1. 1
Personal Information
COLLAZZO Valentina
Calle 27 # 3A-70, apto 501 Bogotá (Colombia)
Mobile phone: +57 310 265 6134 or +39 333 422 2806
valecollazzo@gmail.com
03/10/1984, Italian
Working experience
October 2014 – January 2015
Pensamiento y Acción Social (PAS) – Terre des Hommes Germany. Project Coordinator -
oordinación del Proyecto “Caso Emblemático de derechos ambientales de los niños y niñas del
Hatillo afectados por la explotación carbonífera” (Case Study on environmental child rights
affected by the coal mining in the Hatillo community). Project coordination and legal and technical
advisory for the development of a case study on the situation of children and adolescents belonging to
the Hatillo community who are affected by the coal mining. The report will be presented before the
Committee of the Right of the Child, together with two case studies from Zambia and India. The
project includes additional initiatives of child protection and dissemination and advocacy. The
document benefitted from the active participation of both children and adolescents and their
communities.
This implied: project planning, monitoring and report; permanent contact with the donor;
coordinating the research team; general advising on child rights; design and implement participative
methodologies of data collection; analysis of the information and elaboration of the final report;
support to advocacy and dissemination initiatives.
September – December 2014
Quilting for Change (Q4C) and Save the Children in Colombia. Project Impact Evaluator –
consultant. The consultancy, carried out in coordination with the team of consultants of Q4C, aimed
at evaluating the results, impacts and effectiveness of Save the Children model to prevent child
recruitment, by means of identifying the levels of self-protection achieved by children, their families,
communities, institutions and the local authorities, in the regions where the Project was implemented.
This implied: defining the work plan; desk review; designing the methodological tools that better
respond to the needs of the evaluation and the different groups of interviewees involved; fieldwork
(interviews with relevant stakeholders, focus group with children, Save the Children teams, parents and
caregivers, authorities, among others); systematizing and analysing the information collected and
elaborate the final report, with the most relevant findings and recommendations included.
March – May 2014
Quilting for Change (Q4C) and Conflict Dynamics International (CDI). Child-expert
consultant for Colombia Case Study. The International consultancy, carried out in coordination with
Q4C and the leading organization CDI, was focused on accountability on children in armed conflict
and included the following: preparatory activities (short-term work, review of pertinent materials,
preliminary map of existing mechanisms, arrange key informants meetings and focus group
discussions, among others); bi-lateral interviews with State Institutions, cooperation agencies and civil
society organizations; record all notes; analyse outcomes and elaborate a 10 page report.
March – December 2013
War Child Holland – Bogotá (Colombia). Project Officer, in charge of the direct coordination of
field projects implemented by local partner organizations. This includes: designing projects with local
partners, implementing monitoring and evaluation systems (including monthly field visits), supporting
the local partners in developing evidence-based monitoring tools, strengthening or building their local
capacities (particularly in the areas of child participation in the project cycle and documenting
processes), implementing WCH communication and advocacy strategy and reviewing periodical
reports. It also implies direct contact with the Project Coordination Team, the Head Office, as well as
local and national authorities and other relevant actors for the project implementation.
Maintain network of contacts/representation, including: representing WCH in meetings at the local or
national level, as agreed with Country Director and Programme Manager, representing WCH-Colombia
in program meetings at headquarters level and supporting the Country Director in
international advocacy activities.
In addition to this, a straight support to the programme development area, with the direct
responsibilities described below (see “Programme Assistant”).

2. War Child Holland – Bogotá (Colombia). Programme Assistant, working under the coordination
of the programme development area and with a strong connection to the project coordination. This
includes involvement in supporting the Programme Development Unit in building the capacity of
WCH partners, designing WCH child safety policy for Colombia, as well as implementing and training
partners on child safety; structuring other relevant trainings and meetings with (inter) national
organizations and local authorities; actively participation in the development of the 2013 – 2015
programme strategy. Direct responsibility over the mainstreaming of child participation in the project
cycle, with a special attention to local and partner organizations experiences and child participation
self-evaluation; and structuring trainings for WCH staff on child protection tools and mechanisms,
with a special focus on Child Protection Rapid Assessment (CPRAT).
