Who we are

Hello! I am Anca, founder and director of La Sobremesa. I have been working with and accompanying civil society organizations and networks in Latin America and the global south for over a decade, as a designer and facilitator of change processes. In my experience, I saw - and I see - a lack of spaces for reflection and learning, and for thinking and rethinking realistic solutions from civil society. I support organizations to design their strategies and to rethink and strengthen their institutions, structures and teams. I really enjoy supporting people who focus on improving the realities of their countries. Before La Sobremesa, I was the Matchbox coordinator for The Engine Room in Latin America and then at a Global level, where I accompanied dozens of organizations to be more strategic with the use of technology and data. Prior to that, I worked for Ciudadanía Inteligente in Chile, where I co-founded and led the Developing Latin America project, one of the first networks around open data in the region, to seek solutions to social problems. I co-founded the AbreLatAm regional de-conference, a space to discuss and innovate in the opening of data and governments. I have a master’s degree in Development Practice from SIPA at Columbia University. I was born in Romania, I grew up in the United States, and within the last ten years I have worked from Chile and now Mexico for all of Latin America.

Hi, I am Tania, I am a philosopher, I have a master’s degree in philosophy of culture, and I am currently a doctoral candidate in philosophy at UNAM. I have extensive experience in the development of educational content, research, and facilitation of learning processes. At La Sobremesa, I work hand in hand with Anca in the design, facilitation, systematization and analysis of the accompaniments that are co-designed and facilitated for the organizations, networks and donors with which we collaborate. As a workshop facilitator, I have had the opportunity to work with academic and governmental institutions, generating spaces for reflection and dialogue on issues of interculturality, human rights, justice, and feminisms. My passion for fostering active/critical participation and dialogue has driven me to continue my trajectory within the processes of collective construction with civil society organizations. I firmly believe in the transformative power of critical education and dialogue to promote more empathetic and just societies. Therefore, I am excited to contribute to institutional strengthening and social change in the Latin American civil society ecosystem.

Hi! I’m Aniela, an Argentinean motivated and inspired by social communication. I trained as a community communicator and graduated in organizational consulting at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). I have more than 12 years of experience working with civil society organizations, with a focus on community communication and coordination. I have experience in team management, planning and strategy development, external and internal communication and digital marketing and communication tools. I am passionate about accompanying organizations to tell their story, make their advocacy work visible, optimize their impact and support them in achieving their goals. Before joining La Sobremesa, I worked as communications coordinator at Asuntos del Sur, an organization dedicated to human rights and with direct impact on democracies in Latin America. Currently, I am a member of the Board of Directors of this NGO. I also teach digital marketing at the Universidad del Valle de México and I am an external communications collaborator for civil society organizations.

Hello! I’m Helene Saadoun. I am French-Uruguayan, but I am based in Mexico City. I am a lawyer with a master’s degree in International Criminal Law from the University of Sussex in England, with over 8 years of experience working on gender issues, human rights, public policies, and capacity building. Before La Sobremesa, I worked at the United Nations, where I supported capacity-building processes for state governments on gender and human rights issues, and I was a consultant at Namati, where I assisted in strategic planning processes with a network of organizations in Latin America. What I am most passionate about in my work is gathering information, conducting research, and diagnosing issues to create strategies, processes, and tools that promote the strengthening and sustainability of organizations and institutions. Currently, I work as a consultant in Mexico and regionally on incorporating gender perspective and human rights into public policies, strategic planning, capacity building, and conducting research on businesses and human rights.