Katherine Zavala
Katherine Zavala aka Katherine ZP is Director of Grassroots Partnerships at Thousand Currents.[1]
Background
A native of Peru, Katherine Zavala has journeyed through years of learnings, strategic shifts, experimentation, and relationship-building in global philanthropy since 2006. Katherine has spent the majority of her career at Thousand Currents, starting as an intern at the organization (formerly known as IDEX) and working her way through several iterations of program positions and directorships, all with a focus on channeling funds to grassroots organizations and social movements in the Global South.
Currently as Director of Grassroots Partnerships, she supports the Regional Directors and Grants Manager to model long-term engagement and commitment to not just individual organizations, but whole ecosystems of grassroots actors working towards collective self-determination and social transformation. Katherine has been invited to spend significant time with indigenous organizations and social movements in Latin America, including with AFEDES, an indigenous women-led organization in Guatemala (and a long-term Thousand Currents partner) and the Movement of People Affected by Dams (also a Thousand Currents partner) in Brazil. As a writer, Katherine’s work champions Indigenous cosmovision and activism, and highlights how Indigenous women’s leadership and resilience is at the heart of dignified livelihoods and sustainable ecosystems.[2]
Education
Katherine Zavala earned a Master’s in International Relations from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Florida International University.[3]
LeftRoots
I’m so excited to participate in this week’s LeftRoots Leap to collectively raise $200,000 from October 21st to 25th.
As someone who has been inspired from the social movements in the Global South, I have witnessed and understood the need and discipline required to participate in a national political project. Many times I have heard movement leaders from the Global South ask, “and what are people in the United States doing to transform their society? We need them to be part of this path towards system change, where we can all live in a world that is just, where everyone can live with dignity, with collective self-determination, and can live in relationship with Mother Earth.”
LeftRoots is an organization that is continually developing and learning to strengthen its members to have a rigor political education, a support system to build a diverse range of capacities and more importantly, an intentional program to develop skills to become better strategists, all to move us forward on a revolutionary path.
Join me and many others in building resources from the grassroots to take on this path of collective transformation in the US.
Today, you can help me raise $500 for LeftRoots. Please give what you can: $10, $50, $100, or more, but please give.
In solidarity,
Katherine[4]
Brazilian conference
Senowa Mize-Fox October 4, 2017 near Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil ·
Marching in the rain during the rally against privitization of eletrobras and petrobras — with Lydia Joels Simas, Jaron Browne, Flavia Busarello, Katherine ZP and Dallas Goldtooth.