Direct participation, as trainer, in Child Protection in Emergency (CPiE) training for regional child
protection experts and focal points, organized by UNICEF (Latin and Central America Regional
Office - TACRO) and with the technical support of the Child Protection Working Group.
2 August 2011 – February 2013
Feb – July 2011
War Child Holland – Bogotá (Colombia). Six months internship as Programme Assistant,
supporting the programmatic area in the designing of the country strategy for the period 2012 – 2015.
This included child right situation analysis, with child participation at the stage of data collection,
meeting with local and national experts and organizations, review of key documents and other outputs
of the process, participating as an active member in the strategy definition and review of the final
documents.
February – December 2010
DeJusticia – Bogotá (Colombia). Judicial research assistant – Intern in the programme of Access
to Justice and Human Rights, focused on non-discrimination in the access to the judicial system in
Colombia. De Justicia Institute deals with research and advocacy in issues related to law, institutions
and public policies in Colombia and Latin America.
Asociación de Cabildos Indígenas del Norte del Cauca (ACIN) – Santander del Quilichao
(Colombia). Judicial adviser and IHL and IHRL trainer responsible for providing training
programmes and workshops on International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law
for children and youth in the northern region of the Cauca department, as well as with the staff
members of the Association ACIN (community-based association), aiming at strengthening
community protection systems, with a special focus on child self-protection and child participation in
community protection mechanisms.
Jan – May
2007
Consulat Honoraire de France in Trieste (Italy). Consul Assistant, directly supporting the
Consul in social and administrative affairs (visa, passports, identity cards, etc.), first legal assistance
(elections and vote validation, legal acts, etc.), cultural activities (with local authorities, with Alliance
Française, etc.), among others.
Education and training
Sept 2008 – Dec 2010
Master in “International Humanitarian Action”. Postgraduate studies within the NOHA
Programme (European study programme financed by ECHO; http://www.nohanet.org/), where I
achieved academic and professional profiles and competencies (logical framework, reports analysis,
project coordination, M&E tools, needs-based assessments, etc.) for working in the field of
international humanitarian action, both in emergency and development contexts. Six months thesis
research on demobilized child soldiers in Colombia, pointing a critical review of disarmament,
demobilization and reintegration programs and transitional justice for an effective reintegration of
former child-combatants in Colombia with the involvement of both the minors and their community
of origin. Level in classification: 3.56 with second-class honours.
Sept 2007 –Sept 2008
Master in “International Humanitarian Law” at the Geneva Academy of International
Humanitarian Law – ADH (Switzerland; http://www.adh-geneva.ch/; second level master degree in
English and French). The master degree combined training courses and expert meetings and provided
legal expertise in the branches of international law relating to situations of armed conflicts (IHL,
IHRL, refugee law, international criminal law, etc.), with a particular focus on groups in need of special
protection, such as children. Under the supervision of the G. Goodwin-Gill, I developed a research
thesis on the international legal framework for the protection of unaccompanied refugee children in
the light of the principle of the child best interest. Level in classification: 5.06/6 with mention “bien".

3. 3 Sept 2004 –
July 2007
Bachelor of Arts in International and Diplomatic Studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences,
University of Trieste (Italy; http://www.pug.units.it/sid/sid.htm). Specialization in law studies and
juridical systems, economy, languages, sociology and history from a perspective of international
relations and diplomacy. Thesis on the legal framework for international adoptions, with a special
focus on the Belarus case. Level in classification: 110/110.
Sept 1998 –
July 2003
Liceo Scientifico Statale “Leopardi – Majorana”, Pordenone (Italy). Italian secondary school
specializing in scientific studies (such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry) and literary subjects
(Latin, history, philosophy, English). School-leaving certificate with classification: 100/100.
