MEET THE TEAM
Dr. Emmanuel Mabiengwa Naniuzeyi Sr.
The Founder & President
Dr. Emmanuel Naniuzeyi, the founder of AKAV, was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a retired College professor and Fulbright scholar who has a passion for Africa, especially the children in African villages whose access to quality education is challenging. To find a way to assist kids in African villages, he decided to create AKAV with a group of bright and talented young professionals who have the same passion and commitment to African children.
Sandrine Akindo
Board Member, Co-Founder & Treasurer
Sandrine is a transformative, passionate, adaptive, and curious thought leader that currently works as a Senior HR Manager at PepsiCo. A legacy she is most proud of in her career so far has been standing up a completely new Business Unit within the company and digitizing several HR work streams which is still serving as a blueprint for global change within the company. She joined PepsiCo full-time in the summer of 2017 as an HR Business Partner following a successful internship. She has since held multiple roles across different functions over the last 6 years. In 2022, she was recognized as a 35 under 35 recipient by Delta Zeta National Sorority for making a significant contribution in her industry and her community before the age of 35. Sandrine has been featured in several magazines for her philanthropic work including being spotlighted in the Frostburg State University (FSU) Alumni eNewsletter in April of 2022 for her passion for giving back and the fall issue of The Lamp in 2020 on “Empowering the woman.” After being a part of a similar initiative in university which lit a spark in her, she knew she wanted to continue to do more, to give back to those less fortunate; to elevate their lives and bring them along, helping them reach their full potential. AKAV gives her the opportunity to do just that.
Yvette Naniuzeyi
Board Member, Co-Founder & Secretary
Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Yvette comes from a Congolese household who has always been passionate about serving others and traveling. As a free-spirited individual, Yvette has traveled to over 26 countries and plans to continue going to more places. On the side, she runs her own travel business that is still up and coming. But deeper than this, she feels like she feels a deeper connection to do something bigger for the people who truly are in need. Yvette is passionate about AKAV because her grandparents and those before them were born and raised in those villages. For her, it really takes a village to make a change.
Michael Ampah-Baiden
Board Member & Co-Founder
Born in Kumasi, Ghana, and raised in various cities across North America, Michael was always interested in multi-cultural environments and the human experience. Throughout the years, Michael has held many roles in the finance industry, including project leadership and delivery financial products in different communities. A part from that, Michael is a passionate creative who makes and writes music and helps develop other artists. He is also a co-founder of an Afro-Diasporic radio show called Flight6ix54 Michael’s goal is to have AKAV be a part of the “solution” which is building solid infrastructures through the various projects to ensure that African kids are equipped with all the tools to be successful on a global scale.Through AKAV, Michael aims to show that we aren’t just theorizing what African advancement and empowerment looks like. But, We are living in its practicality. The smiles on the faces of the youths and communities impacted is a truly fulfilling feeling that aligns with Michael’s vision. Michael stresses that there is definitely a lot more work that’s needed in the region and all across Africa. No gesture is too small in his eyes. With him on the board, he feels it’s his duty to get the global community on board.
Arnaldo Lavres
Board Member & Co-Founder
Born in Angola, Arnaldo migrated to Canada at a young age as refugee. He is a University of Ottawa graduate in psychology with a minor in social sciences and knows very well how it feels to be an African child from a village in need. From Cacuaco Cabinda to Toronto Canada, Arnaldo also known as DOLOTHEGIFTED, a local Afrobeat/ Hip hop artist known for his high energy performances, engages with several community organizations to setup events to promote youth aid. He has partnered with organizations such as R.I.S.E., ARTS STARTS, A.G.O., AFROFEST, to help raise money for African orphanages in Tanzania. After visiting Songololo in Congo, Arnaldo’s vision for AKAV is to push the boundaries and involve many like-minded organizations so that we can help every village in need in Africa. Arnaldo truly believes that we will become an organization that can go above and beyond not just helping villages with school needs and better education, but also implementing opportunities for these kids to travel, get scholarships and job opportunities. The sky is the limit, and he believes that we can achieve it.