Member Spotlight: Cheryl Houser
In this month’s Member Spotlight, we hear from Cheryl Houser. Cheryl is a longtime member of the East Africa pod and a wonderful advocate and liaison to Dandelion Africa.
How did you first get involved with Pangea?
When I became an empty nester, I was looking to get involved with a non-profit focused on women’s empowerment in developing countries. I was hoping to find one with like-minded folks where I could not only be a donor but also volunteer and learn about global issues.
Having traveled extensively throughout the world over the years seeing so much inequity, I had a burning desire to learn more about global development. So, I attended a weekend workshop facilitated by an expert in the field here in Seattle. There, I met 4 Pangea members, and was intrigued with what they shared. They invited me to their upcoming event entitled “Supporting Women as Change Agents” and told me they had just added gender equity to its funding criteria requiring grantees to include women in leadership and decision-making roles. This was a BINGO for me!
I became an official member in November of 2009 after attending my first East Africa pod meeting.
How have you participated in Pangea as a member?
I have been an active member of the East Africa grantmaking pod for over 11 years, including serving as a liaison for two partner organizations; Omeko Women’s Group (2010-2012) and Dandelion Africa (2013-present). I served on Pangea’s Board for 7 years managing the organization’s communications (2012-2018). I also participated in two Pangea site visit trips to East Africa—Kenya in 2015 and Kenya, Uganda and Burundi in 2018.
What do you appreciate most about being a Pangea member?
I love Pangea’s model of funding community-based grassroots organizations over multiple years and have seen it have incredible impact. There is always something to learn. Also, I enjoy interacting with the wonderful community of our members. I look forward to the day when we can all be together again.
What is something other Pangea members may like to know about you?
I have been interested in living in a foreign culture for an extended period for decades but circumstances were never such to make that a reality. My husband, Dennis Wackerbarth (also a member) and I are just finishing building a house in a small Mexican village called Ajijic where we have visited the past 4 years and developed a community of friends (Lake Chapala area near Guadalajara). There is a fairly large expat community there but the village is primarily inhabited by local Mexicans and is filled with rustic charm and culture. We plan to live there 3-4 months of the year (post covid) and use it as a base to explore other parts of Mexico. I am looking forward to being part of that community and hope to improve my Spanish. Enough so that perhaps someday, I can participate in a Pangea site visit to Oaxaca.
