Meet the Team who Make It Happen !

Catrina Cortes, Intern

Born in the Philippines, then raised in Vietnam, Singapore, and very briefly in San Francisco, Catrina's interest in culture and travel have been the few constants in her life. Her exposure to the various living conditions of people in different countries as well as her own experiences as a young child, led her to be interested in social change and humanitarian causes. Her small attempts to be involved in social issues throughout high school kept alive a strong desire to pursue a career that involved working for the non-governmental sector.

However, university kept Catrina wayward and "realistic", which led to her abandon her childhood dreams to help heal the world. It was only during her final year in university, mostly prompted by a Gender Studies class (which was taught by a greatly admired professor), that she finally regained some courage to participate and involve herself in social issues again, and to perhaps, contribute to the advancement of humanity.

She graduated in 2010 from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, specializing in Cultural Heritage. After leaving a dead-end music career as well as her first and only job ever, she is now a happy intern for an organization that believes in all the things close to her heart. This internship with UN Women will allow her to re-learn the language of hope, which in her younger days, she was much more fluent in. Women's rights and social inequality preoccupy her most, and are one of the only two topics she has a hard time laughing about.

Catrina loves reading, writing, doodling, tweeting, listening to music and traveling (but not all at the same time).

Valentina Arias, Intern

Born in the midst of a storm in the Amazon River, Valentina witnessed from an early age how her family devotedly engaged in various literacy and social projects with native tribes and populations. Valentina's family shaped and influenced her worldview, which encouraged her to pursue a life full of available means of knowledge through education, passion for social equality, and mutual understanding of diverse others.

Valentina graduated with honors from the department of Communication Studies at California State University Long Beach, and subsequently attended to the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Valentina's philanthropic endeavors have its roots in her native Colombia, where she evidenced the negative impacts of the armed conflict, and decided to take action against the anti-personnel landmines and forced population displacement. Eventually, Valentina engaged in different campaigns against racial and gender inequality in the United States, and has been fully committed to reform societies and improve socio-economic conditions of individuals around the globe.

As a lifetime advocate of human rights, Valentina expects to build a career with UN Women Singapore, and fulfill her dream of inspiring others through the fascinating lenses of non-profit work.

Syafiqah Omar, Intern

Syafiqah Omar graduated from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) in July 2011 with a degree in Communication Studies, majoring in journalism.

She has written for various publications including The Straits Times on topics ranging from architecture, graffiti art, science as well as travel. In 2010, Syafiqah interned for Pakistan's largest English language newspaper, Dawn News, where she spent 6 months in Karachi writing as well as packaging news for its online desk, Dawn.com. Prior to that, she has lived in Mexico for 5 months in 2009 learning Spanish and international relations, with a focus on Latin American issues at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico's leading private university.

Syafiqah views her internship in UN Women Singapore as an invaluable experience in understanding how international NGOs operate as well as a platform to campaign for women's issues. She is currently looking to further her studies in the near future as she intends to pursue a career in development work.

Aside from her native Malay, she would like to believe that she also speaks some Urdu/Hindi, French and Arabic - and by some she means threadbare.

Yasmeen Kassim , Intern

Yasmeen graduated with a degree in Business Management. Refusing to be stuck at a job she hates, she has spent most of her undergraduate years exploring different job possibilities. Yasmeen unexpectedly found her passion in the social and development sector whilst volunteering at local NGO in Cambodia, and later, interning at the Global Poverty Project. Life has had so much meaning and purpose since then.

In such a time where we live in abundance, it is unjustified that 1.4 billion people still lives in extreme poverty. According to Jeffrey Sachs, special advisor to UN secretary general, we can end extreme poverty. How? 90% of it is understanding the problem and having the will to solve it. Women and girls are one of the world's greatest untapped resources...they are the key to alleviating poverty. Being a part of UN-Women, where the heart of what they do is to advocate for women's empowerment, and to be able to contribute towards the solution, no matter how little, is a privilege.

Life's short. Live your dream and wear your passion..

Past Associates and Interns

Sylvia Koh

I'm an aspiring journalist and writer in my third year of Mass Communications in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I opted to intern at UNIFEM Singapore to gain firsthand insight into the various gender-based issues present in our society, the region, and beyond, and more importantly, how they are tackled. I've always had a strong interest in social politics and identity politics - more expressly in the areas of gender, sex, and sexuality. I'm trying to continually educate myself; raise questions, and perhaps, be a part of the conversation. Indeed, quite glad to have already joined the fray in my own small way. Before joining UNIFEM, I interviewed a man who said that purveyors of gender equality live in fantasy, for "some animals are more equal than others". For an Orwell fan, that was absolutely abrasive to my ears. And I believe he missed the point. As do many who say with certitude: This is the immutable state of the world. The fight for gender equality, as with many other fights for equality, aim to eradicate inequality without the naivete of seeking success in absolute, but with the wisdom of seeing success in progress. It's one notion that has stuck and shaped much of my attitude. As an aside, and auxiliary proof of my lack of a social life (as if necessary), I also spend a lot of time buried in music and books. Favourite musicians: The National, Regina Spektor, Sleater-Kinney, Pixies, Arcade Fire, The xx, and Violent Femmes. Favourite novel: 1984 by George Orwell.

Sara Shaaban

My name is Sara Shaaban. I am Egyptian/French, born in Singapore. I am 20 year old, studying Psychology, Art Therapy and Spanish. One of my many dreams and goals is to open my own private practice in Chicago. It will be a Holistic and Healing Art Therapy Center for Exceptional Children (Children with Autism) or to work with a NGO somewhere in the world on a hands on basis.

For 8 or 9 years now, I've been traveling to Costa Rica working with two communities of women and children promoting self empowerment. For the first two years, I was traveling with a group from my church but after taking groups fell through, I took on the project myself and have been going ever since taking with me my family, friends, people from my church community.

I have been promoting and creating a safe and peaceful environment for the women and their children and also teach English for an after school program. I built community centers within both communities ( La Promesa and La Carpio) and have involved my church (Unity Church on the North Shore), grade school (Sacred Heart School Chicago), high school (Loyola Academy Wilmette Illinois) and Evanston community. Through these communities here in Illinois, we have been able to provide thousands of donations for both communities. Along with the donations, I created a calendar with my photographs of the women and children and sold it in the US to provide funds to help with the repair of particular houses in the community.

Everything I do, because it is who I am, involves deep love. I have a true and genuine love for people. Through my deep faith in God, my passion for change and equality, a strong sense of peaceful community and love, I have been living my life exactly the way I know I am meant to. I am up to many things in my life and can do this because I live through the power of communication, effective listening and authenticity.