Meet Victoria Telford, Programme Officer, HALO Cambodia
Where are you from in Scotland?
Edinburgh.
What is your job title and where do you work?
Programme Officer for HALO Cambodia.
Why did you decide to join The HALO Trust?
I think I raised some money for HALO when I was in the Brownies as a child. To find a role where I lived in Cambodia with an organisation so well thought of locally and internationally was a great opportunity. More importantly, HALO's values align with my own; their commitment to national staff, to longer-term response and development. The quality of HALO's work—from the minefield up to policy and processes—is something I wanted to be involved with.
What is the best thing about your job?
Travelling with my colleagues around beautiful Cambodia. I am also fortunate enough to work on measuring the impact of mine clearance on people’s lives so I get to meet and interview a lot of people who have been, or still are, living with the threat of mines and ERW. Their resilience and positivity, despite living with the legacy of conflict, is powerful.
What do you miss most about Scotland?
Scottish Blend. Every day!
But when you can put on a ceilidh anywhere (I recently taught Scottish dancing on top of a mountain during a training visit with HALO's Colombian deminers) then I don't get too homesick!
