Sascha Lavin

Sascha Lavin

Role: Policy and Advocacy Assistant

Team: Programmes and Policy team

Profile:

I see my role as a bridge between those who deserve change and those who have the power to make change happen. Tackling workplace harassment through a new global convention is the focus of my position at CARE.

My previous parliamentary experience has proved invaluable for this role (although perhaps my early-morning gym sessions are worthy of more credit when it comes to chasing MPs down corridors at party conferences!). I am particularly interested in the interaction between Westminster and NGOs, what motivates parliamentarians to adopt a cause, and the spaces that encourage this.

Youthful idealism intact, my commitment to making positive change drives my career choices. For over four years, I have worked on the helpline at Manchester Rape Crisis, supporting survivors of sexual violence. I currently volunteer for Detention Action, where I visit migrants detained at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre.

I hold a first-class undergraduate degree in Politics with International Relations from the University of York.

One good thing I’ve read

Feminism without borders by C. T. Mohanty. A feature of all Gender studies reading-lists, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy. As a white, middle-class woman working for an NGO based in the Global North, this book reminds me to be aware of my privilege. Whilst advocating for women workers around the world, my role is not to speak for anyone but to amplify the many different voices of a diverse group.

The book on my bedside table: In a Day’s Work by Bernice Yeung. No prizes for guessing why I am currently reading this timely expose on the endemic workplace violence and harassment in America, shining a light on those most marginalised and informal workers.

Email: lavin@careinternational.org


Blog posts

CARE’s advocacy team travelled to the party conferences this year with one goal: to build support for our #ThisIsNotWorking


Humanitarian team

CARE International UK’s humanitarian team supports CARE’s humanitarian work by accessing funding, and by providing project management and technical advice and capacity to CARE’s country offices and CARE’s emergency responses. CARE has a strong focus on ensuring that all our humanitarian programming responds meaningfully to the needs and capacities of different people, whatever their gender, identity or particular circumstances. CARE’s emergency shelter team is also based at CARE International UK.

Head of Humanitarian

I joined CARE International UK in 2017 and currently head up our Humanitarian team. Before CARE, I worked for DFID…

Climate Change & Resilience Team Leader

I am an environmental scientist with a background in international development, specialising in climate change adaptation, natural resource management, disaster…

Inclusive Governance team

Poverty and social injustice are caused and maintained by unequal power relations that result in the inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities – between women and men, between power-holders and marginalised communities, and between countries. CARE believes poor governance is a key cause of poverty and social injustice. Our Inclusive Governance team promotes inclusive and accountable governance systems so that poor and marginalised people have influence over decisions that affect their lives. We help communities get organised and get their priorities included in development planning. We work to increase women’s voice and leadership in public life. We support service users to hold service providers to account. We work with public authorities and service providers to help them become more transparent and responsive to poor and marginalised people.

Head of Governance

I joined CARE International UK in 2006, with 15 years experience working in the NGO development sector. I have extensive…

Knowledge Management and Learning Officer

I lead on communicating the impacts of CARE's Inclusive Governance work globally, coordinating a community of practice for sharing learning…

Programmes and Policy team

The Programmes and Policy team is responsible for overseeing programme quality and multiplying the impact of our programming by encouraging governments, business and donors – based on the evidence we witness on the ground – to adopt policy reforms that support the world’s poorest people and communities. Working in partnership with our country programmes, women’s rights organisations and civil society, we put forward the views of the most marginalised to governments, including the UK government, multinational businesses and global institutions and press the case for change. In short, our goal is to change the rules of the game that keep people poor.

Head of Africa Programme Management

I provide strategic support to CARE country offices and manage a portfolio of projects mainly on gender-based violence and governance…

Senior Advocacy and Policy Adviser

I work in CARE International UK’s Advocacy and Policy team. I focus on gender and climate change, women’s leadership in…

Strategic Partnerships team

Strategic partnerships are a key way for CARE to increase and widen our impact. Our Private Sector Engagement team partners with national and multinational companies to co-create innovative 'inclusive business' approaches that drive new opportunities for poor people as producers, workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. We – and our partners – believe this makes good business sense: helping to generate efficiency, securing supply chains, accessing new markets and products, and improving credibility with consumers who increasingly expect companies to behave responsibly. Our Institutional Partnerships team connects the vision and commitment of our funding partners with poverty-fighting programmes throughout the world.

Partnerships Manager

I am a Partnerships Manager in the Private Sector Engagement team. I oversee the team’s portfolio of partnerships with the…

Senior Corporate Partnerships Executive

I manage CARE’s Cocoa Life partnership with Mondelez in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, working to create a vibrant, strong cocoa…

Women’s Economic Empowerment team

Our Women’s Economic Empowerment team leads CARE’s work globally to ensure women have greater access to and control over economic resources, assets and opportunities. We focus on four inter-related pathways to economic empowerment, based on a combination of women’s core economic roles as producers, workers, entrepreneurs and consumers: financial inclusion, women and value chains, dignified work, and entrepreneurship. We also focus on supporting the involvement of women in creating resilient markets in fragile and humanitarian contexts.

Director Women’s Economic Empowerment

I joined CARE International UK in September 2016 as global Director for Women’s Economic Empowerment. Women's Economic Empowerment is one…

Senior Advisor – Financial Inclusion

Prior to joining CARE International UK as Senior Advisor – Financial Inclusion, I led the Women and Youth Financial Inclusion…

I joined CARE in August 2014, because I believe strongly in our focus on economic development, gender equality and people…

CARE International alumni

Many CARE staff who have written Insights blogs have since moved on to other roles. Your blogs are still part of the CARE story – and we welcome any future contributions you may make to Insights and to our shared learning on what works in humanitarian response and international development.

Penda was formerly a Senior Resilience Advisor, providing technical support and project development assistance on resilience building projects in various…

Senior Account Manager – Health

As a member of the Private Sector Engagement team, Kate led the strategic partnership between CARE International and GlaxoSmithKline. She…