Our Participants

Kate Barry | UNHCR in Costa Rica

Originally from the forests of northern New Brunswick, Kate Barry studied Sociology and International Development at Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Kate became fascinated with refugee and immigration issues while working with student refugees at StFX through the Student Refugee Program of World University Service of Canada (WUSC). She worked to promote civic engagement among students through educational programming and provided guidance to students as a Resident Assistant. Kate’s studies were reinforced by an internship in community development with immigrants in Ottawa, a development trip working on a reading program at an orphanage in Mexico for 6 weeks, and summer outreach work with Oxfam Canada on their Womens’ Rights and Climate Change campaign.

After graduation, Kate returned home to New Brunswick to work in settlement services for immigrants in the Miramichi River region. She enjoyed the challenge of trying to open a dialogue about diversity in a rural community.

Kate is currently improving her Spanish while working with the Durable Solutions unit of UNHCR in Costa Rica, interviewing asylum-seekers and writing resettlement applications to send to foreign governments.

Janet Lennox | UNHCR in Panama

Janet Lennox has an abiding interest in international human rights, in particular, women’s rights and labour rights, which she has pursued in both her educational and professional pursuits.

Her academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish, obtained With Distinction, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria (Canada). In keeping with her passion for international human rights, Janet completed her last term of law school at the University of Utrecht (the Netherlands) where she undertook studies specializing in public international law and international human rights.

Upon graduation, Janet successfully competed for a coveted clerkship at the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Subsequently, she completed her articles with a labour law firm in Vancouver and was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 2004. Following private practice, Janet went on to further her experience in a senior policy post with the Government of British Columbia.

In total, Janet has more than a decade’s experience in law and public policy, including dedicated experience in international human rights. Work assignments include researching and co-authoring British Columbia’s submissions to Canada’s reporting obligations with respect to Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Working both independently and as part of a senior policy team, she also advanced two major legislative reform projects for the Province of British Columbia, preparing research and discussion papers for publication on the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General website, briefing materials and drafting instructions for the projects, including on issues related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Janet has studied, worked and traveled to 14 countries in three continents. She is fluent in English and proficient in French and Spanish. Janet is very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with the UNHCR Panama in 2011 where she will support both the Protection and Programme branches of the office.

Jennifer Vibert | UUNICEF in Belgium

Jennifer Vibert was born and raised near Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, University of Toronto, studying political science and philosophy. Jennifer later completed a Master of Arts degree at Queen’s University in Canada, with funding support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Jennifer’s Master’s thesis focused on emerging international humanitarian norms and their role in the international response to the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She has developed a keen interest in human rights, humanitarianism and development, and has particular knowledge of human rights issues in Africa and India. She has researched with a number of distinguished academics on a wide variety of subjects relating to international relations and development.

Jennifer has also travelled broadly, living and studying in New Zealand, and travelling around Asia, Oceania, Europe and North America. She is delighted to be embarking on her career in the humanitarian field, and has recently completed an internship with Bala Vikasa, an NGO in India, where she studied Community Driven Development strategies. She has also volunteered for the Canadian International Council and has participated in numerous conferences and international relations simulations. She is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French. Jennifer will be completing an internship with UNICEF in Brussels, in 2010.

Scott Sutherland | UUNICEF in Brussels

My name is Scott Sutherland. I am a 29 year old Canadian pursuing a career in the field of international and political studies. It is my goal to obtain full time employment with an NGO, the UN or employment with a government such as the Government of Canada. I am looking forward to the opportunity that UNICEF has provided me as an intern. I believe this position will be both challenging and rewarding, helping me gain valuable experience in a career I am interested in.

My experience includes a four year Bachelor of Arts in the field of Political Studies. I have good language skills in both Spanish and French. During my studies I had the opportunity to take part in a one year exchange program in Mexico. I lived and studied in Mexico where I greatly improved my Spanish. After I graduated from university I moved to Quebec where I began studying French. After finishing my courses I remained in Quebec to work and further improve my French language skills.

Caroline Malka | UNHCR in Costa Rica

Caroline Malka was born and raised in Montreal where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Civil Law and her degree in Common Law. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in International Law at the University of Montreal.

Caroline is currently working as a Migration Officer in Costa Rica in collaboration with the UNHCR and the Migration Department to improve the Refugee eligibility process.

