Matthew Desmond

Matt Desmond became involved with On the Ground through the organization's first project in Africa — the Run Across Ethiopia. The group of runners and organizers, including fellow board members Claire Everhart, Timothy Young, and Chris Treter, along with Director of Development Stella Young, raised over a quarter of a million dollars to build schools, libraries, and latrines in some of Ethiopia's most impoverished areas.

The Run Across Ethiopia was an unusual undertaking: a multi-day ultra-marathon across Ethiopian terrain, paired with a fundraising campaign whose proceeds went into physical educational infrastructure identified as a priority by the communities themselves. Hundreds of children, their families, and their wider communities gained access to the advantages of education as a result.

Inspired and enthused by that impact, Matt joined the board in order to help carry the organization's mission forward — bringing the perspective of someone who first encountered On the Ground's work by participating in it directly rather than observing it.