“Cynthia Buiza worked on international refugee, migration and human rights issues for the past 14 years in various parts of Southeast Asia. Prior to working with CHIRLA in December 2007, she worked for three years as the Program Coordinator for the Children’s Rehabilitation Center-Philippines, working with families affected by political armed-conflict. She was the Information and Research Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees-Regional Office in the Philippines and its implementing partner, Refugee Services Philippines. She was Deputy Director of the Open Society Institute- Burma Education Project in Thailand; and was the Regional Policy and Advocacy Officer for the Jesuit Refugee Service- Asia Pacific Office. She also consulted with international organizations such as Child Workers in Asia, Save the Children-UK, Save the Children –Sweden and Help Age International. She holds a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, specializing in human security issues v-a-v traditional national security frameworks. She has a B.A. in Social Work from the Philippines, and a Certificate in Refugee Studies from Oxford University, London, England. In June 2003, she co-authored a book on armed conflict and internal displacement in the Indonesian Province of Aceh titled: “Anywhere But War.” She is also a published author of poems and essays, the most recent of which is an anthology on expatriates and Filipino cuisine called “A Taste of Home.”
