Our Team
Dr. Fred Oola
Dr. Fred, a young physician from Northern Uganda who grew up in the context of the North's civil war, co-founded TCII in 2004. As a child, he had the good fortune to obtain sponsorship to attend boarding school from foreign donors and subsequently gained admission to medical school. Now a practicing physician in Northern Uganda, Fred is acutely aware of how fortunate he was and is committed to creating the same opportunity he benefited so much from for other children from his home. This commitment inspired him to found TCII with his colleagues in the US and Canada.
Co-Founder & Uganda Executive Director
Jennifer is TCII’s In-Country director and has led TCII from our Gulu office in Northern Uganda for the past 15 years . She holds a degree in Project Planning and Management and has a background in accounting. Jennifer assiduously maintains The Child is Innocent’s financial records. Much more than this, however, Jennifer serves as as the leader for all of our programs on the ground in Northern Uganda and is a mentor, friends and inspiration to every student and graduate of this program. She oversees every element of our Ugandan financial operations, programming, scholarship selection, community engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and alumni network coordination.
Director of Programs, Uganda
Mrs. Jennifer Akello
Dr. Kevin Schwartz
Dr. Kevin co-founded The Child is Innocent in 2004 with Dr. Fred when both were medical students and roommates. They wrote TCII's first mission statement sitting at their kitchen table together in Massachusetts. Now a Pediatric Emergency Medicine doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, Dr. Kevin’s research interests are in capacity building in East Africa and he continues to love spending time with the community that has welcomed him in Northern Uganda.
Co-Founder & US Executive Director
Robbie Ross
Robbie first got involved with TCII as an overeager freshman at Harvard in 2006, and he's been enamored with the organization and this community ever since. He brings experience building a leadership academy for high school students in Washington, DC and currently works in NYC at Purpose, a home for 21st century movement-building. He's spent a number of summers on the ground in Gulu, researching post-conflict reconciliation practices.
Clerk & Board Member
Mr. John Odoch
John has been a port of TCII since it’s very beginnings in 2004. He supports student recruitment, needs assessments, transport, and all of the support services needed for our students to succeed in school. He is also an active member of the community in Northern Uganda and a mentor and friend to our students and graduates.
Student Services Coordinator, Uganda
Edwine Michel
Edwine joined TCII in 2014 to serve as the finance director and treasurer. Currently, Edwine is the senior manager of economic evaluation in global business development for a large multinational. Prior to this role, Edwine was a project manager for various governmental programs. In addition, he has broad experience in strategy development and financial management & analysis. Edwine earned his MBA at Boston University, and holds a B.A. in Physics and B.S., M.S. degrees in Optics from the University of Rochester. Originally from Miami, Edwine now lives in Denver, CO.
Treasurer & Board Member
Director of Leadership Training & Board MemberJames Sibelle has spent over a decade working with youth in wilderness-based programs, outdoor education, and traditional summer camp settings. He brought his experience to The Child is Innocent for the first time in 2016 helping direct the leadership training and has subsequently developed our signature peer-based Leadership Training curriculum. James currently resides in Vermont where he runs, hikes, paddles, and wanders.