Tanya Buynovskaya
Director of Operations
Tanya joined HealthProm in 2003. She spent her early career working in education and educational policy for a number of non-profit organisations in Krasnoyarsk, as well as the voluntary sector in London after moving to the UK. Since 2008, she has been leading HealthProm’s child disability and inclusive education programmes in Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus and managing a number of EC-funded projects in these countries. Since 2014, Tanya has been working with Russian NGO Tsentr Sotrunichestvo in Krasnoyarsk to develop and implement a number of inclusive education projects in Siberia. She previously led HealthProm’s project 'Siberian Initiative for Inclusion' supported by the European Commission and the British & Foreign School Society. Tanya became HealthProm’s Director of Operations in April 2015. She holds a BA in Education.
Chinara Isherwood
Finance Manager
Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Chinara joined HealthProm in 2019. Since 2007, she has been working in a finance capacity within the commercial sector. She has held previous positions at the accountancy firm M J Bushell and Co, Darco Consulting and 4 Degrees C as an Accountant Supervisor. She holds a BA in Finance and Banking and Russian Language and Literature, and is currently pursuing further accounting qualifications.
Ahmed Masood Amer
Senior Project Manager
Masood joined HealthProm in 2019. He is a program management specialist with over eighteen years of experience managing and implementing development and humanitarian assistance projects in Afghanistan. From 2005 to 2016, he served as a programme specialist with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Afghanistan, where he was in charge of UNDP’s programme for support to democratic governance and peace building. He has extensive expertise in project financial management and reporting, as well as project planning, governance, monitoring and evaluation and risk management. An Afghan national, he holds a Master's degree in International Business Law from the University of Liverpool and a second Master's in Project Management from Preston University. Masood leads HealthProm's project in Afghanistan and the Gateway to Education project for young Ukrainians and Afghans in the U.K.
Lena Salomon
Ukrainian Project Coordinator
Originally from Ukraine, I started learning English with our teacher Natalia Kuzmina at HealthProm.
After the war in Ukraine has started, I volunteered with the Ukrainian Project 'Open Doors' for 4 months. In October 2022 I joined the team as Ukrainian Project`s Assistant.
In August 2024 I became a Project Coordinator for the same project and hope to provide all necessary support for Ukrainian refugees in London.
I am currently pursuing further financial and accounting qualifications at Anglia Ruskin University London.
Benafsha Yaqubi
Afghan Project Coordinator
Benafsha, hailing from Afghanistan, joined the HealthProm team in October 2022. She came to the United Kingdom in August of 2021 to pursue a postgraduate degree in Transitional Justice and Conflict. She has a law background and has always been passionate about making a difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals. In the past, she has rendered her services to refugees. At HealthProm, she is currently leading the ‘Gateway to Education for Afghan Refugee Children’ project aimed at facilitating social integration and ensuring access to quality education for Afghan refugee children.
Hamida Hussaini
Afghan Project Coordinator
Hamida joined HealthProm in April 2024 helping to coordinate activities for young Afghans in London. She brings with herexperience in humanitarian work and knowledge in law and human rights with a focus on immigration. In this role, she is coordinating a project that offers educational and well-being support to young refugees, helping them with their transition to the UK.
Originally from Afghanistan and now based in London, she worked with international humanitarian organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Jhpiego, prior to moving to the UK in 2022. Her work in the UK includes volunteer experience in assisting refugees and asylum seekers. She completed her BA in Law in Afghanistan and earned an LLM in Human Rights with International Law from the University of Kent, UK.
She is passionate about the human rights of immigrants and has committed her career to humanitarian efforts, focusing on the needs of refugees and asylum seekers. She loves reading and enjoy the simple pleasure of a good coffee.
Olena Vysotska
Gateway to Education Ukrainian Project Coordinator
Olena Vysotska is an economist and a psychologist from Ukraine. Before 2022 she was the owner of a photostudio for children in Ukraine. At the same time, she had a private practice as a psychologist.
