Today, March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. This global holiday celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It’s a day to rejoice in the progress made by women; however, International Women’s Day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This year’s campaign theme is #BeBoldForChange which is calling on the masses to help forge a better working world – a more gender inclusive world. You can learn more by visiting the International Women’s Day website. In the spirit of celebration, we here at Play for Peace would like to honor all the amazing women who work for and with our wonderful organization!
Anbern Rodis-Guarrine is one of our Certified Trainers. She is a co-founder of BE! Experiential Training. Anbern was part of the group that did workshops in Indonesia to help start up their Play for Peace clubs as well as helped conduct a youth facilitator workshop in Norway.
Anet Wesonga is one of our Public Relations Writers. She is a freelance writer and photographer with over 5 years of teaching experience in communication and media studies. Anet will use her skills in journalism to help Play for Peace with our external communications efforts.
Anu Sood is one of the Writers for Play for Peace. She currently supports the organization as a blog writer to help retell some of the amazing adventures had by the Play for Peace team.
Aruna Koya is one of our Communications Volunteers. Aruna has over 15 years of experience in IT, and she intends to use her communication skills to help Play for Peace.
Ashna Jain is one of our Hindi Translators. She was born and raised in India and has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. A feminist and advocate for gender equality, Ashna brings her translating skills to Play for Peace.
Ava Tsai is our App and Web Design Volunteer. Ava volunteers for Play for Peace in the areas of user experience design and front-end development. Ava is also a volunteer at the United Nations and TED.
Barbora Strnadova is one of our Communications Volunteers. She currently assists the Play for Peace staff with the Walk for Peace event page and social media marketing.
Bianca Garcia works on Communications and Events for Play for Peace. Bianca joined Play for Peace when she was in high school as a youth leader. She now works for Chicago Public Schools. She is in the process of becoming a PFP Trainer!
Cicely Douglas is our Resource Library Assistant. Cicely has been incredibly important to the team, offering up her volunteer skills and setting up our online Resource Library.
Cindy Ostroff is one of our Communications Volunteers. Currently retired, Cindy worked for forty years in marketing and communications. Now that she has the time to get involved and make a difference, she lends her skills to Play for Peace.
Deanna Pizzitelli is one of our Blog Writers. She currently assists in photo management and blog writing, helping to archive the organization’s images and stories.
Dian Mitrayani is a Certified Trainer and Researcher for Play for Peace. Dian has conducted many research projects analyzing education, youth development, and leadership. Currently, she is conducting dissertation research on youth leadership and civic engagement in children’s rights-based youth organizations in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Elisa de Carvalho is one of our Communications Volunteers. She is involved in several initiatives regarding humanitarian intervention and international development. Elisa is glad to be part of the Play for Peace team and to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to a more peaceful world.
Florentina Simion is our Media Research Volunteer. Florentina is a volunteer from Romania, who comes to Play for Peace after working in a group of companies for 10 years, dealing with people and resources. She looks forward to applying her research skills to Play for Peace’s work.
Ha Phuong Pham is one of our Translators. By joining Play for Peace, she hopes she can contribute her time and knowledge to help the organization, directly or indirectly, bring more peace to children, women, and people all over the world.
Htet Win is our Burmese Translator. From Myanmar, Htet worked with many children in difficult situations working for an NGO in Yangon. These kinds of experiences spurred Htet to continue working in the humanitarian sector.
Imroz Shaw is our Global Operations Manager. Imroz is a traveler by heart and fate, her adventures include India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Pakistan, Cambodia, Nepal, South Korea, and the USA to work with organizations and schools. Imroz is committed to Social Justice and Peace Building.
Ioana Gheorghiu is one of the Writers for Play for Peace. Her day-to-day life includes providing front-line, person-centered care as a nurse. She is currently exploring the definition of what it means to be a global citizen.
Judy Clarissa T. Gacutan is one of our Writers. Judy’s volunteering experience spans almost 20 years, having been involved with socio-civic organizations. She has a vision that all children should be free from hurt and hopes to pursue this vision through her volunteer work with Play for Peace.
Kadi McDonald is our Digital Coordinator. She develops and manages social media strategies for nonprofits, writes articles and blogs for a wide variety of clients and audiences, and consults on small marketing and branding projects for all types of businesses.
Karla Retama Zarza is one of our Graphic Designers. She is studying at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and characterizes herself as a person interested in humanitarian aid and international relations. Karla believes that change is not an impediment, but a way to reconciliation and love.
Katie Baumann is one of our Writers. A former Play for Peace Intern, she has just moved to Italy to continue her studies. After pursuing International Studies at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, Katie is excited to become more integrated with the European culture and use her language skills to tell stories from around the world. Kishauna Soljour is one of our Writers. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation in France. She researches and writes about notions of identity, immigration, and law at the international level.
Kit Wan Chui is one of our Communications Volunteers. Kit Wan has a keen interest in languages and cultures and holds an academic background in linguistics and translation. Kit Wan is excited to contribute her writing and editing abilities to promote peace and inclusion with Play for Peace.
Laura Donati is one of our Communications Volunteers. Laura studied the role of communication in the prevention of stereotypes and to what extent we can overcome differences while emphasizing the importance of diversity. Laura strongly connects with the Play for Peace philosophy and decided to offer her skills as a volunteer.
