US Staff   |   Uganda Staff   |   India Staff

Staff:

Founder & Executive Director

Laura Peterson is the Founder and Executive Director of HHI. Laura has been the Clinical Director for a non-profit serving children with severe mental health issues, a Wilderness Therapist for troubled teens, and a faculty member in the College of Public Health at Oregon State University. She created "Wood Chicks", a wilderness empowerment program for women who were victims of domestic violence. Laura has a MA in Counseling, and was trained in the art of healing massage in the U.S. and Thailand. Her commitment to the health of women and children globally comes from years of working with troubled youth and eye-opening travel experiences in developing countries. In recognition of her successful creation of HHI Laura received Wisdom University’s 2006 "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Outcomes Award" and the 2007 – 2008 “Making a Difference for Women Award” from Soroptimist International of the Northwest Americas.

HHI - UGANDA CERTIFIED TRAINERS

Lydia

Lydia is a native of Eastern Uganda. She is a survivor of both her country’s civil war and its Internally Displaced People’s camps (refugee camps). After escaping the camp with her mother, at the tender age of five, she made her way to live with extended family in the capitol city of Kampala. Here, while still in very challenging circumstances, she was able to grow and thrive. Lydia gained advanced education in accounting, computer and IT skills and she worked as a teacher. Her heart was always with children though, and she pursued a two-year diploma in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Nursery Teaching. During this schooling, she worked as a nursery school teacher and was contracted by an international NGO to lead seminars on ECD for their staff and to design trainings for mother’s groups. Lydia is the mother of two young children and is fluent in six languages (English, Acholi, Luganda, Lusoga, Lango and Luo) and she understands another four (Swahili, Lulamogi, Alur, Japhadhola and Ludama). In early 2010, Lydia was recruited, trained and hired by HHI as a Certified Trainer and currently is leading HHI’s expansion in Uganda.

HHI-INDIA CERTIFIED TRAINERS

Sujatha

Sujatha was HHI's first certified local trainer. She is high energy, 31 years-old, has 2 children of her own and has been involved with child services for her entire life. She has a passion for children, specifically those with special needs, and this combined with her life experiences led her to earn a BA degree in Psychology. In her spare time, she teaches classical Indian dance to children in a local school. Sujatha speaks English as fluently as she speaks her native language. She translates HHI's trainings and will continue to offer the trainings to local orphanages.

Indhu

Indhu earned a Master's Degree in social work with a special focus on medical and psychiatric issues. She is intelligent, hard working, focused and dedicated to serving others with her work as an HHI Trainer. Prior to working with HHI, Indhu had an impressive work history, serving in community, hospital, NGO and orphanage settings. When HHI expanded its work in to the state of Kerala, Indhu was quickly recognized for her talents in teaching others, as well as her knowledge of child development. She enjoys traveling, music and reading and can speak and write both English and Malayalam. Indhu provides HHI trainings to orphanage caregivers and the teachers of India's Integrated Child Development Services.

Bharati

Bharati is HHI's lead Certified Trainer in the state of Orissa. She joined HHI with 20 years of experience in the field of social development as a community organizer and trainer for the grass root level, with government and non government groups, community leaders, community level health service providers, and peer educators. She was previously trained as a traditional birth attendant, to support safe deliveries and post natal care, while also teaching about child care. Bharati’s wealth of experience also includes conducting trainings for youth in the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS; as well as teaching primary health care to women’s self help groups. She is naturally skilled in relating to others and has quickly become a very successful and popular HHI Trainer. Bharati is the mother a smart, handsome and happy son.

Christine Chaille - Curriculum Designer

Christine Chaille is Professor and Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Portland State University, focusing on early childhood education, where she has taught since 1991. Her doctorate is from U.C.L.A., and she also studied with Jean Piaget at the University of Geneva. She is the co-author of The Young Child as Scientist: A Constructivist Approach to Early Childhood Science Education and has written many publications primarily on the importance of children's play. Her new book, Constructivism Across the Early Childhood Curriculum: Big Ideas as Inspiration, was released Summer 2007, and will be featured by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. She is Past President of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, Past President of the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children, and currently is Chair of the Early Education/Child Development Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association.

Frank Mahler - Curriculum Designer

Frank Mahler has been an early childhood educator for seventeen years, thirteen of which he spent teaching at Head Start and Early Head Start programs for at-risk, low income, and special needs children. His work included the privilege of visiting families in their homes, helping them to better understand the fundamentals of early childhood development and the many ways that parents and caregivers can positively influence their child's potential for success in school and in life. He is now working with one- and two-year old toddlers at the Helen Gordon Child Development Center at Portland State University, where he earned his Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in early childhood education. He presents at professional development conferences, is a consultant to other early childhood programs, and teaches a graduate level course in child development and education at PSU.