Throughout her studies and extensive travel experiences across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, Caroline has developed a particular interest in the role of the rule of law in promoting social welfare. Her volunteer work, as well as her internship at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has reinforced her sensitivity and interest for refugee and migration population.

Caroline is fluent in both English and French and has a good understanding of Spanish.

Louis-Philippe | UNICEF in Costa Rica

Louis-Philippe is presently interning at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ office in Costa Rica, as a junior protection officer.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies (B. Sc. 2006) and a master’s degree in International Law (LL.M. 2009), both from Université de Montréal. He is deeply interested in international law, as well as human rights and migration law. He conducted research on human trafficking and migrant smuggling, topics on which he wrote several articles and gave presentations.

In 2008, he interned at the International Bureau for Children’s Rights, where he joined the program on child trafficking in Quebec. In 2009-10, he was successively research assistant and coordinator of the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law, at McGill University, in Montreal.

Louis-Philippe speaks French, English and Spanish.

Heather Donald | UNICEF in Barbados | Heather’s Blog

Born and raised in Ottawa, Heather graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management, specializing in Development Studies. Having studied at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania for a year, she returned to the region and worked at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Rwanda after graduation.

Following the completion of a certificate course in Community-Driven Development in India, Heather returned to Ottawa to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in Communications. She has worked with numerous NGOs in Ottawa on policy research and communications projects. Throughout university, Heather’s passion for refugee issues has led her to spend numerous years supporting refugee. She speaks fluent French and passable Kiswahili.

Heather is excited to work with UNICEF in Barbados as a Communications Officer.

Scott Logue | UNICEF in Tanzania

Scott Logue was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has lived in several Canadian cities as well as Europe. After graduating high school in Ottawa he continued his education at St. Francis Xavier University where he completed a bachelor of arts degree in Human Kinetics as well as a bachelor of Science degree in Human Nutrition with an Advanced Major.

Scott has always possessed a passion for travel and experiencing different cultures. Following his undergrad degrees Scott taught English in Korea for two years and travelled extensively in Asia. In the fall of 2009 Scott interned at an orphanage in Mwanza, Tanzania where he researched the nutritional needs and habits at the orphanage, then developed a nutritional tool that ensured daily nutritional needs would be met while using local foods and maintaining the orphanage's food budget. He continues to support the orphanage through correspondence with the director and research for grant proposals and securing volunteers to visit the orphanage.

Following Scott's sojourn in Tanzania he returned to Mount Saint Vincent University where he completed a Masters degree in Applied Human Nutrition. Scott is committed to a future of working in international development and helping people of all cultures improve nutritional health using culturally appropriate methods. He is looking forward to working with UNICEF in Tanzania as a Young Child Survival and Development Officer.

Julie Needler | UNICEF in Barbados

Julie comes from a small town in Ontario, but her outlook at a young age was always international, which was evident in her passion for languages and the cultures that accompanied them. Her interests grew to include International Development and Affairs while studying at McGill University, where she continued to develop a proficiency in French, Spanish and German

Her desires to travel, develop her language capabilities and learn another culture lead her to complete graduate studies in Austria. Her research focused on developing countries and dealt with issues related to governance, human rights, climate change, security and migration.

Her location in Vienna provided opportunity to apply her knowledge and develop new skills at many international organizations. She helped to develop projects on gender issues, human rights and migration management at the IOM; she assisted the Canadian Delegation in its representation at OSCE HQ by following Human Dimension activities; she also conducted legal research for the Terrorism Prevention Branch at UNODC.

She has traveled extensively throughout North America, Eastern & Western Europe and is excited to be working with UNICEF Eastern Caribbean office in Barbados as a Monitoring & Evaluation Officer.

In the future, Julie hopes to be involved with projects that work to foster international understanding and empowers societies to overcome barriers that inhibit growth and development.

Julie holds a BA in Political Science & History from McGill University & MA in Advanced International Studies from the University of Vienna.

Jenna Dixon | UNHCR in Costa Rica

Jenna Dixon is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, with a degree in International Studies and a Minor in Latin American Studies. Her interest in international development and Latin American issues was sparked in 2005 while working on a water project in northern Peru with CARE Peru. This experience led her to pursue these areas of study at university in Canada as well as completing a formal exchange semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2009. Her specific interests include international security and conflict, and human security issues and emergencies.

During her undergraduate career, she was involved with the Simon Fraser Latin American Studies Student Union as an executive member and volunteered as a Global Educator for CHF raising awareness about sustainable development issues with elementary and high school students in Vancouver.

