Board with Malala
Board of Trustees

The World’s Children’s Prize Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board is dedicated to making sure that we are managed in line with our vision and mission, and that we abide by our objectives.

Above, a few members of the 2014 Board stand together with Malala Yousafzai after the WCP Ceremony in 2014, where she was honoured with The World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child that year. From left: Trond Waage, Magnus Bergmar, Rebecca Göthe, Cecilia Flores-Oebanda (former board member), Arne Karlsson and Henrik Häggström.

Trond Waage, Chair
Trond Waage is a globally renowned child rights expert and has served as advisor on the rights of the child to many governments and international bodies. Trond was the Ombudsman for Children in Norway for eight years and initiated the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC). As Ombudsman, Trond was involved in setting up ombudsman-offices for Children in 20 countries across Europe. His previous positions include being Advisor at UNICEF International Research Centre in Italy, Director of Research at Childwatch International Research Network and Senior Program Officer at the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE), where he organized multi-channel learning projects in developing countries in co-operation with UN agencies, bilateral agencies and national authorities.

Joanna Lundquist
is a Child Rights attorney with broad experience of advocacy for children’s rights in Sweden and internationally. During 10 years, Joanna worked for ECPAT, responsible for advocacy, and collaboration with the private sector regarding corporate social responsibility. Here, she was the driving force behind the creation of a Swedish coalition of financial institutions against commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), and for blocking sites with abuse content. Joanna has co-authored several books on CSEC, and she also initiated and was responsible for the ECPAT Hotline for many years. Today, Joanna is a working chairperson at Change Attitudes, a global foundation that utilizes culture as a tool for highlighting, and mobilizing against sexualized violence against children, and is one of the founders of CRES – The Corporate Responsibility to Eliminate the Sale of Children – an initiative focusing on corporate social responsibility regarding CSEC. Joanna has previously worked many years in the private sector, including as brand manager, building and managing brands, and as a global corporate attorney at EF.

Lisa Bianca Bonongwe
Lisa Bianca Bonongwe was a WCP Child juror from 2009 to 2013 and, as chair, led the annual World’s Children’s Prize Ceremony at the Royal Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred in the presence of Swedish ministers and H.R.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden. On the jury, Lisa represented children fighting for girls’ equal rights. In 2013, Lisa ”retired” as a juror at the age of 18. She studied at Monash University in South Africa, receiving a Bachelor of Public Health, with a minor in Child and Youth Development. After an internship with World Vision, doing community-based work in marginalised communities in South Africa, Lisa worked as a teacher in Sudan. She then returned home to Zimbabwe to design and help implement a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Health) project for the Zion Church. Lisa is now studying for a Diploma in Mental Health whil working as a Development and Partnership Officer at Zimbabwean CSO Shamwari Yemwanasikana. Lisa has previously served on the executive board of Girl Child Network (2008-2011) and on the board of Shamwari Yemwanasikana (2014-2018).

Rita Riadh-Issa
Rita Riadh-Issa was in fifth grade when she first encountered the World’s Children’s Prize. She remembers: "A teacher from a neighbouring school showed us the WCP magazine Globen and told us about Iqbal, a boy in bonded labour who was shot and killed in Pakistan. At school, I was the shy girl whom many children picked on because I didn’t dare to stand up for myself. When I got to know Iqbal’s story, I started making posters and visiting other classes to talk about the child rights heroes myself. Together with a friend, I held our first Children’s Press Conference, where we announced the year’s child rights heroes, and since then, WCP has always been a part of me. I grew up side by side with WCP, which helped me transform into a strong girl who dared to speak up.” When Rita was six months old, her family fled Iraq and lived as refugees in Greece until she was five, when they arrived in Sweden. Together with three friends, she founded the student company Story for Change and co-wrote the book Yasmin’s Journey to the New Country. The book portrays a child’s thoughts and feelings during forced migration and was written to increase understanding of children who have had to flee. Today, Rita is studying Business Law at Linköping University and serves on the board of Ung Företagsamhet (Junior Achievement) in Östergötland. She was a member of the WCP Youth Advisory Board for five years, and in 2019–2020, she coordinated visits by Swedish Olympians to schools participating in Around the Globe Run for a Better World, a collaboration between WCP and the Swedish Olympic Committee.

Jenny Sjunnestad
Jenny Sjunnestad is a teacher (specialized in Montessori) who has used the WCP Program at her school since 2011. In 2016 Jenny participated in the WCPF training of selected teachers to become a WCP Teacher’s Trainer. She has since then been leading WCP Teachers’ Trainings at many Swedish schools. Jenny has since 2018 also been a member of the WCP Staff during the WCP Week, hosting the Child Rights Heroes and the Child Jurors.

Mona Fredriksson
Mona is a qualified special educational needs teacher and studied Swedish as a second language and Intercultural communication at university level. Previously she was a board member of the Swedish Council of International Reading Association (SCIRA). Mona lectures in learning leadership and pedagogical guidance. She has experience of advanced investigation assignments and special educational development work for support to organisations, management and individuals.
   Mona started using The Globe educational magazine at her school during the 1990s when there was only a Swedish version, published by the Children’s World Association. During the second half of the 1990s, Mona was a member of The Globe editorial advisory board. She has been implementing the World’s Children’s Prize Program at her school since 2000, taken part in WCPF training for expert teachers and is one of the most experienced WCP teachers. Mona is also CEO of the family businesses Smakglädje and Fredrikssons Smakhantverk, and chair of the board of Fredriksson & Fredriksson.

Magnus Bergmar
Magnus Bergmar is the founder and CEO of the World’s Children’s Prize and the Globe Magazine, with a background as journalist and filmmaker. Magnus has 45 years of experience as a producer of communications projects addressing child rights and other global issues. Magnus’ documentary films on apartheid and on child slavery have been broadcasted in 80+ countries. He has developed the World’s Children’s Prize into a global movement where children as changemakers can make their voices heard for the respect of their rights. He has received numerous awards including Humanpriset (The Humanity Prize, Banco Fund), Kunskapspriset (The Prize of Knowledge, The Swedish National Encyclopedia), Stora Priset (The Big Prize, Children’s Welfare Foundation Sweden), FUF Award (The Swedish Development Forum), King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden’s Gold Medal, and The Royal Society Pro Patria's Gold medal.

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