Advisory Board.
HRM Fon Ngum IV
Fon of Oku, Cameroon
In 2021, HRM Fon Ngum IV succeeded his uncle and was crowned the 16th Fon of Oku at the age of 25. He ascends to the throne having earned a degree in Public Law from the University of Bamenda.
Fon Ngum’s pragmatism and his prudence in managing people, directing events such as his public coronation and celebration, are demonstrations of his great potential. Okus far and wide are looking to him to turn the tide of development to favor the entire community, irrespective of political affiliations or adherence, to shape a brighter future for the people.
Aaron Kaah Yancho
Journalist
Aaron Kaah Yancho is an award-winning Cameroonian journalist concerned with community development and food crop production in West Africa. For many years, he has been a reporter in Africa and at international conferences on climate change and development.
Aaron lived in Oku before moving to the U.S. four years ago. He is a friend of the Fon and maintains strong ties to him and to the community. He now works for the Salvation Army in Atlanta while pursuing a degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management at Georgia State University.
Aaron’s passion is to help lift people in Cameroon from poverty through supporting cooperative initiatives in farming, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. He consults with international organizations worldwide to fight poverty and injustice in the developing world.
Hassanatu Blake
Director of Health Equity and Social Justice, National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO)
Hassanatu Blake, born in Cameroon, is a global health and EdTech professional who works to leverage opportunities that address barriers to health equity through institutional and policy change, community engagement, and research. As an American Public Health Association (APHA) International Health Student Committee Co-Chair, Hassanatu works to revitalize the committee to Connect, Train, and Mobilize students and early career professionals interested in international health. Previously, Ms. Blake was Co-Founder and President at Focal Point Global, a global EdTech nonprofit.
Hassanatu holds degrees from Tufts University (B.A.), Emory Rollins School of Public Health (MPH), and Plymouth State University (MBA).
She is a mentor at nonprofit education institute, The Trebuchet, and has been listed as one of the Top 99 Under 33 Foreign Policy Leaders by Diplomatic Courier and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.
Hassanatu has been recognized, with her sister, Hussainatu, as a Champion of Change under the Obama Administration.
Hussainatu Blake
Co-Founder, Twinfold Media
Hussainatu Blake, Hassanatu’s twin, was born in Cameroon and is a global EdTech professional who curates and licenses educational content to companies, NGOs, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education.
Twinfold Media produces the webseries, Twinfold with Hassa & Hussa Blake, which is in its fifth season. Hussainatu co-founded Focal Point Global with her twin, Hassanatu. to empower underserved youth to tackle community issues through global education and innovative technology.
Hussainatu has a B.A. from Tufts University, a Master’s in International Policy from Middlebury College and a law degree from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School.
She also serves as Adjunct Professor of Business Law at Baltimore City Community College, and as a mentor at the nonprofit education institute, The Trebuchet.
Hussainatu has been recognized, with her sister, Hassanatu, as a Champion of Change under the Obama Administration.
Benjamin Darche
Public and Infrastructure Finance Consultant
Ben has 35 years of experience in infrastructure, municipal finance, and rural development in the U.S. and abroad. He began international development work as a volunteer in maternal and child health programs, delivering primary health care to 300 migrant families in the department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia and in health and agricultural development programs in Guatemala villages.
In the past 25 years, Ben has worked as an independent consultant advising primarily the World Bank, IFC, and other Asian, Latin American, and European development organizations finance transportation, water and sanitation, energy, health and agriculture projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.