Irina Costache is CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) Romania Country Lead. She manages the provision of immediate emergency aid and life-saving services for refugees fleeing war in Ukraine. She is dedicated to filling in some key gaps in the overall humanitarian response in Romania. Irina is a public policy expert and researcher with a Ph.D. in Gender Studies and over 10 years of experience in the field of social policy, anti-discrimination, and anti-corruption. Irina worked as a consultant with major international organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, European Women’s Lobby, and Open Society Foundation. She authored research and policy reports commissioned by Romanian and international organizations with impact at the EU level. Irina served as President of the Romanian women’s rights organization A.L.E.G and helped it to grow into a well-recognized, vocal, and youth-oriented feminist NGO. Her expertise includes managing the mental health counseling service for victims of gender-based violence, specializing in working with PTSD, trauma processing.
