Our Mission:

Empowering rural communities to improve their living conditions

Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA is committed to combatting poverty and inequality in rural India. Our focus is to improve the lives of India’s most marginalized groups in order to contribute to a more just and equal society. We place particular emphasis on assisting the most vulnerable populations: children, women, and people with disabilities, to ensure that development in rural India leaves no one behind. Women in India are particularly affected by poverty because of societal discrimination.

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA uses a holistic approach to implement development programs. Through our local partners, Rural Development Trust, and others, we work with the most deprived communities in rural Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Together with our partners, we develop long-term solutions that empower communities and improve people’s individual living conditions, promoting social change.

Our unique “community-based approach” ensures sustainability, as communities become main actors in their own change. Communities identify common needs and solutions, and participate actively in their implementation. With the help of our donors, the Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA supports programs to ensure access to quality education, healthcare, housing and basic infrastructure, and to provide local communities with a sustainable livelihood.

In order to unlock the full potential of future generations, the empowerment of women and people with disabilities is particularly important. In community-based organizations, men and women are equally represented, which reinforces the role of women in their communities.

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA is part of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation worldwide network, which strives for change towards a caring, just, and equitable society. We work to achieve this goal together with Rural Development Trust, India; Fundación Vicente Ferrer, Spain; and Vicente Ferrer Foundation, Germany.

Rural Development Trust has been successfully implementing projects in India since 1969. The Fundación Vicente Ferrer was founded in Spain in 1996 and is now one of the largest foundations in Spain. The Vicente Ferrer Foundation has been operating from Germany since 2019. The Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA was established in the U.S. in 2013.

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA has no political or religious affiliation.

Where We Work

Our Team

Ushree Roy
Senior Director
ushree@vffusa.org

Ushree is a global development expert with extensive experience directing women empowerment, organizational sustainability, and resource development. Demonstrated expertise includes business innovation, training, M&E, revenue stream diversification, DEI, change management, and board relations. She served as a senior executive at state government-run departments in India, social enterprises, and non-governmental organizations. Academically, Ushree has an MSc in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics, United Kingdom, and an MBA from Jadavpur University, India.

Estibaliz Jimenez-Kenoyer
Finance and Administration Manager
Estibaliz@vffusa.org

Estibaliz Jimenez-Kenoyer is the Finance and Administration Manager for VFF USA. She holds a BA in Economics and Business Administration from Universidad de Deusto, San Sebastián (Spain) and an International MBA from Stratford University, Falls Church, Virginia. For more than 20 years, she has developed her professional career in Business Administration with a focus in Finance and Management in the multinational Corenso group. She is an expert in financial analysis, business processes, and managing projects. Estibaliz managed the company Corenso Tolosana for 7 years. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.

Jahnavi Nikkam
Development & Operations Manager
jahnavi@vffusa.org

Jahnavi Nikkam is the Development and Operations Manager for VFF USA. She studied Sociology and International Studies, with a concentration in International Development at Trinity University. Her academic work focused on structural inequality, global health, and gender justice, which informs her intersectional approach to social impact. Prior to joining VFF USA, Jahnavi advised mission-driven organizations as a strategy consultant and held roles across the nonprofit, legal, and philanthropic sectors. She brings expertise in development strategy, cross-continental operations, and stakeholder engagement, with a proven ability to mobilize resources and build partnerships that advance equity-driven initiatives. Deeply committed to sustainable, community-led transformation, Jahnavi is passionate about reimagining systems to expand opportunity and dignity for historically marginalized populations.

Our Board

Jordi Folgado Ferrer

Board Member

Martin Gurria

Treasurer

Srilekha Palle

Board Member

Xavier Ruiz

Secretary

Charu Panajkar

Board Member

Prem Gangalakunta

Board Member

Dr. Kumar

Board Member