- Behind every project is a passionate team dedicated to making a difference:
Meet Our
Team members
Susan Akerele
Founder & Executive Director
Caleb Mathew
IT Expert - Nigeria
Cheryl Owusu
Team member - United States 🇺🇸
Bella Momoh
Partner/Team member - United States
Eyitayo Fisayo
Team member - South Africa
- Turning Pain into Power — One Story, One Life at a Time.
What We Do
At Susan's Akerele Foundation, we are committed to creating a safer and more ethical tourism industry through education, advocacy, and support. Our work focuses on protecting travelers from scams, empowering tourism businesses, and promoting responsible travel practices.
Our mission has gained increased relevance under the current U.S. administration, which has emphasized cybersecurity, consumer protection, and immigration reform—areas that intersect directly with our work. Policies aimed at curbing digital fraud, strengthening border control, and improving international travel protocols underscore the urgency of addressing romance and tourism scams, especially those targeting U.S. citizens and vulnerable communities abroad. These shifts in policy have created both opportunities and responsibilities for advocacy organizations like ours to bridge the gap between regulation, awareness, and grassroots support.
1. Fighting Tourism and Romance Scams
• Raising awareness about travel fraud, romance scams, and cyber threats affecting global travelers.
• Conducting research and investigations on travel-related scams to expose fraudulent operations.
• Providing resources, guides, and online workshops to help travelers recognize and avoid scams.
• Supporting survivors and advocating for better protections and response systems globally.
2. Supporting Small and Medium-Sized Tourism Enterprises (SMMEs)
• Offering mentorship and business training to help small tourism businesses grow sustainably.
• Assisting SMMEs in adopting cybersecurity measures to protect their businesses and customers.
• Connecting businesses with ethical tourism networks to promote responsible and transparent tourism services.
• Helping African SMMEs align with international standards set by evolving U.S. and global tourism policy frameworks.
3. Advocacy and Policy Engagement
• Collaborating with government agencies, tourism boards, and law enforcement to address tourism fraud.
• Engaging in policy discussions to create safer travel regulations and ethical tourism standards.
• Partnering with international organizations to strengthen consumer protection in tourism.
• Tracking and responding to current administration policies around cybercrime, immigration, and global safety to advocate for better protections for travelers and business owners.
4. Research and Publications
• Conducting in-depth research on the impact of cybercrime and insecurity on tourism.
• Publishing reports, articles, and blogs on travel safety, tourism fraud, and industry best practices.
• Sharing findings through conferences, webinars, and educational platforms to inform both travelers and industry stakeholders.
• Analyzing policy shifts and their real-world impact on travel safety, particularly for U.S.-bound and outbound tourism.
5. Educational Initiatives and Community Outreach
• Hosting travel safety workshops and awareness campaigns in schools, universities, and communities.enforcement to address tourism fraud.
• Developing online courses and informational materials to educate travelers on responsible tourism.enforcement to address tourism fraud.
• Running social media awareness campaigns to reach a broader audience on scam prevention.enforcement to address tourism fraud.
• Providing education on navigating changes in visa policies, travel alerts, and cybersecurity standards introduced by the current U.S. administration.