ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Hi, I am William Kearns-Durán and founded EstamosContigo.org in August 2019. My mother is Venezuelan and most of my maternal extended family either lives in Venezuela or has fled to other countries for economic opportunities and better standards of living. During Middle School, I participated as the Diversity leader for King School in Stamford, CT and was presented with the Young Citizenship award, and before that, at Charlotte Country Day School, I was involved in creating a diversity program for independent schools in Charlotte. In the summer of 2019, during a service trip to Costa Rica, I helped install drainage pipes in poor areas of the country. In these activities, I realized how little emphasis there is on understanding both the plight of Hispanic immigrants as well as the causes of Hispanic migration. This inquiry made me more sensitive to the issues facing my extended Venezuelan family and to delve into the plight of Venezuelans during the current crisis. I have read about the terrible situation facing Venezuelans and have heard firsthand about the experiences of my abuelos, cousins, and aunts/uncles. Rather than empty words like "this is horrible" or that "I sympathize with the plight of Venezuelans", I asked myself - "What I could do as a 14-year-old student in Connecticut?" Realizing that there is a void that needs to be filled and with the help of adults I recruited (yes, including my parents), I decided to found EstamosContigo Foundation to help alleviate the suffering of Venezuelan migrants (and more broadly migrants in general), and I am continuously recruiting more people to fulfill this mission (hopefully, including visitors to this site). Estamos is looking to expand its mission to assist rural populations in emerging market countries, especially in Latin America, escape poverty so that they no longer need to be forced economic migrants.
A little more about me (in case you are interested)... I am currently a second-year student at Cornell University, studying Global Development. I am also a member of the Cornell Heavyweight Rowing Team, balancing a rigorous training schedule with academics and Estamos. I am particularly interested in how innovative solutions – especially involving internet-based technologies like fintech and agritech, combined with private and public sector initiatives, can help alleviate poverty in developing countries. While EstamosContigo is a small contributor to a larger issue, I am hoping that it prompts other people to take the initiative and create their own organizations for causes important to them.
The foundation’s goals are ambitious, and I am grateful to the numerous volunteers who help EstamosContigo fulfill its mission. Hopefully, people reading this message and looking through our website will be inspired as I have been. Thank you for visiting EstamosContigo.org. Collectively, let us work together to enact positive change for the lives of forced economic migrants and populations living in poverty in developing countries.