WWO Community Gatherings 2026

With a business background, a degree in intercultural studies, and experience in organizing interdenominational conferences, teams, and events since his college years, Karmen has a passion for seeing Christians come together for what is on God’s heart. For over a decade, he led the CoMission for Children at Risk, facilitating networking to resource and equip leaders, organizations, and churches globally to serve children more effectively. In helping to develop national collaborative initiatives, Karmen has experienced the power of Christian leaders coming together to engage churches and organizations in their own countries for family care for orphaned and vulnerable children. He has helped lead World Without Orphans for 15 years and currently serves as the principal coordinator of the WWO Executive Team. Karmen and his wife, Kristen, have two young adult children and live in Pennsylvania, USA.

Faby Ruesga, originally from Mexico City, has dedicated nearly 30 years to serving marginalized communities, primarily in Asia for the last 24 years. With over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, she holds a multicultural executive leadership role at Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Faby focuses on empowering marginalized communities through advocacy for fostering and adoption, raising awareness, and encouraging a mindset that values family units for children. As the founder of YWAM Tuen Mun and YWAM's Food Bank in Hong Kong, she impacts thousands of lives monthly, advocating for the city's most vulnerable populations. Utilizing her networking and team-building skills, she has formed teams from over 46 countries. Her advocacy promotes movements that support at-risk children in Hong Kong and East Asia. Committed to the vision of a World Without Orphans, Faby strives to develop global leaders who will further this mission.

Praveen dreams of a day when communities flourish, leaving no one behind. To achieve this, Praveen believes that the family unit plays an integral and crucial role in modeling and fostering a safe, loving, and nurturing environment that empowers children. To this end, Praveen joined World Without Orphans to further their vision.
Praveen was previously attached to a non-profit organization where he led a country-wide campaign in partnership with the government, inter-faith groups, and grassroot community leaders. Before that, he managed a branch of an IT firm in North America, served as a project initiator and educator in a remote village in Timor-Leste, and managed the Human Resource function of a corporate in Sri Lanka. Praveen currently lives in Colombo with his wife and three children while serving as the implementation lead for World Without Orphans.

Shamindra’s primary focus is on ensuring that no child grows up without the support of a nurturing family, through advocating for one child and one family at a time. Shamindra has developed a learning community that meets periodically, either regionally or within Sri Lanka, to strategize and work toward making this vision a reality. 

Shamindra and his team collaborate closely with church leaders in Sri Lanka. Their mission is to raise awareness among congregations and communities about the challenges of orphanhood, encouraging families within the church to consider adoption, fostering, or providing guardianship to vulnerable children. He believes in the transformative power of faith communities and mobilizes them to play a vital role in the lives of children who need nurturing families. 

Shamindra's passion for making a positive impact on the lives of children is complemented by his active involvement in teaching Sunday school at the local church he attends with his family. He enjoys a hands-on approach to contributing to the well-being and holistic development of children within his community. 

Shamindra commenced his career with Ernst & Young as a certified public accountant and has accumulated over 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. Having lived and worked in the USA for an extended period, he made a significant life choice in 2017 by returning to Sri Lanka with his family, with the goal of making a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable children in his home country. 

Having been involved with the leadership of WWO since 2015, Lubo loves to share the Father heart of God through mentoring and coaching. Being passionate about growing the capacity of national and regional teams, Lubo is involved in forming and growing the WWO learning communities in different parts of the world and seeing nations collaborate to solve the orphan crisis in their own local context. He brings over 30 years of ministry experience, with a background of working in the context of churches, Christian organizations and consulting.

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Sue is a passionate advocate for her country and its children. She founded Kukosha in 2014 with the vision of enabling children to remain in their family of origin and preventing the separation and institutionalization of infants and children. Kukosha’s primary intervention is food security, which consistently proves to be a game changer for families seeking to provide care and stability for their children. Kukosha is the biggest supplier of infant formula in the country, and it provides consistent food security on a monthly basis to high-risk families and foster parents. Kukosha cares for teen mothers using a foster care model and advocates for local adoption where needed. Sue is passionate about building capacity for individuals and organizations as they seek to improve care for children and ensure positive long-term outcomes.  

