Fellows

Alier has seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with Accounting and Finance from Cavendish University Uganda. Alier also holds a Diploma in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere Institute of Professionals in Kampala, Uganda. While working as a Senior Human Rights Officer (Team Leader) at the South Sudan Human Rights Commission office in Jonglei State, Alier managed to successfully monitor, inspect, advocate for, facilitate, administer and investigate in the field of South Sudanese human rights, with the South Sudan Human Rights Commission for a period of seven years. Alier is the Head of the Commission Office of the Jonglei state. In this position, Alier’s main responsibilities are identifying financial resources, maintaining the commission’s state budget, writing correspondences on behalf of the commission, and representing the commission in various meetings and fora at the state level. Alier is interested in human rights standards training, transitional justice, legal aid, security management, security sector reform, economics and human rights, law enforcement and human rights, and peace-building and prevention work. He is also committed to developing and applying effective early warning, prevention and peace consolidation systems and interventions for local, national, regional and international actors. He is also interested in project management training among the related thematic trainings and Gender mainstreaming. Alier’s motivation is to have the in-depth knowledge and skills to work for more efficient and effective performance in South Sudan.

Host Organization: Community Options, Inc.

Role at Host Organization: In collaboration with the Executive Director and the national office, Alier will identify funding resources and develop relationships with foundations at the local, state and federal levels with the ultimate goal of developing program and employment opportunities.

Ana Paula has over nine years of experience working for the nonprofit sector, private sector and international organizations. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. While working as a coordinator for a youth project in the Jardim Angela/Capao Redondo neighborhood, (the neighborhood was considered by United Nations the most dangerous place on the planet in 1996), she developed several partnerships with other nonprofit organizations, universities, international organizations and government entities to offer poor adolescents opportunities to change their lives through access to formal education. Previously, Ana worked for UNICEF to advance child and adolescent rights in Brazil’s public agenda, especially for those who live in poor and rural areas of the country. During her work as an assistant of the UN Resident Coordinator’s office, she focused on topics of race, gender, access to education, violence and youth empowerment. She volunteered as a popular educator for over ten years, promoting human rights, gender, race and peace in Brazil.

Host Organization: International Planned Parenthood Federation

Role at Host Organization: Ana will assist staff by managing the portfolio of sexual and reproductive health programs related to youth, gender-based violence, and HIV/STIs. She will implement programmatic strategies in sex education, access to quality health services, prevention of gender-based violence and sexual rights, amongst other programs

Arpine has over ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Master’s degree in Policy Analysis and Administration from Duquesne University and a Master’s degree in Social Sciences from Tbilisi State University. Arpine brings a unique combination of experience in research and grassroots development. For over seven years, in affiliation with the Caucasus Research Resource Centers, GeoWel Research, and as an independent consultant, Arpine conducted research in the South Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia and the U.S. for a number of international and local organizations. Research covered a wide range of issues: migration, gender based violence and reproductive health, media, economic development, value chains, and justice. Arpine worked with JumpStart Georgia, where, besides researching and reporting, she trained media and nonprofit organizations in Armenia to use data, technology, and storytelling techniques to better advocate for human rights and civil society issues. She also has over ten years of experience in project design, fundraising and management, and transferred these skills through leading multiple workshops across the South Caucasus. Arpine served as a development expert for Ajakits NGO and Caucasus Research Resource Center-Armenia, and was a trainer and training specialist for the U.S. Peace Corps, among others. Through her nonprofit work experience Arpine acquired a diverse set of skills that include community facilitation using participatory civic engagement tools, and project design. Arpine is interested in asset-based community development models, the role of statistical data in development, and is passionate about women’s empowerment.

Host Organization: Eurasia Foundation

Role at Host Organization: Arpine will facilitate professional collaboration between Russia and the United States in the academic and social spheres. She will be assigned to a portfolio of projects under both the UPP and SEE programs, and will conduct a variety of tasks concerning them, including evaluation and monitoring, communication with implementing partners in both Russian and English, identifying networking and expansion opportunities, and examining possibilities for post-award sustainability. She will also conduct original research and present recommendations to senior staff members, draft a variety of technical documents, and perform other duties as assigned.

Asma Razaq has been working in both print and electronic media for the last six years. At present, she is working as a Reporter in Samaa Tv, Pakistan’s top news channel. At Samaa, her primary responsibilities include: the coverage of economic affairs including the Federal Board of Revenue, the Ministry of Finance, financial institutions, foreign investment and assistance to Pakistan, the Privatization Commission, and health issues. Earlier, she worked for Abbtak news channel for two years. She was also working in an English Daily ‘Business Recorder;’ the biggest financial daily in Pakistan, and the first such publication in the Muslim world. She worked for Daily Business Recorder for five years. One of Asma’s articles was included among the top stories of a New York-based website ‘www.tobacco.org;’ her stories exposed a pharmaceutical company that was selling an anti-hepatitis injection without conducting human tests. Asma’s news articles on health issues put pressure on the government to form a Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) in Pakistan. Recently, her news package titled ‘IMF and Pakistan’ was widely appreciated and got national recognition, as well. Asma has worked with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a Coordinator. She had been nominated by the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan for the reporting tour on Global Food Security in the year 2011. She had also been selected as a participant of US-Pak Journalist Exchange Program-2014 by the East-West Center in Hawaii. During the program, she was selected as a guest in ‘Global Journalist,’ a popular radio program in Columbia.

