Our Team
Passion & Commitment to Serve
Meet the change-makers behind The For The Unseen.
Puneh Alai
Founder & Executive Director
Puneh Ala’i is the founder of For The Unseen. The youngest daughter of Iranian immigrant parents, she was raised to value hard work and honor her spirit of service. In 2013, she hid cash under her clothes and snuck into Syria to purchase and distribute aid. There, she met and played with Syrian refugee children who inspired her to start her own not-for-profit. Even in the midst of war, despair, extreme poverty and loss, they shone with purity and love. It was with this flame of love and hope in her heart that For The Unseen was established. Puneh wants to serve those in need by providing sustainable solutions, but most of all through offering love and hope. She believes that only love and hope that can truly heal wounds, can truly help people overcome the challenges they face.
Shadi Shaffer
ATTORNEY
Attorney Shadi Ala’i Shaffer is committed to service to children and the underserved. Her volunteer work began in her teens and led her to Lithuania, where she lived for three months helping orphaned children in the Baltic region. Shadi later worked with at-risk youth in the secondary school system in Southern California, encouraging them to stay in school and consider college a possibility in their career path. Born into an immigrant family, Shadi was the first in her family to complete her college studies and get her J.D. degree in law. She is a board member for For The Unseen as well as Stand Up For Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps fight youth homelessness in Orange County.
Patrick Phancao
Chief financial officer
Attorney Patrick Phancao consults on international issues, particularly pertaining to civil wars in developing countries. Patrick was raised primarily in France and Congo, where his family survived several civil upheavals. He has seen first-hand what war can do to individuals and families. When Patrick came to the United States, he vowed never to forget what he had learned during that difficult time. For The Unseen was the type of organization he had been searching for, especially when Puneh asked him if he would help her in the "quest for world peace.” Who could say no that? As a board member for For The Unseen, Patrick contributes his knowledge and expertise. He is a practitioner in the field of Asset Protection and Estate Planning who specializes in protecting families, particularly the safety of children. He believes to make a difference you have to start at the root of all societies: the family unit.
Muhannad Barazi
Director of Middle Eastern operations
Muhannad Barazi is a Syrian-American born and raised in southern California. His father and mother are from Syria. His father’s non-violent activism in the areas of history, politics, humanitarian aid, and philosophy has had a great influence on his work as an international humanitarian. Muhannad is a board executive with Neocell Corporation and has worked on various projects assisting Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Muhannad, a board member for For The Unseen, is inspired Puneh's spirit and motivation to work with the people of his fatherland as well as support all the “unseen” people in the world.
Hai Truong
WEBSITE DEVELOPER / ADMINISTRATOR
Hai is a cybersecurity professional who has worked with healthcare companies, higher education, and non-profits for the past 10-years. He found his way to For the Unseen through his passion for supporting the causes and efforts toward refugee communities given his own background as a first-generation Vietnamese American. Raised by a single mother who fled Vietnam in the early 80’s bringing along her family to flee by boat after numerous attempts, Hai has a deep passion for supporting this organization and its cause.
Mary Deasy
Content Manager & Creator
Mary Deasy is an artist, writer, and business student at San Francisco State University based in The Netherlands. She's driven to make a change and has supported nonprofits since she was a child- working with artists, the elderly, and animals. Mary's humanitarian drive brought her to For The Unseen in 2020 with her desire to use her varied skills to further our outreach and support our mission.
Alyona Shulika
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Born in Tatarstan, raised in Ukraine and living in Portugal for the past 10 years, Alyona shares a common journey of an immigrant with millions of people around the globe. A double degree in Natural Science cultivated a strong interest in sustainable development. The previous experience of working with refugees and in Business Development directed her to joining Puneh's mission to support Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. She believes that the key to a sustainable future and out of poverty is education and every child deserves an opportunity to have it.
Grace Rasulo
Social Media Manager
Grace is a social media manager and content creator living in Chicago where she was born and raised. She has always been passionate about making a difference in the lives of those who need it most, volunteering with a variety of organizations including participating in and leading trips for Habitat For Humanity. Grace has a Bachelor’s of Journalism and aims to use storytelling to spread the word about For The Unseen’s incredible mission.