By Anna-mai Andrews and Ven Nyamondo 

We are currently experiencing cosmic shifts in the international development sector, and it is no surprise that they have hit those working at the grassroots level the hardest. If anything, recent changes and the sudden exits of many expat staff demonstrates the dire need to turn the shifting power theories into practice.  

Chance for Childhood has been working for nearly three decades to ensure a world where every child can go to school, learn and thrive – and we know that to create this future, the solutions must come from the communities that we work with. To ensure our leadership and decision-making is led by a local voice, our UK-based CEO Anna-mai Andrews is stepping down after 13 years of leading Chance for Childhood and we are hiring a new CEO based in one of the five African countries where we work (Ghana, Kenya, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda).  

From 1 May 2025, Ven Nyamondo, our current Chief Operating Officer (COO) based in Kigali, Rwanda, will step up as Interim CEO while the hiring process takes place.   

For too long, international development organisations have worked in ways that do not put power in the hands of the communities that are being served. By introducing an African-based CEO and ensuring an African headquarters, we will help redress the balance of power and create real transformation.  

Shifting the power

The decision to move the CEO to our operational area is part of Chance for Childhood’s recent five-year strategy on shifting the power, demonstrating our strong commitment to locally led development. One way we ensure this currently is that all the staff who run our projects are nationals living and working in our operational zones.  

This proximity to the communities we support makes us best placed to co-design the most effective ways to meet the needs of children, especially those in ‘hard to reach’ contexts, such as slum settlements, remote rural areas or refugee settlements. Local knowledge is especially valuable when it comes to supporting girls and children with disabilities who require an intersectional approach. 

Other milestones so far in implementing our strategy for shifting the power include adding our country representatives to the senior management team to drive decision-making and transferring ownership of budgets to them, which was achieved in 2024.  

Alongside our majority African staff, we aim to have a majority African board of trustees (it currently stands at 57%), as well as diverse representation across all our teams, as this is critical for good governance and to ensure all staff, volunteers, partners and communities we work with feel included, heard and valued. 

Our next steps

From 1 May 2025, Ven Nyamondo will step up as Acting CEO while the hiring process takes place. Ven has been with Chance for Childhood for six years and has been our Chief Operating Officer for the past two. Prior to joining Chance for Childhood in 2018, Ven held key financial leadership roles at ADRA Rwanda, an organisation working with vulnerable communities in the country. As Director of Finance, she provided strategic oversight for two years, following a four-year tenure as Chief Accountant where she managed critical accounting and reporting functions.  

We are excited about this next step and look forward to bringing our trusted partners and loyal supporters along with us as we continue to fight for every child.