WHO WE ARE

Mothers at Risk (MAR) is a non-profit organization registered in Brussels. Many of us are mothers, some of us have had difficult pregnancies and deliveries, but all of us can empathize with the life-threatening risks women face in pregnancy and childbirth in the developing world. Our team is experienced, professional and culturally diverse. We come from different countries, speak different languages and draw on expertise from many different sectors. We share a common overarching belief that poor at-risk mothers in vulnerable countries have a right to safe pregnancies and deliveries, and to reach motherhood healthier, respected and empowered.

EXECUTIVE BOARD AND TEAM

Mothers At Risk is managed by a pro bono Executive Board responsible for managing all day-to-day operations, which in turn reports to a General Assembly of members of our organization. We are supported by an excellent team of volunteers.

DIANA PEREZ-BUCK
EXECUTIVE BOARD

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DIANA PEREZ-BUCK – BOARD
Diana Perez-Buck, Spanish and American, earned a Master’s degrees from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston and from Pepperdine University in California, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bethany College in West Virginia. She started working in broadcast journalism at age 15, including at the Cadena Ser, at CNN Los Angeles, and at Deutsche Welle in Germany, as a Fulbright journalism scholar. She worked at the United Nations Volunteers Program for seven years, where she was responsible for advocacy and strategic partnerships to promote volunteering for social and economic development across Europe and the former Soviet Union countries. She has served on the Board of the Brussels’ shelter for disadvantaged mothers ‘Chevrefeuille’ since 2005, and currently serves on the Board of the International School of Brussels. Diana is passionate about maternal health and about ending mortality of mothers and babies in childbirth. She founded Mothers at Risk in 2009. Full Story Link

KATHLEEN BECKMANN
EXECUTIVE BOARD

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KATHLEEN BECKMANN – BOARD
Kathleen brings more than 20 years of experience in the development sector to MAR and a passion to end injustice in the world. Throughout her career she has worked on development cooperation within the UN, NGOs and the public sector. Kathleen is currently the Team Leader Central Africa Unit a.i. with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Prior to this post she was in charge of collaboration with the UN World Food Programme (2013-2017) following an assignment as Head of Development Cooperation in Nicaragua with the German Embassy in Managua from 2008 – 2013. Prior to that she worked for the United Nations Volunteer Programme (UNV) based in Bonn, mainly on the Latin America Desk, for almost 8 years. Kathleen has volunteered at MAR since it was founded in 2009.

RACHEL HAMMONDS
EXECUTIVE BOARD

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RACHEL HAMMONDS – BOARD
Rachel Hammonds is an academic, (BA McGill, JD Ottawa and PhD VUB), NY State licensed attorney and human rights advocate with over 20 years experience in international research and human rights advocacy at the University of Antwerp, the Institute of Tropical Medicine-Antwerp and Harvard University. She consults for numerous international organizations including WHO, UNAIDS and MSF. The Graduate Institute in Geneva recognised her contribution to Global Health in its list of 300 Women Leaders in Global Health, and she is regularly invited to speak at international conferences on global health and reproductive health and rights. She has lived in the UK, Canada, Ecuador, Slovakia, the US and now resides in Brussels with her partner and two daughters. She was a MAR founder who is passionate about making reproduction safer for women and places high value on working with a committed, focused, like-minded team.

OLIVIA LOEWE
EXECUTIVE BOARD

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OLIVIA LOEWE – BOARD
Olivia Loewe Boente is Spanish and German and has earned degrees in law and business administration at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (ICADE) in Madrid and, as a Deutscher Akademischer AustauschDienst Scholar, a Master of Law (LL.M.) at the Ruprecht-Karls- University in Heidelberg. She has practiced business law in Iberforo Madrid, and has worked in the banking sector as Head of the Legal Departments of Banco Central Hispano and Banco Santander in Frankfurt, Madrid and Milan. She is a founding member of Mothers at Risk and has been serving on the Board since 2009. Before joining MAR she was active with an anti-poverty non-profit in Bogotá, Colombia.

