David E. Arond, MD, MPH, FAAP: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
David is the Founder and key sponsor of Butterfly Foundation for Peace, providing the essential seed funding for this non-profit organization. He achieved his MD from New York University School of Medicine; Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and completed a post-doctorate Fellowship from Yale University School of Medicine. He is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP).
In addition, David is an ordained Rabbi and a Zen teacher, Vietnamese tradition, and he conducts Mindfulness Practice Training in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He has traveled throughout the world sharing the mindfulness practice, including a trip to the Middle East conflict zone to teach meditation techniques to the Israeli and Palestinian communities. He has also taught in Vietnam, Nicaragua, Switzerland, and Uganda.
"I cannot be more grateful for the time, talents, and great effort from all of our founding Board," says David. "Your dedication and hard work--unpaid and graciously contributed--inspires me daily.
"Toko, Wezi, Ashton, Sam, Leah, as well as Andrew . . . you have each made Butterfly Foundation For Peace what it is: MAKING A REAL, HEALING DIFFERENCE.
"With all my heart, thank you and bless you."
David shares with us his personal life goals: "To contribute to more love and caring in our societies, create conditions for the success of social justice, and help liberate people from oppression."
Butterfly Foundation for Peace Founder & CEO, David Arond (right), visits Malawi.
Director Andrew Raphael on left.
Andrew is a premedical student and lives in Malawi. His story is a very personal one and his passion for Butterfly Foundation for Peace arises from that story. In his words:
"I used to be one of the 'street children.' Growing up on the streets is hard: besides the daily struggle simply to survive, I was a victim of physical and emotional bullying.
"But I was so lucky to have been plucked from those circumstances by an incredibly loving family. They treated me as their own and enrolled me in a good school where I was able to advance my English language skills.
"Why did I choose to help set up Butterfly Foundation for Peace? To give hope to people who have literally lost hope. I know how it feels to be hungry and to have nothing. I am so privileged and thankful that I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime to go to good schools here in Blantyre and turn my life around! As the foundation Director here in Malawi, I want to provide a similar opportunity to my fellow children who are out there on the streets right now, and give them a chance to go back to school.
"Through Butterfly, I can be a model to a child who is facing the same life struggles that I had."
Andrew Johnson Raphael, Board Member and Director
As foundation Director, Andrew's job is to implement the objectives of Butterfly Foundation for Peace, and to inspire gift-giving domestically and internationally. For example, Andrew will be engaging potential individual donors in the United States, with the guidance of foundation CEO, David Arond.
Foundation Director Andrew Johnson Raphael was awarded a Certificate of Achievement for his public health skills by Malawi-based YO_bo, Youth On Board Organisation. YO_bo's mission is to reach out to the people across the world, educate about the environment, and together fight against hunger, poverty and malnutrition.
Thokozani Solobala: Board Member
Thoko is the full-time Resident Pastor at the Synagogue of the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, in Blantyre, Malawi. He "planted" this church and has built it from scratch to more than 100 members. Pastor Thoko was called to the ministry and has been committed to serve since 2014.
Prior to dedicating his life to sharing the Gospel, Thoko worked as an Accountant in the financial services arena for several companies, including The National Bank of Malawi. He earned the Diploma in Accounting (Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi / ICAM) through Pact College in Malawi.
This dual background helped encourage Director Andrew Raphael to enlist Pastor Thoko's expertise during the earliest, formative stages of Butterfly Foundation for Peace. With a focus on servant/leadership, Pastor Thoko's life has been about mentoring people, family counseling, individual counseling, and providing resources to the needy.
"As a pastor, my passion is for the hopeless and broken, to see them smile and help them find themselves again," says Thoko. "With Butterfly Foundation for Peace, I hope to make a positive impact by building people up, spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually."
Wezi Chavula: Board Member and Secretary
Wezi is an energetic and dedicated management professional holding over 19 years' experience in a cross-section of banks in Malawi. Currently, she holds the position of Trade Finance Manager at Mybucks Banking Corporation.
Wezi has also shared her talents by serving as a board member for Mkaka Construction Limited (2012 to date) and for Special Olympics Malawi (2011 to 2019).
She earned her Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Business Administration from University of Malawi--The Polytechnic, now known as Malawi University of Applied Sciences (MUBAS). In addition, she holds a professional Diploma in SME Management from Galilee College in Israel.
Wezi has hands-on involvement with "street kids" who find themselves in these difficult circumstances for reasons not of their own making, in most cases. This experience helps make her a perfect fit for Butterfly Foundation for Peace. "What motivates me," she says, "is that great feeling I receive from being part of the process that transforms someone's life."
Samuel Chiko Kaira: Board Member and Treasurer
Originally from Malawi, Sam now makes his home in the Springfield area of Massachusetts, USA. He obtained a Certificate in Accounting as a Certified Accounting Technician from the Malawi College of Accountancy in Blantyre. Sam went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Accountancy from Westfield State University in Massachusetts.
Sam is a Finance and Human Resources professional whose industry experience includes manufacturing, R&D, healthcare, and other services. Currently, he is Finance and H.R. Manager at Center for New Americans, which provides education and support services to immigrants, refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers in Western Massachusetts.
Sam had also volunteered for Educate Malawi, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in West Springfield, Massachusetts that helped the people of Malawi further their education.
"Serving the marginalized in society is my passion," Sam tells us. "I am happy when a less-privileged person experiences a positive change in their life and I am part of those who brought about the change."
Leah Tepelunde Kaira: Board Member
A highly experienced and widely published expert in psychometrics, particularly for the education arena, Leah is originally from Malawi. After earning her Bachelor's in Education from University of Malawi, Chancellor College, Leah spent ten years working for the Malawi school system, first in teaching and then in research and test development.
After moving to the USA, she achieved a Master's (M.Ed) and Doctorate (Ed.D.) in Educational Testing and Measurement from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently a Psychometrician with Pearson Hadley.
Leah also applies her zeal for promoting education by serving as a board member for Daughters of Toleza Scholarship. The Fund financially supports the secondary (high school) education of girls from rural southern Malawi, and provides encouragement and moral support through mentorship.
In her words: "I believe that all human beings deserve access to basic necessities of life: food, water, healthcare, and education. The goals of the Butterfly Foundation for Peace align with this principle by helping provide education to uplift the lives of children living on the streets. Together we can change the world, one child at a time."
Ashton Cynthia Clarke: Board Member
Ashton is a performance storyteller and writer of memoir and creative non-fiction. She has performed her true, personal stories in live venues throughout the Los Angeles area and New York City, USA, as well as virtually.
Her work has also been published in The Storytelling Bistro (published by StoryMasters Los Angeles, a Toastmasters Intl. group), Olney Magazine, and These Black Bodies Are.
Ashton holds a Bachelor's in Psychology from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA. Prior to her encore career as a writer and performer, she was employed in the field of executive search, in marketing services, creative services, research, as well as recruiting managerial and professional talent.
Volunteering her time and talent is of major importance to Ashton. She has worked with The Ajara Project (based in Ajara, west Africa), to design their website; and with Ambassadors for Peace Community Intervention Organization (Los Angeles, California, USA), serving as website designer and coaching teens in career development.
She is now delighted to be serving as website developer and archivist for Butterfly Foundation for Peace.
"I am honored that David asked me to join as a founding Board Member," says Ashton. "It is a reward and a blessing to work alongside this talented group of people who are so devoted to serving others."