Lauren van der Walt

Optio

United States

Lauren serves as the Executive Director and Founder of Optio and holds a lecturer position in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. At Optio, Lauren works with grassroots organizations in Central America to dismantle the multifaceted barriers—political, legal, economic, and cultural—that hinder access to reproductive rights in the region. Lauren is hoping to use the WLW fellowship to transition Optio into an organization that empowers young women to enhance health and human rights within their local communities through independent projects and initiatives."

About
Me.

What is your story?

What drives your work?

Following my college graduation, I dedicated five years to working on diverse projects around the world. Some of these jobs involved interviewing youth on sexual practices in Ugandan IDP camps, producing a documentary that shed light on the plight of political prisoners in Burma, and designing health interventions for refugees in a rural village in Thailand. These diverse experiences exposed me to the profound injustices prevailing worldwide, while simultaneously introducing me to the remarkable efforts of young individuals in these regions who are actively working to overcome these challenges. Upon returning to school for my master's and doctorate, I was determined to leverage my privilege (as someone living in the US) to advance the initiatives of individuals and organizations operating in restrictive settings, where opportunities were not as readily available.

Describe your biggest strength as a leader

I value the specific knowledge that each person brings to the team, especially my employees in Central America, who have a much more nuanced understanding of the unique contexts in which we operate. I have always worked hard to build organizational structures that are horizontal and encourage collaboration on all levels. Within this structure, I provide guidance without micromanaging, empowering my team members to independently determine the optimal approaches to achieve our desired outcomes. I believe this approach encourages innovation, creativity, and growth. Additional strengths I have include strategic thinking, empathy, and integrity.

Describe your biggest challenge as a leader

Throughout my career, I have had to part ways with several team members. This aspect of my role has always been challenging. I tend to form close relationships with my employees, which sometimes results in individuals staying longer than necessary. Additionally, managing and tracking due dates for my team has been an ongoing challenge. Despite implementing tools such as Asana and Monday.com, encouraging consistent use among the team has proven to be a significant hurdle.

About the
Organization
and the Project.

Sector

Fiscally sponsored project

Website

https://optio.org/

lauren@optio.org

Vision & Mission

Mission: Optio is an international non-profit organization that works with grassroots organizations in Central America to remove the political, legal, economic and cultural obstacles that prevent women and girls from accessing their reproductive rights.

Vision: We aspire to be an efficient and innovative organization, recognized for its impact in facilitating access to reproductive health and justice for all women and girls in Central America.

Year Founded

2020

No. of Employees

Years in the Organization

4 years

Annual Budget (USD)

$1,000,000

Geographical Area Served

Central America

Organizational /

Project Description

- One Year Project Goal:
I would like to reshape my organization from a frontline NGO working on reproductive rights into an incubator for similar projects, equipping emerging leaders with the essential tools and resources they need to make their initiatives sustainable. This transformation will not only foster their growth as leaders but also ensure the longevity and impact of their work within their communities.

-Objectives:
- Develop a New Mission and Vision: Craft a new mission and vision for the organization that aligns with our evolving goals and strategic direction.
- Define Scope of Work:
· Topical Scope: Determine whether to maintain a focus solely on reproductive health/rights or to expand into broader areas such as health and human rights.
· Regional Scope: Decide whether to continue our efforts in Latin America and the United States or to extend our reach to additional regions.
- Establish Operational Structure for the Incubator:
· Recruitment Strategy: Outline methods for attracting new projects.
· Support Framework: Specify the types of support Optio will provide, including mentoring, resources, and logistical assistance.
· Financial Support: Set parameters for seed funding amounts for new projects.
· Note: These elements have been partially explored in a new course at Berkeley designed to generate projects, and further discussions will help refine these ideas.
- Secure Sustainable Funding: Design and implement strategies to ensure a continuous funding stream for both the organization and the projects it supports.
- Mentorship Commitment: Commit to mentoring a cohort of 3-5 emerging projects by the end of the fellowship period, guiding them toward successful implementation and growth.

Why is this project important and timely?

What is the target population of your project?

For the past two decades, I have collaborated with many young women who have devised innovative solutions to pressing reproductive and human rights challenges in their communities. Some of these women are implementing their ideas on a volunteer basis, demonstrating remarkable passion, creativity, and determination. However, they face significant barriers that threaten the long-term viability of their efforts, both for themselves and the communities they serve. Key challenges include insufficient resources, limited respect due to their age, and a lack of certain tools and skills necessary. My informal interactions with these women, under the umbrellas of Optio and Berkeley, have unveiled a significant opportunity.

How will you know that you have achieved that impact? What data will you use to assess your impact?

Each project will have its own plan for monitoring and evaluation, a fundamental topic we will teach during our training sessions. I will gauge the success of my organization by the achievements and sustainability of the initiatives we support. Specifically, success will be measured by whether these initiatives meet their objectives, demonstrate growth and flourish, and sustain operations for more than five years.

How do you anticipate this unique leadership education impacting you personally? What new skills are you hoping too develop & grow through this experience?

I am enthusiastic about the prospect of connecting with fellow leaders from nonprofit organizations operating in the same and different fields. I look forward to gaining insights from their experiences, engaging in collaborative idea exchanges, and actively working to bring my idea to fruition.

Where would you like to see yourself professionally in the next 3 years?

In three years, I hope to have successfully transitioned my organization into an incubator for projects poised to achieve impact comparable to, or exceeding, that of Optio. I would like my day to day work to focus on guiding the next generation of leaders, empowering them to implement inventive and sustainable solutions to a number of pressing health and human rights issues.