DR. CHRISTINA BENNIKE

Co-Founder & Director

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Christina holds a BA in Political Science/International Studies as well as a MBA and PhD and is dedicated to the humanitarian effort and has spent the last twenty five years living Central Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East and Europe working on humanitarian programs in an effort to improve the lives of refugees and internally displaced persons globally. Christina has worked with non-governmental, governmental and the United Nations in the areas of emergency response, conflict and development.

 

During the December 2004 Banda Aceh tsunami, Christina set up a successful emergency response program in both the tsunami and civil war area of Sigli, Aceh. This program was commended by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

 

Christina led numerous humanitarian mine action programs including the startup of Dan Church Aid (DCA), during the emergency phase of the 2006 Lebanon-Israel hostilities as well as, the Country Director for the largest humanitarian mine action organization, Mines Advisory Group (MAG) in Lebanon from 2008 through 2010 with a staff base of more than 300 national staff and 17 international staff. Christina introduced the first international and national females to humanitarian mine action in Lebanon, an approach that has now been globally accepted.

 

Christina has traveled or lived on all continents and has served with both the United Nations Office for Project Services and the United Nations Development Programme. In addition to her native English, Christina speaks Russian, Danish, Norwegian and Spanish and is currently studying Arabic.