PASAY CITY, PHILIPPINES, 12 October 2015 – Straight from Phnom Penh, Cambodia where he is based, newly elected Board Member, Dr. Vicente S. Salas, paid a visit to CFSI Headquarters in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
“It is a pleasure to be part of the Board,” Dr. Salas said. “I’ve known CFSI for over 25 years as a dynamic organization. Its mission is something I can strongly relate to — assistance to refugees and displaced persons, emergencies and crises…some of the work I’ve done in the past.”
Dr. Salas is a citizen of the Philippines and the United Kingdom. He first engaged with CFSI in 1998 in the context of responding to the health care needs of Vietnamese refugees in Palawan.
“One of the things I prioritize as a Board Member of any organization is to visit various offices of CFSI, meet the staff and know more about their work,” he shared. “I am also excited to meet other Members of the Board, and to see programmes in the field, particularly in Mindanao.”
He also attended a reproductive health awareness session for youth, one of the key activities of CFSI’s Park Avenue Initiative (PAI), and received briefings on the Philippine and Vietnam programmes. He mentioned that of all CFSI interventions, PAI and Myanmar programme interested him the most.
“I have worked extensively on migrant health, HIV/AIDS, sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE), LGBT rights, and NGOs as well as the United Nations. I would be glad to share technical expertise and contribute any relevant skills and knowledge to support the mission and strategic goals of CFSI,” he stated.
Dr. Salas has worked in 15 countries, beginning with five years of work with refugees followed by development-oriented work. He has served in various capacities —medical officer, team leader, trainer, researcher, founding executive director, and consultant —for both large and small organizations. He has played a lead role in the development of the NGO sector, including organization start-up, human resource development, fund-raising, and voluntary certification systems development.