Peter Poetsma
Born in Amsterdam in 1954. He initially trained as a car mechanic/electrician and then graduated from the National Diploma Course in Prosthetics and Orthotics in 1979. From 1979 to 1982 he worked for the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation in the National Rehabilitation Centre in Guinea-Bissau. After joining the ICRC in 1982, he headed the organization's physical rehabilitation programmes in Ethiopia, Myanmar, Mozambique, Vietnam and Cambodia. In 1994 he graduated from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow with an MSc degree in prosthetics and orthotics.

Peter Poetsma became head of the SFD's regional office for Latin America in 2007 in Managua, Nicaragua, where he is currently posted.

Miguel Mateus Fernandes
Born in France in 1962 of Portuguese nationality, graduated in Prosthetics and Orthotics (P&O) from the Lisbon’s Technical School for Health Services in 1984. From 1985 to 1987, he worked at the P&O services of the Physical Rehabilitation Centre of Alcoitão, near Lisbon, and collaborated with the physical therapist school of this same institution as resource teacher for P&O subjects. He joined the ICRC end of 1987 and worked as P&O in Angola, Mozambique (headed a P&O training program) and Cambodia. From 1994 to 2005, he headed ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programs in Azerbaijan, Georgia (including a P&O training program), Myanmar and Angola. Mid 2007, he obtained a License degree in P&O from the ESTESL (health technology faculty of the Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon).

Miguel Mateus Fernandes became head of the SFD's regional office for Asia in 2007 in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, where he is currently posted.

Max Deneu
Born in 1957, Max Deneu completed its P&O training in France in 1981. Since 1985, he has been working with various organizations overseas, starting with Handicap International in Thailand working in the Cambodian refugee camps. In 1987 he joined the ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Department and was Head of Project in many countries: Soudan, Angola, Somalia, Ethiopia. Later in 1995, he joined a UK based charity organization (POWER) where he became Country Director for Mozambique. Back with the ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Department in 2002, he was Head of Project in Angola and Myanmar.
During his career overseas he completed a number technical and managerial trainings (CAD/CAM at The Rehabilitation Centre, Ottawa Canada; Management training, MaST in London UK; various ICRC management training).

Max Deneu became head of the SFD's regional office for Africa in 2007 in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is currently posted.

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