Seattle

 

Harriet Buckman Stephenson, PhD.
Founder, President and C.E.O.

 

Harriet is a champion for social enterprise, the "Triple Bottom Line" and microenterprise in the Albers School of Business & Economics at Seattle University (SU).  She uses her energies and Chair resources to globalize her microenterprise interests and integrate the WomensTrust partnership experiences and Women's Center-Ofankor model into SU curriculum and her life.  She is particularly interested in scaling the model through her colleagues in colleges and universities nationally and internationally.

As Director of the Small Business Institute at SU she has supervised over 3,000 teams of graduate and undergraduate students consulting for credit with nonprofit and for-profit organizations (typically microenterprises). 

She serves on the Board of Washington Cash, a Seattle-based microcredit organization based on the Grameen Bank model. She is also on the Board of Community Capital Development whose mission is to help the non-bankable become bankable. She has researched and published in the microenterprise area since the early 70's. 

Harriet has her PhD in Business from the University of Washington--her mother and father graduated from the University of Washington in the early 30's.  Education runs in the family. Her mother was a high school teacher.   Her younger daughter and son-in-law (with their 5 year old son) have recently returned to the U.S. after teaching in the Dominican Republic, China and Guinea.  Her elder daughter was a full time caregiver to Harriet's 99 year-old Mother who passed away in March.  

The own your own business, be your own boss, theme runs deep within Harriet. She started early with modeling and years of great advice from her brother (now in Southern California). Harriet is a world traveler and loves exploring small business models around the world.  She also likes to hike. Her prior Africa travel was to Kenya and again to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro to celebrate her 60th birthday. You will find her always with a camera and the results of that on www.DailyThoughts.org and www.HungerFighters.com.

Treza Supeyo

National Program Coordinator - Kenya

Treza  Supeyo was born and raised in Kenya in the Makueni district.  After completion of high school, she proceeded to The Kenya

Polytechnic where she graduated after four years of study with a diploma in Environmental Studies.  She worked with several organizations including Christian Children's Fund International and Slums Information Development Organization.  Treza has experience working with low income families, street children and microenterprise for marginalized women.  She also worked with Kenya Energy and  Environment Organization, Coalition on Violence Against Women and African Network on Prevention and Protection of Child Abuse and Neglect. When she left Kenya she studied at Strayer University in Washington D.C.  Treza is a key contact for intercultural communication with TVN Africa.

 

Linda Paul Thompson
Special Projects

Linda Paul Thompson comes to the Village Net with a varied background in health care, systems design and development and project management.  Working with micro-finance and the education initiative for TVN will be Linda’s encore career.  She wants to contribute her energies to help young women in other parts of the world achieve the education and opportunities that she had received.   Entering the world of micro-finance is a new and exciting challenge for her.  Linda received her MBA from SU’s Albers School of Business with a focus in finance and quantitative analysis.

 

 

Mwaani, Kenya

 

Rose Mbithe

Program Manager                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Rose was born and raised in Mwaani, Kenya, with her 5 sisters and 1 brother. Most of her extended family continues to live in the house in which she was born. Her father died when she was very young, and her uncle made sure that she completed secondary school. When she completed her education, it was her turn to be sure that her brothers and sisters also received educations.

 

Rose has worked as an accountant, and a cashier and sale associate for a retail shop. Not only does she have the business experience to help Mwaani's borrowers, she has extensive volunteer experience that serves The Village Net well. She is currently a volunteer with the Machakos HIV/AIDS Project, where she serves as a counselor and provides home-based care. She is a volunteer trainer with Kenya Red Cross, and St. John's Ambulance. Her training expertise includes Poverty Eradication Training, which she was able to implement immediately on behalf of The Village Net. She is working to bring electricity to Mwaani, and she is the Chair of the committee that is attempting to bring in clean water. Rose is the Founding Chair of Tears of Women, the community-based organization that serves as partner with The Village Net.

 

Rose is very articulate about why she wants to serve "her village" through The Village Net. She feels that she empathizes with the village women, and likes being someone who can bring a difference to their lives. She loves that the women can depend on her, but feels that empowerment of each person is her goal.

Suswa, Kenya

 

Loise Naipanoi

Program Manager

                                                                                                          

Loise, the wife of a pastor, is the mother of three children (ages 9, 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 years). Her family is Maasai, and she has lived most of her live in Narok, a town about 1 1/2 hour drive from Suswa. Loise credits much of her success to her mother, who raised 4 girls and 1 boy as a single mother. Her mother was the second wife of three, and her husband's first wife strongly discouraged sending girls to school because an education would bring no financial benefit to their husbands. Her mother, undissuaded, managed to send all of her children through high school.

 

Loise worked in the Maasai Education Discovery organization as a girls coordinator. She also worked in a high school as school secretary. She most recently attended the Chanel Institute, where she received a diploma in community development and social work.

 

Loise says that she knows the challenges that Maasai women face, and she wants to work with The Village Net to empower them. It has been her desire to work with women all of her life, with her mother as her driving inspiration.

 

Ofankor, Ghana

 

Samuel Ghabah

Program Manager 
   

Samuel Ghabah is a graduate of The University of Cape Coast.  He graduated in Social Science Education (with an emphasis on economics and management).   He   had his junior high education at Pokuase Junior High School and then gained admission to Konongo Odumase secondary school where he had his senior high education.

His career objective is to work in a competitive, challenging and dynamic environment where his talents and skills will be of value to the overall progress and development of the organization. He worked for WomenTrust as a part time translator from 2007- 2008.   He began working with the VillageNet team in Ofankor.   Sami has a good working relationship with clients and is in charge of the loan management of the village, which includes loan administration, loan processing, and loan collection.   He also provides business education on simple record keeping and business management for the clients.

Benjamin Ankrah

Program Assistant