REACT

REACT Trustees come from a wide range of skills and expertise, including human rights, media, education, communication and law experts. The Founder Team has great experience working both in Darfur and Chad since 2003 and has built strong relationships with Dafuri communities, schools and tribal leaders.

Giovanna Stopponi Director email

Giovanna studied Law in Italy before moving to the UK in 1994. She has worked extensively in the field of human rights for several years with Amnesty International, designing and implementing high profile campaigns. She has recently worked with international non-governmental organizations, including PACT Sudan, as project manager running development projects with community-based organizations in India, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eastern Chad. These successful projects dealt with issues ranging from women’ empowerment through income-generation initiatives, children’s health and education, economic development and peace stability in conflict areas. She project managed health projects in Uganda for the Tropical Health and Education Trust, a UK based charity. She is also a freelance producer for an independent award winning film company making documentaries and news reports on social and human rights issues for International and UK-based broadcasters.

Tim Kellow   Chair of REACT Advisory Committee

Tim is the Peace & Security Programme Officer at the United Nations Association of the UK (UNA-UK). His expertise covers the UN and regional organisations, peacekeeping, international humanitarian law and disarmament. He holds a Masters degree in War Studies from King’s College London, and has seven years’ professional experience of working on conflict issues, both at the policy level and in the field. Prior to joining UNA-UK, he worked as a consultant to companies operating in unstable regions, such as West Africa and Central America, providing risk and security assessments, and evaluating likely social impacts of operations. Previously he worked for the conflict transformation NGO International Alert, in both its London headquarters and in Sri Lanka. Tim has also served as a risk analyst for a major commodity trading company; as an international development adviser at the House of Commons; and as a researcher for the security policy think-tank, the Centre for Defence Studies.

REACT Advisory Committee is made up of experts in the fields of Education, Refugee and Conflict issues, humanitarian affairs as well as of Darfuris and Chadians who generously lend their insight, knowledge and commitment to REACT on a voluntary basis.

Andy Glynne    Trustee

Andy Glynne is the director of Documentary Film-makers Group, the leading organisation working to promote documentary filmmaking talent and innovation in the UK. He is also Director of One World Broadcasting Trust which aims to increase understanding between developing and developed countries, through the use of media, and to highlight how in today’s world, all nations are inter-dependent. Initially trained as a clinical psychologist, he became involved in acting as a consultant clinical psychologist to a number of documentary films, often appearing in front of camera. Eventually, Andy moved behind the camera, and subsequently founded DFG in 2001. He has produced and directed numerous pieces for television including the award winning ‘Animated Minds’ - a series of short animated documentaries for Channel 4. As well as heading DFG, Andy is also Executive Producer of DFG Films - the production wing of DFG.

Arlette Laduguie    Trustee

A French national, Arlette moved to the UK in 1974 to pursue a career in the field of human rights as a researcher and advocate for an international non-governmental organization. She later lived in Asia for several years where she gained in-depth knowledge and understanding of human rights issues and was involved in designing international campaigns for improvements. During her career she covered several managing positions within the NGO sector, first as a frontline researcher and later as a regional programme director guiding and supervising human rights research and campaigning on regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and East Asia. Her work involved designing high profile strategies for dealing with countries in serious political crisis and working in coordination with survivors of human rights violations, representatives of local and international NGOs, and government representatives. Arlette speaks several languages, including Mandarin, has travelled extensively, and her interests cover different fields including actively supporting projects with humanitarian and community-based objectives.

Ian Murdoch    Trustee

Ian Murdoch’s background is in business and accountancy, with experience gained in a large variety of positions including credit management and company secretarial roles. After 20 years as a self-employed consultant working for a large cross-section of client businesses, he is currently in full-time employment as accounts manager of an educational charity in London. He has a number of other charitable interests, including education projects in India, which he supports on a voluntary basis. Ian’s studies in philosophy, economics and law have brought him to become involved in initiatives to alleviate human suffering where possible, particularly amongst the most vulnerable. He believes that supporting the education of children in the refugee camps spawned by the conflict in Darfur deserves the widest support and is honoured to be able to assist with this endeavour.

Phil Cox    Trustee

Phil is the director of an award winning independent film company. He has worked for the last 10 years as a director and producer of documentaries and news for international broadcasters covering conflict issues across Central Africa, the Middle East and South America. He also works as a lecturer and trainer of documentary theory and practices at various international film schools.