Her passions include dance, violin and travel, and she has travelled extensively in South America and in Mexico. She speaks fluent Spanish and basic Portuguese. Jenna will be working with UNHCR in Costa Rica as a Labour Insertion and Employment Schemes Officer.

McKinley Charles | UNICEF in Barbados

McKinley Charles holds an Honours BFA in Film and Video Production and a BA in International Development Studies from York University. McKinley believes that it is imperative to augment scholastic knowledge with first-hand experiences, and upon the completion of her international development degree in early 2009,she undertook a seven-month backpacking trip through Africa.

While in Africa, McKinley made concentrated efforts to become involved with the local communities and people: in rural Tanzania she independently arranged to volunteer at local schools; in the Democratic Republic of the Congo she visited refugee camps to speak with the women about their needs and concerns; and in Mozambique she volunteered with a small grassroots women’s health organization, while living amongst the local people in a reed hut.

In Canada, McKinley provides Oxfam Canada and Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Canada with extensive assistance in information dissemination and in increasing public awareness and education on human rights issues.

McKinley is looking forward to working with her local counterparts at UNICEF Barbados and The Eastern Caribbean, where she will be outposted to St.Kitts as an Early Childhood Development Officer.

Katherine Reichel | UNICEF in Tanzania | Read Katherine's Blog

Katherine Reichel has always had a strong passion for working with people. Growing up in Saskatchewan, Katherine realized from a very early age that her calling was in international development. While in high school, she travelled to Tanzania to teach English at a primary school. Once at university, she founded a campus group to raise awareness on educational issues in Africa, and set up a scholarship fund to help Tanzanian students attend secondary school. And in 2007, she spent a semester interning in Ghana with an NGO that raises awareness about HIV/AIDS through theatre.

Both her experiences in Africa and her educational career have demonstrated to Katherine that meaningful development depends understanding our impact on others from Canada. For a number of years, she worked to raise awareness of fair trade products in Canada and continues to work closely with TransFair Canada, Canada's fair trade-certification body, and was the National Coordinator for the Canadians Students Fair Trade Network.

Katherine’s most recent work experience includes working at the Canadian International Development Agency on education policy. She has also worked closely with a national public policy think tank based in Ottawa, and continues to do volunteer research for the Right Honourable Joe Clark on issues related to Canadian foreign and development policy. Through these experiences, she has gained a full appreciation for the valuable role played by good governance and good public policy.

Katherine is a recent graduate from the University of Ottawa, where she earned her degree with honours in International Development.

Juan Sanchez | UNHCR in Costa Rica

Juan was born and raised in Colombia. He moved to Canada and obtained his undergraduate Degree in Political Science and Economics for Management Studies at the University of Toronto and he recently finished his post graduate studies in Public Administration from the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.

He is highly interested in the social and economic development of nations and specifically in understanding and finding lasting solutions to the numerous challenges which developing countries face. He has served as Research Assistant for projects at the Canadian Foundation for the Americas and The Social Planning Council of Peel. He has also aided Impact First International through the translation of diverse documents from English to Spanish and vice versa. He will be joining UNHCR in San Jose, Costa Rica where he will act as a Community Services Officer.

He will assist all offices and partners in the development, implementation and management of new and existing programs. He is looking forward to contributing his skills and knowledge to ensuring Refugees’ needs are addressed in both the short and long term.

Shereen Abdel-Hadi | UNDP in Armenia

Shereen Abdel-Hadi was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She obtained a BBA degree in Paris, France and has spent the last 13 years extensively traveling through Europe, Asia and parts of Africa. Shereen has lived in several different countries (including France, England, Singapore and Spain) and also spent time in Italy, where she interned with the World Food Programme in Rome writing and editing documents in the Change Management Team.

Shereen’s passion for traveling led her to different parts of Asia, where she discovered the often difficult situations in which families must live. She has a special sensitivity towards minorities such as refugees and children, and has volunteered in orphanages while on holidays in Thailand and Malaysia. She is currently pursuing post graduate studies with the University of London’s International Programme and is specialising in Children’s Rights Law.

Shereen speaks fluent French, and has a basic understanding of Japanese and Arabic. She enjoys puzzles and problem-solving and is a Member of British Mensa.

Shereen will be working with the UNDP in Armenia in the RC Unit as a Reporting Officer.