SAYARA STAFF AND QUALIFICATIONS

Sayara was founded by Afghan and international media and communication specialists with an extensive experience in Europe, Latin America, former Yugoslavia, Africa and East Timor. Sayara has a total of 80 employees consisting of 15 expatriates from America, Europe, Australia and Asia and 65 Afghan nationals. Working languages include English, Dari, Pashto, French and Spanish.

Partners and Executive Directors
Management

:: Partners/Executive Directors:

Gabriel Dvoskin
A former correspondent for BBC and Reuters in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, Gabriel Dvoskin has 15 years of experience in media development and communication strategies in high competitive markets and in conflict regions such as Afghanistan, East Timor or Kosovo. He designed print, radio, and television communication programs for the private sector clients, governments, the World Bank, and the United Nations.
As co-founder and Director of Sayara Media & Communication, Gabriel contributed to the development of over 50 projects in partnership with The Asia Foundation, IOM, CSIS, UN agencies, and numerous NGOs.
Between 2005 and 2006, he traveled extensively throughout Latin America producing a series of award-winning documentary films on the changing political landscape in the region.
Gabriel was Rotary Peace Fellow at UC Berkeley from 2005-2007, where he received his MA in International Studies and Journalism. He was a Reuters’ Foundation fellow in Paris France in 1999, and received his BA in Journalism from UCA Buenos Aires in 1994

Sebastien Turbot
Sebastien has managed over 11 media and social communications campaigns in Afghanistan. In both France and Afghanistan Sebastien has worked as a journalist, editor and producer in television and print information. As both a journalist and a procurer of media Sebastien has built an extensive knowledge of the Afghan media scene. He has acted as a public relations officer and has developed public relations support and training workshops as well as managed design, layout and production of advocacy and media related materials. Sebastien has solid experience in contract and grant management according to USAID, US Embassy, UN, and IOM criteria. He has an excellent understanding of the sociology and language of Afghanistan and has traveled extensively around the country as part of his management responsibilities for the 11 field offices of Sayara.

Amaury Coste
Amaury has been working in media and communication in Afghanistan for more than four years. He opened Media Action International mission in Kabul. As a MAI Head of Mission, he launched the Novice Journalism Training Program in the universities, the Mobile Educative Theatre, the Clean Up Kabul Campaign and the Afghanistan Monitor magazine. During this period he has learnt to speak Dari and traveled to nearly 30 Afghan provinces to set up and manage media development and public information programs. Amaury has solid experience in contract and grant management according to USAID, US Embassy, UN, and IOM criteria. He had previously graduated from the MBAI business school in Paris and started his career in marketing, sales and consulting in the private sector.

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Management

Antoine Heudre graduated from the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris and the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Before joining Sayara he managed mobile cinema campaigns in Tanzania and Yemen. As program manager, Antoine is responsible for the planning, implementation and monitoring of communication projects, including Sayara’s nationwide mobile theatre activities. In 2005, he coordinated the parliamentary election awareness mobile theatre campaign “New Hope” and the disability and mine-risk awareness mobile theatre campaign, “You and Me Together, Ability Forever”.

Mustafa Babak Former deputy country manager of US based NGO Equal Access, Mustafa brings to Sayara 4 years solid experience in project management and qualitative outreach programs, particularly through radio. He started his career in Swiss NGO Media Action International working in a UNICEF-funded project. As Program Manager at Sayara, he is responsible for developing communication strategies with clients, coordinating the production of campaigns and managing their implementation. Mustafa is a graduate of Lycee Franco – Afghan De Peshawar and holds a Diploma in Business Administration from the same school.

Aziz Elyas is the Program Coordinator for Sayara’s special projects department and is responsible for the development and implementation of mobile theatre productions. He has been involved in Sayara’s presidential, parliamentary and disability awareness theatre programs. Aziz attended the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Kabul and participated in a 7-month theatre-training course at the Russian Cultural Center in Kabul. Also an accomplished actor and playwright, Aziz was recently awarded first prize for his play on the history of Afghanistan in the Kabul Theatre Festival in September 2005. Presidential, Parliamentary and Disability theatre programs.