U.S. TEAM
Executive Director Deputy Director
Nora Tobin
Nora joined Self-Help as Executive Director in January 2014 after earning a Master’s in International Peace Studies from Trinity College Dublin. Originally from Clive, Iowa, she earned a BA in Political Science and International Studies from Iowa State University. Nora is a recipient of the Des Moines Business Record’s 40 Under 40 Award and the ISU Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Nora’s previous work focused on food security and youth development with the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, promoting public health and community development at the Office for Institutional HIV Prevention in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and administering international exchange programs between universities in the USA and Africa in Washington, DC. Nora served as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar in Dublin, Ireland, where her research focused on the impact of tourism on economic development in post-conflict areas.
Kassi Bailey
Kassi joined Self-Help as Deputy Director in June 2023. Originally from Winterset, Iowa she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and International Studies with minors in Math and Spanish from Iowa State University. Kassi has worked in the non-profit realm for the last 10 years and the last 8 years in citizen diplomacy and international exchanges. Her love of international exchanges came from her first trip abroad via a sister city exchange where she traveled to Japan when she was only 13 years old. This trip encouraged her passion for travel, expanded her interest in learning about people from other cultures, and an understanding that you never know how one person can make an impact on an individual or community.
NICARAGUA TEAM
Jorge Campos
Country Director
Jorge was Self-Help International’s first hire in Nicaragua, after Hurricane Mitch devastated the country in 1998. He started as the Agriculture Program Officer, promoting Quality Protein Maize (QPM) all over Nicaragua, and has since been promoted to his current role as Country Director and legal representative of the organization. Jorge graduated from Escuela Normal Ricardo Morales Aviles in Jinotepe, Carazo as a Primary School Teacher in 1985, then moved Rio San Juan. Since then, Jorge has been dedicated to educating high school and college-age youth. In his continual pursuit for higher education, Jorge earned a degree in Agricultural Sciences Engineering in 1998 from the UPONIC University in San Carlos, Rio San Juan and later earned several agriculture-related continuing education certificates from various universities, and participated in seminars promoted by CIMMYT-CIDA-QPM in San Andres, El Salvador in 2005, and studied high quality seed production and post-harvest practice at CIMMYT Agriculture University in Honduras in 2006. Jorge has also served as a member of the CSE-CED (Supreme Electoral Council) supporting the national elections process in Rio San Juan in 2001, 2006, and 2011, and in local elections in 2004, 2008, and 2012. Jorge enjoys combining his educational and agricultural experience to help the highest need population in rural Rio San Juan – the famers. Jorge finds satisfaction in helping farmers obtain basic knowledge and skills to improve their yields by implementing new technologies, planting process managing, and soil maintenance, in service to Self-Help International’s mission to alleviate hunger by helping people to help themselves.
Lucia Vega Galeano
Program Operations Manager
Lucia Joined Self-Help International in June 2011 as the Program Operations Manager. In this position, Lucia manages the finances and programs of Self-Help International – Nicaragua. Lucia believes that the money donated to Self-Help needs to be managed well in order to benefit Nicaraguans served by Self-Help through trainings, technical support, equipment, and loans, and takes pride in ensuring that it is. She also arranges all board member and volunteer visits to Nicaragua, ensuring that they have unforgettable experiences. Prior to joining Self-Help, Lucia received a Cooperative Association of States for Scholarship (CASS) scholarship from Georgetown University in conjunction with USAID, and in 1999, she graduated from Forest Park Community College in Saint Louis, Missouri, with degrees in Quality Control Technology and English as a Second Language. After graduating, she received another scholarship from the World Bank and Georgetown, which she used to study Business Administration and Accounting in Nicaragua. She also obtained Marketing, Business Management, and Project Management and Evaluation certificates from the Virtual University Nicaragua-Monterey, Mexico. During her studies, Lucia worked as an administrator for the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting economic and social development in Nicaragua.
