What drives us

I spent half my life working in conflict zones with Doctors Without Borders and Action Against Hunger, managing humanitarian programs at the highest levels. I led teams across entire countries and regions, specializing in supporting populations affected by violence. I saw firsthand what it means to live under constant threat—how conflict, coercion, and abuse strip people of their autonomy, safety, and dignity.

But in 2013, I made a decision. I no longer wanted to work solely in war zones. I wanted to address the violence that happens in societies that claim to have functioning systems to protect women and children—but fail them over and over again. I knew that the risk reduction and threat management strategies I had applied in high-conflict areas could make a difference elsewhere. Violence thrives on power imbalances, and these systems, whether in war zones or wealthy nations, too often protect perpetrators rather than those at risk.

This is also personal. I understand the lifelong impact of violence, neglect, and abuse—not just from my work, but from my own lived experience. Violence is not random. It is a tool—used to control, to intimidate, to break. And yet, despite everything I’ve seen, I don’t believe that violence defines humanity.

Most people are not violent. We have as much capacity for empathy and collaboration as we do for destruction. But we have been conditioned to accept violence as inevitable—to believe war is necessary, fear is valuable, and peace is naïve. An advanced society would reject this. It would put human rights first. It would stigmatize the perpetrators, not the victims. It would settle disputes through dialogue, not destruction. It would not wage war against its own people or the planet itself.

This belief is what drives me—and it’s what drives this initiative. The goal is simple: To ensure fewer women and children suffer harm. To make the knowledge and skills needed for safety accessible. To shift the narrative away from fear and toward real, actionable change.