Begoña Fernandez is the Director of Data and Evidence at Together for Girls (TfG) and has been a member of the TfG team since 2017. She has thirteen years of experience in global public health, with a focus on violence prevention, particularly violence against children, sexual and reproductive health and health policy.
At Together for Girls, Begoña leads the secretariat’s data, research and evidence efforts and supports the partnership’s data-to-action process in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Together for Girls, she helped run a randomized-controlled trial of a public health intervention delivered by community health advocates in Boston public housing and gained research and programmatic experience at the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a BA in International Economics from American University.
Begoña is fluent in Spanish and English and conversational in French and Italian. She lives in Washington, D.C. and enjoys exploring the city with her toddler.
Title of a book that changed your life: In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
A quote that inspires you: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” —Desmond Tutu
A simple pleasure: Picnics
Movie you could watch on repeat: When Harry Met Sally
A podcast you can’t stop thinking about: NPR’s Code switch
The theme song of your life: You gotta be - Des'ree
Something that gives you hope: “Woman, Life, Freedom”
Favorite part of your job: My colleagues at TfG and the broader community working to end sexual violence against children
One word to describe Together for Girls: Collaborative