Roland Paanakker (rear center) has visited several Children International agencies, including the Philippines, since lending his support to our mission.
Roland Paanakker
CI BOARD MEMBER & GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY COUNCIL CO-CHAIR
Roland Paanakker is a global business executive and consultant with a track record of delivering transformational results. With more than 30 years of Fortune 500 industry experience, including 20 years in executive leadership roles with companies such as Nike Inc. and Levi Strauss & Co., he is known as a change agent with strategic vision. A native of the Netherlands, he and his wife, Barbara, a gifted contemporary artist, have pledged to donate a minimum of 25% of his net consulting proceeds to nonprofits focused on empowering women to create a better life for themselves and their families through access to education, health care and shelter.
I’ve found it deeply rewarding to champion causes that meet urgent needs and equip those who are vulnerable with skills and access that can help them forge bright futures in an empowering and self-sustaining way.
Since retiring from corporate life and starting my consulting and coaching business in 2017, I’ve supported charitable organizations in various ways. I pledged at that time to donate at least 25% of my income to charitable organizations that empower girls and young women. One of the opportunities to serve and give back that resonated with me most was the global nonprofit Children International.
The organization’s approach, focus and relentless drive to foster impact and innovation stood out to my wife, Barbara, and me. We selected five nonprofits to champion and, in the years following, Barbara and I have become passionate supporters and advocates for Children International and what the organization stands for.
My journey with the organization deepened when I joined the board five years ago. In that time, I’ve traveled to several of CI’s 13 locations around the world to see firsthand the lives we are changing through child and youth development support. I’ve also met some of the organization’s graduates, who, thanks to Children International’s Into Employment® initiative, have landed jobs or launched businesses that have allowed them to work their way out of poverty.
One of the unforgettable experiences Barbara and I have had with Children International was our first trip to Guatemala to visit the children and see the programs in action. We had many opportunities to engage with the incredibly passionate local staff, many of whom are former sponsored kids.
Barbara and Roland participate in a Sports for Development activity during their first visit to Guatemala in 2019.
Meeting with the kids and hearing the impact the organization is making in their lives inspired us — as did experiencing their passion and energy to break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. It was striking to see how committed these young adults were to give back to their communities and help their entire families. Visits to their homes and their neighborhoods also left a lasting impression. That field trip, and others, have been life-changing for us.
In our new roles as Global Philanthropy Council co-chairs for the organization, Barbara and I are among a dozen philanthropists who have been tapped to share the incredible mission of Children International with our friends and networks and actively fundraise to support the organization’s transformative mission and work. We recently hosted a fantastic event in Portland to do just that.
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and meet new friends, all coming together to support Children International and another worthy organization focused on improving the futures of children and youth. The energy in the room was palpable as everyone connected, learned and contributed to a cause so close to our hearts.
A primary philanthropic focus for Barbara and me has always been to create opportunities for education and employment for impoverished children and youth around the world, and we’ve gotten our three adult daughters on board. As a family, we are grateful to witness how our investment in young lives is helping break the cycle of poverty. In doing so, we empower youth worldwide to become productive citizens in their communities.
I invite my fellow philanthropists to consider Children International. It is among the few organizations that provide the opportunity to see a child’s growth and evolution from age 2 through young adulthood, and it is gratifying to watch youth blossom and become sustainably employed adults, charting brighter futures.
Roland and Barbara (middle back) and other board members traveled to the Philippines in November 2023 to meet with Children International staff and young people. These children greeted the board members wearing hats depicting the careers they hope to have when they grow up.
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