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.

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.

Carolina has six years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Communications degree at the Universidad of Medellín. She recently completed postgraduate studies in Sociology and Political Sciences at FLACSO, Argentina. While working at the Organización VID, she helped to strengthen the image of the institution by redesigning their virtual media. Likewise, Carolina worked at FENALCO ANTIOQUIA; a nonprofit organization that unionizes medium and small traders, for helping them to strengthen their business. One of the most relevant goals that she achieved was being designated as a member of the Strategic Planning Team. Carolina has also volunteered as a teacher on Communication and Information Technologies, at an HIV childrens’ foundation. She taught a group of children how to use web tools for their own development and self-education. Through all these experiences Carolina has acquired significant skills such as: creating multimedia educational material, researching relevant information and pedagogical resources, and organizing memorable social and institutional events. Carolina strongly believes in the mixture of education, technology and communication, as a powerful key to fight poverty and improve quality of life.

Host Organization: Mozilla Foundation

Role at Host Organization: Carolina will help design and develop a distributed training program for teaching web literacy skills. She will leverage existing research and conduct their own light research to inform and support a global program that provides guidance/instruction/community support for people that want to teach others how to read, write and participate in the digital world.

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.

Having earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Chemistry from National University of Rwanda in 2009, Emmanuel is recently completed his second year in the Master’s degree program in International Education at the SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. He has also had 5 years of experience directing cultural immersion and service-learning programs for American students in Rwanda and Senegal through the internationally acclaimed cross-cultural education program, “Where There Be Dragons.” While traveling as an experiential educator in this position, Emmanuel has co-created curricula and directed programs focused on critical service-learning, language study, and exploration of development issues in Rwanda and Senegal. He has also been responsible for setting up on-course activities including students’ homestays, arranging for workshop facilitators and guest speakers, and coordinating with local nonprofit organizations for students’ service-learning and internship opportunities. Through these experiences, Emmanuel has developed strong skills in program design and implementation, and a passion for participatory international service-learning and education for social change. Emmanuel’s strong belief in the benefits of cross cultural exchange and community empowerment also influenced the years he spent in volunteer service, including working as a counterpart to a US Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda in 2009 and later, working as language and cross culture facilitator (LCF) for US Peace Corps trainees in Rwanda. He also taught science to high school students through the Rwanda Girls Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to girls’ empowerment. Emmanuel is a fan of animated movies, loves Senegalese “Yassa Viande” and enjoys watching soccer.

Host Organization: CorpsAfrica

Role at Host Organization: Emmanuel will focus on developing a solid framework of communication and support for CorpsAfrica offices as the organization works to open offices in Sub-Saharan Africa. He will work closely with the senior management team with periodic travel to Morocco, Senegal.

Esam has seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Sudan University of Science and Technology in Sudan.
Most recently Esam worked for the American Refugee Committee (ARC) INGO as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Program Manager responsible for planning and managing the implementation of water supply, sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion activities in Darfur, Sudan. He assisted both IDPS and host communities to access safe water, adequate sanitation facilities and good hygiene services. At the same time, he engages in volunteer work with local civil society organizations to promote and maintain social peace and a culture of acceptance of others among local communities. Previously, Esam worked with United Methodist Committee On Relief (UMCOR) to help vulnerable communities affected by conflicts to access clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene services. He identified the needs of the communities, designed projects, supervised, and monitored the implementation of such programs. Through these years of experience, he gained strong skills in planning, effective coordination, and proposal writing. Esam enjoys focusing on topics of humanitarian relief and development of local communities, and demonstrated great efforts to strengthen the civil society sector and empower youths in his country to effectively contribute in restoring peace and development.

Host Organization: Community Options, Inc.

Role at Host Organization: Esam will assist with establishing new employment programs, developing training programs for new employees, finding new funding sources, development of the Community Options Board Advisory Committee and finding volunteer opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Imran has about five years of professional experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned the “Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers” from Cambridge University, United Kingdom and a “Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communication Engineering” from BRAC University, Bangladesh. While working for different philanthropic organizations including BRAC (the world’s largest nonprofit), he imparted education to underprivileged children, trained teachers, and facilitated international exchange and volunteer development programs. These activities addressed issues like the social and leadership development of young people, many of which were supported by the U.S. Embassy of Dhaka. Simultaneously, he was teaching the “Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers” to educators of various schools for about two years. Based on his understanding of young people’s needs of leadership development, Imran started his own initiative, “Mind Mechanics,” at the beginning of 2014. There, he designs and facilitates programs for various target groups representing different socio-economic, political and faith-based communities such as human rights activists, young political leaders, and students of ‘Madrasas’ (religious educational institutions). He does these to equip them with soft skills that promote employability, tolerance, co-existence, transformational leadership and democracy. Through these experiences Imran has developed strong leadership qualities, design thinking and facilitation skills for empowering youths of different age groups, and socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. He has a strong passion for holistic youth empowerment through youth leadership development.

Host Organization: Compass Partners

Role at Host Organization: Imran will be supporting the Executive Director through strengthening the program across 16 university campuses. He will play a pivotal role in revamping the curriculum, creating new hard-copy and online communications materials, enhancing regional and national communication/connectivity and improving upon campus-specific issues.

With seven years of experience in leading and managing youth-led voluntary organizations, Mizan has been working for youth with disabilities through diversified activities since 2008. He earned a Master’s degree in Arts from the Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. To promote inclusive leadership and empower youth with disabilities, Mizan and his team officially launched the Physically-challenged Development Foundation-PDF in 2008. PDF is the largest organization in Bangladesh working to empower the youth and youth with disabilities. As of late, Mizan has been leading research on these issues and publishing reports. In 2014, The Daily Star publication recognized him as a Young Achiever of Bangladesh. Besides his non-profit works, Mizan worked professionally with Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) as a disability rights activist. Mizan worked closely with its founder, Ms. Valerie Ann Taylor, and gained experience fundraising and grant writing for national and international donors. In his most recent role, Mizan has worked with one of the world’s largest organizations, Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee (BRAC), as a policy advocacy specialist for road safety issues. He is also experienced in facilitating the leadership training sessions at BRAC and National Youth Center, Bangladesh. These excellent experiences promoted his skills to liaise with government officials, and network with INGOs and NGOs. He has honed his problem identification and leadership, advocacy and communication, staff management and event management, facilitation and training intervention skills as well. Mizan enjoys focusing on the topics of youth empowerment and community mobilization, and has a strong passion to protect and empower youth with disabilities.

Host Organization: Community Options, Inc.

Role at Host Organization: As the Training and Grants Fellow, Mizan will assist with the design and delivery of management related training and the roll-out of a day program curriculum. In addition he will assist writers in writing federal, state, local and foundation grant proposals to enhance housing development and employment for persons with developmental disabilities.