Silvia Risi

Background

About Silvia Risi

I am a professional with 17 years of experience in humanitarian coordination and leadership with INGOs and UN agencies, having worked in complex, high-pressure contexts such as DR Congo, Chad, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Pakistan. My background includes program and team management, resilience and emergency response, security, logistics, intercultural communication, strategic planning, coaching and peer support. I hold an MA in Foreign Languages and Cultures (University of Bologna), an MA in Social Anthropology of Development (SOAS – University of London), and a certification in coaching and mentoring from Kingstown College (Dublin, Ireland). I am fluent in English, French, and Italian, with basic knowledge of Spanish and Arabic. After almost two decades dedicated to interventions in humanitarian and development contexts, I am now embracing a career transition aligned with two vocations-Coaching, mentoring and mental health peer support for humanitarian workers -Travel planning and tour leading I transformed my role from being on the frontline of humanitarian intervention, into helping and supporting those who still are, using my knowledge, understanding and experience of the sector. I currently coach and mentor humanitarian workers and am a member of the Humanitarian Coaching Network. Besides, I have been serving as a mental health peer supporter for the Swiss association CoCreate Humanity, providing peer support to humanitarian aid workers, building on my personal experience, empathy, and specialized training, which is continuous and still ongoing. Throughout my life, I’ve lived, studied, worked, and travelled in over 50 countries, often solo and in remote areas, and I have great passion for planning and organizing travels. Having directly experienced the healing and transformative power of travelling, I developed the desire to share my passion with other people. I am now a freelance licensed tour leader, accompanying travellers with authenticity and empathy. Whether accompanying aid workers through emotional recovery, challenges and uncertainty, or travellers through cultural immersion, I aim to facilitate transformative journeys — both outward and inward.