Host Organization: Universities Allied for Essential Medicine

Role at Host Organization: “As the Media and Communications Fellow, Asma Razaq will support the creative development and implementation of a media and communications strategy for UAEM North America. This involves implementing the interactive new website design so it is usable to share media and foster communication work in building a more effective and efficient internal communication strategy.

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Deepa has seven years of intense work experience in the nonprofit sector, where she trained and facilitated leadership experiences for young students around the world. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Rajasthan University and started working with AIESEC in 2007 as a volunteer. Most recently, Deepa worked as a management consultant and counselor/trainer for young people. Before that, she worked with AIESEC International for a year, where she was responsible for handling operations in the Asia Pacific region. Her main role was to guide young student leaders from different Asia Pacific countries to coordinate the operations and align their national strategies with the global strategies of AIESEC for growth and development. Deepa was the President of AIESEC organization in Mauritius for two years. During her tenure, she initiated various projects on issues like Environment, Youth leadership, Cultural Understanding, Education & Sports, Gender, and Drug abuse. Additionally, the projects also provided a platform for the local youth to discover and develop their leadership potential. She got reputable companies involved in these projects as CSR, and worked very closely with government bodies to get support and recognition for her projects. She also got her environment project funded by UN Habitat in Mauritius. For three years, Deepa volunteered with a child development nonprofit organization, rural development organization, and AIESEC. Deepa is very interested in youth development & empowerment, social enterprise management, and international exchange programs. She has a passion for training, facilitation and project management. She also cares deeply for animal welfare and environmental conservation.

Host Organization: Youth For Understanding

Role at Host Organization: Deepa will begin the implementation of a 5-year business plan with the primary focus being on the diversification of YFU’s revenue sources; including both short-term and long-term recommendations for YFU. This will allow the organization to operate more effectively.

Hythem has eight years of extensive experience with three years of experience in grant management in the nonprofit sector. He earned a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Sudan. As a Program Coordinator with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), Hythem was responsible for developing and managing the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Report (PMER) basic tools in accordance with NCA global PMER. Hythem was also the country gender focal point for NCA Sudan. Previously, Hythem has worked with AECOM International Sudan (AIS) under the USAID- funded project Sudan Transition and Conflict Mitigation (STCM) project. During his works as a Grants Specialist with AIS, Hythem was a member of the grant management team that had managed almost 50 different grants per year in different sectors that include but are not limited to; livelihood, water, infrastructure, capacity building, conflict mitigation, and exchange visits. Through his work with different international organizations such as Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), AECOM International Sudan (AIS), and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), Hythem has gained skills in proposal writing, project management, report writing, gender mainstreaming, and monitoring and evaluation. Hythem has strong passion for building the capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to play a stronger role in positive social changes.

Host Organization: Nexus Fund

Role at Host Organization: Hythem will utilize his experience conducting research and managing projects to build up the innovation lab and grants program and find ways to support civil society in countries at risk of mass atrocities. He will support the fundraising director in their efforts and build Nexus Fund’s capacity to liaise with grantees.

Mahwish Javaid is a women entrepreneur, and an aspiring lawyer. She has six years of experience in nonprofit sector, and earned a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) in Reproductive Physiology from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Mahwish studied effects of hormonal contraceptives and stress on reproductive health of women in Pakistan for her thesis. She joined UN Women in March 2014, as Project Officer; specifically, she worked on Gender Training and Capacity Building under the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) program funded by United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), in Sindh. Along with the International Labour Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, she helped to improve livelihoods of 2500 landless peasant women and 2000 informal women workers by enhancing access to social security services, food security, land tenancy agreements, and income generating opportunities. She supervised activities for disaster risk reduction, sanitation, and onsite trainings for gender mainstreaming, numeric literacy among women, and first aid in 120 villages. Her job profile encapsulated skills of project coordination, policy advocacy, women’s entrepreneurship, and capacity building to realize the goals of the program. Mahwish has been winner of national essay writing competition, and debate competitions and has also held leadership positions in the Scientific Academic Society, Quaidian Intellectual Forum, and Literary and Debating Society, respectively, in her university. She hopes not only to be a skilled social entrepreneur herself, but also to develop a successful model which can be replicated at macro-scale.

Host Organization: Concern Worldwide

Role at Host Organization: Mahwish will utilize her background in business, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship by supporting efforts of the Innovations team to sustain and expand programs with a specific focus on the Maker Hub for Maternal and Newborn Health in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mona has more than five years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She earned a Master’s degree in Project Management from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, in addition to a professional Diploma in Development Design and Management in the Middle East from the University of Pavia in Italy. Mona has an extensive experience in managing emergency and development projects, working with both local and international non-profit organizations in Gaza Strip. Most recently, working with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for three years, she participated in the design and management of emergency response and recovery program in Gaza, focusing on shelter and livelihoods for conflict-affected families in rural communities and using market-based tools. She has also been managing a disaster risk reduction program that aims at increasing the resilience of vulnerable urban communities in Gaza by building the capacity of local development committees and establishing community-led microfinance system that provides financial services to its members. Prior to her work with CRS, Mona worked in developing and managing capacity building programs in the Community Service and Continuing Education Deanship (CSCED). Her work focused on the integration of women engineers in the construction industry through a market-based skills development and on-the-job training program. She also managed different institutional capacity building programs for municipalities and local nonprofit organizations in good governance, accountability and financial management.Mona gained hands-on experience in program management including project design, proposal development, and monitoring and evaluation. Her experience in different sectors allowed for a wider perspective on development and understanding of communities needs and strengths.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: Mona will support the implementation of strategic projects and broad, cross-cutting initiatives of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC), including coordination and dissemination of innovative programs in new technologies, social media, and beneficiary communications.