1606 Washington Plaza
Reston, VA 20190 USA
T (703) 437-0808
F (703) 437-8620
For general information or inquiries, please email
Children of Africa free of HIV/AIDS and empowered to reach their fullest potential.
Global Camps Africa changes the lives of South Africa’s vulnerable children and youth by providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and training through high-impact residential and day camp experiences and continuing education, equipping young people with the life skills that will support them in becoming safe and productive adults who have hope for the future.
Global Camps Africa was founded on a belief in the power of camp. Veteran U.S. camp owner Phillip Lilienthal, brought together his belief in the transformational nature of camp and his passion for helping people around the globe to create a powerful force in the lives of South African children.
Lilienthal learned about camping first-hand as the owner and director of Camp Winnebago in Maine. Prior to taking over the camp, Lilienthal experienced the challenges and triumphs of Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. In 1966, he established Ethiopia’s first residential summer camp.
After 30 years of camping in the U.S., Lilienthal decided to draw on both experiences to pursue a new goal, to help children affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa.
GCA was founded in 2003 to create an enduring foundation and a prototype camp dedicated to changing attitudes and behaviors of South African children and youth about HIV/AIDS and their future. By the next year, Global Camps Africa had established its first residential camp program in South Africa, Camp Sizanani.
Located in a mountain area outside of Johannesburg, Camp Sizanani provides education, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention and crucial life skills all wrapped up in a spirit of fun and camaraderie. Multiple times a year, hundreds of children from some of South Africa’s poorest townships hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis come together for several magical days at camp to learn, to laugh, and to love again.
What began as belief in the power of camp has become a model for changing the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children.
Barbara Krimgold
Ms. Krimgold has worked in health policy and international health and economic development for many years, including stints with the United States Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and The Center for Advancing. She is a graduate of Harvard College and won a National Defense Education Act postgraduate fellowship at Harvard’s Graduate Center for Middle Eastern Studies. She has lived and worked in France, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Gaza Strip, Egypt, and Ghana. Since 2001, Barbara has served as director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s postdoctoral Kellogg Health Scholars Program and of the Multidisciplinary-Disparities track for that program. She also directs the doctoral Kellogg Fellows in Health Policy Research Program. She lives in McClean, Virginia, with her husband Fred, and has five grown daughters.
Founder and President- Global Camps Africa was founded by Reston attorney Phillip Lilienthal, who, for 30 years, was the owner and director of Camp Winnebago in Maine. Mr. Lilienthal, who joined the Peace Corp following law school, had started Ethiopia’s first residential summer camps in 1967 and 1968. He then moved back to the U.S. to start his law practice and raise a family.
Chairman – Regina Bouie, Reston, VA, has spent the last 23 years enriching the lives of children in the Northern Virginia area. As a teacher, curriculum developer and Board of Directors member at the premiere preschool in Reston, Virginia, L.A.N.K (Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten), she has gone above and beyond in preparing her students for their journey through life. In addition to giving children under her tutelage the necessary emotional and social foundation to succeed every single day, she has also captured her young academics enthusiasm for science, language, mathematics and art.
It is this kind of commitment that has allowed her to put forth such great efforts as it relates to volunteerism in Northern Virginia.. She has served on the Fairfax County Public Schools Minority Achievement Committee, volunteered for Reston Interfaith and at the Embry Rucker Shelter, and has been a member of the Selection and Dinner Committee for the Best of Reston Awards for several years. Needless to say, she has enjoyed serving the community and will continue to do so for years to come.
Treasurer – Hunt Howell, Reston, VA is a consultant on economic development issues. He formerly was the Principal Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank (1980 – 2006). He has extensive experience preparing and carrying out economic development programs throughout Latin America, with emphasis on the Andean countries and the English-speaking Caribbean. In addition, he serves as a member of the Board of the Cleveland H. Dodge Foundation (New York) since 2002 and is a volunteer with the I Have a Dream Foundation sponsored program in Anacostia (D.C.) since 1998 and was a member of Fairfax County / Reston YMCA Board of Management (2002 – 2008).
