Class 4

Zhirayr worked as the Director of the Civic Development and Partnership Foundation (CDPF). With degrees in Economics and Human Resources Management from Indiana University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and more than a decade in non-profit management, he has worked for various development agencies and international organizations in programmatic and managerial positions. He has worked with the U.S. Peace Corps, USAID, World Vision, and AED. He has implemented over a hundred different development, strategic planning training and consulting programs in Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and USA. He is also a founding member of Professionals for Civil Society non-profit organization. Edilyan possesses strong skills and experience in organization and human resources management and development. He has significant experience in research, assessment and evaluation, as well as a strong background in organizing and conducting trainings, conferences, and workshops.

Host Organization: Service for Peace

Shamila has five years of volunteering experience in profit/non-profit sectors. She is Co-Project director of a mobile-based Tele-healthcare project called “Jaroka” which aims to provide affordable and accessible health-care to the rural communities. She is also serving as a faculty member at National University of Sciences and Technologies (NUST), where she is heading a Social Entrepreneurship Club (NSEC). She is founder of a sustainable Environmental Buddy (paper recycling) project and has been awarded fellowship at Foundation of Youth Social Entrepreneurs for her achievements in social sector. She is an honorary member of Special Talent Exchange (STEP) program and help to arrange vocational training sessions for disabled people. She worked closely with Zindagi Trust and CDRS as a volunteer for fund-raising activities. She has done Masters in the field of IT from University of East London, UK.

Host Organization: International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children

Olivier became an Ashoka Fellow at the age of 26 years. Before entering university, he spent 6 months in a Ghanaian village to work with mentally handicapped children. He then studied to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Human Sciences with majors in teaching and non-profit management. During his studies, he developed Trans-Mission, an organization aimed at educating and equipping young people to become active citizens and step into the path to social entrepreneurship. To allow young people to fully engage, he also founded Belgian Platform for the creation of a Public Civic Service (www.service-citoyen.be) and created a citizen passport to validate the experience acquired by young people through their social activities.

Host Organization: Ashoka Youth Venture

Gamuchirai has three years of professional experience including working for an organization called Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in South Africa as a research and advocacy intern. She also assisted other programs such as the Action for a Safe South Africa, program that aims to work with youth at risk of offending in South Africa. Gamuchirai has participated in consultative processes for Parliamentary sittings on the promulgation of the Child Justice Act. She is a volunteer of Bring Back Hope foundation, a small-scale anti-xenophobic organization working with displaced Africans in South Africa. Gamuchirai received an LLB degree from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa. She received a Research Capacity Development scholarship in 2007 to pursue her studies and earned a master’s degree in Child Witness Law from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Host Organization: International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children

Donald brings three years of experience from the non-profit sector. He is currently the Founder and Program Director of Community Development Zimbabwe, an organization that seeks to promote youth leadership, civic participation, environmental sustainability and economic empowerment through entrepreneurial ventures. Following the completion of his B.Sc. degree in Environmental Sciences in Agriculture, from the University of Zimbabwe, he was hired by one of the leading companies in Zimbabwe, Anchor Holdings, to be a part time Operations Officer Assistant under the Agribusiness subsidary. In addition, he completed two-year courses in non-profit management and project evaluation at the BOOST Fellowship Foundation. In 2007 he was the first African student to receive the U.S. President’s Student Services Award and due to his consistent commitment to community development, Donald was also honored by the International Youth Foundation to be a recipient of the 2009 YouthActionNet Global Fellowship Award in Washington, D.C.

Host Organization: Grameen Foundation/Service for Peace

Caitrin McKee has four years of experience in nonprofit sector fundraising, writing and research. She recently earned a Master’s degree in International Development from American University’s School of International Service (SIS) in Washington DC. She conducted significant independent research on social movements in Colombia, including a thesis on violent internal displacement of Afro-Colombians related to African palm cultivation along the country’s Pacific coast. In 2008 she studied Salvadoran politics and culture at the Mélida Anaya Montes Language School in San Salvador, El Salvador. She has also co-led a 7-month social justice oriented educational program for 13 students and worked as a Grant Writer at East Boston Ecumenical Community Council (EBECC), and is currently a fundraiser with the U.S.-based Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES).

Host Organization: Oxfam

Amira Resnick joins Atlas Corps with over five years of non-profit work experience. For the past two years, in her role as State Family Services Coordinator with Telamon Corporation, Amira led a team of over 1,500 children and 1,000 families into Michigan’s Migrant Head Start Program and has connected them with much needed social services. She manages a statewide Fatherhood Initiative which promotes male role models as essential players in children’s acquisition of language. While working with AmeriCorps*VISTA in North Carolina, Amira served as community liaison to bridge gaps for Spanish speaking immigrants in accessing social services. She spearheaded the project to establish a Hispanic Center of Roxboro and single-handedly organized the region’s first Latino Issues Awareness Conference. Amira obtained a Bachelors degree in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish from the University of Michigan and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin.

Host Organization: Coorporación Minuto de Dios