Passionate about community development and advocacy for at-risk populations, Benjamin Nuñez thrives in his current role. He serves as the Director of Family Empowerment at Makarios, a faith-based organization that provides sustainable education and outreach programs in impoverished communities. Benjamin lives and works in the same Dominican Republic village where he was raised, grateful for the unique opportunity to engage in holistic, transformative, and Gospel-oriented solutions to poverty in his hometown.
Benjamin grew up in the rural village of Montellano, in the northern province of Puerto Plata. Though his dad worked hard to support the family, resources were always stretched thin. When he was six years old, Benjamin was enrolled into Compassion International's child development program through a local evangelical church. Through his sponsorship, his family was exposed to a community of support and assistance. When Benjamin was 13, his father passed away, and this support system became even more vital. He was given the opportunity to finish his education at a private Christian school, becoming the first of his family to ever graduate high school. He was then invited into Compassion’s Leadership Development Program, which enabled him to earn a degree in Tourism Business and Hotel Management from Universidad Dominicana O&M.
Charismatic and compassionate, Benjamin is a vibrant and compelling speaker who loves to inspire church congregations and college students. He enjoys speaking about identity; evangelism; children’s ministry; culture and the Church; and issues related to advocacy, development, and poverty alleviation.
Benjamin lives in the Dominican Republic with his wife, Vielka and two little babies Marcos and Mateo.