Lotti Fraser
Director of ProgramsLotti has been working in South East Asia since 2010 and has volunteered and worked for several different non-governmental-organisations (NGOs), tackling various social problems from access to education for hill-tribe children in Thailand to migrant worker rights and women’s empowerment. Lotti believes in the power of education as an essential tool to combat poverty and equal rights for all.
Having first joined Dana Asia in 2018 as a volunteer in Cambodia, Lotti now holds the Director of Programs based in Manila, Philippines.
Background
Upon graduating from a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Drama, Lotti ventured to Thailand on what should have been a 4-month travelling adventure. It wasn’t long, however, until the people, weather, food, and culture of Thailand charmed her into staying for 6 years, working at first as a teacher in Bangkok and then for NGOs in Chiang Rai and Khao Lak.
Knowing she wanted to pursue a career in development, she studied a Masters in International Development Studies at Chulalongkorn University Bangkok in 2015. As part of this, she conducted thesis research on the topic of Access to Education for Burmese Migrant Students in Takua Pa, Thailand, an area of particular interest.
With Masters complete, Lotti returned to the United Kingdom and took a role as Community Development Manager for a non-profit supporting impoverished and migrant communities in the east of England. She designed and managed a variety of education, health and environmental projects in direct and immediate response to social needs in the community.
After making it through one English winter, Lotti began to feel the pull of South East Asia once more and in 2018 she returned to Asia to support Dana Asia’s projects in Cambodia as a volunteer. When she was offered a full-time role as part of the Dana Asia team she gladly accepted.
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Lotti moved to Manila to support the setup of the Dana Asia Philippines branch office where she is currently based.
As Director of Programs, Lotti maintains oversight over all Dana Asia projects in Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Sustainability is a particular area of importance for her, and she is a firm believer in:
“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”