Dana Buzducea

"From social work in Romania to leading our global advocacy work, I have always been committed to ending injustices facing children."

For more than 20 years, Dana has worked to change the systems that keep some of the world’s most vulnerable children living in degrading, dehumanising conditions.

Graduating in the first generation of Romanian social workers after the fall of the communist regime, Dana started her career working with HIV-infected children, and at-risk families to prevent child abuse, neglect and abandonment to institutions.

For more than nine years, Dana worked with USAID in Romania, contributing to deinstitutionalisation, and developing community-based services and mainstream education solutions for vulnerable children. As a National Director of World Vision Romania, Daniela focused on increasing World Vision's visibility, programme quality and sustainability. In her current role as World Vision International’s Leader for Advocacy and External Engagement, Dana leads the organisation’s work to advocate for an end to violence against children, to see children’s rights recognised and respected, and to see justice restored in some of the world’s toughest places.

Dana is a passionate advocate for children’s right to participate, and to help shift the lack of political will, or leadership, or ignorance. It is our responsibility as adults to keep children high on the political and the public agenda so that no child is left behind in the development race.