About
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Jessica Hammer Benaim is Co-Founder and CEO of Programa VALENTINA, an impact enterprise focus on solving unemployment and underemployment in at risk populations, specially women and immigrants. VALENTINA has been the fastest funded program by the BID LAB and is the first project funded by Acumen in GUATEMALA. Through an innovative training and certification program VALENTINA is consider the match.com of impact placement. Before Co-creating VALENTINA, Jessica was the executive director of FUNSEPA an organization that improves the quality of education in Guatemala through technology. FUNSEPA has benefited over 400,000 children, trained 80,000 teachers, and equipped more than 1,300 schools with computers and educational software. Jessica was also the director of Guatemala SANA Foundation, which focuses on education, health, nutrition and environment in Sacatepéquez. As director of Guatemala SANA, Jessica created an alliance with TOMS Shoes, bringing more than 300,000 pairs of shoes to the country. Jessica has more than 15 years of experience working with social causes, from children with disabilities in Tibet, to children with HIV in Gambia, sexual workers in Curacao, at risk adolescents in Venezuela, and orchestral music in Guatemala. Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and health: science, society and policy from Brandeis University, where she received the Outstanding Senior Award, and a master’s degree in international health from the University of Copenhagen. Jessica was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and currently lives in Guatemala with her husband and two children. Jessica is a Fellow of the 13th class of the Central America Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
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