Shawn Holden Cheung

Biography

Shawn is the founder and CEO of Raising The Village, a nonprofit working at the intersection of livelihoods and data analytics to end ultra-poverty for last-mile communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Raising The Village was launched in 2015 with the goal of identifying and addressing key barriers trapping the ultra-poor. By applying analytics to agriculture and community participation, Raising The Village increases household incomes through low-cost community-led interventions. By the end of this year, Raising The Village will cross the milestone of 1 million lives impacted since founding, and has an ambitious goal of reaching 1 million each year by 2027.

Shawn holds a B.Comm from McMaster University and an MPA from Harvard University. Shawn's expertise in program implementation and data analytics shapes RTV's vision to change how non-profits design, and measure impact. In 2020, he was recognized among Canada's Top 40 under 40 as an innovator challenging the status quo.