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Patricia Garcia
International Programs Director
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James Thomson
Director of Policy and Advocacy
James has served as the Act for Peace National Advocacy Officer for the Program on Refugees and Displaced People, and is currently the Director of Policy and Advocacy. James was the Rapporteur for UNHCR’s Annual Consultations with NGOs in 2007 and 2008, and he has attended the Ministerial Consultations and the DIAC-NGO Dialogue on Humanitarian Issues for the past 7 years. James Co-Chairs,the ACFID Protection Working Group, is the founding member and Chair of the ACT International Protection Advisory Group, and is heavily involved in refugee rights work.
Prior to his current position he spent five years in Ethiopia and Eritrea working as a journalist and in the development field.
"I find my work to be a continuous challenge, but am motivated and inspired by the work of our project partners. I've worked for Act for Peace for eight years, but I continue to be amazed by our collaborative partnerships and what can be achieved when sharing common goals."
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Janet Cousens
International Program Coordinator
Janet joined Act for Peace in May 2008 and is currently overseeing our Burma and Zimbabwe programs. For the previous six years Janet worked in the public health sector on health issues for resettling refugees, most recently managing the early intervention program for STARTTS – the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma survivors. Entry into the health and humanitarian sector followed a vocation change from the world of international television, where she specialised in documentaries, working for a number of international organisations.
“It’s fulfilling to go home at the end of the week and know that I’ve done something of value to progress the lives of people I care about. I’m constantly challenged by our partners, their capacity to find joy in the hard places and the simplicity of their value system.”
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John Ball
International Program Coordinator
John has a long history in policy & advocacy work. He is truly dedicated to Ecumenism and has been heavily involved on Australian Indigenous issues, Sri Lankan Peace Advocacy and has played an integral role in the refugee and displaced peoples programs of Act for Peace. Currently John is an International Program Coordinator working with project partners in Sri Lanka. John has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours Psychology) at the Australian National University, a Graduate Diploma in Management, RMIT and a Diploma in education at La Trobe University.
“Serving and challenging the churches, as individuals and institutions, to advance ecumenical efforts for God’s shalom and salvation, is an inspiring but also often difficult mission.”
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Ben Fraser
International Program Coordinator
Ben Fraser has just recently joined the team at Act for Peace and he brings a wealth of international experience to the agency. He has undertaken a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Literature and has completed a Masters of Social Sciences in International Development. Ben has worked for Oxfam, Christian Aid, International Rescue Committee, International Lifeline Fund and has worked on the ground in many countries, managing the operations of programs in Sudan-Darfur, Uganda, Kenya, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia. He is now working with our partners in the conflict weary Gaza Strip, the Philippines and West Papua.
“I find the inner strength of those facing adversity and their determination to make a better life absolutely inspiring.”
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Jenny Wells
Disaster and Conflict Program Coordinator
Jenny joined Act for Peace in September after she and her daughter spent a year based in Bangkok where Jenny was coordinating the ongoing response to Cyclone Nargis in Burma for Caritas. Jenny has worked in the international aid and development sector for over 17 years with various government and NGO agencies including AusAID, Save the Children US and ACFID . Jenny is currently supporting Act for Peace to strengthen their disaster response capacity and developing strong partnerships with other ACT members.
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Paul Smart
Humanitarian Program Coordinator
For 12 years up until the end of 2006, Paul worked in the humanitarian aid sector in countries including, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Albania, Philippines and the Pacific. At the beginning of 2007 Paul returned to Australia and began to specialise in Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction.
Since the beginning of 2008 Paul has been working for Act for Peace where he has headed up a project known as the ‘Pacific Community-focused Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction’ (PCIDRR) project. PCIDRR operates in four Pacific countries (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Tonga) and involves working with individual villages to enable them to design their own Community Disaster Plan thus making the village better prepared to cope with disasters.
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Luke Johnson
Vanuatu Church Program Coordinator
Luke has worked in humanitarian assistance and community development for 16 years serving in Bosnia/ Croatia, Afghanistan/Pakistan, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. He has recently joined Act for Peace as coordinator of the Vanuatu Church Partnership Program, and brings strong experience in the Melanesian region, having grown up in Papua New Guinea and worked in the region for the last 10 years. Luke has previously worked with NCCA–CWS as manager of the Pacific program from 2000 to 2003. He has a background in finance and qualifications in natural resource and environmental management. Areas of special interest are appropriate technology; community media and creative industries in development; environmentally sustainable development; indigenous cultures; and intercultural communication.
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