Meet the Team
The Ashanti Development Organisation is a 100% volunteer force. 100% of all monies raised go directly into development programs for Ashanti villages.
MARTHA BOADU (co-founder)
Martha came to London in 1984. She is the daughter of Prophetess Rose Fosu Adwoa Boahemaa and inherited the position of Leader of the Church of Grace International on Prophetess Fosu’s death in 2000. The Church now has forty congregations in Ghana and the UK. In Ghana, it has built and staffed three primary schools and supports many schools and orphanages. Martha works as a childminder for the London Borough of Camden. Her deep understanding of the region’s cultural, social, economic and political issues is crucial to the success of all the programmes we undertake.
DAVID WILLIAMSON (co-founder)
David has over 40 years experience in water supply design, operation and management and has worked with organisations including Save the Children, Unicef, Oxfam, MSF, ODA and UNHCR in many countries. He is now an Engineering Advisor for WaterAid, specialising in water supply, management and development, sanitation and hygiene education, and emergency relief operations. David is a Chartered Engineer and former member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Institution of Water and Environmental Management. Publications include Water Supply and Sanitation - simple methods for rural areas (1973) with HL Mann. Water is the starting point of every programme in the Ashanti villages we help, and David's unsurpassed expertise in water supply and management underpins the success of everything we do.
PENNY DAVID (co-founder)
Prior to establishing Ashanti Development, Penny was a director of Strategy for Success, a consultancy working to develop corporate strategies and efficient management systems. The company specialised in working within the supply chains of major clients in the retail, automotive and engineering sectors. Penny, whose early career was as a journalist and industrial researcher, has also worked at a senior level with the Cabinet Office and as Industrial Adviser in the National Economic Development Office. For Ashanti Development, Penny negotiates contracts, raises money, manages projects and acts as main point of contact.
Trustees
In February 2007, four new trustees joined Ashanti Development:
- Davan Holt is a lawyer
- Jonathan Reid is a banker
- Dr Ashkan Khalili, University College London Hospital
- Dr Claire Walford, University College London Hospital
And in the summer of 2008, they were joined by:
- Albert Antwi
- Vicky Coy
- Dr Anjum Khan
Vicky Coy
Vicky is a Hydrogeologist and Chartered Geologist with Arup and focusses mainly on brownfield regeneration and sustainable development projects. She has also worked for the Department for International Development in the Central Research and Policy Divisions, managing international water development research projects, providing support to water policy advisors and answering parliamentary questions. Vicky is
based in Arup’s Environment team in London.