Ubuntu Mundo
Formed in 2016 in The Netherlands
Ubuntu Mundo provides strategic planning and fundraising to support a network of small-scale projects feeding children all over the world.
Ubuntu Mundo establishes roots in distressed communities and supports local efforts to uplift futures.
Board and Leadership
Roland Oosterhout
Board Chair
Roland brings a background in finance and 20 years as a hedge fund manager in NYC to the enormous task of designing a global network to feed children. Since co-founding Ubuntu Mundo in 2016, Roland has dedicated himself to working with local leaders to reach consensus around solutions, to building physical sites for farming and food programs, and to developing a business engine to sustain and grow Ubuntu Mundo's operations. Originally from The Netherlands, Roland now spends half of each year in South Africa developing the onsite programs of Ubuntu Mundo, and the balance of the year in The Netherlands, Mexico and the United States advancing its mission. Roland brings his financial skills and his deep commitment to doing what is right, to creating real opportunity for those who suffer because of being born into circumstances that unfairly limit opportunity.
Jacques van Os
Treasurer
Jacques has been on early retirement since 2014 after 43 years of employment at ABNAMRO. The invitation to join the Ubuntu Mundo Board as treasurer was gladly accepted. The decisive factor was the clear mission of the Foundation: the children. And the enthusiasm of Roland and Cecilya. Due to the life path of the great Nelson Mandela and the books of Wilber Smith, interest in South Africa was present at an early age. Children are also our number one priority in private. Together with Ewa I have 5 children and 2 grandchildren. Our second homeland is Poland.
Alewijn Medendorp
Secretary
Publications
Ubuntu
South Africa
Formed in 2016 in South Africa
Ubuntu-South Africa operates small-scale projects feeding children in South Africa. It currently runs a garden, kitchen, feeding program, and after school programs in Bodlayabongolo and its second project, in Bolla Tau, is in development, expected to open in June, 2024.
Board and Leadership
Nelly Mofokeng
Director
Nelly Mofokeng is the Executive Director at A Spring of Hope South Africa where she is responsible for providing the strategic direction and leadership for the South African chapter of the organization, fundraising, stakeholder engagement and new program development.
Nelly was born and raised in Soweto. She started her humanitarian work as a volunteer at the South African Red Cross in the early ’90s.
She holds a diploma in financial accounting, degree in business administration, master’s degree in business leadership and a certificate in social entrepreneurship.
A greater part of her career was at Junior Achievement South Africa where she started out as data capturer and rose within the ranks to the position of managing director at the time of her departure.
Nelly is highly experienced in key functional areas which we believe will add great value to the Ubuntu South Africa. She has a well-developed commercial and business orientation, demonstrated success in achievement of measured outcomes aligned to strategy that has kept the business afloat in a though economic climate. She has demonstrated success in leveraging off established networks and developing relationships within the non-profit sector. She has championed strategic planning and execution of youth development programs which have produced successful outcomes in the South African context, whilst aligning with global business and social responsibility strategy.
Elmon Malapane
Director
Mr. Elmon Malapane was born and raised in Buffelshoek village. He worked at Seganyane Primary School in Bodlayabongolo. This is the community were Ubuntu South Africa opened its first community kitchen. He is currently in Sekhukhune District in Marble Hall as a Principal. He loved working with children and developed love for feeding them while in Bodlayabongolo. He is always eager to assist and see the needy kids in the area and around the world been fed. Feed one child and you shall have fed a nation.
Thembisile Ndlovu
Director
Mrs.Thembisile Ndlovu is from Timbavati village. She is a medical doctor and very passionate about helping people especially children. She grew up in a community where she saw children suffering because of poor socioeconomic status. She is very happy to be part of Ubuntu Mundo and it is her hope that we will be able to expand and cover a lot of disadvantaged children.
Albert Horn
Director
Albert was born in Musina, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. In this agriculture rich area, he spent many hours as a child between the vegetable crops and citrus orchards on the farms of close friends. There his love for nature and farming started. His family moved to Potchefstroom when he was older and this is where he completed his high school career. He went on to study agriculture at the Potchefstroom Agricultural College.
Today Albert has 17 years experience in various areas of the agricultural sector. Amongst others, he was responsible for vegetable seed productions for Starke Ayres in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga. Thereafter he returned to his roots and acted as Agricultural Manager at the Tiger Brands Tomato Paste unit in Musina. Albert worked for Tiger Brands for 4 years. A vegetable seedling- and citrus tree nursery in Hoedspruit neared him and offered him the position of Technical and Marketing Manager. Everyone who knows Albert, knows his other big love is the Kruger Park and its beautiful wildlife. This made the decision to take the offer and make the move to Hoedspruit, very easy. He held his position at the nursery for 10 years. It was also during this time that Albert met Roland and Cecilya. This is also how Albert became involved with Ubuntu.
Currently, he is privately consulting for various farmers and also acts as a crop advisor and sales representative for the agricultural chemical company, AECI as well as the fertilizer company Kynoch.
Albert lives close to nature and also with great compassion for his fellow human beings. Therefore sharing his knowledge with others, comes easily for him. Even more so when it aids in the upliftment of the less fortunate.