PAULINE CAMACHO FIELDING
EXECUTIVE BOARD

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PAULINE CAMACHO FIELDING – BOARD
Pauline Camacho Fielding has worked for thirty years at the European Union and other international bodies as a conference interpreter of Spanish, Portuguese, English and French into German. In this capacity she has had the opportunity to participate in discussions on social and development issues. After a career as an interpreter, Pauline took further training in Germany and worked as a Jungian Sandplay therapist for children. She has been a tireless supporter of MAR as the events manager and leading a dedicated team of volunteers. In this capacity she organizes private concerts with internationally-renowned musicians who donate their performance to raise money for the many projects supported by MAR. Her concerts are attended by a faithful following. In addition to her work at MAR, she devotes two days a week as a volunteer in the geriatrics and palliative care unit at St. Elisabeth Hospital in Brussels. After being involved with MAR for many years, Pauline joined the Board in 2018.

DIANE BUCK
EXECUTIVE BOARD

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DIANE BUCK – BOARD
Dr. Diane Buck is Spanish and American and has earned degrees from Pepperdine University (California), New York University/University of Madrid, and Ripon College (Wisconsin). Her doctoral degree is in education with a specialization in Organizational Leadership. She taught Spanish and Hispanic Studies for many years at the university level and served for much of her professional life as Director of intercultural programs and projects in Spanish-speaking environments in both the public and private sectors. She was the first Director of the Foster Grandparent Program at the Colin Anderson Center (West Virginia), a federal program focused on supporting institutionalized children with special needs and providing employment for low-income elderly adults.

LETICIA DE ALVEAR 
OFFICE MANAGEMENT

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LETICIA DE ALVEAR – BOARD
Leticia de Alvear earned a law degree at Universidad Complutense in Madrid and is a French Interpreter and Sworn Translator by the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry. She has practiced commercial law in Madrid and Brussels and has also lived in Tokyo. She joined Mothers at Risk in 2011 and has served as Volunteer Coordinator and as part of the legal team tasked with following up on legal and administrative requirements. For several MAR projects in Kenya, she has been involved in successful grant applications for funding by a Belgian foundation. She is a Board member of Mothers at Risk since 2018.

EVERINE AKELLO
DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

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EVERINE AKELLO – DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
A national of Uganda, Everine recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master’s degree in European Studies from Université Catholique de Louvain and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from Makerere University. She has worked as a Community Development Facilitator for the organization Children Worldwide in Uganda for 5 years and currently lives in Belgium. Everine manages MAR’s digital communications activities.

JAMES MURRAY
FINANCE

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JAMES MURRAY – FINANCE
Of British origin, James has been based in Belgium for over forty years. Most of his professional career, James was responsible for Planning and Performance Management in the Refining and Marketing divisions of a major oil company. He is now retired and an active member of the Church of Scotland in Brussels where, amongst other functions, he serves as Treasurer. James provides financial and accounting advice and support to MAR.

SARA RAZA KHAN
KNOWLEDGE MANAGER

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SARA RAZA KHAN – KNOWLEDGE MANAGER
Sara has over 10 years of experience in public health issues and is also a dentist specialising in paediatric dentistry and rare diseases. Sara has a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Lorraine, a Master’s in Research in Biology, Physiology and Pathology from the University of Paris and several clinical degrees in dentistry. Her experience in the development sector working with the United Nations on maternal health projects includes setting up a project for women suffering from obstetric fistula in Mauritania, and working in Pakistan on humanitarian projects with a focus on maternal health, advocacy and communications, and sexual and reproductive health of young people. Sara has joined MAR as a Knowledge Manager to formulate a knowledge management strategy and to handle all knowledge management needs of MAR.

ADVISORS

We rely on a select group of advisers to provide us expert counsel on maternal, newborn and reproductive health, urbanization, project design, impact measurement, monitoring and evaluation, communications, contracting and financials, and country-specific expertise.

