Unser Team weltweit

Ines Mariani - Volunteer Manager

Ines joined Projects Abroad in April 2007. She lives in Cordoba where she is studying tourism. She likes meeting people from all over the world and loves travelling. In her free time she enjoys being with friends, having barbecues with her family, reading novels and watching movies.

Sofia Mignacca - Desk Officer

Sofia joined Projects Abroad in November 2009. She has lived in Cordoba for five years; she moved there from a small town to study English Translation at the State University. She is very fond of music and literature and enjoys meeting people from all around the world, sharing different points of views and learning about other cultures.

Stephanie Wall - Social Manager

Stephanie was born in Canada, but lived in the US before returning to Argentina. She spent some time in Cordoba while studying at university and is happy to return to work there with Projects Abroad. She has worked with exchange programmes for many years and really enjoys learning about and interacting with different cultures. She loves to travel, meet new people and see new places.

Agustin Mariani - Volunteer Coordinator

Agustin joined Projects Abroad in December 2010. He lives in Cordoba where he is studying economics. In his free time he really enjoys listening to music and playing guitar. He has also been a boy scout for over 12 years, he loves nature and going camping with friends.

Roman Lescano - Volunteer Coordinator

Roman moved from a small town to Cordoba in 2008. He studied Media and TV and loves to listen to music, surf the net and go to the theatre. Roman lived in New Zealand for two years and enjoys meeting people from all over the world and learning about new cultures.

Matias Sanchez - Volunteer Coordinator

Matias joined the Argentina team in July 2011. He is from Cordoba and studied International Business & Marketing at the Universidad de Congreso in Cordoba. After his studies he travelled to the US to work at a ski resort in Colorado. He has also spent a year working in New Zealand. He enjoys sports like skiing and kitesurfing.

Natalia Mugas - Volunteer Coordinator

Natalia joined Projects Abroad in January 2012. She is originally from Cordoba and has always lived in the city. She studied English at the School of Languages to become an English teacher and she has a degree in English Literature. Natalia loves teaching, travelling and being in contact with people of different ages. In her free time she meets up with friends, spends time with her family and also does some sports.

Mariel Torrez - Desk Officer

Mariel joined Projects Abroad in June 2011. She studied Social Communication and has a Masters Degree in Latin American Studies. In her free time she loves to read, watch movies and travel.

Ximena Noya - Project Supervisor

Ximena began working with Projects Abroad in 2004, assisting in everything imaginable! She has now been working as Projects Supervisor since 2005. Born in Cochabamba, Ximena has also lived in Argentina. She has completed her studies at the UMSS, also in Linguistics and Communications. Ximena thoroughly enjoys listening to her "walkman" while riding buses out to supervise volunteers at their placement! She also enjoys photography and travelling.

Freddy Mita - Care Project Supervisor

Freddy was born in Potosi. He has worked supporting social projects involving abandoned children or children with special needs since 2003. He is a specialist in Braille and sign language. Freddy loves to play sports such as football, basketball and volleyball. He is a gifted musician and plays the guitar, charango and flute. He joined Projects Abroad in May 2008 as Care Supervisor and is always full of exciting new ideas for volunteers.

Rocio Triveno - Medical Project Supervisor

Rocio has been working with Projects Abroad since May 2010. She is a qualified nurse and enjoys her profession very much. Rocio has worked at one of Projects Abroad's Care placements, María Cristina, for over a year. She previously worked as a nurse in various health centres so she has plenty of experience in the field. Rocio has two children and enjoys sporting activities as well as volunteering her time to help others.

Daleysha Ewors - Project Supervisor

Daleysha joined the team in Costa Rica in May 2010. She previously worked in care and teaching institutions in San Jose and decided to move to the beautiful and warm city of Liberia. She has her origins on the Caribbean coast and loves to dance salsa. She also enjoys hiking, hot springs and the beach.

Gabriela Garcia - Teaching Supervisor

Gabriela joined the Projects Abroad Costa Rica staff in July 2011. She studied English at the National University, then chose Teaching English as her professional career; she will complete her studies next year. Gaby loves watching the sunset, reading interesting books, exercising and going to the beach.

Laura Estrada - Social Manager

Laura joined the Costa Rican team in August 2011. She previously studied English as a second language in the Technical National University for two years and is currently studying business administration. Laura likes to dance, sing, listen to music, go shopping and go to the beach.

Maria Vanegas - Desk Officer

Maria joined the Costa Rica team in May 2010. She studied Tourism at the National University of Costa Rica in Liberia. She enjoys listing to music, learning about new cultures, playing basketball and hiking.

