Verushka B. Valencia was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she’s a single mom of two, Nashim a 26 years old man and Arianna a 16 years old girl. In 2001, she took a risky yet life changing decision to move to the Sunshine State where she experienced...
Ari Joel De Brito Gomes
In 2017, Ari Gomes joined Alfalit Portugal as the affiliate’s executive director. With Ari at the helm, Alfalit was recognized by the City Council of Almeirim for bringing excellent literacy services to the community. As a result, the organization was featured in the Jornal O Almeirinense, a regional newspaper. Pastor...
Zefanias A. Chihulume
Dr. Chihulume has led Alfalit Mozambique since 2022. He is an ordained pastor of the United Methodist Church in the Mozambique Episcopal Area since 1997. He grew up in the small village of Xinavane, in the northern part of Maputo Province, a village populated by people from all over Mozambique...
Rene Escalera
Rene Escalera, an agricultural engineer by training, has worked with Alfalit Bolivia for 17 years, the last 11 years as director. Two experiences in his youth make Rene the perfect fit for his position with Alfalit Bolivia. As a child, his illiterate mother couldn’t attend school meetings because she was...
Mandela Wani Michael
A child soldier at the age of 12, Mandela learned that dialogue and not violence is the tool for peaceful resolution. The tragic experiences of his childhood led him to seek education, find faith in Jesus, and become an advocate of peace, dedicated to national and community change as an...
Ari Joel De Brito Gomes
A move from the north of Portugal to the outskirts of Lisbon in 2015, led Ari to Alfalit in 2017. Through the recommendation of his church, A Casa de Cidades, he was recommended for the position of director position when the earlier director stepped down. Portugal is the country in...
Kelma Canazas Ayerbe
Kelma is the director of Alfalit Peru since 2017. She has master’s degrees in Social Management from Pontifica Unversidad Catolica of Peru, in TIC.EUCIM from Spain, in Social Development from Geneva, Switzerland, Educational Management from Universidad San Martin de Porras, Lima, Peru, and is a specialist in monitoring and evaluation...
Magda Numa Victor
Starting as an accounting assistant in 1978 and later promoted to Administrator & Chief Accountant, Magda Victor has headed the Haitian Bible Society (HBS) since 1999. HBS is Alfalit International’s authorized affiliate organization, and in this role, Magda monitors and supervises our programs. In addition, she continues to spearhead the...
Pastor João Jorge Sanhá
Pastor João Jorge Sanhá, “Nenê,” has been the Director of Alfalit Guiné-Bissau [“Alfalit Guinéa-Bissau”] since 2014. Father to Isaac and Beatriz, Pastor Nenê is married to Irina, who works side-by-side with him. He became interested in Alfalit when he learned that over 70% of the people in Guinéa-Bissau are illiterate....
Mariana Valarezo Zambrano
Mariana says she was called by God to teach when she was a child. She studied educational psychology at the Central University of Ecuador and has a degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Guayaquil (Ecuador). Before joining Alfalit, she taught second, third and fourth grade. She...