Rachel Pulfer is the Executive Director for Journalists for Human Rights (www.jhr.ca), Canada’s largest media development organization.

Previously the International Programs Director at JHR, Ms. Pulfer has managed media development projects in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and represented JHR at conferences in New Brunswick, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, Germany, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar. Prior to joining JHR, Ms. Pulfer was a Canadian Journalism Fellow at Massey College, and a magazine journalist of 10 years' standing. Her last position was as the U.S. correspondent, editorial board member, and columnist for Canadian Business – Canada's national business newsmagazine.

As a humanitarian who grew up in several developing countries, Ms. Pulfer believes JHR’s mission – using powerful pieces of accountability journalism to inform people of their human rights – is an excellent way to put her profession to work for a greater good. She is pleased to be part of making that mission a reality.

Prakash Singh joined the JHR team in September 2012. He believes media is one of the most powerful and effective means for making a difference in peoples lives, and is excited to be a part of improving and exposing human rights issues throughout Sun-Saharan Africa by using the media. Prakash brings over ten years of experience in financial management, internal control and administration and has worked in the international development agencies in Canada and Nepal. Prakash has widespread knowledge of financial reporting to funding bodies such as DFID, USAID, CIDA, BMZ and other INGOs. Prakash has an Executive MBA degree from Pokhara University in Nepal. Prakash looks forward to working closely with JHR's country offices and partner agencies to streamline the financial management, documentation and financial reporting processes for JHR international. JHR is very pleased to have Prakash on the team.

Claire joined JHR in July 2012 to head the fundraising and community engagement teams. Prior to JHR, Claire worked in policy and communications at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, ran the publications department at Peace Child International, and was an editor at the UN Environment Programme's youth magazine, Tunza. Peripatetic and eager for adventures, Claire has lived and worked in the UK, Lebanon, Falkland Islands and the wilds of downtown Toronto.

As a freelance journalist, Claire has been published in The Walrus, Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, and The AV Club.

If you are passionate about human rights, journalism, or the rule of law, Claire thinks you should become a JHR monthly donor.

Kathryn Sheppard first joined the JHR team back in 2010, drawn to the organization’s commitment to inform the public of its rights and create positive policy change through strengthening the local media in post-conflict countries. Although based in JHR’s head office of Toronto, her work with the organization has brought her to Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Malawi and South Africa.
Kathryn has a Master of Arts in Diplomacy from University of Nottingham, focusing on public diplomacy and the legitimacy of celebrity involvement within the diplomatic sphere. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Joint Honours History and Political Science, with a minor in French from University of New Brunswick. She has held positions as Volunteer Advisor with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, Youth Services Officer with Service Canada Centres for Youth in both Ontario and New Brunswick, and Research Assistant for the UNB Department of History/Labour History in New Brunswick project.

Robin Pierro is a journalist, documentarian and international development worker. Before taking on her current position at JHR's head office Robin spent 8 months working as a journalism trainer in Accra, Ghana. Having seen the profound impact of JHR's work on the ground, upon returning to Canada, she was overjoyed to be able to stay involved with the organization. Prior to working with JHR Robin had a short stint with CBC's 'the fifth estate' and also worked as an independent filmmaker and freelance journalist, producing documentaries and stories on human rights issues throughout Africa and South America. Her work has been screened in dozens of international film festivals and has garnered her several filmmaking awards. She has also freelanced for publications such as The Toronto Star, Out There Magazine, The Canadian Free Press and Speak Magazine. Robin Pierro received her B.A. in Journalism from Ryerson university, where upon graduation she received the Joe Perlove award for the student deemed best journalist in their graduating year.

Jesse joined JHR in March of 2013. He's a graduate from the University of Toronto, with an Honours Bachelor of Arts and a Master's of Religion. Jesse is excited to bring his previous experience in social media to JHR to help promote human rights reporting around the world.

He's a self-confessed Reddit addict, general internet junkie, and lover of sci fi.

Naregh has graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialist degree in History and Political Science. As a French-Armenian raised in Italy, Naregh humbly defines himself as a citizen of the world, and as such, attempts to unlock the mystery of global diversity by speaking several languages (Italian, Armenian, French, German, Russian, English) and focusing his attention on the politics, society and culture of different regions of the world. He is interested in understanding the complex dynamics shaping the near future of the globe, as well as in sticking to reality by observing how these dynamics affect real people’s lives. Besides dreaming of applying his curiosity as a reporter in a decent way, Naregh’s ultimate desire is to see greater global awareness on major issues through wider access to information.

Josh Boyter is the Youth Engagement Coordinator for jhr (journalists for human rights).
Josh joined JHR in July 2012 as the Youth Engagement Coordinator. As the Youth Engagement Coordinator, Josh overseas JHR’s University chapter program, Speak, JHR’s Rights Media magazine and Voices, JHR’s domestic communications project.
As an academic tradesman, with a passion for journalism, Josh researches the intersection of media and development. Josh recently completed his MA thesis, Revolutionary Images: The Role of Citizen Photojournalism, the Citizenship of Photography and Social Media in the Iran Green Revolution and Arab Spring. Additionally, Josh academically explores the construction of visual iconographies of child soldiers and photojournalism ethics in the developing world.
During his time at Dalhousie University Josh worked extensively in student media. Josh led the Dalhousie Gazette as Editor in Chief and Managing Editor in 2009/2010, focusing coverage on underreported issues such as mental health. Additionally, Josh worked with CKDU, Dalhousie’s Community Radio station as a volunteer and radio show host.

Bryan provides IT, design, web services and project management for non-profits and social enterprise.