Andres Solano - Operations Assistant

Andres joined Projects Abroad in March 2011. He has previously worked as a tour guide and group leader in a nature reserve. He also works some evenings as a dance instructor at his parents' dance academy. Andres likes learning languages and finding out about different cultures. In his free time, he plays football, goes to the beach and goes surfing.

Jessica Brenes Santamaría - Administration Assistant

Jessica joined the Costa Rica team in April 2011 and is originally from Heredia. She moved to Guanacaste to do her professional practice for her Tourism Degree and ended up loving the area and moving permanently to Liberia. She has previously worked as a receptionist and telephone operator. During her free time she enjoys going to the beach, watching movies, listening to music and going shopping.

Emma Sharpe - Assistant Manager

Emma joined the Projects Abroad team in Costa Rica in November 2011 after spending almost a year working as the Desk Officer in Senegal. Before working with Projects Abroad she completed a degree in English and Spanish and an MA in Latin American Studies in the UK. She is fluent in French and Spanish. Emma loves travelling and has spent time teaching English in Mexico and Ecuador. In her spare time she enjoys live music, painting and scuba diving.

Richard Munday - Conservation Coordinator

Richard joined the Costa Rica team in November 2008 after working for three years at the Conservation Project in Peru. Richard is based at Barra Honda National Park and is involved in the daily work arrangements for volunteers and the long term planning for the project.

Oscar Rosales - Conservation Coordinator

Oscar previously worked at Barra Honda for 8 years as a cave guide. Since March 2009 he has been working directly with Projects Abroad in the park. With his amazing local knowledge of the park he is able to answer any questions you may have. He also knows the people in the surrounding area very well, so is always helpful in organising work and trips out of the park.

Eduardo Artavia - Biologist

Eduardo is from San Jose and studied Management of Natural Resources at the National University in Athenas. He is currently finishing his degree with the State University of Long Distance Learning. He worked on and off at Barra Honda National Park since the start of 2008 doing investigations and studies for his university course. The main focus of Eduardo's degree is bats. He enjoys that his job allows him to teach enthusiastic people about the wonders that are all around us here in Costa Rica.

Meicel Gomez - Conservation Project Cook

Meicel has been working in kitchens most of her life and is a very talented cook. She is always happy to provide something special or different to the volunteers and is always around to help out if a volunteer has a problem or just wants a chat.

Andrea Silva - Desk Officer

Andrea has spent her whole life on San Cristobal island in the Galapagos and has worked with volunteers in some capacity ever since finishing school. She decided to take a break from her long term studies at the local university and is keen to share her love of the islands with all new volunteers. A keen hiker and avid reader Andrea will happily introduce you to the small slice of paradise that is the Galapagos.

Carlos Ochoa Valenzuela - Assistant Manager and Social Manager

Carlos was born in the north of the country in the estate of Sonora then moved to Guadalajara to study graphic design. After studying he had a number of jobs related to his career before joining Projects Abroad in November 2004. He has been involved with all aspects of the programme in Mexico and worked in Argentina for Projects Abroad in 2009. He is a big fan of illustration, cinema and music.

Manuel Alejandro Soto - Assistant Manager

Alejandro joined Projects Abroad in December 2010. He was born in Guadalajara and studied at the public university obtaining a Law degree. He has travelled a lot around the country during the last ten years, so, he will be happy to help if you need any suggestions about travelling in Mexico. Alejandro loves dancing and cooking.

Jorge Aguayo Zepeda - Desk Officer

Jorge graduated from the University of Guadalajara in Urbanism. He became a member of staff in May 2008. He loves to ride his vintage bicycles and is a passionate supporter of the local football team "Atlas".

Jose Soltero 'Jous' - Guzman Manager

Jous was born in Ciudad Guzman and has lived all his life there, his family is one of the oldest in the city so he is well know in all the town. Jous has been an 'official' member of staff for over 6 years regularly taking volunteers under his wing to make sure they settle into life in Cd. Guzman. Since the beginning of 2005, he officially become part of our team and his dedication and work have improved all our projects in Cd. Guzman. He loves music, makes and plays the didgeridoo an ancient aborigine instrument and one of his favourite drinks is the coconut water.

Oliver Garcia - Conservation Manager

Oliver is an experienced diver who has worked for two years in la Paz Baja California in the north of Mexico as manager of a diving school while he was also studying marine biology. He joined Projects Abroad in February 2005, just before we moved to our current Turtle Camp in Tecoman, where he has been the person in charge since.

