Giving Back to Africa

About Us

Ann Marie and Abbey with the teachers at PAID

History

Giving Back to Africa (GBA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was incorporated in Indiana in September of 2003. Ann Marie Thomson, GBA co-founder, was born to missionary parents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and lived there until she was 18. Upon returning to the DRC in 2005 she was struck by the staggering lack of access to education and was determined to do what she could to make a difference in the country that had given her so much.

To that end, she and her husband, former GBA president Dr. Louis J. Calli, Jr., founded GBA with the primary aim of expanding educational opportunities for students in the DRC. The “giving back” ethos is central to the work of GBA, which aims to create and support programs with strong service learning components that encourage students in the DRC to reach their full potential and, in turn, contribute to positive change in their country.

GBA's unique approach to addressing the needs of the Congolese people through fostering education and community service is the result of our extensive research and experience in the DRC. GBA has deep roots in the country has developed relationships with trusted partners. GBA board members spent three years gathering information in the DRC before launching any programs. This research included discussions with numerous focus groups of representatives from various nonprofit organizations and schools; their input on the real needs of the communities in the DRC was invaluable when designing the Scholars Program. We believe that only by partnering with established Congolese institutions can we really hope to effect long-term positive change.

About Our Name

Giving Back to Africa came into existence because the founders, many of whom had grown up in the DRC, wanted to give back to a country and a continent that had already given them so much. At the same time, GBA's purpose is to promote an intrinsically African concept of giving back within Congolese communities. GBA is committed to the power of service learning and the importance of developing an ethic of giving back through community service. The goal of the GBA Scholars Program's is to empower Congolese youth to use their education to give back to their own communities.

Ann Marie and Ruth at PAID

Board Members

GBA is governed by a Board of Directors, which meets bi-annually. A Steering Committee, which consists of board members living in Bloomington, IN, meets on a monthly basis. The GBA board is composed of a diverse group of individuals, from both the US and the DRC. Though they have various professional backgrounds, our board of directors shares a belief in education, community service, and a commitment to giving back to the Congolese people.

Louis J. Calli, Jr. MD - President

Jim is a founding member of GBA and he served as the board president for five and a half years. He is a cardiologist in Bloomington, IN.

Daniel Tritch - Vice-President

Dan graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Finance and Accounting. He currently works as an accountant at the firm Katz, Sapper & Miller in Indianapolis, IN. He has also spent time volunteering at an orphanage in Uganda.

Anirvan Choudhury - Treasurer

Anirvan graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Finance, Accounting and International Business. He currently works as an accountant, primarily for nonprofit organizations, at the firm Katz, Sapper & Miller in Indianapolis, IN.

Ann Marie Thomson, PhD - Secretary

Born and raised in the DRC, Ann Marie is a founding member of GBA and served as the vice-president for five and a half years. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.

Andrea Lewis Affeltranger

Andrea is associate director for programs at Independent Sector, a national leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs, in Washington D.C. She graduated from Indiana University with an MPA in Nonprofit Management and Comparative and International Affairs.

Matthew S. Carr, Esq.

Matt is a partner with Krieg DeVault law firm in Indianapolis, IN.

Richard Peterson, PhD

Rick was born and raised in the DRC. He is currently an associate professor of Environmental Studies at the University of New England in Portland, ME.

Advisory Committee

Robert C. Peterson

Bob is a retired missionary who worked as an educator in the DRC for 38 years.

Osita Afoaku, Ph.D.

Osita is currently the director of outreach in the African Studies Program and a professor of public policy at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington, IN.

Eyamba G. Bokamba, Ph.D.

Eyamba is from the Equateur Province in the DRC. He is currently a linguistics professor and the director of Program of African Languages at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Arthur-Kalala Katalayi, M.A.

Born and raised in France, educated in the U.K, and the U.S., Arthur-Kalala is originally from the Kasai-Orientale province of the DRC. He holds a Master's Degree from Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. He serves as senior advisor & global ambassador for GBA.

GBA Staff

Dorthee Mboka - Assistant Program Director in Kinshasa

Dorthee is from the Kasai region of the DRC. She studied Rural Economic Development at the Protestant University of Congo and she is currently also a teaching assistant in the same program.

Michael Valliant - Administrative Director

Michael graduated from Indiana University with a masters in Tourism Management and Northland College with a degree in Conflict Studies. He is currently an adjunct instructor with the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at IU.

Financial Information

Giving Back to Africa, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. All donations to GBA are tax-deductible. Click here to see our IRS letter of determination.

GBA 08-09 Expenses The majority of GBA's funding comes from dedicated individual supporters. In addition to individual donations, we also receive support from foundation grants. The vast majority of our funds go directly to supporting our programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, though of course a small percentage of our budget pays for administrative and fundraising costs.