From 2022 until 2023 she lived in Romania where she worked with Ukrainian refugees, as a psychologist, provided and coordinated psychosocial and educational activities for adults and teenagers.From Summer 2023 she moved to London with her daughter and since August 2023 she has been providing support group for Ukrainian adults in a Ukrainian Hub in Enfield, London. Olena has joined HealthProm in March 2024 as coordinator and will be working with Oksana delivering the Ukrainian activities under the Gateway to Education for Afghan and Ukrainian Refugees Children.
Oksana Fomenko
Gateway to Education Ukrainian Project Coordinator
Oksana joined HealthProm as the Ukrainian Project Coordinator in March 2024. She has extensive experience in migrant protection and assistance, training and capacity-building activities, particularly in the areas of safe migration and prevention of human trafficking.
Oksana has been working in the International Organization for Migration – UN Migration Agency, in Kyiv, Ukraine, acting as Project Specialist and being active member of Organization’s Protection Programme particularly acted a focal point in Country’s Child Protection Cluster. Oksana worked closely with the Ministry of Education and local authorities and schools on introducing all-country awareness raising on safe migration for young people.
Chenoa Colaco
Project Development & Outreach Officer
Chenoa joined the HealthProm team in September 2024. She has recently obtained a BA in International History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, specializing in gender-based conflict and genocide. Outside of academia, Chenoa is passionate about exploring journalism through various mediums. Chenoa aims to consolidate fundraising initiatives at HealthProm whilst strengthening the charity's growth and community engagement.
Viktoriia Davyduik
Open Doors Project Assistant
Viktoriia joined HealthProm in 2023 as a volunteer for a project to support Ukrainians in London in their job search. Volunteering at HealthProm has given her a wonderful opportunity to develop in a new environment and continue her public work to line her compatriots in London while gaining new qualifications and practical skills.
Having a background in Ukraine as a project manager and psychologist in the NGO sector and an HR manager in retail, she continues to improve her professional credentials in the UK and has been promoted to a new position in the HealthProm family as Project Assistant in August 2024.
Consultants
Dr Stewart Britten
Afghanistan Project Adviser
Stewart is the adviser for our project in Afghanistan. A child Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist by training, he has extensive experience in Uzbekistan, Russia and Afghanistan working to improve maternal and child health and reduce institutionalisation of at-risk infants and young children.
Jonathan Watkins
Tajikistan Project Manager
Jonathan is a registered Social Worker in the UK. He works internationally for HealthProm to support families, communities, governments and professionals to improve opportunities for children with additional needs. He is also a consultant for UNICEF, working to strengthen international child protection practice. In the UK, Jonathan provides professional training to social workers and is also an independent expert witness in the courts system. Jonathan holds a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, an MA in Applied Social Studies from Brunel University, and an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
Maia Phutkaradze
Senior Finance Adviser
Maia joined HealthProm in 2011. Originally from Georgia, she has worked in a finance capacity in both the charity and commercial sectors. She has 10 years of experience in the NGO sector specifically, including in international development. She has held previous senior positions at the Democratic Progress Institute, the Haringey Association of Voluntary and Community Organisations and the St. Mark's Hospital Foundation. She is a fully qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Lesley Beath
Consultant Occupational Therapist
Lesley is an HPC (Health Professions Council) registered Occupational Therapist with over 30 years experience in Scotland, UK. Her passion is supporting children and families in special needs social care with a focus on Autism and Sensory issues. She has a wealth of experience creating and delivering bespoke training for families and staff to support children to realise their potential. Lesley has produced several booklets for families and carers of children with disabilities on sensory issues and practical life skills. These booklets have been nationally and internationally recognised. She also developed an award-winning environmental app to support children with physical or learning disabilities. In recent years she has supported Healthprom as an Occupational Therapy consultant for staff, carers and families in Tajikistan and Georgia. She has also supported international study tours to allow partners to benefit from a Scottish model of developing and delivering services for children and their families.
