About Vitaria
Vitaria comes from vita, the Latin word for life. Keeping people alive in the first days is where it starts. After that, families need somewhere safe to sleep, a say in what happens next and a way to earn a living again.
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Mission
To deliver timely humanitarian assistance and support sustainable recovery for communities affected by natural disasters around the world.
Vision
A world where every community affected by disaster has the resources, support and opportunity to recover with dignity.
What we stand for
Human dignity
Every person deserves safety, respect and the chance to rebuild their own life, on their own terms.
Rapid response
When disaster strikes, acting in hours rather than weeks changes outcomes. We keep a reserve so we never wait for an appeal.
Transparency
You can see where your money goes, what it achieved, and where we fell short.
Local partnership
Communities and local organisations make the decisions that shape their recovery.
Long-term resilience
We stay after the headlines and leave communities better prepared than before.
Accountability
We measure honestly, publish our methods and change course when the evidence says we should.
Our history
- 2011Founded by aid workers after the Tōhoku earthquake, with one rule: plan recovery from day one.
- 2015Emergency reserve fund created, so responses no longer wait for appeals.
- 2019First independent evaluation published in full, including what didn't work.
- 2023Local partner network passes 40 organisations in 18 countries.
- 2025412,000 people reached across 31 responses.
Who runs Vitaria?
Chief Executive Amara Okafor leads the foundation day to day. An independent board of nine trustees, chaired by public health researcher Priya Raman, oversees strategy, spending and safeguarding. Registered as a charity in the UK, a 501(c)(3) in the US and a Stiftung in Germany. Registration numbers to be confirmed.
Amara Okafor
Chief Executive
20 years in emergency logistics across East Africa and South Asia.
Daniel Reyes
Director of Programmes
Former shelter cluster coordinator; leads response design and partner support.
Leila Haddad
Director of Finance
Chartered accountant; owns audit, reporting and financial controls.
Priya Raman
Chair of the Board
Public health researcher; chairs an independent board of nine trustees.
Our partners
We work with 42 local organisations in 18 countries: community trusts, women's networks, farmer cooperatives and local government services. They lead distributions, know who has been missed, and stay long after we have gone.
How we work with partnersOur commitments
Audited accounts
Annual accounts audited by an independent firm and published in full.
Community feedback
A public complaints and feedback channel for the communities we serve, in local languages.
Safeguarding
A policy covering staff, partners and volunteers, with an external reporting line.
Consent
No images of people published without informed consent and context.
Privacy
We never sell or share supporter data. Our privacy page explains what we keep and why.
Accessibility
This site is designed to meet WCAG 2.2 AA. Report a problem at access@vitaria.org.
Work with us
We hire for field, programme and support roles. Current openings are listed at launch.
Contact our team