Bodhgaya Development Association
The people behind the BDA

Our committee

Everyone here is a volunteer. We cover our own costs and give our own time - because we believe in what's possible in Bodhgaya.

Current management committee

Portrait of Kerstin Liebchen, Chairperson of the BDA.

Kerstin Liebchen

Chairperson

A founding member who travels to Bodhgaya each year. With a Master of Development Practice, her passions are teacher training, intercultural connection and the letter-writing project she began in 2007. A long-term Zonta member.

Portrait of Kim Lewis, Secretary of the BDA.

Kim Lewis

Secretary

Active since the mid-1990s, Kim has crafted the posters, newsletters and fliers that help the BDA reach its supporters. She previously spent six years with Brisbane Youth Service.

Portrait of Suzi Robertson, Treasurer of the BDA.

Suzi Robertson

Treasurer

Two decades of volunteering - treasurer for a local Scout group, and CFO experience with an international university.

Portrait of Crissi Schmidt, Committee member of the BDA.

Crissi Schmidt

Committee member

First in Bodhgaya in 1989, and a visitor to the PV School in 2009 and 2016. Her loves are voice, music and dance - India has been in her heart since the 1970s.

Portrait of Deborah Winfield, Committee member of the BDA.

Deborah Winfield

Committee member

First visited Bodhgaya in 2015 and runs The Layout Place. She designed our must-have “Pukkha Curry” cookbook, and has lived in Gujarat.

Portrait of John Ransley, Committee member of the BDA.

John Ransley

Committee member

A philanthropist whose generous contributions have helped educate hundreds of disadvantaged children in India.

Katie Partridge

Committee member

A valued member of the BDA’s volunteer committee, supporting our work across projects and fundraising.

What we set out to do

Our objectives

  1. Support and expand education for children of the very poor in and around Bodhgaya.
  2. Provide health care and clean water to low-caste rural communities.
  3. Empower women through skills, income and micro-credit.
  4. Ensure 100% of donations reach the projects on the ground.
  5. Foster respect and understanding across religious traditions.
  6. Build the long-term sustainability of every project we support.
What guides us

Our guiding principles

  • Education is the key to lasting change.
  • Every dollar is treated as a gift held in trust.
  • We work alongside local communities, not over them.
  • Volunteers give their time; donors fund the mission.
  • Dignity and empowerment guide everything we do.

With gratitude to past committee members

Loris Neff

Treasurer, 2015-2022

A Zonta International member of ten years and a results-oriented manager with thirty years’ business experience, focused on women’s and children’s education.

Portrait of Eoin Meades.

Eoin Meades

Founding member

Travelled to India more than 20 times across 30 years, co-founded the Chenrezig Institute, and a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine for 34 years. Retired in 2017.

Portrait of Karen Longland.

Karen Longland

Committee member since 2001

Brought a wealth of administrative and management expertise, and worked tirelessly to complete our incorporation journey.

Portrait of Victor von der Heyde.

Victor von der Heyde

Founding member

A secular Buddhist teacher and former TAFE and university counsellor, with a deep interest in environmental ethics and climate change.