Laura Vazquez is one of our Communications Volunteers. After half a decade working in the Marketing field for a Canadian-based company, she’s now pursuing something closer to international cultural exchanges and cooperation for development. She’s eager to share her gifts with Play for Peace.
Lauren Rubino is our Communications Project Manager. She’s been working in marketing and communications for over 10 years and has held a variety of roles in the book publishing industry and startup world. She is excited to use her experience to build the Play for Peace brand and collaborate with the volunteers who are bringing the organization to life.
Lisa Rooney is a Grant Writer. Lisa has more than twenty? eight years of public and private sector management experience in consulting and senior management positions.
Lorna Harvey is our Communications Specialist. Lorna is a local municipal councilor in Switzerland and an online research consultant. She has been volunteering with Play for Peace since 2013 as a Communications Volunteer and helped with Google Adwords and Monthly Community Newsletters.
Madeline Truschuk is one of our Writers. Madeline has been volunteering with Play for Peace since 2013. She helps Play for Peace by collecting stories from our global learning community via online interviews.
Maggie Harris is one of our Communications Volunteers. She works in Business Development Management; however, she hopes to contribute to NFP organizations in their important work to better communities and promote peace across the globe.
Maria Njeim is one of our Communications Volunteers. Maria has worked with several humanitarian organizations and has also worked for the United Nations World Food Programme on the emergency response to the Syrian crisis operation in Lebanon. Maria is working on writing the communication plan for Play for Peace.
Marika Przylecka is our Grants Researcher. She was born and raised in Poland, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Economics. Now, she wants to use her knowledge and skills to support the work of Play for Peace.
Marija Markovic is one of our Communications Volunteers. Marija participated and helped with projects related to children, education, sports, and raising awareness for management in culture within Europe. This is her first online volunteering experience, but she’s happy to be a part of this organization!
Monica Barreto is one of the Writers for Play for Peace. She enjoys working in an international and multicultural environment as well as keeping herself occupied with projects such as playing Play for Peace.
Natasha Das is one of our Communications Volunteers. Natasha currently works for an NGO that promotes sustainability and water conservation practices in India. This is her first volunteering experience and is excited to be part of the Play for Peace community.
Ouafa Bakhouche is one of our Translators. She has over 10 years of professional experience in several national and international agencies, including the National Bank of Algeria, and the Ministry of Justice of Algeria. Ouafa brings her competency in Arabic, Korean, French, and English to Play for Peace.
Palak Gupta is one of our Blog Writers. She is a journalism and mass communication graduate and works as a freelance journalist, writer, blogger, and poet.
Quyen Pham is one of our Translators. Originally from Vietnam but currently studying at the University of Southern California, she continues to look for ways to give back to her community at home. She has been a volunteer translator for the UN Volunteers in Vietnam and also works with the Controversial Convention.
Rachel Truong is one of our Translators. She is originally from Vietnam but currently lives, works, and volunteers in Dubai, UAE. She loves to work with children and for children and is passionate about women’s rights.
Roxana Pantazica is one of our Public Relations Writers. She has worked for an education consultancy start-up, for an EU policy media trust in Brussels, and she volunteered several years for international youth organizations. She shares the purpose-driven approach of the Play for Peace mission.
Sarah Gough is one of our Executive Directors. Involved with Play for Peace since 2001, Sarah co-authored “Peacecircles” (2013) and has facilitated training and workshops in experiential peace education around the world. Through Sarah’s leadership Play for Peace has grown to include thousands of children, youth, and adults in over 20 countries.
Sheetal Agarwal is one of our Hindi Translators. Currently, she collaborates with a non-government organization on Right to Food and has volunteered with organizations working for children in the streets and children with disabilities. Sheetal brings her smiles and goofy personality to Play for Peace.
Supreet Kaur is one of our Translators. Supreet has been volunteering with Play for Peace since 2013 as an English-Hindi Translator and has helped Play for Peace with flyers, marketing materials, monthly blogs, educational manuals, and many other tasks.
Tea Šokac is our Graphic Design Volunteer. Tea is a graphic designer from Croatia, currently based in Budapest, Hungary. Passionate about creativity, life, and children she decided to join the Play for Peace community as a volunteer.
Tina Mouneimne is our Wikipedia Page Writer. Tina, born Polish-Lebanese, and a bred citizen of the world, is a big daydreamer, traveler, volunteer, and writer at heart. Looking for ways to improve herself as well as her direct environment is one of her constant features.
Uma Chandrasekaran is a Research Volunteer. She currently assists the executive director with researching tools for evaluation data gathering, practicing peace Session Inquiry Process, and figuring out statistics projects.
Victoria Attar is our Arabic Translator. Victoria grew up in Syria and witnessed part of the Civil War that started in 2011. Victoria’s mission is to help support a peaceful and trauma-free world for all.
Whitney Mwangi is one of our Writers. Whitney, born and raised in Nairobi Kenya, is a highly skilled Communications Specialist. Her wish is to use her writing to tell how life is a journey, process, and discovery that is painted by our struggles, passions, and beliefs which we must embrace, learn the lessons there are, and eventually emerge as winners.
Zeleka Shawel is one of our Communications Volunteers. An advocate of environmental justice and global sustainable development, Zeleka hopes to promote sustainability, peace, and love through her work here.
