About us

Who We Are

Bersama was launched in 2018 by two international development consultants that share a 10-year track record of collaboration and a vision for pragmatic, impactful and relevant programming. Our narrative, story-telling and game-based methodologies have influenced the work of organizations such as GirlMove, Girl Effect, Save the Children, Plan International, UNICEF, and UNFPA.

Veronica Torres

Technical & Evaluation Specialist

Veronica Torres is has over 20 years of experience in youth livelihoods, adolescent and young women’s program design, life skills development, program management, donor liaising, and strategy work. She has worked at a global level with some of the largest international organizations and influenced many programs that benefit many young people in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Veronica is sought for her evidence grounded work and her commitment to what is relevant and most accessible to both practitioners and young people. She challenges investors to think about outcomes and impact when looking at scale up costs. Veronica has worked in over 40 countries

Mariko Scavone

Instructional Design

Ms. Mariko Scavone is an instructional designer with experience in qualitative assessments and organizational strengthening. Mariko has developed a range of demand-drive and easy-to-use products that promote strong program implementation. These include curricular packages, toolkits, focus group guides, grant qualifications and M&E tools. Mariko is relied on for synthesizing qualitative data sets that are used for evidence-based programming. Mariko has worked with a range of programs in approximately 20 countries. She thrives on being a supportive team member and coach. Mariko speaks Spanish and has a Masters in Foreign Service Georgetown. Mariko is based just outside Washington DC.

Our combined global experience

Click on each country to see services provided

Bersama is a small woman-owned and managed firm that specializes in youth development.

We focus on young people because we believe that they are the future and the gains that they make are the gains that society enjoys. Bersama means together in Bahasa and symbolizes our approach with clients and young people. Bersama was launched in 2018 by two international development consultants that share a 10-year track record of collaboration and a vision for pragmatic, impactful and relevant programming. We team with a range of multi-disciplinary professionals to bring well-rounded perspectives and comprehensive skill-sets to our work.

Curricular packages developed

Qualitative assessments performed

Countries worked in

Bersama means together in Bahasa and symbolizes our approach with clients and young people.