About us Meet the team UK UK Christopher Queree Chairman of the Board Christopher is an Investment Director and Head of Charities at Ruffer LLP. He has been a partner in the firm since 2004 and has over thirty years investment experience. Christopher’s knowledge and interest of Africa stems from having travelled extensively across the continent to countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Kenya and Sudan. Subsequently, Christopher has been a keen supporter of practical and tangible development projects that make a real and long-lasting difference to African communities-and as a result has led him to join the Bread and Water for Africa UK board of trustees. He has subsequently visited our projects in Zimbabwe and as a keen cyclist organised our first cycle in Tanzania. Alexandra Buist Trustee Alex is a linguist and translator currently working in Germany. Over the years she has traveled in a number of countries in Africa. She has been on the board of Bread and Water for Africa UK almost from the very beginning in 2005. She is passionate about the cause of helping communities break out of the cycle of poverty through sustainable long-term solutions. Samia Khatun Trustee Samia has over 8 years of international development experience in various programme management and research roles. Her work has focussed on gender and development and rights-based programming across the information, communication and media for development, SRHR, education, women and youth economic empowerment and livelihoods and maternal health sectors primarily in the Eastern and Southern African region. She also has practical development experience having volunteered in Tanzania. Samia joined BWAUK as she is a strong advocate of capacity building of grassroots organisations, further she believes empowerment of children and communities to be key to sustainable development and lasting change. Samia has extensive know-how of the charity/ not-for-profit sector, and has served as a Trustee of the Hilden Charitable Fund since 2012. Siobhan Franklin Trustee Siobhan has over 16 years’ experience in economic development, financial inclusion and agri and impact investing in Sub Saharan Africa. Having lived and worked extensively in the region, she is passionate about development and improving livelihoods. After learning about the work of BWAUK through meetings with CEO Sylvia Costantini and later Volunteer Spokesperson Phyllis Keino, Siobhan joined the Board of Trustees in 2018. She was inspired to do so following conversations with Phyllis Keino about the work she does at Lewa Children’s Home; taking care of orphans, providing them with a loving caring family environment, food and education, and giving the children a chance to flourish. Marie Newcombe Charity Ambassador After spending most of her professional life working in marketing agencies, Marie joined Beatson Cancer Charity in February 2015 as Head of Appeals, shortly after joining she assumed responsibility for marketing and all digital activity. More recently she has decided to return to her roots working with charities to develop and execute their fundraising strategies. She is passionate about charities and decided to join Bread and Water for Africa UK as a Charity Ambassador after visiting one of our programmes, the Lewa Children’s Home in Kenya. Sylvia Costantini Chief Executive Officer On our small team of committed and passionate individuals, Sylvia is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the charity. She is the go-to person for any general or programme-related questions you might have. Sylvia has over 12 years experience in international development, with a focus on nutrition and agriculture policy in Africa. She has been collaborating with Bread and Water for Africa UK since 2008 and is a strong advocate for our amazing African partner organisations. She firmly believes that every child deserves not only basic access to food, shelter, healthcare and education, but also the right to play and grow in a safe and loving environment. Daphne Davies Volunteer Journalist Daphne has done media and project management work for a number of national and international organisations and NGOs, including Amnesty International, WWF, International Trade Union Confederation, the UN, the European Commission, the European Policy Centre, the Club of Rome and Devex. She is particularly concerned about the position of the world’s 47 poorest countries, designated the Least Developed Countries, 32 of which are in Africa, and supports two NGOs in this area: LDC Watch and the LDC News Service. She is committed to volunteering with BWAUK, because of its focus on working directly with NGOs on the ground in African LDCs. Cristien Natal Volunteer After graduating with a Pharmacology degree from University of Liverpool, Cristien worked professionally in research industry conducting varied clinical pharmacology studies at University of Liverpool and Cancer Research UK and currently honing her skills to transition into a career in international development with a focus on public health. She is passionate about public health issues in particular mental health and accessibility of mental health programmes in developing countries as well as educating vulnerable children. BWAUK's emphasis on working directly with local NGOs in Africa and empowering local staff and resources is what attracted her to volunteer for the charity. Her current responsibilities include creating video contents, social media management and researching into resources that will benefit BWAUK's growth and impact. Saskia Edwards Volunteer After graduating from Goldsmiths University London with a degree in Social Anthropology, specialising in women’s rights, Saskia developed a strong interest in international development. She has a passion for volunteering with charities that support developing communities around the world and a keen interest in the valuable work they do. Saskia is currently working at the University of Surrey and has been volunteering with with us since mid-2017, having been drawn to BWAUK after learning about some of the projects, especially Lewa Children’s Home. She has previously worked as a social media and marketing volunteer for other charities and her current responsibilities include some content writing, admin and some donor relations.