FRANCE DONNAY
ADVISOR

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FRANCE DONNAY |ADVISOR | MATERNAL HEALTH SPECIALIST
France Donnay is an obstetrician working as an independent consultant for women’s health policies, programs and practices. Until recently, France managed the portfolio of Maternal Health Projects at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to her tenure at Gates she worked for UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund in New York, and Doctors without Borders. During her professional career she has been posted to numerous countries, including Chad, Cambodia and Pakistan. France is an Adjunct Professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Visiting Professor at Kings College/London, a member of the MerckforMothers Advisory Board and Associate Editor for Maternal Health for GHSP/Global Health Science and Practice. France also consults for the University of California San Francisco, WHO/Geneva, and Marketing For International Development/Finland.

DR. ISABELLE MOREIRA
ADVISOR

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DR. ISABELLE MOREIRA – ADVISOR
Dr Isabelle Moreira, a Cape Verde-Senegal national, is an obstetrician gynecologist with over 20 years experience at national and regional level in maternal and reproductive health, emergency obstetric and neonatal care, family planning and adolescent health. She has worked with UNFPA, WHO and Columbia University’s Averting Maternal Death and Disability Program in various countries in the African and Caribbean region (Senegal, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Mauritania , Benin, Togo, Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon, Madagascar, Haiti, Burundi) in the design, management and evaluation of maternal and reproductive health programs, and the development of national policies, norms, standards and strategies. She has worked in Dakar Hospitals and in the Tambacounda Regional Hospital, and has trained doctors, students, and paramedical staff. She holds a graduate degree in Public Health Administration from the University of Montreal, and a Medical Degree in Gynecology and Obstetrics from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar.

FIONA DUBY
ADVISOR

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FIONA DUBY – ADVISOR
Fiona has spent the past 40 years working in 30 countries across Africa and Asia on the design, management, strategic planning and evaluation of public and private sector health and development programmes with a focus on reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health. She spent over five years in Bangladesh establishing a joint donor funding and technical support mechanism for health sector NGOs for the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). She subsequently managed DFID’s health programme in Nigeria before returning to DFID headquarters as health adviser for Pakistan and South Asia regional programmes. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1999. Since 2002, Fiona has been an independent consultant working for DFID, UNFPA, WHO, UNAIDS, the World Bank, Australian DFAT, German GIZ, Gates Foundation, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and various international NGOs. She recently led an evaluation for the WHO’s Partnership for Maternal and Child Health and currently serves as Director for Babymilk Action, a network that advocates for quality infant nutrition.

MARIA ESCUBOS
ADVISOR

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MARIA ESCUBOS | ADVISOR | DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Maria works at Facebook and has a background in Growth and Digital Marketing. Previous to working at Facebook, Maria worked at Google and Dropbox, helping drive adoption of the Ads and Business products respectively within the SMB segment. She is passionate about digital transformation and the power of digital channels to help connect organisations internally and externally. Maria is originally Spanish, grew up in Germany, and studied Modern Languages and Public Policy at the University of Bath and University College London. She lives in London.

CARINE HENOQUE
ADVISOR

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CARINE HENOQUE – ADVISOR
Carine has 24 years experience of management of regional programmes and financial and contracting experience with International Financial Institutions, private companies and NGOS for aid development. She worked for 10 years at UNFPA with a multicultural and multidisciplinary team to empower disadvantaged and vulnerable adolescents in seven countries of Asia via the EC/UNFPA regional partnership. She spent 6 years at the European Commission, in the programming of regional projects in the Western Balkans and in the Finance, Contract, Audit Unit for technical assistance projects in Asia. She currently works at the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) Secretariat, where she leads a team responsible for the management of regional projects. She has a Master’s degree in Commercial and Financial Sciences from the HEC Saint-Louis in Brussels. Carine is a founding member of Mothers at Risk and believes that love, and especially motherly love is a never-ending source of inspiration that energizes us to make the world a better place for our children.

FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

We have created the MAR Fund at the King Baudouin Foundation, a public philanthropy institution involved in social and economic development in Belgium and abroad. The MAR Fund is led by a Management Committee chaired by a maternal health expert and composed of donors. 

FRANCE DONNAY
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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FRANCE DONNAY – FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
France Donnay is an obstetrician working as an independent consultant for women’s health policies, programs and practices. Until recently, France managed the portfolio of Maternal Health Projects at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to her tenure at Gates she worked for UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund in New York, and Doctors without Borders. During her professional career she has been posted to numerous countries, including Chad, Cambodia and Pakistan. France is an Adjunct Professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Visiting Professor at Kings College/London, a member of the MerckforMothers Advisory Board and Associate Editor for Maternal Health for GHSP/Global Health Science and Practice. France also consults for the University of California San Francisco, WHO/Geneva, and Marketing For International Development/Finland.

GUSTAVO PIMENTA
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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GUSTAVO PIMENTA – FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Gustavo is the chair of the Management Committee of the MAR Fund at KBF. He is an entrepreneur and investor with ventures in many different areas and locations. Prior to this Gustavo was a senior executive for Anheuser Busch InBev (ABI). During his 27-year tenure with the drinks company, he worked in a number of capacities including launching ABI operations in Argentina, Paraguay and Central America and the turn around on acquired operations in China and Korea. For 8 years Gustavo was the Chief Technology Officer for Europe and later for South America where he was in charge of planning leveraging solutions to improve both the bottom and top line. Gustavo has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and a Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting from Fundação Getúlio Vargas.

GEORG FROWEIN
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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GEORG FROWEIN – FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Georg A. Frowein is a partner of Hengeler Mueller since 2002 and works in the Frankfurt office. He is a member of the Hengeler Mueller Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) practice group and specializes in corporate and M&A transactions. Georg studied law in Freiburg and Bonn and holds a doctorate degree (Dr. jur.) from the University of Heidelberg. In 1994, he obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. He has been admitted to both the Frankfurt and New York bars. Georg is a founding member of the MAR Fund at the King Baudouin Foundation and has served on its Management Committee since 2009.

DANA STRUPOVA
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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DANA STRUPOVA – FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Born and raised in the Czech Republic, Dana studied Law in Prague, Germany and the U.S. In 1999, after five years of practicing law in two law firms in the U.S. and Germany, Dana became an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she worked as a Director. In 2012 Dana was seconded to the Dialogue Social Enterprise as the General Counsel – a move that enabled her to apply her business knowledge and experience in the social enterprise sector. She continues in this role today. Dana was one of the founding members of Mothers at Risk (MAR). Having served on MAR’s Governance Board for many years, Dana is now serving in the Management Committee of the MAR Fund at the King Baudouin Foundation.

SVEN VOLCKER
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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SVEN VOLCKER – FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Sven B. Völcker studied law at the universities of Kiel, Bonn and Harvard. He is a partner in the Brussels office of Latham & Watkins, the world’s largest law firm by revenue, and co-chairs the firm’s global antitrust and competition practice group. Sven is also an honorary professor at Göttingen University, where he teaches EU and German competition law. He is co-editor of a major German-language handbook on competition law procedure, has authored numerous articles and frequently speaks on competition law and policy at conferences. In his spare time, Sven likes to swim, bike and run, and has competed in numerous triathlons around the world, including the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Sven speaks German, English, French and Spanish.

EDURNE NAVARRO
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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EDURNE NAVARRO – MAR FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Edurne is a Spanish lawyer practicing European and Competition Law since 1992 with the Spanish law firm Uría Menéndez, where she is a partner in charge of the Brussels office. Her practice focuses on EU and Spanish competition law. She acts for Spanish, European, North American and Asian undertakings in sectors such as telecommunications, energy, transport, pharmaceuticals, defense and banking. Edurne is regarded as a leading lawyer by the main international legal directories, such as, Chambers & Partners, PLC and International Who’s Who of Lawyers, among others. She graduated and defended her PhD at the Universidad de Barcelona, and earned an LLM from the Institut d’Etudes Européenes at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and an LLM from the University of Michigan.

