It has been a privilege to work alongside Danielle Chekaraou in two distinct professional settings, first at Food for the Hungry and more recently at World Vision U.S. In both contexts, her technical excellence, leadership, and collaborative spirit have stood out remarkably.
While at Food for the Hungry, I had the opportunity to witness Danielle’s outstanding business development skills during an incredibly challenging period at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Danielle played a pivotal role in leading the design and writing of several high-quality concept notes and proposals for USAID, including initiatives in Kenya, Bangladesh, Peru, and across Latin America. Her ability to rapidly mobilize teams, synthesize technical information, and develop compelling, contextually appropriate proposals was critical in helping the organization respond quickly and strategically to a rapidly evolving global crisis.
During our time together at World Vision, I observed another facet of Danielle’s expertise, her depth and leadership in Social and Behavior Change (SBC) and immunization. Her technical guidance in the design, implementation, and evaluation of SBC interventions was instrumental in strengthening the capacity of staff across the organization. Whether she was facilitating workshops, developing tools, or advising project teams, Danielle consistently demonstrated mastery in SBC frameworks such as Barrier Analysis and Designing for Behavior Change. Her work in areas like Care Group and health promotion material development significantly improved the quality and impact of programming. World Vision staff repeatedly expressed how much they valued the skills and approaches she brought, and how her mentorship helped build lasting capacity in SBC design and implementation.
Danielle is a rare professional who combines strategic thinking with deep technical expertise and a genuine commitment to empowering others. I am confident that anyone who has the opportunity to collaborate with her will benefit greatly from her wisdom, creativity, and passion for transformative change.
Joel Mercado
Social and Behavior Change Senior Technical Advisor
World Vision U.S.