A qualified occupational therapist and Masters in Child and Youth Studies, Natasha has over a decade experience working in the disability, development and health sectors. Natasha has worked in multiple cross-cultural settings in Australia, South Asia, Africa and Europe and has significant experience in project and program development and implementation, at both country office and international levels. Natasha has led research, curriculum development, training, capacity building, quality improvement, monitoring and evaluations in physical rehabilitation, disability inclusion, awareness and health sector settings.
Most recently, Natasha’s ability to think strategically while remaining focused on the needs of society’s most vulnerable groups, led her to be engaged in two highly significant projects for Handicap International (HI). The first was to develop the organisation’s strategic level indicators – applicable across all sixty countries in which HI works. The second was to develop and manage a project which aimed to raise the voice and identify key issues of children with disabilities who experience sexual violence. The research-based project was jointly implemented by HI and Save the Children UK, and focused on survivors of sexual violence in four African countries: Burundi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania. Natasha led this project from its inception to its successful conclusion with a report, jointly signed by the Chairs of both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Curriculum Vitae can be provided on request. natasha@inclusionmatters.com
Research
Reports
Sym, Natasha and Rouger, Theresa (2011) Sexual violence against children with disabilities in Burundi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania: Research Report. This report is available on request to Natasha Sym
