About Us

Mission Statement

Our Project has been established to assist in rebuilding the lives, self worth, and the spirit of individuals living in developing nations. The donations collected from our fundraising efforts will personally be delivered to the neediest individuals, families and organizations.

The money will be put to use in the most economical, culturally appropriate and advantageous way for the recipients, whether it is to help them with their health, livelihoods or education. The intention being for the recipients to in turn establish and implement grass root programs with the aim of developing self sufficiency.

Our Services

Our services will include providing people in developing nations with a means of pursuing gainful livelihoods following a crisis. The way in which we plan to provide this is by accepting donations which will be used to purchase clothing, food, shelter, and items such as sewing machines so that women who earn a living through sewing can continue to be productive.

Services will include but not be limited to:

Disaster relief

Providing food, clothing, shelter

Assisting with educational materials

Assisting with materials to earn an income

Assisting with items to provide the underprivileged with a means earning an income.

The nations in which we plan to provide our services are emerging economics and countries that have fallen victim to natural disasters.

We will be traveling to these countries to determine the exact level of need, to determine to whom our services are most essential, as well as to personally deliver the required items to those individuals.

100% of monies donated to our organization will go to the individuals who are in need of our services. All travel and transportation expenses will be provided by the board members out of their own pockets.

Denise Bobba
Founder

Denise’s past experiences include volunteering for the Virginia Fairfax County Fire Department where she achieved her Emergency Medical Technician Certification (EMT). She also discovered that knowing what to do and how to react in case of an emergency empowers people. While living in Europe for two years she continued to learn and to serve by volunteering with different emergency service agencies there.

Denise’s most recent work:

- Traveled to Balakot, Pakistan September of 2006. Partnering with Real Medicine Foundation, an organization that has been working on the earthquake relief efforts since October 2005, they provided medical supplies and assistance to local resident.

- Traveled to El Salvador in July of 2006 on our first Exploratory Mission and teamed up with Kiwanis El Salvador - http://kiwanis.org and has identified four communities within San Salvador and its suburbs which are in great need of guidance on how to rebuild their lives.

- In 2005 she traveled to Sri Lanka to work with Project Galle 2005, www.projectgalle2005.com, where she worked on a Water & Sanitation GPS project in co-ordination with World Vision and the United Nations.

In Sri Lanka she also assisted the delegation of Doctors of the World Argentina on a Dengue Prevention Mission. She developed a School Correspondence Project where schools in Sri Lanka correspond with schools in Virginia.

- In 2005 after the Katrina disaster, Denise worked with the Red Cross at the Washington DC Armory.

- She also participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Washington D.C., where she raised $4,000.00 to donate to the foundation and walked 40 miles in two days.

Other activities Denise enjoys during her free time are traveling and sports. She is a strong believer in working out and playing sports to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Denise loves cycling and played professional volleyball in Argentina. Salsa is also a passion for Denise and she enjoys performing with her student group. She likes meeting new people and learning about new cultures and new things by experiencing them first hand.

“I truly believe in the power of one; that everyone can make a difference and when this is complemented with a team, GREAT things can happen!! I used to think that something tragic needed to happen to get people motivated to do something or to simply find a purpose in life. I no longer think so, I now know that we all have a choice, and I choose to get involved!”

Check out the article about Denise's trip to Sri Lanka published on the "Stuck on Salsa" webpage,

http://www.stuckonsalsa.com/Denise

Thank you Sheila McNeil for such a nice article!

Wendy Farrell
Co-Founder

Wendy Farrell has been working in the Aerospace industry for the past 20 years. Her experience in the industry has given her strong managerial and logistical skills.

Wendy has volunteered with different church activities on and off throughout her life. In 2005 after the Katrina disaster she also worked with the Red Cross at the Washington DC Armory.

Wendy started working with Denise in creating Pay it Forward Project back in 2005. She was instrumental in managing PIFP’s webpage during our first international relief efforts in Sri Lanka. Wendy is managing the logistics of the School Correspondence Project.

As a Co-Founder Wendy’s attention to detail and managerial skills continue to be key qualities in assisting with the process of delivering our mission.

Wendy’s faith has always played an integral part in her life; “Faith, Family and Friends” is what she lives by.

Wendy grew up playing soccer and as an adult, her passion for soccer led her to volunteer for the Washington Freedom and The Women's World Cup in Washington DC. Wendy is able to express her creative side through photography, something that she feels very passionate about as well.

“Our life experiences, both good and bad, are God given tools to be used to help others. I think you always have to search out the positives; we may not always be promised the answers here on earth but need to have faith that we will understand someday!”

Alice Luna

Latin America Coordinator

Alice lives in her native Argentina and holds a Master’s Degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Buenos Aires. She also received her accreditation from the School of Dentistry and is a practicing dentist who has worked extensively with both children and adults in rural communities in the poorest districts of Greater Buenos Aires. Her concentration has been on prevention, operative dentistry, endodontia and surgery. She worked with different aboriginal communities designing and implementing "Prevention and Education for Oral Health" participative workshops, intended for health operators, working with that population.

Seeking to use her medical expertise in the realm of international health work, she contracted with Doctors of the World Argentina a member of the world network Medecins du Monde. Alice held the Presidency (2005-2006) and has represented Doctors of the World Argentina in Brazil at the World Social Forum and the Health of the Original Peoples Congress in Cuenca, Ecuador. She also spent time doing field work in Sri Lanka following the Tsunami of 2004 where she was in charge of overseeing the monitoring of the "Prevention of Transmissible Diseases by Vectors Dengue Program" in Matara, Sri Lanka.

Alice has considerable humanitarian experience and has worked in different crisis situations all around the world. She is prepared to travel at short notice, and at times in difficult circumstances. In a crisis situation, Alice invariably finds herself working long hours under sustained pressure. She is currently working with Pay It Forward Project in the capacity of Project Manager with the responsibility of PIFP upcoming projects.

Like a Project Manager in a team, she helps with assessing emergency situations overseas and developing appropriate program policies, objectives and activity plans to ensure humanitarian needs are met. She recruits and manages a team of local staff, deal with the media and ensures that the program is implemented in a cost effective way.

Heading up these programs, Alice is able to develop strong working relationships and has the confidence to oversee the ongoing management of large scale or complex initiatives. She brings technical support and expertise to enable decision-making in the crucial stages of program development.

“To apply my professional training to Human Aid is a privilege. Anyone who desires to can make a difference... and that is what volunteering at PIFP is about.”