Carlos Alfredo Obando Ruíz
Staff Accountant
Carlos grew up with three brothers and two sisters on a farm Santa Isabel, near Self-Help’s headquarters in Quinta Lidia. For five years in primary and secondary school, Carlos had to walk 5 kms to school but near the end of high school he and his parents decided he should switch schools to find something that was both closer and offered better education. His new school was still 3 km from home, but it had computer equipment, so Carlos had the opportunity to learn computer science in addition to his regular studies. He ultimately graduated high school from the Institute of San Carlos Borromeo in San Carlos. After graduating from high school, Carlos emigrated to Costa Rica where he worked for 2.5 years, saving money so he could continue his studies in Managua. He graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Public Accounting and Auditing in 2016 from the Universidad del Valle in Managua. Carlos has worked as an accounting assistant in two large and recognized companies in Managua – Gilberto Bendaña & Cia Ltda from 2014 to 2018 and Bombas de Nicaragua SA and Piscinas de Nicaragua SA from 2019 to 2020. Carlos lost his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so he moved back to his parents’ farm. While job hunting, his aunt, a member of Self-Help’s Women’s Empowerment Program, recommended Carlos for the role of Accounting Assistant. He has been with Self-Help since March 2021.
Edelia Aracelly Cruz Torrez
Women’s Empowerment Program Officer
Edelia Aracelly Cruz Torrez, 26 years old, born on May 14, 1996 in the San José #2 community, municipality of San Carlos – Rio San Juan. She grew up with her father Rafael Antonio Cruz Zavala and her mother María Magdalena Torrez Gámez with 3 more siblings Edelia lived for 12 years in the community of San José #2 and then moved to San Jose #1 along with her family members, because her parents decided that their children must study and the schools were far away from where they used to live, specially High School. Her parents bought a piece of land in the San José #1 community, and it was there where Edelia finished her primary school education. Edelia started her High School at the “José Coronel Urtecho” Institute, which is located in the community called La Venada which is 3 kms away from her hometown, to attend classes Edelia walked those three kilometers every day back and forth and thanks to all Edelia finished her high school studies at the age of 17 years old, but her parents couldn´t afford to send her to the University, because the classes one was in the city of Juigalpa Chontales. Since Edelia was still interesting on keep studying her parents decided to help her to study at least a basic computer class in a Cyber (Internet shop) in the city of San Carlos which is about 24 kms away from her community San Jose#1 in which Edelia attended her classes during the weekends, allowing her to find a job and help her parents to pay for her classes. She was a teacher in her community in a program called “Youth and Adults Literacy” teaching to people with little literacy knowledge at her community twice a week. By doing this work Edelia was able to help her parents who did not have a fixed salary as her mother is a housewife and her father a farmer. Magdalena, Edelia’s mother, was a beneficiary of the Women’s Empowerment Program, receiving training and loan who started selling baked goods and with her savings she bought a corn mill and now her incomes are higher since other peoples from her In 2018 Edelia began to study a microcomputing operator and qualification course authorized by INATEC, the period lasted 18 months, In 2019 Edelia began to study at the UNAN-Managua University the “Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, although with a lot of effort due to the distance that the university was located she overcame all obstacles, although there was times that her and her parents’ incomes could not cover for her studies and her parents had to sell something from their own such as: a pig, a calf or On April 24, 2021, Edelia married Maynor Ismael Rivera Osejo, who took over Edelia’s studies. Maynor´s job is to buy and sell basic grains as rice, beans, corn, etc, plus also works in a grocery store. When Edelia got married she started working along with her
(another girl and two boys).
of her efforts she always showed her academic excellence earning awards for any important achievement she had in that school.
community and surrounding communities come to grind corn in her mill. At the age of 18 years old, Edelia had the opportunity to study to become a Teacher in the city of San Carlos thanks to the extension of the Escuela Normal Regional Gregorio
Aguilar Barea from Juigalpa – Chontales, which provided teachers from its branch to travel once a month to San Carlos to give teaching classes to people with limited economic resources. In this way, Edelia, who really wanted to succeed, made a double effort to come to San Carlos to also study this degree for three years. In the last year, almost to finish teaching, the school requires all its students to carry out an educational project where all the Normalist schools throughout the country participated and Edelia won it in the three different locations where the competition was held (San Carlos, Juigalpa and Managua) with her project named “WHATSAPEANDO AND STUDYING THE EDUCATION WE ARE IMPROVING” obtaining an award of recognition for excellence in the same year she finished her study in 2017. During this year, Edelia was hired for five months in the organization Self Help International, making a subsidy to Lic. Yolanda Fletes for her pregnancy, demonstrating all her skills in her work.
beans to solve the situation and always support their daughter.
husband in the store to support him in any way possible as well as keep paying her education, obtaining that way her degree. Edelia started working for Self – Help International in 2023 as the Women’s Empowerment Officer.