 

Passionate about defending the rights of those marginalized, Freddy Mata, was trained as a journalist at the Institut Facultaire des Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication in Kinshasa, DRC’s main journalism school. His journalistic career began in 2006 at Congo Top FM, a major radio station in Kinshasa.

His interest in issues of violence against women and girls, child abuse and illiteracy, pushed him to report from the most remote neighbourhoods of Kinshasa and regions most hit by tremendous human rights violations, including Orientale and Southern and Northern Kivus. Realizing the power of the microphone, Freddy, a graduate in social communication, initiated projects to raise awareness amongst the Congolese on topics such as HIV/AIDS, gender-based sexual violence, reproductive health, child soldiers and ‘child sorcerers’. He continues his fight for human rights alongside Top Congo FM’s journalists.

A jhr Fellowship recipient in 2009, Freddy Mata, along Larissa Diakanua, is the first Congolese journalist ever awarded with the prestigious Lorenzo Natali Prize (Radio) by the European Union in 2010 on the issue of the marginalized and abused ‘child sorcerers’. This recognition caused Congolese journalists to show interest in human rights reporting and drew the attention of international institutions to one of the worst nightmares experienced by African children.

Freddy became jhr Country Director for the DRC in 2010, and has since contributed tremendously to the success of jhr in one of the most challenging environments in which jhr has ever operated.

Lamii Kpargoi, jhr's Country Director for Liberia is also Program Director at the Liberia Media Center (LMC), where he is responsible for implementing the “Good Governance through Strengthened Media” project. This project provides training in human rights reporting to media institutions and journalists across the country.

For 5 years, between 1997 and 2003, he served the country’s legislature in the public affairs capacity -- an experience that gave him a bird’s eye view of the national politics. Now Kpargoi regularly contributes to his country’s sociopolitical debate by appearing on talk shows and writing political/social commentaries.

He is a fervent believer in democracy and protection of fundamental rights and briefly went into politics between 2004 and 2005. He holds an LLB from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia and is a member of the Liberian Bar Association.

Journalism was not always Nana’s first love - her plan was to study law and become prosperous. But all that changed when she started listening to Joy FM in Kumasi and heard two of the smartest and witty female voices on radio asking questions and tackling issues that shaped national discourse.

Inspired from a distance, Nana applied for an internship at Joy FM, where she continued to work for three years before moving on. Her years at Joy were challenging but fun and inspiring, the experience exposed her to the impact journalists can make in society by asking questions.

Working for jhr has allowed Nana to truly discover why she chose to switch careers. jhr’s approach to working with partner media organization is a great and invaluable way of acquiring a collection of voices to speak for the people and help to create a society which can create and direct the national discourse and help reduce, and ultimately eradicate, human rights violations.

Nana has a degree in Sociology and economics from the University of Cape Coast, located in the central region of Ghana. And she likes to laugh.

Ethan Baron is a journalist and photojournalist who in the summer of 2012 quit his job as a staff news columnist at a daily newspaper in Vancouver to work in the developing world. During his 20-year career in Canada, he has covered politics and governance, environmental and social issues, crime, policing and the courts. He is the recipient of a National Newspaper Award and three Jack Webster awards, including B.C. Commentator of the Year for 2011. Baron has covered war and humanitarian disasters in Afghanistan, Kenya, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. His work with jhr has taken him to West Africa for the first time.

Pilar worked as producer at SBS Radio in Australia for many years. Eventually she expanded her career specializing in disaster management and emergency relief. She has worked for different aid agencies including the UN

 

 

Heather McKinnon is an Australian journalist who has worked on major metropolitan dailies in Sydney and Western Australia, as well as in newspapers in Singapore and Vietnam and for magazines in London. She has also worked with journalists in Cameroon in West Africa.

 

 

Nathan Charles is currently a journalist with ELBC Radio based in Monrovia, Liberia. Nathan has won numerous awards, including best human rights reporter in 2011, for the work he has done covering humna rights stories. Nathan was also able to visit Japan in the wake of the crisis in 2011. Nathan graduated from the University of Liberia with a degree in Mass Communications.

 

Raymond Zarbay is currently a journalist with UNMIL Radio based in Monrovia.  Although coming on as a Trainer in JHR’s Train-the-Trainer scheme in 2012, he’s been assisting JHR in community radio training since 2011.

 

 

Winston Daryoue is currently a journalist with UNMIL Radio and a former News Director at Liberia Women’s Democracy Radio.  He has also freelanced for the BBC.

 

 

 

Priscilla Quiah currently works at the Liberian Media Centre assisting the coordinator of their Informatrac funded program, Initiative for Mobile Training of Community Radio.  She has also written features that have run in Front Page Africa and The Heritage newspaper in Liberia.

 

 

Varney Karneh is currently a journalist at LUX FM and working towards getting his degree in Mass Communications from the University of Liberia.   

 

 

 

Renu is the Director of the International Human Rights Program and Clinical Lecturer at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. Renu graduated from the Faculty with a J.D., articled at Torys LLP in Toronto, and completed her LL.M. at New York University with a focus on international human rights law. In addition to publishing in the area, Renu is a the Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee of Human Rights Watch Canada, and has worked at a number of domestic and international organizations focused on advancing women's human rights, including the Centre for Reproductive Rights in New York, and the Association for Women's Rights in Development in Toronto. Prior to joining the Faculty, Renu practiced criminal law from an equality rights perspective for approximately four years routinely represented survivors of domestic and sexual violence, as well as federally-sentenced prisoners. Most recently, Renu was an Assistant Dean at the Faculty and worked extensively on the review of the first year curriculum.