The Accord Research Alliance (ARA) faculty group is delighted to present a two-part webinar series on Transformational Development in the midst of Migration & Mobility. We cordially invite you to Webinar 1: Christian Development in the Midst of Leaving. Thursday May 2, 2024 at 11:00 am EST.
Speakers for Webinar 1:
Sara Sywulka, MPA, Country Director, World Vision Guatemala
Sara oversees a portfolio of programs in child protection, youth workforce development, WASH, education, food security, livelihoods, nutrition and climate action. She was previously the Chief of Party of the $65 million Puentes Project funded by USAID in Guatemala, managing 10 partners within this positive youth development program that has served more than 35,000 youth, providing education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for them to engage productively in their communities rural and underserved urban areas of Guatemala. Sara earned a BA from Wheaton College in French and anthropology, and also participated in the HNGR program. Her Master's Degree from Cornell University is in Public Administration with a focus on food security and nutrition. She is fluent in English, Spanish and French, remembers some of the German she learned at the Austrian School of Guatemala where she completed secondary school. She has 29 years of experience in designing, managing and implementing emergency response and development programs with various organizations including ACCORD and Integral Alliance members in Guatemala, CAR, South Sudan, DRC, Rwanda, CAR, Philippines, Pakistan, South Sudan and others, covering a range of sectors including youth development, economic empowerment, disaster risk reduction, food security and nutrition, gender-based violence, shelter and social cohesion.
Harun Mutuma Ringera, World Concern Country Director for Kenya
Harun Mutuma Ringera holds a bachelor's degree in education and an MA in development studies, Harun has nearly 25 years of experience in humanitarian and development work in the Horn of Africa, 17 of which have been with World Concern. He has served in both South Sudan and Kenya and provided leadership over programs in Somalia and other parts of the region as well. Harun is married with four children, two boys and two girls. Having given his life to Christ in high school, he made a commitment to serve God wherever He would send and is grateful for the opportunity World Concern provides to fulfill that commitment. Harun's greatest joy is seeing lives transformed from poverty to the abundance of life God designed.
Purpose of Webinar Series
Increasing numbers of communities in which Accord organizations work are impacted by migration and refugee crises. This two part webinar series is intended to explore how Transformational Development efforts can meet the myriad challenges such dynamics create. Webinar 1: Christian Development in the midst of Leaving will highlight communities experiencing outward people flows. Webinar 2: Christian Development in the Midst of Coming, will look at strategies designed to help incoming immigrants and refugees. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, May 9 at 11:00 am EST for Webinar 2. More details on this to follow!
Finally, if you would like to familiarize yourselves with the issues related to increased mobility and migration, whether forced or unforced, before the webinar, we recommend the following reading. Perspectives on Global Development 2017.