Orlando Montiel Salas
Clean Water Program Officer
Orlando is an Agricultural Sciences Engineer, with continuing education certification in Project Management and Evaluation. He has had experience working in both private and public sectors, at the Ministry of Agriculture, as Program Committee Organizer at San Carlos City Hall, and as teacher at two universities (UPF and Martin Lutero) in San Carlos, Rio San Juan – Nicaragua. Orlando started working part-time as Self-Help Nicaragua’s Micro-credit Program Officer in June 2006. In 2012, he transitioned to his current role as the Clean Water Program Officer where he promotes the use of the CTI-8 chlorinator and educates community leaders about the importance of purified water in rural areas around Rio San Juan. Under his leadership, the program has extended to additional Nicaraguan states including Nueva Guinea, Zelaya Central and Chontales. Orlando proud to carry out Self-Help’s mission and help people help themselves by training people to treat water with this new technology so they receive higher quality water and learn good hygiene!
Mario Barberena
QPM Agriculture Program Assistant
Mario joined Self–Help International as a Quality Protein Maize (QPM) Agriculture Program Assistant in 2013, and oversees seed producers of QPM in Ochomogo, Rivas. Having previously worked on his family farm and cultivating crops without the benefit of Self-Help’s improved technology, he appreciates the opportunity to help other farmers understand the benefits of new planting and harvesting technologies by putting into practice procedures he learned from the Self-Help agriculture program.
Rodolfo Ricardo Hernandez Navas
Agriculture Program Officer
Rodolfo is originally from San Carlos, Río San Juan. He graduated college in Rivas with a degree in Agricultural Engineering in 2006, where he also studied minor surgeries and participated in a national science exposition in a study on bananas. He continued working for the science exposition for an additional year after graduating, focusing on every aspect of pig management. His work experience includes working for APAC San Carlos (Pueblos en Acción Comunitaria) on environmentally friendly cocoa and management of a coffee farm in San Marcos, Carazo. He’s spent the last five years working on micro-finance at FUDEMI and the PRODESA Corporation. Rodolfo and his wife have two children. Rodolfo is grateful for the opportunity to work at Self-Help International.
Nelson Francisco Martínez Morales
Agriculture Program Officer
GHANA TEAM
Benjamin Kusi
Country Director
Benjamin joined the SHI team in 1998 to develop his engineering skills after receiving his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture Engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana, and has continued to take on greater leadership positions within the organization ever since. Benjamin earned a Masters’ degree in Human Resource Development from University of Cape Coast, focusing on the support of humanity through provision of services to the poor and marginalized. Helping the disadvantaged has always been of upmost importance to Benjamin, and he finds his work at SHI to be very fulfilling in regard to service. He is also an active member of the United Methodist Church of Ghana and enjoys daydreaming and watching movies in his free time.
George Saforo
Program Coordinator, Ashanti Region
George earned his Bachelor’s from the University of Cape Coast and received a Master’s of Science in Monitoring and Evaluation from the University of Cape Coast. He has worked for over 10 years in various roles in the cocoa production value chain with companies such as Olam Ghana Limited and Agroecom Ghana Limited. He has also been involved in managing cocoa sustainability and certification projects with the nonprofit Source Trust in Ghana and Nigeria. Since 2017, he has been involved in the cereal and legume value chain by supporting and training farmers and traders. George joined the Self-Help International team in 2020 as the Programs Coordinator. He is a farmer and passionate about the environmental and sustainability issues facing rural communities and agricultural value chains.
