Who are we?

About us

Secodev is a non-governmental organisation with charitable status whose mission is to fight and extinguish poverty in the south. Its development assistance program “Reversing the process of impoverishment of rural populations” has been developed with local partners and is based on the needs of the world’s most severely disadvantaged communities.

Focused on countries which have suffered from armed conflicts or are still experiencing unstable geopolitical conditions, Secodev operates in isolated regions where wars and violence have claimed many victims, first and foremost, women and children.

Thanks to its expertise in food sovereignty and vocational training, Secodev empowers supported communities, in particular small rural families and women and children, to become dynamic actors of change, taking control and improving their living conditions in a sustainable manner.

Through a vigorous social inclusion methodology, Secodev ensures the most vulnerable social strata, often forgotten, are included in its programs. This includes widows, widowers, young people, young single mothers, and ex-prisoners.

Our missions & values Our projects

Background

1966

Establishment of a Development Cooperation division within Caritas Geneva, under the name of Caritas Tiers-Monde (Caritas Developing World)

1967

Secodev becomes a member of the Fédération Genevoise de Coopération (Geneva Cooperation Federation)

2010

Caritas Tiers-Monde changes its name to Secodev, Service de Coopération au Développement de Caritas Genève (Secodev, Caritas Geneva Development Cooperation division)

2012

First funding by the FGC of a four-year action plan

2014

Secodev becomes an autonomous association with the appointment of its own committee and Secretary general. Maintains close collaboration with Caritas Geneva

2016

Second four-year action plan

2019

Appointment of a new Secretary general

2020

Awarded the Zewo label

2020

Third four-year action plan

Organisation, team and committee

Secodev is an association whose secretariat is based in Geneva. It is a small organization, headed by a director supported by two employees, a program manager and a communication and fundraising officer, as well as by a committee composed of volunteers.

Team

Anne Simon

Managing Director

Parcours

Anne Simon, appointed Director of Secodev, has more than 25 years of experience in management and global strategy consulting, not only in non-governmental organizations, but also in the public and private sectors. She has guided various organizations in the implementation of strategies to carry out programs in the fields of international solidarity and development cooperation. She recently supported the Silvana Arbia Foundation in the development of their program and strategy for the prevention of child soldier issues in Africa and the Middle East.

As Executive Director of the European Federation of Soroptimists International, an organization of over 80,000 women in 126 countries, she was responsible for advocacy at the United Nations. Prior to that, she developed her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), where she spent many years managing the Strategy and Intelligence Research division in the Middle East and the Global External Affairs department in New York.

After five years as a technical commissioner, Anne is now a member of the board of the Fédération genevoise de coopération (FGC), which brings together over 60 associations. She continues to work as a consultant for several foundations and non-profit organizations. She is the co-author of several publications, including the Arab Women Leadership Outlook 2009-2011, a pioneering report on the issues and challenges facing Arab women.

Leny Mora-Monteros

Program Manager

Parcours

Leny Mora-Monteros holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Foreign Languages and a Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Multilingual Communication from Stendhal University in Grenoble, France (2015).

Before joining Secodev, he worked in Grenoble and Geneva as a project manager in the field of development cooperation. He also worked as a project coordinator for Africa and Latin America in a Geneva-based NGO.

Currently, Leny, as Program Manager at Secodev, is responsible for the planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects in Africa. Since November 2021, he is also a member of the financial control commission of the Geneva Federation of Cooperation (FGC).

Léana Polard

Communication and Fundraising Officer

Parcours

Léana Polard holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s degree in African Studies from the University of Geneva (2022).

Passionate about human rights and issues in the South, she has volunteered for non-governmental organizations and human rights events.

Prior to joining Secodev, she was involved in a Swiss NGO working in sub-Saharan Africa, which confirmed her willingness to work in the field of development cooperation.

She joined Secodev in May 2023, as Communications and Fundraising Officer.