Maribeth Carroll, Hoboken, NJ, has more than 15 years experience in Human Resources within the financial services industry, across a broad range of HR disciplines including employee relations, talent and performance management, compensation, recruiting, organizational change and integration. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.A. in Journalism and concentration in Public Relations. She joined the board of Global Camps Africa in 2011 after serving as a counselor at Camp Sizanani in 2010. Maribeth has supported a number of philanthropic organizations, which serve the needs of underprivileged women and children both in the local and global community. Maribeth is also a member of the Board of Trustees of WomenRising, Inc, formerly the YWCA of Hudson County, NJ since 2006.
Matt Hill, New York, NY, is the director of business development, sponsorship, media sales at the National Football League. A native of Washington, D.C., he has been living in New York, NY for 13 years. After receiving his BA from Columbia University in 2001, Matt spent five years in public relations and corporate communications at the National Football League, before returning to Columbia to complete his MBA with a focus in marketing and media management. Matt has been active in fundraising for Global Camps Africa and other non-profits like Save Darfur and uNight, having organized multiple events to raise money and awareness for each of their causes.
Ginger McGuire, Austin, TX, is a Senior Vice President with Lancaster Pollard Mortgage Company, and has more than 30 years experience in housing public policy and program management. She has worked for the federal government, Texas state government, nonprofits and private corporations. She has served as a board or advisory member for numerous organizations including the Congressional Federal Credit Union, Fannie Mae, Dallas Affordable Housing Coalition and Volunteers of America Texas.
Vice Chairman – Eric L. Sass, Reston, VA, is the Chief Operating Officer and President of Strategic Communications & Learning for healthy Companies International, an international research and management consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia. Previously, Eric spent 22-years as a senior executive at the PBS TV Network, leading national programming, fundraising, technology development, administration and computer services, human resources, audience research, joint ventures, and business development. He is a director and vice chairman of the Greater Reston Arts Center and has served on the Board of Directors of the National Urban League.
David J. Nathan, New York, NY, is a partner at the law firm of Levin & Glasser, PC. He is currently the president of Congregation Shearith Israel, the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue. He has previously served as a trustee of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School and as a fellow of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. David lives with his wife, Rebecca, in New York, where they raised four children. David first met Phil Lilienthal in 1974, when he worked as a counselor at Camp Winnebago.
Mission
Global Camps Africa changes the lives of South Africa’s vulnerable children and youth by providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and training through a high-impact residential camp experience and continuing education, equipping young people with the life skills that will support them in becoming safe and productive adults who have hope for the future.
Founder and President
Veteran U.S. Camp Owner and Reston, Virginia Attorney Phillip Lilienthal
History
- Established in 2003 – Global Camps Africa is incorporated in the United States and received its 501(c)(3) exemption
- First residential camp program held in 2004 in South Africa — Camp Sizanani. Sizanani means ‘to help each other’ in Zulu
Facts and Figures
- Since 2004, up to six camp sessions have been held per year at Camp Sizanani, a rented site about an hour from Johannesburg, South Africa
- Coed and single gender camps serve South African youth, ages 11 to 16, mostly from Soweto
- More than 4,600 children have attended camp; up to 150 per session
- Thirty five counselors per session with 3-4 days pre-camp training; counselors include South African staff and international volunteers who pay their own transportation, room and board
- Seven 1-hour classes each day with critical life skills woven into each component in addition to special life skills classes
- HIV/AIDS prevention education
- Nutrition
- Sports
- Swimming
- Theater, storytelling, dancing and drumming, poetry
- Arts and crafts
- Adventure and Teamwork
- Evening programs include campfires, skits, games, and issues discussions
- Follow-up provided via biweekly “Kids Clubs” held on Saturdays, year-round at several locations around Soweto. Between 650 and 1,000 children attend each of the 23 sessions held annually
- Leveraged success by training and partnering for four added camps: KwaZulu Natal and Limpopo provinces and Cape Town in South Africa, and Children of Grace Camp in Uganda
- 100% donor-supported; funding comes from more than 1,500 generous individuals, as well as from foundations and businesses; donations cover costs associated with camps and Kids Clubs; no charge to participants
Executive Director – Emily Crowder joined Global Camps Africa (GCA) in 2010 to continue her work supporting children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. In her role as Executive Director at GCA, she is responsible for organizational and Board development, operational management, and the strategic coordination of fundraising and communications activities. Prior to joining GCA, Emily served as the Executive Team Lead at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where she facilitated the organization’s global strategic planning efforts, co-produced a documentary film about the Foundation’s work, and managed the Executive Office of the President and CEO. She received her graduate degree in global health policy in 2011.