Bernice Agyekwena
Communications Manager
Banye Mumuni Ali
Accounts Officer
Banye Mumuni Ali is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana. Before joining Self-Help International in 2019, he was a part-time lecturer at the College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast Wa Campus. Within this same period, he also provided consultancy accounting services to Agriaccess Ghana Limited, a tropical agriculture organization involved in research and cultivation of drought resistance varieties of sorghum in the three Northern regions of Ghana in Wa in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Prior to that, he worked as the Municipal Coordinator of Local Enterprises and Skill Development Programme in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region. Banye Mumuni Ali also holds a Diploma in Marketing and Diploma in Accounting from Sunyani Polytechnic.
Grace Marfo
Teen Girls Club Program Officer
Grace joined SHI in July 2019, bringing her passion for youth empowerment programs, especially among young women and girls, to the Teen Girls Club. Prior to joining Self-Help, Grace volunteered with a small nonprofit organization for five years where she ran after school programs in senior high schools, helping young boys and girls to become future leaders and agents of social change. She has also been involved with radio discussions on “HeForShe” and campaigns about boys and men for positive change in Ghana which was sponsored by the United Nations Population Fund. Grace earned her bachelor’s degree in Development Education from the University for Development Studies in Tamale, Ghana. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching movies.
Bridget Gyamfi
Teen Girls Club Program Officer
Bridget Gyamfi joined Self-Help International 2019 as a support staff. She became a Teen Girls Club Program Officer 2021. Bridget holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Rural Development from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. She graduated in 2017. Bridget is very passionate and interested in any activity that brings about positive change in the lives of people. Prior to joining SHI, she was involved in a three month internship in community engagement with the Japanese Water Project by The Hunger Project and the USAID KG Project in Birim South District Assembly. After graduating she had the chance to work with the Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) at KNUST. She profiled rural farmers in the Upper West Region and conducted a survey to know their livelihood situation to assess the performance of the private sector in agriculture in Ghana. Her top priority in life is Inspiring young people especially those in rural communities and urban villages by empowering them to always strive to the top. She does that through involvement with her church, family, and community whenever she is given the chance.
Bridget is grateful to be able to help empower rural girls to become independent adults in the future.
Lydia Adomako
Micro-Credit Program Officer
Lydia joined Self-Help International’s micro-credit team in July 2019. Lydia received her bachelor’s in Sociology from KNUST in 2010, and she is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Sociology with an emphasis on gender and development. She has more than seven years of practical experience in coaching and empowering young women in various areas, from human rights related issues to economic empowerment. As an adept researcher, Lydia is looking forward to bringing her expertise in women’s economic empowerment to Self-Help International, helping in whatever capacity to fulfill the mission and to help people help themselves.
Florence Boamah
Micro-Credit Program Officer
Florence Boamah Joined Self- Help International team as a Microcredit Program Officer in February 2022. She has a Bachelors Degree in Integrated Management Studies from the University for Development Studies Wa, Ghana. As a Customer Service Executive at Ison BPO MTN Ghana Tema, she was responsible for providing support and helping customers solve their daily problems. She served as a Loan Officer for Double Dream where she was responsible for all financial transactions and report writing. Ms. Florence has been practicing her profession for four years. Growing up she loved coaching women at church and in the community on the need to work hard and raise good citizens for their communities and country as a whole. She is committed to Self-Help’s mission to alleviate hunger and poverty in the rural Ghanaian communities. She likes reading and listening to music in her free time.
Christopher Doe
Micro-Credit Program Assistant
Chris has contributed greatly to the organization’s efforts at alleviating hunger by ensuring effective and efficient credit management and internal control systems. Prior to joining SHI, Chris had the opportunity to work as a field officer with Food Logistics and Agric Support Center, Ejisu Juaben- Kumasi.
Consequently, he looks forward to bringing his expertise in Information Technology and Agriculture to the program to ensure effective and efficient credit management, He also hopes to assist rural families with modern agricultural practices to help them to improve upon their crop yield and thus help to alleviate hunger among the rural communities.
Chris loves writing and listening to music in his free time.
