UK staff

Andrew Betts - Director

Andrew is responsible for overseeing the charity’s management and fundraising. He is an experienced development manager who previously worked as an agricultural and water project manager in Kenya and as a fundraiser for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and Practical Action. Read more.

Rob Aley - Kenya Programme Manager

Rob’s extensive experience in community development includes working as a special needs advisor with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) in Kenya and as a small enterprise specialist for Practical Action. He also runs his own candle-making business. Read more.

Jane Betts - Uganda Programme Manager

Jane has worked for more than twenty years in development including roles in education, recruitment and more recently disability mainstreaming and advocacy for the development agency World Vision. Read more.

Trustees

Alice Gathoni has worked in the education sector in Kenya for nearly 20 years as a special education teacher, co-ordinator, examiner and college tutor. Besides her work as an educator, Alice is passionate about helping disadvantaged young people find and realise their purpose in life. She recently completed her PhD on the use of social media by young people with disabilities in Kenya. Read more.

Amanda Brook began her career as a Teacher of the Deaf in the UK in the 1980s, working for 12 years with deaf students of all ages, including those with additional impairments and complex needs, in settings from nurseries to sixth forms. She spent two years in The Gambia helping to establish deaf education, collaborating with local teachers, community workers, international development staff, and a Commonwealth audiologist.

Her time in West Africa highlighted the challenges faced by disabled people where resources are scarce while revealing their creativity and resilience.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Amanda trained as a professional coach and facilitator, later working in project development and management with charities and social enterprises supporting disabled children, young people, siblings, and carers. She lives in northern England and is active in sustainability, adult swim education, and community music.

Her brushes with skin cancer over the last ten years have given her a particular passion to support Advantage Africa's albinism project.  

Pratima Dattani is the Chief Officer of a charity leading 20 different organisations to support vulnerable people in their community. She helps establish services co-designed with users, facilitates collaboration between stakeholders and promotes the adoption of new techonology. Pratima is committed to accountability, good governance, transparency and openness and has a keen interest in demonstrating impact. Read more.

Mandy Smith is a development worker and fundraiser with a wide-ranging experience gained in charities and NGOs including Ockenden International, Practical Action, the British Red Cross and Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity. Read more.

Andrew Lippett is an experienced operations and leadership professional with more than 30 years’ experience working in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He currently serves as Burundi Programs Senior Manager at One Acre Fund, where he leads operations, that support hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers.
Before joining One Acre Fund, Andrew served as Country Director for ZOA International in Burundi, overseeing national programmes in WASH, peacebuilding and economic recovery.

Andrew’s support of charities and social enterprises in the UK, includes service as a trustee with Community Accounting UK and advising organisations on governance, finance and organisational development. Alongside this depth of international operational experience, he rings to the board a steady commitment to good governance and a genuine belief in strengthening communities and enabling people to thrive. 

Chris Chapman is a long-standing trustee of Advantage Africa who brings with him a wide experience of business, through leadership positions at Andrews Estate Agents, and governance through his position as a trustee of several other charities, including Dementia Adventure.

Amy Campo McEvoy is a charity leader with a passion for social change and justice, and experience in strategic decision making, programme delivery and team management for charities. These include the Girls' Network Merseyside, The Kids' Network and NSPCC. Amy is currently Head of Programmes at Fair Shot, which promotes pathways to meaningful employment for adults with learning disabilities - just as Advantage Africa does in Kenya! 

 Patrons

Martyn Joseph is a powerful singer and songwriter whose expressive and poignant lyrics speak to the soul. During a career spanning 30 years and as many albums he has created his own style and reputation as a mesmerising live performer. His passion for equality and social justice led him to join Advantage Africa as Patron and for more than ten years he has been a committed advocate for our work.

Jon Snow is a renowned, award-winning journalist. Before becoming the main presenter of Channel 4 News in 1989, he held posts as ITN's Washington correspondent and diplomatic editor. Jon became a Patron of Advantage Africa after presenting our BBC Radio 4 Appeal which featured a family affected by albinism in Kamuli District, Uganda. Jon worked as a VSO volunteer teacher in the same region in the late 1960s.

Partners

Advantage Africa works through local partner organisations in Kenya and Uganda. Agnes Musembi, Burgwin Muthoka and Paul Lwanga are among the many people who implement our projects on the ground.

View our partners

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