Executive Director for International Humanitarian Programs

As a Swedish citizen, Marie Gillen lived in Sweden for 30 Years.  She worked for Recipharm Stockholm AB for 23 years as a lab Technician. Originally from Gambia, West Africa, she has been single handedly going to Gambia for 8 years helping poor children, schools, and hospitals in Gambia’s most needy rural areas.

 Her greatest accomplishments for the past 8 years are putting a smile on the faces of a sick children, by simply giving clothes, toys and donating medical equipment that are critical to their treatment and recovery. She visited and helped 3000 children in Gambia hospitals, and provided aid to 6000 children, mostly in the rural underserved communities and schools. In 2016, she was featured in The Gambia’s most famous media outlet “Gambia Observer” and recognized as a Humanitarian Exemplary. In 2017, she received an award for donating trophies to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

 As an Executive Director for International Humanitarian Programs at Global Orphan Empowerment Academy (GOEA), she received many letters of appreciations from schools, hospital and clinics for successfully executing charity events, upgrading their facilities with generous donations from GOEA’s partners Waste & Wonders UK, Recipharm Stockholm AB, and co-workers. To name a few, Saint Augustine’s Upper Basic School, Penyem Technical Upper & SEN. SEC. School, Campama Lower Basic School sent in letters of gratitude and appreciation.

Every year, she continues to accomplish GOEA’s mission collecting furniture, hundreds of toys, clothes, shoes, hospital equipment, and money donated by communities and our partners. Their partnership, support and sponsorship is what makes it possible to ship containers of donation items and travel to Gambia to oversee and distribute items in homes, schools, and hospitals.