Founders, Facilitators & Local Experts
Benjamin O’Hanlon
Co-Founder · Australia
Ben is an educator and international program leader with over a decade of experience across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. He holds a Master's in International & Community Development from Deakin University, with a research focus on ethical service-learning and decolonial practice.
He currently teaches Inclusive Practices and has served as Acting Head of Campus in the Torres Strait Islands, giving him direct, ongoing community relationships with First Nations families, educators, and students across remote Australia.
Ben has designed and led community-engaged programs in partnership with grassroots organisations, local leaders, and students across Latin America and Southeast Asia. His work centres on ethical, community-led approaches that are co-created, sustainable, and genuinely beneficial to all involved.
Whether facilitating leadership workshops, mentoring students, or collaborating on community projects, Ben brings a deep passion for cultural exchange, systems thinking, and equitable global partnerships.
Meaghan Jones
Co-Founder · United States
After graduating from Berkeley with a BA in Latin American Studies, and an MA from ETH Zurich in the same subject, Meaghan decided to live and work in the region. She has lived in South America (Chile and Brazil) for over seven years working in both education and IT.
Meaghan enjoys moving to new countries and trying out new cultures and languages.
Eduardo Ferraz
Co-Founder · Brazil
After travelling the world for over two years, Edu specialised in project management, completing an MBA in the field. With a career focused on projects and logistics across multiple countries, Edu brings the operational precision that underpins every successful international program.
He is Wilderness Advanced First Aid trained with Wilderness Medical Associates, and an avid diver.
Community Partners
Community Partner & Program Co-Designer
Ruth Francisco: Director of Yanesha Partnerships · Villa Rica, Peru
Ruth Francisco is a Yanesha leader born and rooted in the Villa Rica region of Peru. She champions the integration of Yanesha knowledge into modern sustainability and education initiatives, collaborating internationally on ecological and cultural projects.
Ruth is not a guide or a vendor. She and her foundation are co-designers of every program in Peru, she plans and approves all projects based on her community's needs, guaranteeing that our work is respectful, relevant, and truly beneficial. This ensures we are guests working with the community, not for them.
She currently leads the establishment of cultural plant nurseries preserving native species for food, medicine, and traditional arts. Her deep commitment to cultural vitality and environmental stewardship makes her an essential partner and the bridge between 3 Bricks and the Yanesha community.
Brazil
Partnership Ministry for the Environment and Local Leaders
Collaborating closely with local community leaders and the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment to co-design and implement community-led development projects in Paraty, Brazil. These initiatives aim to support the Ministry in it’s mission to balance tourism, community development and natural preservation, including projects such as trail marking in the national park, partnerships with local entrepreneurseach and marine turtle protection. All shaped by the knowledge and priorities of Paraty’s small-scale fishing and caiçara communities, rooted in centuries of seasonal stewardship along Brazil’s Atlantic Forest coast
This partnership brings together grassroots insight and federal resources to ensure projects are culturally appropriate, climate-resilient, and aligned with national environmental goals.
Ultimately, this joint effort supports both environmental conservation and social well-being, reinforcing Paraty’s identity as a living cultural landscape intertwined with a healthy Atlantic Forest ecosystem.
Global Partners
3 Bricks has lasting relationships and led programs with ethical global partners in Bali, Thailand, the Galapagos Islands, the Dominican Republic, and Belize
Our partnerships with ethical local leaders and organizations in Bali, Thailand, the Galapagos Islands, the Dominican Republic, and Belize, grounded in mutual trust and shared values. Across these regions, our founders have co-designed service‑learning programs ranging from marine conservation in Belize, cultural education and elephant care in Thailand, Social enterprise in Bali, education support and tortoise preservation in the Galapagos, to community health and environmental stewardship initiatives in the Dominican Republic. Each program is shaped by local expertise—elders, youth, and grassroots groups guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects that reflect cultural traditions and support ecological resilience. These collaborations reinforce 3 Bricks’ model of partnership: ethical engagement, community ownership, and meaningful global exchange. Together, we support both local wellbeing and leadership development, while fostering cross‑cultural learning that empowers all participants.
Peru
Partnership with Indigenous Yanesha Leaders
Over the past decade, 3 Bricks founders have worked in respectful partnership with Indigenous Yanesha communities in the Villa Rica region of Peru, co-designing and delivering community-identified projects — from a community health centre and clean water systems to coffee production support and cultural preservation initiatives.
The Yanesha people, with around 7,000 members across 48 communities on the fringes of the Amazon, deeply value their ancestral wisdom, forest stewardship, and rich cultural traditions. Every step of our collaboration — from planning to completion — is guided by Yanesha leaders, embedding community priorities and strengthening cultural continuity through intergenerational practice.
This partnership is the foundation of First Nations Leaders in Peru, our flagship program for Indigenous Australian students.