Plenna is an association based and registered in Geneva, under Articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code, in November 2023. It is non-profit, non-political and secular.
Plenna exists because the taboo of death and dying creates unnecessary suffering.
The organization seeks to inform and help equip individuals to accept, consider and proactively plan for dying and death, whether for themselves or their loved ones and whatever their situation or age.
While extensive information and services for end-of-life planning exist, there are many gaps, and reasons that people do not access these and use them effectively. Although there are some outstanding death education initiatives, these are, overall, relatively undeveloped, unstructured and in isolation.
See Plenna’s activity and financial reports for 2025 and 2023-2024.
Through frank but sensitive communication, including humour, Plenna aims to amplify and build upon existing good practice, open spaces for bold discussions about decision-making in death and dying and how to live with the end in mind, and encourage coalition building.
The name Plenna is closely linked to the Latin plena which means ‘full’ and ‘satisfied’ but also suggests ‘plenary’ and ‘having full power’, as well as association with ‘planning’ and ‘plain’
Plenna welcomes any donations, including of time: volunteer native speakers to review text (in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish – and particularly Arabic and German).
COMMITTEE
David Sunderland
Chair
David has over 25 years of experience coordinating strategy, policy, planning and performance, and administration, in various paid and voluntary capacities, including for six United Nations organizations and various civil society organizations.
He has been a Quaker for a similar period, strongly inspired by the testimonies of equality, integrity and simplicity, and is a member of Geneva Quaker Meeting. He has had broad international and cross-cultural experience, and is British and (since 2019) French.
Joanna Głażewska
Committee Member
Joanna has nearly 20 years of progressive experience in public health policy planning, with a strong focus on evidence informed approaches and systems strengthening. She has extensive experience in international and national intersectoral cooperation, including multistakeholder negotiations and the development of integrated communicable and non-communicable disease prevention initiatives.
Her professional background includes the design and implementation of suicide prevention programming, as well as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions in humanitarian settings, particularly among refugee and displaced populations. Her core areas of expertise include risky behavior prevention, health as a human right, and health equity.
Virginie Hauguel
Committee Member
Driven by a commitment to “law and connection,” Virginie works to transform adversity into a catalyst for growth and fulfillment. A lawyer specializing in employment law (25 years of experience in both corporate and law firms), a certified mediator (IFOMENE), and a certified coach (Coach & Team – RNCP), she supports leaders and teams in finding practical, fair, and meaningful solutions that serve the sustainability and values of organizations.
With a strong network in France and internationally, she is also interested in end-of-life issues, a topic still rarely addressed, which she is committed to tackling with justice, respect, and integrity.
We would like to thank:
In 2024:
- Beatriz Campomanes (‘Different cultures’ snapshot)
- Christophe Lanuit (strategic IT advice)
- Natacha Madaulé (Switzerland end-of-life country signpost)
- Sarah Najjar (‘Art and death’ snapshot)
- Kelly Newcomb (advice on digital marketing)
- Emma Pearson (workshop facilitation in April 2024, ‘Grief’ and ‘Suriving suicide’ snapshots)
- Mary Ungoed-Thomas (writing and editing)
In 2025:
- Evelin Albert (Portuguese translation review)
- Sylvie Bercot (French translation review)
- Daniel De Castro (communications advice)
- Aline Desjonquères (French translation review)
- Lena Glander (German Translation Review)
- Agustín de la Herrán Gascón and Pablo Rodrígue Herrero (work on death education including the first International Congress on the Pedagogy of Death and Educational Development held in Madrid, 1-4 April)
- Erika Iacona (Italian translation review)
- Gaku Ichikawa, Nozomi Ichikawa, Chisato Masuda, Rina Ono and Mio Urade (Japanese translation review)
- Alexei Lakhov (Russian translation review)
- Yong Feng Liu and Ruitian Xu (Chinese translation review)
- Carolina Álvarez Rodríguez (Spanish translation review)
- Jaime Saborio (oversight for web and database development)
- Andy Seale (‘HIV and death’ snapshot)
- Hirobumi Takenouchi (Japan country signposts)
- Estúdio Teca (contracted for web and database design)
- Swiss Yearly Meeting (Quakers) (for start-up funding)
In 2026:
- Dietrich Schneider (German translation review)