Dr. Jesus Navarro - Medical Supervisor

Dr. Jesus Navarro has been involved with Projects Abroad for many years first by providing medical attention to sick volunteers and through organising medical campaigns in rural areas and inviting volunteers to help. However, he officially joined Projects Abroad as our Medical Programme Supervisor in September 2007. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two daughters. He is a coffee lover.

Irazema Arizabal - Office Manager

Irazema is the person in charge when Tim is not around. Born and raised in Cusco, she is a pre-school teacher who has also studied business administration. Currently she is in charge of the finances and with more than four years working for Projects Abroad, she knows just about every aspect of our organisation in Peru.

Yessika Espinoza - Care Supervisor

Yessika joined Projects Abroad in December 2006 after previously working for an NGO and a bank. She enjoys being able to work with young children as part of her job. In her free time she likes spending time with her family in Cuzco and socialising with the volunteers.

Patricia Davila - Medical Supervisor

Pati works in Cuzco as a dentist and comes from a family of medical professionals; both her father and brother are doctors too. Pati joined us as Medical Supervisor in 2006 when we first started our medical projects in Peru. She enjoys having the medical volunteers round for pizza and spending time with her family.

Tatiana Cueva Llave - Assistant Manager

Tatiana is from Espinar Province and studied tourism in Cusco. She enjoys reading, meeting new people and visiting ancestral communities. Tatiana joined the Projects Abroad team in Peru in April 2011.

Katie Gibson - Desk Officer

Katie hails from Dallas, Texas, but went to a small university in Tennessee where she majored in Spanish and minored in Religion. She then spent a year and a half teaching English in Santiago, Chile, then taught in Seoul, South Korea. The part she loves most about travelling is getting to see the nuances of each culture and region. Her favourite destination was Lhasa, Tibet, but Vietnam is in close second!

Jorge Espinoza - Assistant Manager

Jorge has a degree in Tourism Management from San Antonio Abad University in Cusco. Since graduation in 2006 he has worked on a cruise ship and as a guide on the Inca Trail. Jorge previously worked with volunteers on our Tourism Police extra-curricular teaching programme before joining the team as Assistant Manager. In his free time he enjoys playing sports and the guitar.

Americo Andrade - Logistics and Inca Projects Assistant Manager

Americo joined Projects Abroad part time in 2003 as a taxi driver and worked his way up to looking after volunteer logistics and working as the Inca Projects Assistant Manager. Americo was born and raised in Sicre in the cloud forest, about 8 kilometres from Huyro, where our Inca programme is based. He loves cars, animals and outdoor activities. His wife Isidora cooks for the Inca Project volunteers.

Daniel O'Shea - Inca Projects Supervisor

Daniel was a volunteer on the Inca Projects for three months from May 2007 before returning in September to join the staff team as our supervisor for the Inca Projects. He works with the volunteers on each of the different areas of the project, from community work to excavations and expeditions.

Fernando Del Alamo - Spanish Teacher

Fernando is our main Spanish teacher and organises all the classes for volunteers taking Spanish courses in Peru. He used to teach English at the local University. Fernando lives in Cuzco and is passionate about his motorbike. He also enjoys cycling and word puzzles.

Fernando Rosemberg - Lodge Administrator

An ex-gold miner now dedicated to conservation, Fernando administers the day-to-day running of the lodge. He is the longest serving staff member there from the start with Stuart. His English is excellent and his 20 years of experience in the jungle gives him great all round knowledge. His family in Puerto Maldonado runs a small hotel where volunteers usually spend the weekend.

Daniel Howell - Volunteer Coordinator

Dan is originally from Gloucestershire, England. He graduated in Environmental Management from Leeds University in 2006. After 3 years in an office job he headed to Taricaya as a volunteer in January 2010. As he enjoyed his time so much he has now joined the staff team.

Elvira Rosemberg - Desk Officer

Elvira joined the Projects Abroad team in January 2010 after returning from five years living in the USA. She is originally from Lima where she used to work in a travel agency. Before moving to the US she had a family run hotel and restaurant business in Puerto Maldonado, so she knows the town well. Elvira will be in touch with all Conservation volunteers before they arrive in Peru and she also meets many of the volunteers at the airport.

Daniel Niera - Resident Biologist

Daniel is a biology graduate from Arequipa, who has visited Taricaya several times over the years. He is now working full time as our resident biologist. His main interest is herpetology but he can hold his own in many other fields and we welcome him as of 2007.