Convening: Working in Difficult Places

At this West Foundation Community Convening, panelists discuss specific challenges to carrying out development work in some of the communities they partner with and share strategies they have learned through experience to keep making progress toward poverty elimination.

Panelists

Sarah Castor – US Country Director, Malembe Rise

Hey there! I’m Sarah Castor-Johnson, the US Country Director for Malembe Rise – a role that has truly been one of the greatest privileges of my life. While I’ve been in this position for the past five years, my journey with this incredible initiative spans over a decade as one of its funders and supporters.

With a Master’s in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, I’ve had the opportunity to witness firsthand the remarkable ingenuity, inherent skills, and sheer beauty that exists within the communities we serve in Congo. It’s been incredibly humbling and inspiring to work alongside our amazing team and students in Congo, seeing young minds reimagine their futures and the future of their communities by recognizing and utilizing the assets around them.

I truly believe that curiosity and imagination are at the heart of driving social change. And there’s nothing more rewarding than watching students tap into that mindset, daring to dream bigger and bolder for themselves and their community. It’s what keeps me going and continually reminds me of the transformative power of this work.

Jim Mulholland – Executive Director, Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA)

Jim was a pastor in Indianapolis for twenty years. While living in and serving an urban neighborhood, he was involved in the creation of Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND) and eventually chaired its Board. In the early 2000s, Jim became the community organizer for SEND, creating their nationally replicated Neighborhood Congress model. His work as a community organizer has been recognized by LISC and the Annie Casey Foundation

In 2013, after many years of volunteering and Board participation, Jim became the executive director of the Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA), bringing his passion for community development to an international context. CoCoDA does collaborative, grassroots water and sanitation, education and public health projects in El Salvador and Nicaragua. His work has allowed CoCoDA to expand its staff, impact and scope of work through periods of gang violence, pandemics and political unrest.

Racha Yehia – Managing Director, Care 2 Communities (C2C)

After studying nutritional science and international development at McGill University, Racha worked on various nutrition projects in the Philippines and Burkina Faso. For the past ten years, she has been living and working in northern Haiti. She is the Managing Director of Care 2 Communities (C2C), overseeing operations across 7 clinics. C2C operates community-based primary care clinics in partnership with the MoH, rehabilitating public sector clinics with a management model that transforms low-capacity clinics into thriving, financially sustainable social businesses meeting the needs of rural communities.