Locally Led Development: The Importance of Local Leadership in International Development With Gretchen Villegas

Episode 136 is with Gretchen Villegas, a global development executive with a passion for transformation—disrupting poverty and empowering vulnerable populations.

Gretchen began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer, where she experienced firsthand the challenges of living in poverty without access to basic resources or education. This experience inspired her to work with global development organisations, partnering with local communities to identify innovative and creative programming that can break generational cycles of poverty. 

Gretchen has an impressive track record as a collaborative leader, skilled facilitator, and team builder, bringing together a variety of stakeholders, including the private sector, to achieve common goals.

What We Discuss With Gretchen

• The key challenges you encounter in implementing development initiatives in African countries.
• Effective strategies for ending the cycle of poverty and building wealth.
• What is the Triple Win Strategy and how does it ensure long-term social impact?
• Main challenges faced when bringing together for-profits, non-profits, and government entities.
• What is the importance of having local organisations and people fully involved and integrated into social development initiatives in Africa?

Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How High-Quality Branding Enables African Businesses to Compete on the Global Stage? Make sure to check it out!

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Connect with Gretchen  on LinkedIn at Gretchen Villegas

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