Meet founder & facilitator of The Ethical Road, Donna Rochelle Douvartzidis

Founder & Facilitator of The Ethical Road,
Donna Rochelle Douvartzidis
B. Journ B. Intnl Rel

International Travel Facilitator for Women;
Entrepreneur and Owner of The Ethical Road.

A FEW OF DONNA’S MEMORABLE TRAVELS THUS FAR:

A 5th generation South Australian Barossa Valley girl, Donna was a legal secretary/personal assistant for 10 years straight out of high school.  She worked for various law firms from Tanunda through to the Adelaide CBD in areas ranging from family law, to environment and planning and finally corporate and commercial.  

After choosing to leave office work and stay at home in order to raise her children, she spent the next decade enjoying this role.

Donna however had her sights set on her subsequent chapter, and went on to become first in family to graduate from The University of South Australia in 2016, and now holds a Bachelor of Journalism (majoring in print: editing for publication) as well as a Bachelor of International Relations (majoring in peace and security), incorporating a year of psychology and a year of her chosen language elective, Español!

In addition to her study areas, a theme that caught her attention right throughout her university journey was human rights, in particular global inequalities when it came to women’s rights.

Donna has ventured all over the world exploring these issues, in both academic and volunteer capacities.

Donna also had a stint in radio, volunteering as a journalist for Radio Adelaide’s ‘The Wire’, a national current affairs program, enhancing her understanding of global issues from a media perspective.  

In Prague, Czech Republic, Donna undertook a foreign correspondent course where she researched human trafficking of women, mentored by senior journalists from around the globe, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

In Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia, she participated in an intercultural communication study tour, working with students from and hosted by the University of Islam (UII).  

Donna also spent a month in Nepal, arriving in Kathmandu, she then headed to the south-western District of Chitwan. Here, alongside other humanitarians—including a cohort of medical students from the University of Adelaide—she partook in a health and hygiene program in various rural villages. Daily activities ranged from applying lice treatments to hundreds of local families, through to participating in normally forbidden women’s circles.

Donna’s final trip whilst at university was to undertake a 3 month law and human rights placement in Cordoba, Argentina, South America.  Again, she undertook various responsibilities. One area of work was to assist the homeless to reintegrate into employment via a job program, collaborating with local businesses.  Another, working with teenage girls who were incarcerated and girls who had been removed from their homes due to family sexual abuse and violence. Donna provided support and empowerment, instilled hope and offered potential solutions and ways forward, listened and sometimes was simply present as a mother figure.  Donna also undertook research on creating a model for a human rights monitoring program and provided an outline of concepts for subsequent volunteers to continue working on.

After graduating, Donna was thrilled to be able to attend the 2017 United Nations’ Commission for the Status of Women, in New York!  This was an absolute highlight for her as the UN in NY was a pinnacle vision during her political studies. She was able to mingle with women from every continent and heard some powerful stories alongside positive social projects and forward thinking policies.     

Donna’s life vision now is for every woman and child to not only have the right to choose in every sector of her life, but access to do so, freely.  Freedom to make choices about her political, financial, societal and spiritual, marital or non-marital preferences.  

When it comes to values, integrity, honesty and authenticity are at the top of her list.  

You will find Donna with either a delicious Chai tea in hand … or a glass of bubbles! On any other day it would be a fine Barossa red and reading material.  She could be interpreting someone’s words on a page, or she could be writing her own, but there is always some form of book nearby.

She loves her 3 children and she loves the beach.  Obviously she loves travel, but she equally loves the simplest things in life … feeling the warmth of the sunlight on her face, and delighting in the sounds and sights of nature. Donna is very aware of her privilege, living in Australia, a country with stability and security, however she doesn’t forget for a moment that this is not the reality for many others around the world.  

The Ethical Road hopes to not only facilitate intercultural communication, but play a role in raising awareness of inequalities, and contribute to enhancing global peace through communication.