Office Manager – Jessica Johnson is currently working with GCA in the capacity of Office Manager. She previously held the position of contractor for Development and Communications, which she began in March of 2011. Jessica oversees office operations, including donation processing, managing the database and reports, and also works closely with other staff members providing support for special projects. Jessica has worked in marketing for Sallie Mae and also in the government relocation arena. She is a Reston native and is proud to be working with such a wonderful organization.
Development Manager – Ann Granger. Ann has spent more than 30 years in the nonprofit world, both professionally and as a volunteer, and has had a keen interest HIV/AIDS since the epidemic began. She has experience in all aspects of development including event planning, volunteer management, communications, and grants. Before coming to Global Camps Africa, she was Development Manager for Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, an HIV prevention program for young people in Northern Virginia. As part of a Foreign Service family, Ann has gained a love and appreciation of other cultures and a deep concern for the effects of the AIDS pandemic worldwide. While living in Guatemala, she created a panel for that country’s AIDS quilt. When not working for GCA, Ann enjoys working in her home pottery studio.
Pamela W. Barnes
Ms. Barnes worked for more than 20 years in investment management and corporate finance in New York, including at GTE and RCA. She transitioned to the non-profit sector after having volunteered at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic and subsequently being asked to step into the Chief Operating Officer position there. She and her husband, Tim Barnes, were Peace Corps Volunteers in Paraguay from 1998 until 2000. Pam then served as the Vice President for Finance and Administration at the International Trachoma Institute. She went on to lead the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, first in the position of Chief Operating Officer, then as the President and Chief Executive Officer. After five years at Elizabeth Glaser, based primarily in Washington, DC, Pam returned home to New York and took on her current role as President and CEO at EngenderHealth, a non-profit organization working to improve health in more than twenty countries around the world. Pam and her husband, Tim, served as international vochelis, or camp counselors, at GCA’s Camp Sizanani in December 2009.
Frank J. Sasinowski
Mr. Sasinowski assists sponsors in developing new medicines and has helped secure FDA approval for hundreds of new drugs including more than 45 new molecular entities, often for serious and/or rare diseases. Frank joined FDA in 1983 as regulatory counsel in the Center for Drugs and Biologics, where he was key to implementing both the 1983 Orphan Drug law and the 1984 Hatch-Waxman law. Frank twice received the FDA Award of Merit. In 1987 he left the FDA as Deputy Director of the health policy staff in the Commissioner’s office and joined Hyman, Phelps & McNamara PC in Washington, DC.
Frank has served in leadership positions on several Boards of Directors, including The National Organization for Rare Disorders; the United States Pharmacopeia; the Catholic Medical Mission Board; the American Public Health Association; and biotechnology companies. He also serves as a volunteer Chaplain at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute in Fairfax, VA.
Frank holds a Masters of Science in nutritional sciences and a Masters of Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley, a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and genetics from Cornell University, and a Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Lawrence C. Pakula
Dr. Pakula, MD, has dedicated his professional and civic life to improving the lives of children. Though he followed in his father’s footsteps, this second-generation pediatrician clearly made his own tracks when he crafted a specialty working with children who encounter developmental, behavioral, and educational challenges.