Courses and seminaries
Two seminaries of International Human Law provided by the Italian Red Cross and directed for the Italian
Armed Forces and opened to the participation of university students (November 2005; March 2006).
“3 Forum mondial des droits de l’Homme” (Nantes, 30th June – 3rd July 2008).
Course of first aid with the French Red Cross (Aix-en-Provence, May 2009).
One-week security training course for contexts of emergencies organized by the French Army (Givet –
France, March 2009), “Stage Commando”.
Child Protection Rapid Assessment training for “trainers of trainers” (Geneva, October 2012).
Personal skills and competences
Languages
Mother tongue: Italian
Other languages – self-evaluation (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CEFR)
Language Comprehension Verbal skills
Writing
skills
Listening Reading Oral interaction Oral expression
English Mastery Mastery Mastery Mastery Mastery
French Mastery Mastery Mastery Mastery Mastery
Spanish Mastery Mastery Mastery Mastery Mastery
Portuguese Vantage Vantage Threshold Threshold Threshold
Russian Threshold Threshold Threshold Threshold Threshold
On-going work as translator and interpreter English – Spanish and Spanish – English for INGOs,
NGOs and survey agencies.
Social skills, organizational competences
Five years of voluntary work in the youth animation sector (Parrocchia San Lorenzo of Rorai
Grande and Parrocchia Santa Lucia di Budoia – Italy –), dealing with the organization and direct
managing and coordination of summer camps (for long and short periods, with one-week
excursions) for children aged between 6 and 15. This implied and strengthened abilities of group
coordination, strategy definition, creativity in the project design (foreseeing different activities
adapted to their specific level of development) and the ability to work in synergy with the other staff
members.
Abilities in representing interests towards official institutions and to participate in coordination
platforms, reached through the experience as students representative. During these years I learned
how to relate myself to different entities and contexts, thus adapting the approach to the interlocutor
and the aim of the meeting and strengthening my diplomacy skills.
Abilities to organize, coordinate and directly cooperate in social events, reached throughout the
various experiences of voluntary service carried out for local associations and students
representative.
Abilities and personal interest in participating and working with student and university associations
in research programmes and think-tank ambits, particularly in creative and innovative contexts.
Abilities to deal with instable, highly sensitive and stressful contexts, developed during the five years
work in a conflict country in direct contact with local organizations.

4. Interests
Musical abilities expressed during 6 years of transverse flute-studies with the Scuola di Musica della
Pedemontana, a musical institute accredited to the Conservatory Benedetto Marcello of Venice.
Specific interests in law studies (national and international), languages, economy and philosophy.
4 Personal
Other skills
Good computer skills particularly with Windows vista and Mac: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Prezi and
basic edition programs, Internet and web mails.
Familiar with report systems and programs, M&E programs and specific programs to file and
analyse qualitative information.
Language certificates: Trinity Spoken English Exam, French Certificate DALF C1 (June 2007,
77/100) and Spanish Certificate DELE C2 (September 2010, 89.4/100).
Reference contacts
RAMIN SHAHZAMANI, Country Director Plan International – Perú (former Director of War
Child Holland Colombia), Lima, shazhamani@gmail.com.
JULIA FREEDSON, Senior Policy Consultant – Humanitarian Policy, Conflict Dynamics
International (Cambridge), tel. 917 8049114, jfreedson@cdint.org.
ANA MARÍA JIMENEZ, KiSo Project Assessor – GIZ Colombia and founder of the consultancy
Quilting for Change, Bogotá, tel. + 57 318 3250351, anijipa75@gmail.com.
ESTHER RUIZ, Child Protection Officer – UNICEF Colombia, Calle 72 # 10 – 71, piso 11,
Bogotá, tel. +57 316 4718201, eruiz@unicef.org.