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About Us > Our Leadership
, Executive Director
Whitney Johnson, founder of Ubuntu Africa NFP, is an ardent activist, youth leader, and
world changer. Inspired by her experiences while studying abroad in Cape Town, South
Africa in 2004 and her volunteerism in an orphanage in the nearby Khayelitsha township,
Whitney was drawn to the cause of helping the children and youth of South Africa. She
witnessed a huge gap in health services for young people in the area, especially with
regards to HIV/AIDS, and was determined to return to the country, to devote her lifefs
work to ensuring that this gap was filled. After graduating from Colorado College, Whitney
returned to South Africa to form Ubuntu Africa Child Healthcare. Shaped by the African
term "Ubuntu", a core African belief in mutual support which emphasizes the principle of
caring for each otherfs well being, the nonprofit organization was established to impact the
overwhelming need for sustained assistance to HIV-positive children and teenagers in
South Africa.
With the knowledge that an estimated 80% of HIV/AIDS infected children in South Africa
are not accessing much-needed medications, Whitney felt the need to act. Her diligence
and determination successfully secured base funding to support her ultimate vision for
Ubuntu Africa, which included the establishment of a healthcare center in the Khayelitsha
township, for HIV-positive children and teens. The center now provides on-site healthcare
workers, nutritious meals, transportation to clinics and access to life-saving medicine.
Since its conception in 2006, Whitneyfs organization has grown and now cares for almost
60 HIV-positive children and teenagers in Khayelitsha.
Whitney holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Colorado College. As Executive
Director of Ubuntu Africa Child Healthcare and public speaker on HIV/AIDS, Whitney
engages young people on the subject, to end the epidemic by fostering an empowered
attitude towards HIV/AIDS among students in the United States and South Africa. Whitney,
originally from New York, is now 25 years old and lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
, President
Doni Belau was for the past 10 years a fundraiser, an activist, and a political and not-for-profit consultant. She worked on political campaigns (local to Presidential) as well as issue-based campaigns and not for profits in a variety of leadership roles. Recently she has made a right turn and given up politics in order to start a website called the Girls Guide to Paris to fulfill her other love which is travel. www.girlsguidetoparis.com
In 2006 Doni encouraged her new friend Whitney Johnson to start Ubuntu Africa and together they conceived of an organization that would help, assist and empower children and young adults who have HIV/AIDS in South Africa. www.ubafrica.org
Previous to her not for profit and political work, Ms. Belau worked professionally in media and advertising, producing television commercials for approximately 8 years.
She has taught at the Women's Campaign School at Yale and currently serves as a Democratic district leader in Bedford, NY. She was a former board member of Riverkeeper, a not for profit environmental group and currently is President of the Board of Ubuntu Africa.
Doni Belau grew up in the small town of Fremont, Nebraska. She attended UCLA and she resides with her two children and her husband in Bedford Corners, New York.
, Treasurer
Elizabeth Johnson is a fiduciary accountant in the Private Clients Group at Cummings & Lockwood LLC. Her primary responsibilities include the preparation of court accountings and tax returns for individuals, trusts, estates and foundations. She is based in the firm's Greenwich, Connecticut office. Elizabeth has worked in the trusts and estates field for over two decades at law firms in New York City and Fairfield County.
Elizabeth also has served as a board member of the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School and as the Chair of the Cobble Hill Tree Fund.
Elizabeth received her B.A. from Newton College (Boston College) and her M.L.S. from the State University of New York at Albany.
Lennie is CEO of Mail Order Management International (MOMI), an international direct marketing firm. MOMI provides services and consulting solutions for companies seeking to leverage their brand through direct marketing channels.
Born in Johannesburg, Lennie spent the first twelve years of his childhood living in Cape Town, South Africa. As a teenager, Lennie and his family moved to Tampa, Florida to pursue his talent in tennis. By the age of 17, Lennie was ranked amongst the top junior tennis players in the world and was awarded a tennis scholarship to attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At UNC, Lennie captained the tennis team, leading the Tar Heels to three sweet sixteen appearances in the NCAA tournament and achieving an individual ranking of 16 in the NCAA. Lennie graduated from UNC's Kenan-Flagler School of Business with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, Lennie enjoyed a brief professional tennis career before deciding to pursue his business ambitions. Currently, Lennie and his fiancee Sierra reside in Cape Town.
Nancy Martin Gernert worked in book publishing before leaving to raise her four children, all of whom are now teenagers. She has volunteered for many different organizations over the years but gets the most satisfaction out of helping with projects related to children. She has served as president of the board of Katonah Playcare, editor of the newsletter at Katonah Elementary School, and co-chair of the Annual Fund at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York. For the last three years she has traveled to Nicaragua to build homes with Bridges to Community, a non-profit community development organization. While in South Africa in 2008, she spent a morning at Ubuntu Africa and was struck by the magnitude of the need and the ability of this small group of dedicated people to deeply impact the lives of the children enrolled in the program. She joined the Board of Ubuntu Africa in 2009 and looks forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of the organization.
A native of Mount Kisco, New York, Nancy now lives in Pound Ridge, New York and is a cum laude graduate of Hamilton College.
Jeanelize Maritz is a qualified attorney in South Africa and in England & Wales . She is one of the founding members and directors of Themis Commercial Legal Advisors (Pty) Ltd, a company of legal advisors and Hayes Incorporated, a law firm, both of which are based in Cape Town , South Africa . Jeanelize's practice is focused on commercial and contract law and she assists Ubuntu with their legal needs and compliance in South Africa . She has extensive experience in setting up and advising non profit organizations in South Africa , specifically for the Western Cape Provincial Government.
Cher Hamilton-Burdick, founder of Indigo Click, an online website marketing
boutique, is a humanitarian and eco-friendly enthusiast dedicated to
empowering individuals and communities to help heal the world. After many
years of working to balance a healthy, holistic personal and family life with a
career in the high-pressure online advertising industry, Cher made the life-changing
decision to start her own business and create a new lifestyle that
was more inline with her spirit. Having explored yoga, meditation, and other spiritual modalities over the
years, Cher sought to ground her business in the desire to make a difference in
the world. She now focused her knowledge of online marketing and
development onto small businesses, grassroots organizations, non-profits, and
community outreach programs worldwide. A graduate of Wesleyan University with experience working with clients such
as Unilever, Kraft, Nestle, and Wyeth, Cher committed herself to building a
foundation for which others could be inspired to make a positive impact on
the world. In addition to her marketing business, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for Ubuntu Africa, NFP, a not-for-profit organization supporting HIV positive children and teens in South Africa.
Cher is happily married and lives in New York with her family.
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