His earliest medical experiences were garnered in Israel and the Philippines, and his global interest in children’s health has led him to engage in the health care of children beyond his own country. In his adopted home state of Maryland, he is a university professor, consultant, author, presenter, advocate, and editorial adviser for his profession’s foremost national organization. In recognition of his expertise, Baltimore Magazine has four times listed him as one of the area’s best physicians, and the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has honored him in the past as Pediatrician of the Year. Dr. Pakula is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University and continues in private practice.
Maurice Adams
Dr. Adams has more than twenty years’ experience (seventeen based in Africa) of global, not-for-profit organization and program management and leadership in areas of health, HIV/AIDS and education. Prior to his most recent role as Vice President of Country Management for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Maurice served as Africa Regional Operations Director, Chief of Party for several US-government funded programs, Country Director for EU/DFID-funded programs, Team Leader at UNICEF and CEO of one of the first UK-based AIDS international NGSs. His ongoing consultancy in organizational management, strategic planning and program implementation has assisted governments, UN agencies, companies, NGOs and CBOs across Africa, Europe, North America and South East Asia. Dr. Adams holds a doctorate in management and human development, a master’s degree in management of non-government organizations, and degrees in community health and social work. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.
Michael Brandwein
Mr. Brandwein is an internationally recognized expert on management, communication, leadership, team-building, and customer service. He has presented in every one of the 50 states, in most provinces of Canada, and on 6 of the 7 continents. He is the author of four best-selling books, Training Terrific Staff!, Training Terrific Staff! Volume Two, Super Staff SuperVision, and Learning Leadership, and wrote and presented three 1999 Emmy® award-winning televisions programs on communication, broadcast on PBS stations throughout the U.S. Michael’s Juris Doctor degree is from the University of Chicago. He served nine years as a trial lawyer and partner in a firm in Chicago until he left the practice of law in 1989 to pursue full-time his true passion of teaching and speaking. His undergraduate degree in Speech Communication is from the University of Illinois at Urbana, where he graduated summa cum laude as a Bronze Tablet Scholar, the highest academic distinction awarded by the University. He has directed training for Global Camps Africa’s counselors in Johannesburg, and also for a USAID/GGA training workshop for camp directors around South Africa. Michael is based in the Chicago area where he lives with his wife Donna, a professional sign language interpreter, and their two sons.
Harris Wofford
Senator Wofford represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1991 until 1995. The Senator has a long and distinguished career in pubic service, including roles as legal assistant to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 1954-1958; associate professor of law, Notre Dame Law School 1959-1960; coordinator of civil rights section of John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign; special assistant to President Kennedy and chairman of the Subcabinet Group on Civil Rights 1960-1962. He assisted in the formation of the Peace Corps, serving as special representative to Africa and subsequently as associate director 1962-1966. He has also presided over two insitutions of higher learning, as president of the College at Old Westbury (State University of New York) 1966-1970, and Bryn Mawr College 1970-1978. More recently, Senator Wofford has served as the CEO of the Corporation for National Service (Americorps), and chairman, then co-chairman of America’s Promise: The Alliance for Youth 2001-2004. Senator Wofford resides in Washington, DC.
Global Camps Africa
1606 Washington Plaza
Reston, VA 20190 USA
T (703) 437-0808
F (703) 437-8620
For general information or inquiries, please email Info@GlobalCampsAfrica.org or call (703) 437-0808.
For donation and development inquiries, please contact Phil Lilienthal at Phil@GlobalCampsAfrica.org
For all media inquiries, please contact Emily Crowder at Emily@GlobalCampsAfrica.org
To mail a donation, make checks payable Global Camps Africa and send to:
Global Camps Africa
1606 Washington Plaza
Reston, VA 20190
Federal Tax ID # 91-2191939