Niki Fredrick

Founder & Executive Director

Niki has a passion for development work and poverty alleviation. She has worked in various roles across finance, administration, fundraising and grants management. She worked in Nigeria as project accountant to an EU-funded statistical development project for the West African sub-regional organisation, ECOWAS. Niki has also worked as a pioneer staff of the External Grants Management Unit of ECOWAS where she helped to set up the unit and as the finance and administration officer of a Nonprofit organisation in Manchester where she helped to establish an effective financial, office administration, and project management system.

Niki has worked with other organisations in fundraising consultancy and capacity building. As the Executive Director of Every Village Matters, she seeks to utilise her many skills and professional experiences alongside her educational achievement in International Development to help to expand the charity’s vision and increase its capacity to fight global inequality and promote sustainable development in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

Henry Mgbemena

Chairperson Board of Trustees

Henry has been in the International Development and Humanitarian Assistance Delivery Sector for over two decades. He has worked for United Nations Organisations in different capacities with United Nations Development Program, World Food Program and the United Nations Department of Safety and Security at Strategic Policy and Operational Level Positions. His work with the United Nations entailed assignments and deployment to several countries and regions of the world—mostly in crisis, conflict and disaster settings where he supported the implementation of lifesaving humanitarian and development efforts. Henry also worked for the International Monetary Fund as the Chief of International Security Operations in Washington DC before joining World Vision as Global Security Adviser. Henry is now the Head of Security Risk Management department for Vision Fund International, a global Microfinance Institution with over seven thousand Five hundred staff based in twenty-seven countries in the World.

Throughout his career, Henry has been in the vanguard of critical decision-making needed to ensure that vulnerable populations all over the world are able to access assistance in critical moments. He intends to use his experience and networks to shine the light on Every Village Matters for positive impact on the lives of children, young people, and communities in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

Iliyasu Danjuma BAGNA

Vice Chairperson Board of Trustees

Iliyasu has a working career spanning over 30 years within National and Industrial Security. He currently works in TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria as the General Manager Corporate Security/Country Security Officer. He was previously seconded to the United Nations where he served in Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire for peace support and military observer mission respectively.

Iliyasu is the recipient of the award for Best Security Manager in Oil and Gas 2021 and 2023 ASIS Chapter 206, Lagos, Nigeria.

He is passionate about the promotion of human rights, poverty alleviation and supporting the less privileged. Iliyasu brings onboard his vast social network and strategic problem-solving acumen to help forge the path of growth for Every Village Matters.

Jacintha Maseli

Treasurer

Jacintha is known for her deep love for children. Together with her husband, Dave, she founded Azarel children’s home, an orphanage which caters for displaced, abused or under-privileged children. Azarel’s primary mission is to ensure that every child brought under their care is shown unconditional love and given ample opportunity to flourish and grow into a confident young adult. An ardent lover of God, Jacintha has been a Christian since 1987 and a vibrant and committed member of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International.

Vivian Ijeoma Ogbonnaya

Secretary

Vivian is a writer, editor, blogger and website content developer. She is passionate about youth involvement in national development and has worked with several NGOs where she served in various capacities to develop programs that have enhanced many young peoples’ careers in personal and organisational leadership.

As a trained educationist, Vivian enjoys teaching and has spent many years teaching in schools and on private arrangements.
Vivian is also an avid reader and has a strong interest in history and politics. Her writings have appeared in several websites and blogs. She’s a member of the SprinNg Writers’ Fellowship, where her article appeared in their 2021 Anthology.
Currently, Vivian works as a freelance Copy Editor, is serving in some youth organisations, volunteering at the Teacher Ekong Educational Foundation and working on her numerous articles.

Stefy Vaclavikova

Chairperson Governing Council

Stefy works as an English communication and mindset coach for mental health leaders, and also as a growth coach for teacher-entrepreneurs.
In one of her projects, Stefy worked as an ELSA (Emotional Literary Support Assistant) with teenagers in a secondary school in London.
She understands that young people are capable of learning so many new skills as long as their mental health and wellbeing is taken care of.
In her passion to promote education, wellbeing and mental health awareness, Stefy has already embarked on a personal educational intervention mission for underpreviledged children in Africa.

For Stefy, mental health matters, education matters, and so does every village in Sub Saharan Africa.

Gifty Laryea Yakubu

Vice Chair Governing Council

Gifty has an unwavering desire to see positive change in Ghana and Sub Saharan Africa and has been supporting various causes to promote sustainable growth and development in the region.

She brings her wealth of experience in social networking and her ever generous, supportive and positive disposition to our work at EVM.

Lucy Malloch

Publicity Secretary

Lucy is very passionate about supporting education for every person. From young children to adults, she believes everyone deserves a chance to learn to their best capacity.