18. Paula Ramírez of Breathe International

Embodying change: Transforming power, culture and well-being in aid organisations

Melissa talks with Paula Ramírez of Breathe International.

In their conversation they cover:

• Her journey from focusing on peacebuilding for nations to peacebuilding from within.
• The political aspect of being mindful and aware
• The body as a source of learning
• How to be a living example of mindfulness in the workplace
• The irony that humanitarian work usually doesn’t make space to get to know each other as humans
• Examples and benefits of leaders and emergency responders introducing awareness into their work

Paula believes in the pivotal importance of promoting self-care for humanitarian actors. Studying anthropology and experiencing an auto-immune illness, she started to be curious about ways in which human beings can build peace from within, and how resilience and healing could be inspired and guided through the body. Paula has been co-directing RESPIRA since 2013, working closely with teachers and survivors of torture, GBV and landmines in Colombia, South Sudan and Bangladesh. She is an MBSR-Teacher from the UCSD Center for Mindfulness and Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY)-Facilitator from the Trauma Center.

To learn more, check out:

• Breathe International at https://breathe.international/
• Respira en Colombia: https://respira.co/

***We would like to give a special thanks to the Initiative’s supporters: the CHS Alliance members, the Government of Luxembourg, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (DFCO) and the Netherlands. Thanks to ICVA for collaborating in this joint project engaging leaders. And thanks to Ziada Abeid for editing the show.***