Zimbabwe Without Orphans is a leading organization in Zimbabwe’s child welfare community. It provides training for social workers, educators, practitioners and caregivers in best childcare practices, trauma-informed care, child protection and safeguarding, and the WWO roadmap. Sue is a master trainer for LAMb International, an international accredited trainer for the National Children at Risk Network, a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner, and a graduate of the Trauma Research Foundation. She is the mother of seven sons and two daughters and lives in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Goropevsek is Co-Coordinator of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Children’s Network and has served the WEA in a variety of international leadership roles since 2012, including as Representative to the United Nations in New York. Originally from Slovakia and now residing in the United States, she is passionate about advancing the well-being, discipleship, and flourishing of children worldwide. Holding a Doctor of Ministry degree, Rebecca is widely recognized for her advocacy for vulnerable children, family-based care, and global collaboration on behalf of children. Through her leadership, teaching, and writing, she equips churches and Christian leaders to engage more effectively in holistic ministry to children and families. At WWO CG26, Rebecca brings extensive international experience, a deep commitment to children and families, and a vision to see every child nurtured within a loving family and a thriving faith community.

Susan serves at Oxford University and Imperial College London as senior research officer and co-chair of the Global Reference Group on Children Affected by Crisis: Joint Estimates and Action, which is hosted by the World Health Organization and includes as its members Harvard, Oxford, Imperial College, University College London, the World Bank, USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Maestral International, and World Without Orphans. She is also associate dean for continuing medical and dental education for physicians serving in mission hospitals globally. Furthermore, Susan serves as senior technical advisor for the World Without Orphans movement. She was previously a career officer and senior scientist at the CDC and has more than 150 scientific publications. Her experience as an adoptive mother of 11 children has shown her, along with her husband and faith community, that unfailing love is unfailing. 

Sylvain Vergnon is the Founder and Director of Fondacioni Alo!Mik, a Christian organization serving vulnerable children and families in Albania since 2003. Under his leadership, Alo!Mik has developed a wide range of programs focused on child protection, trauma-informed care, family strengthening, community development, and support for children at risk of abuse, neglect, and social exclusion.

Driven by a vision to see children flourish and become agents of positive change in their communities, Sylvain has dedicated more than two decades to building services and partnerships that help children and families move from brokenness to wholeness. His work combines compassionate care, practical support, leadership development, and the mobilization of churches and local stakeholders on behalf of vulnerable children.

Sylvain is also actively involved in the Albania Without Orphans movement, helping to promote family-based care and collaborative action among churches, ministries, and community leaders. At WWO CG26, he brings extensive experience in child and family ministry, trauma-informed practice, and faith-based community transformation, together with a deep commitment to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, loving, and supportive family environment.

Born and raised in Ukraine, Andrii Fedun is passionate to advocate for the fatherless around the world. In previous roles Andrii served as Director of the Alliance for Ukraine Without Orphans and as Program Director of the Ukrainian Bible Society. His personal focus has been to support the needs of neglected children and orphans through direct care and transition programs. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of child welfare, working with churches, NGOs, and the government. Andrii resides in Kyiv with his wife and young son.

Pastor Kathy Cueson serves at Cornerstone Community Church in the Philippines, where she is known for her passionate teaching, preaching, and commitment to helping individuals and families grow in their relationship with Christ. She is an active leader within the Philippines Without Orphans movement, serving as part of its facilitation team and helping mobilize churches, ministries, and Christian leaders to work together so that every child can experience the love, care, and belonging of a family. Through her ministry, she encourages believers to live out their faith with humility, compassion, and wholehearted devotion to God. At WWO CG26, Pastor Kathy brings valuable experience in church mobilization, family strengthening, and collaborative ministry, along with a deep passion to see children thrive in safe, nurturing, and Christ-centered families.

Salam Gammoh is the Director of Operations at SANADAK. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies. She is passionate about strengthening families, equipping caregivers, and supporting vulnerable children.