Matilda Amanor
Promoting Good Nutrition Program Officer
Matilda Amanor joined the Self-Help international team as the Promoting Good Nutrition Program Officer in February 2022. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Nutrition from the University of Development Studies Tamale, Ghana. Prior to joining Self-Help, Matilda worked for almost 1 year with Linking Up Initiative as the Assistant Project Manager coordinating activities in the Project site in the three municipalities (Lower, Upper and Yilo Krobo Municipalities). She served as a Research Assistant examining the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on maternal health and infant and young child feeding practices. As a Personal Assistant to Queen Elizabeth scholar’s programs, she was responsible for financial report writing and assisting in with all program activities for the period of the activity. Ms. Matilda has four years of practicing Nutrition especially in Ghana. Growing the health of people is her priority and educating people on healthy living. She is committed to Self-Help’s mission to alleviate hunger and poverty in the rural Ghanaian communities. She likes reading and listening to music in her free time.
Christiana Daankwa
Promoting Good Nutrition Assistant Program Officer
Christiana joined Self-Help International in February 2022 as an intern to the Promoting Good Nutrition Team to support the Growing Healthy Food, Growing Healthy Children Program. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, Ghana. Christie gathered experience working on some programs in the field of human nutrition; unbalanced nutrition and nutritional deficiencies especially in the area of young girls, maternal and child health in the Volta and Oti Regions. She also had the opportunity to serve at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Pampaso Children’s Hospital) in Kumasi, treating and caring for Severe Acute Malnourished Infants and pregnant women at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center. She has great interest in food production, such as converting raw herbs into powdered herbs for marketing. She loves music, sings and enjoys sewing during her free time.
Ignatius Tang
Training Center Manager
Ignatius Dinituo Tang is an enthusiast of everything agriculture. He is a ‘student’ of regenerative agriculture and soil resilience. He has over 15 years combined experience in programs/project management, human resource management, corporate administration, research, missionary work and teaching. Ignatius holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Social Sciences and a Master of Business Administration in Human Resource Management. He held various positions in corporate management including Head of Human Resource and Administration in an asset management company, and Head of Credit in a non-bank deposit taking company. He was a research assistant at the Research and Development Division of the Ghana Health Service. He is a professional teacher and once worked with the Ghana Education Service. His interest in livelihood development and agriculture developed when he was a missionary ‘stagiaire’ in Mozambique where he managed livelihood projects in agriculture for youths and women. He has interests in forward and backward integrations in crop and livestock development, irrigation development, soil resilience and aquaculture.
Justice Amoka Sam
Community Crop and Livestock Specialist
Justice completed school with a Higher National Diploma in General Agriculture at Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture (KITA) in Kumasi, Ghana. He was employed as the Projects Manager at the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture, where he led planning and supervising all student related projects. Justice is also an entrepreneur who makes low cost gardens for families and educational institutions, making sure people eat and learn about what they grow. He offers gardening lessons, vegetable supplies, honey, and mushrooms to a niche of organic consumers. He is a promoter of gardening and eating what you grow and develops garden structure modules for families and institutions. He has great interest in testing new innovations and sharing the results with other farmers. Family food security is one area he focuses on and cares about deeply. Justice enjoys being around all things agriculture related and spending time with his family.
Dominic Boakye
Training Center Caretaker
Dominic loves working with agriculture and teaching new practices to improve the lives of farmers in rural Ghana. He enjoys football and listening to the games while he works in the fields and test plots. Dominic is never found without a smile and his radio!
Constantine Nanguo
Program Coordinator, Upper West Region
He also consulted on freelance basis on research projects, medium term development planning for MMDAs, and strategic planning. Constantine also has interest in dry season irrigation farming where he grows watermelon, pepper and other vegetables.
Edna Baloo
Programs Officer, Upper West Region
Edna joined the Self Help International Team in February 2022. She earned a BSc. in Planning from University from Development Studies, Wa-Ghana. She is currently pursuing a MPhil Monitoring and Evaluation at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa. She is a researcher and believes in participatory team work.
Lawrence Zongo
Programs Officer, Upper West Region
Lawrence joined the Self Help International Team in March 2023. He earned a certificate in General Agriculture from Agricultural College, Damongo – Ghana. Lawrence is passionate about resilience against climate change and Interested in testing new technology in agriculture. He enjoys being around all thing’s agriculture related and believes in team work.
