José Maria Lopes
Cape Verde

José Maria Lopes is a social activist with more than seven years of experience in the community development sector. Currently, José is the chairman of Associação Para o Desenvolvimento Comunitário de Picos Acima (APDZA), a community-based organization he helped found in 2006 that promotes the social, cultural and economic development of Picos Acima, a village of approximately 2000 people on Santiago Island, Cabo Verde. As the chairman of APDZA, José has helped raise funds for projects in capacity building, life skills and small business benefitting the people of Picos Acima. José holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language Studies and a master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Cape Verde. He teaches Business English at the Higher Institute of Economics and Business Sciences in Praia (ISCEE), Cabo Verde, where he chairs the Language Department. As a researcher, José focuses on public policy and language status, studying power relations between the two national languages, Creole and Portuguese, and the economics of English language. Upon completion of the Washington Fellowship José plans to strengthen the connections between his academic post and his dedication to community work. His ambition is to continue working in community development, empowering non-profit organizations through workshops on fundraising, volunteerism, leadership, professional training, and life skills, aiming at capacitating their leaders in social and economic development. In addition, he plans to help create small businesses in rural villages to raise disadvantaged people out of poverty.