.

Board member Dan Davies whose family is from Ghana is a town planner and environmental specialist who is passionate about transferring his skills from the UK to Africa. Dan is currently working for the Olympic Park Legacy Company and travels regularly to Africa.

Board member Eleanor Kercher has spent 30 years in education as a teacher and teacher trainer in the UK, Ghana and Namibia. She has also worked with various NGO’s including Oxfam and VSO in devising global education programmes to raise the awareness of teachers and children in the UK around international inequality.

Volunteer Marketa Smitova is an NGO worker with a passion for economic development and livelihood projects. She volunteered in Ghana as a teacher assistant then did her internship in Peru where she established a livelihood project for women that empowered local women to established small enterprises.