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Approach & Sample Projects
I am a multilingual (Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese) independent international consultant with 11+ years of research and evaluation experience in The Americas and Europe. I focus on the fields of child protection, refugee protection, and the Latin American region. My approach includes the following theories, methodologies, and methods:
  1. Applied Qualitative Research. As a social anthropologist with a graduate degree in public administration and expertise in MEAL (Evaluation and Learning), I have applied qualitative methods and tools (literature reviews, interviews, ethnographic field research, focus groups, participatory methods) and semi-quantitative research (surveys and polls) into practical needs assessments, recommendations, and guidance to inform policies and programs of national NGOs, governments and international agencies. For further details, please, read my article on the benefits of implementing ethnographic fieldwork and anthropological approach to human rights policy advocacy, needs assessments, and evaluations. If you are interested in understanding the reasons behind my decision to enhance my qualitative research skills with MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning), I invite you to read this article.

  2. Intersectional Feminist Analysis. In its extremely summarized definition, this framework addresses the intersecting forms of oppression experienced by marginalized individuals. The concept was originally developed by Black Feminism scholars, who sought to address the limitations of traditional feminist and anti-racist theories in explaining the unique challenges faced by Black women. Since then, it has helped shed light on the previously overlooked reality that certain individuals and social groups face oppression due to their simultaneous membership in multiple marginalized social categories and circumstances. These include their race, class, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, disability, religion, etc. These social categories intersect and overlap in complex ways within each historical, social, and cultural context, and understanding and responding to this oppression requires recognizing the interconnections between these social categories, rather than viewing each category in isolation. Therefore, qualitative research plays a crucial role in comprehending the complexities of these intersections.

  3. Latin American Critical & Decolonial Theories. Through my work and research, I make a modest contribution to Latin American critical theory and to more egalitarian societies that uphold the rights of children, women, LGTBQ+ individuals, people on the move, and other marginalized groups in our region. This theoretical framework provides us with tools to critically analyze current Latin American situations labeled as “humanitarian emergencies” or “political/human rights crises” by historicizing them through intersectional feminist analysis, critical geopolitics theory, and other critical theories. Taking the example of regional migration policies, conceptualizing migration from the region as an “emergency” or “humanitarian crisis” that can be resolved through isolated, narrowly defined interventions or policies obscures the reality that it is a constant and structural phenomenon. In addition, because Latin American theory is concerned with practical solutions, by embracing critical Latin American perspectives, we can explore alternative political solutions that prioritize social justice and human rights for individuals on the move throughout the region.

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If you would like more information about my approach or are interested in collaborating with me, please feel free to contact me.
Explore a selection of my consultancy assignments in the child protection and refugee protection sectors:

Policy Advisor Consultant, Refugee & Migrant Protection, Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA)

  • Served as CDA’s migration policy expert, with a focus on protections for migrants and refugees with multiple vulnerabilities (children, women, the LGTBQ+ individuals)
  • Conducted qualitative research on human rights violations against people on the move with multiple vulnerabilities in Mexico (Tapachula, Ciudad Juárez, Piedras Negras), Texas (El Paso, Del Río, Eagle Pass), and Costa Rica. This involved desk reviews, interviews with government authorities, NGOs, and people on the move
  • Co-authored the report The consequences of the immigration policies of the United States and Mexico on the protection of Venezuelan women and LGBTIQ+ people in southwestern Mexico  together with Apoyo a Migrantes Venezolanos, the Institute for Women in Migration, AC (IMUMI) and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC)

Geographical Assessment Consultant for Latin America, International Refugee Assistance Project    

  • Conducted a desk review on national and regional trends relating to safe pathways to protection for asylum seekers and refugees in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico
  • Performed interviews with 17 Latin American experts, grassroots, NGOs, and INGOs
  • Analyzed patterns of human rights violations against forcibly displaced persons who live at the intersection of being people on the move across borders and one or more marginalized identities and factors, focusing on women, girls, the LGBTQIA+, particularly transgender women, older people, Haitians on the move, and Linguistic minorities
  • Outputs: An internal 100-page report with research insights and recommendations, and a 30-page external report highlighting protection gaps and recommendations for international donors on how to better support grassroots and diaspora-led organizations
  • Coordinated the work of a team of 5 extremely helpful IRAP staff.

Consultant for the Study of Shelters for Survivors of GBV (gender-based violence) for UNICEF Mozambique 

  • Conducted a desk review on international standards for shelters and connected services for girls and women survivors of GBV in Mozambique and the Southern African Region
  • Performed interviews with 11 GBV and children’s rights Mozambican experts from NGOs and international agencies
  • Drafted the 90-page report “Study on shelters for women and girls survivors of violence” with research findings and recommendations for the government of Mozambique and UNICEF

Consultant on Alternative Care for Unaccompanied and Separated Migrant and Refugee Children (UASC), RELAF, Mexico.                                            

  • Produced a handbook to integrate Central American unaccompanied and separated migrant and refugee children (UASC) living in Mexico through foster care programs, the Guide of standards for foster care programs for migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking unaccompanied and separated children in Mexico (in Spanish)
  • Documented global inter-agency tools on child protection principles and good practices for the alternative care of migrant and refugee UASC
  • Interviewed 12 UASC experts from European non-profits working in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Spain, and the Netherlands
  • Documented protection policies for UASC in the Northern Triangle, Mexico, and Italy
  • Represented RELAF in the inter-agency design process of the MOOC Caring for Children Moving Alone: Protecting UASC (University of Strathclyde)

Monitoring & Evaluation Consultant, End Violence Lab, University of Edinburgh

  • Conducted a real-time evaluation of the 12-week Colombia INSPIRE (Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children) Coordination Course, addressed to 100+ Colombian child protection practitioners.
  • Collected & analyzed qualitative data, including literature reviews, 14 surveys, interviews, participant observation in 30+ meetings, and 3 focus groups with Colombian child protection frontline workers and practitioners
  • Drafted a contingency plan for the course, a report to document the planning and delivery of the course, and a final process evaluation report
  • Drafted 3 short articles on forced recruitment by armed forces, physical violence, and sexual violence against children in Colombia for the End Violence Lab’s website

Youth Suicide Prevention Researcher (intern), UNICEF Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan                                        

  • Produced the evaluation report “The government and UNICEF- led suicide prevention program in Kyzylorda Oblast, Kazakhstan”. This was a process evaluation of the ongoing government and UNICEF’s child and adolescent suicide prevention program, including a needs assessment and recommendations to tailor the program to children’s needs
  • Conducted a thorough literature review on child suicide prevention theory and policy practices of reference
  • Conducted ethnographic field research involving in-depth interviews with Kazakh government officials, health services providers, and focus groups with children, their families, and school teachers
  • Supervised a research assistant/Kazakh translator.