Cecilya Bravo
Director
Cecilya, a born teacher and unifier, brings her love of the arts, together with her 18 years of experience as an educator, to her true passion — creating programs to nurture children in body, in mind and in spirit. Originally from Mexico, Cecilya was educated in Mexico and Paris, and now splits her time between South Africa, Europe and the Americas, pursuing her mission of creating programs to uplift children. In the eyes of every child, she see boundless potential. Since co-founding Ubuntu Mundo in 2016, Cecilya has inspired local communities and a worldwide network of donors to come together and find solutions to circumstances that squander that potential. Working with local health care organizations, Cecilya finds the children most in need of nourishment. She draws on her deep empathy to create opportunities to celebrate each child’s unique spirit and gifts. She can be both teacher and student, bringing new skills and inspiration to the children, but just as keenly following their lead and celebrating in their joyful self-expression.
Simon Sekgobela
Head of Feeding Operations
Under construction
Carel Pretorius
Head of Farming Operations
Under construction
James Moyeng
Project Manager
Mr. James, as he is known at Ubuntu, is the Project Manager at the Bodlayabongolo Project. Mr. James grew up not far from Bodlayabongolo and now, in retirement from his work at Eskom, the public utility in SA, he has joined the Ubuntu team because of his love of farming and of children. He especially loves that his work yields fresh vegetables that feed the vulnerable children in his community. He runs all the daily operations at the Bodlayabongolo Project, overseeing the gardens, the kitchen and the staff. Mr. James speaks with joy about his work with Ubuntu saying “I have realized that I am now attached to the Ubuntu Mundo children and the garden.”
Friends of Ubuntu Mundo
Childhood is a time of limitless potential.
Where you are born, what you are fed, how you are educated, what opportunities are available to you— all these things have the power to unleash or constrain that potential.
Friends of Ubuntu Mundo believes that every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential.
Friends of Ubuntu Mundo was formed in 2019 to support the work of Ubuntu Mundo. It is an independent fundraising and grant making organization that funds programs that feed, educate and support vulnerable children. Programs that can help children thrive. Programs that feed their futures.
Mission
Inspired by the work of Cecilya Bravo and Roland Oosterhout of Ubuntu Mundo in South Africa, Friends of Ubuntu Mundo was established to fund programs that support vulnerable children around the world with targeted nutritional, health and education programs.
Friends of Ubuntu Mundo funds programs that see the beauty and potential in each child, and we invite you to join us in feeding their futures.
Friends of Ubuntu Mundo, Inc., was formed in 2019 to support the work of Ubuntu Mundo. It is a public charity recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3). It is an independent fundraising and grant-making organization, and all grants made by it to Ubuntu Mundo are for specific projects that Friends of Ubuntu Mundo confirms are in furtherance of our shared mission of feeding vulnerable children.
EIN: 84-2396826
Board and Leadership
The founding members of the Board of Friends of Ubuntu Mundo all know one another through their children -- they met as parents at a small school in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood where Cecilya was the beloved Spanish teacher. It is the love of children that drew them to this work. That and the example set by Cecilya and Roland who upended their lives, moved across the world, and have dedicated themselves to making a positive difference for vulnerable children everywhere.
Sabrina Coughlin
Board Chair
Sabrina is the mother of three, with a background in law and nonprofit administration, who stepped down from paid work in her 40s to parent full time and volunteer at her children’s school and other community organizations. She lives in NYC with her husband and, together with their now mostly grown children, they support the arts, education, social justice and climate justice causes. It is Sabrina’s great joy to be part of this work.
Jonno Fial
Director
Under construction
Michael Gerstein
Director
Michael has spent the entirety of his career solving critical business problems at a diverse set of organizations through data, modeling, and technology. He is currently the head of data science for one of the largest retailers in the United States. As a consistent supporter of domestic food insecurity initiatives, a parent, and a lifelong learner, he is driven to be a part of Ubuntu's incredible work; work that impacts the lives of vulnerable children by providing nourishment for the body, the mind, and the spirit. Michael lives in New York City with his wife and two boys who share a similar passion for activism specifically related to children.
Sam Haskel
Director
Sam was one of Cecilya's Spanish students as a young boy and has been interested in travelling and connecting with people around the world ever since. He's spent the past decade working as an investor and a startup operator, focused on finance, operations, and strategy. Most recently he helped found a startup to help truck fleets electrify and advance the energy transition. He lives in NYC with his wife. When he's not spending his free time outdoors -- gardening, skiing, and hiking -- he's likely around food -- cooking at home or trying new restaurants.
Jodi Hecht
Treasurer
Jodi is a mother of two with a passion for infrastructure, government policy and podcasts. As a financial analyst, she is more than numbers and spreadsheets. Her interests have guided her to climb wind towers, tour the gold vault at the Federal Reserve and see fourteen movies in ten days. She aspires to develop a sustaining, smart city. Now, she lives in NYC with her husband, son and daughter, who share her enthusiasm in music and social justice.
Roland Oosterhout
Director
Roland brings a background in finance and 20 years as a hedge fund manager in NYC to the enormous task of designing a global network to feed children. Since co-founding Ubuntu Mundo in 2016, Roland has dedicated himself to working with local leaders to reach consensus around solutions, to building physical sites for farming and food programs, and to developing a business engine to sustain and grow Ubuntu Mundo's operations. Originally from The Netherlands, Roland now spends half of each year in South Africa developing the onsite programs of Ubuntu Mundo, and the balance of the year in The Netherlands, Mexico and the United States advancing its mission. Roland brings his financial skills and his deep commitment to doing what is right, to creating real opportunity for those who suffer because of being born into circumstances that unfairly limit opportunity.
