Tommy Simmons
United Kingdom

Aged 25 I "discovered" poverty in Africa and felt I could contribute to its alleviation by constituting an Italian branch of the NGO Amref. I founded Amref Italy in 1987 and in the course of the following 27 years built it up into a reputable, well known and well supported organization - mainly through innovative use of media and goodwill ambassadors, never exploiting the emotional appeal of extreme poverty and always in full respect of the dignity of the final beneficiaries of our work. I focussed on a diversified use of media tools, institutional funding, cultural events, advertising and good administration, acquiring a varied experience and perspective on reaching out to a diversified audience and working with mainly volunteer professionals in a diverse range of fields.