LUC TAYART de BORMS
COMMITTEE MEMBER

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LUC TAYART de BORMS – FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Luc TAYART de BORMS, Managing Director of King Baudouin Foundation, was born in Beerse, Belgium. He holds an MA in Moral Sciences from the University of Ghent. A practitioner with more than 30 years experience, he is involved in several organizations, including the European Foundation Centre as president (2002-2004), the Council on Foundations US as a member of the Board of Directors (2002-2005) and as a member of the International Committee (2002-2006). Mr Tayart de Borms is also President of the Network of European Foundations (NEF) and a member of the European Policy Centre. He is a former member of the Board of the European Cultural Foundation. Mr Tayart de Borms is a member of the Strategic Committee of the European Venture Philanthropy Association, Treasurer of the King Baudouin Foundation United States and member of the Board of the King Baudouin Foundation Canada.

MAR ALUMNI & GLOBAL NETWORK

TERESA POPPELWELL 

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TERESA POPPELWELL
Teresa has almost two decades of experience working in the urban sector in developing countries in the areas of policy development, programme design, monitoring and resource mobilisation. She is an urban development expert with an MA in Regional and Community Planning from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and an MSt in Forced Migration from the University of Oxford. Her areas of expertise include urban and community planning, upgrading in informal settlements, and urban governance and management. She has used her urban sector knowledge to develop policy and programming solutions that address forced migration and displacement caused by natural disasters, urban development, and conflict. Teresa has worked for the UN and international NGOs in various posts and has enjoyed living and working in a number of countries including Japan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Indonesia, China, Myanmar, India and the Philippines. She has lectured on urban development and project planning in developing countries as an Adjunct Professor at the planning school at UBC and as a guest lecturer at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers.

BECCA NASRALLAH 

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BECCA NASRALLAH
Becca is a founding member of Mothers at Risk and has served on the Mothers at Risk Board of Trustees for eight years and on the Fund Management Committee at the King Baudouin Foundation for five years. Her portfolio has included developing and managing MAR-funded programs in Cairo, Egypt and resource mobilization from private and corporate funders. Outside of MAR, she also works on initiatives to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Becca grew up between Lebanon, Kuwait and London and is a dental surgeon by training.

Fleur Malease Headshot Photo

FLEUR MALEASE

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FLEUR MALEASE
Fleur Malease is currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) at Harvard University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Commercial Engineering. Before joining Harvard, she was a Donor Relations Officer at the United Nations Children’s Fund. She has worked in six countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa and she has been deployed to different United Nations agencies, including the World Health Organization as an External Relations and Partnerships Officer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fleur provided support to Mothers At Risk’s project in Kinshasa, a mobile clinic serving vulnerable women in the urban periphery, in partnership with the local organization Lisungi.

ERIN SMITH

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ERIN SMITH
Erin interned with Mothers at Risk throughout 2021 while completing her MBA at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. With MAR, she aided in the programme management of the Innovating for Mothers social entrepreneurship challenge in Dakar and Saint-Louis, Senegal. Erin hails from Atlanta and Los Angeles where she spent six years working for The Boeing Company across strategy, finance, and corporate entrepreneurship functions. She will join the leadership team of a start-up and reside in Paris upon completion of her MBA.

Jay Singh Bio Headshot Photo

AJAY SINGH

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AJAY SINGH
Ajay Singh is a digital marketing expert from India. With 20+ years of experience in advertising and marketing, he helps brands with their growth and performance. Ajay has worked with various advertising agencies and has established his own ad agency – Chilifactor Communications – in 2010. His agency has won many awards for creativity and performance. He also mentors and coaches business owners and digital freelancers and is involved with various NGOs globally. He has contributed to Mothers at Risk since 2014 with designing reports, organizational presentations and brochures.

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