Fellows

Aida Merabet has over ten years working experience with different nonprofits and corporations in the fields of business empowerment for women and youth educational programs in Algeria. She earned an MBA in Management Marketing from ESG Paris. Aida is the Founder of the social enterprise “Power Harmony Solution.” Previously, Aida worked as the Middle East Partnership (MEPI) Alumni Local Chapter Coordinator, where she strengthened commitment to civic activism, thus creating an environment where alumni can work together to bring positive change to the region. She helped empower young people to work for their economic success as an Education & Training Officer at Injaz El Djazair. As a Hub Manager for the Middle East and North Africa Business Women Network (MENABWN), she was responsible for leading and managing a program to support business women in Algeria. She has also served as an Algerian Country Officer Alwane-Algeria, with Women’s campaign International, an initiative that seeks to empower Algerian women to hold decision-making positions and to enhance their leadership roles so that they can become role models for the region. She also enjoys volunteering, whether it be as the Under Secretary General for Algeria’s national Model United Nations conference or as the Algeria Country Coordinator for the World Peace Initiative Foundation’s Project Peace In and Peace Out (PIPO).

Host Organization: Atlas Corps | American Express

Role at Host Organization: Aida will support the overall strengthening of leadership development in the nonprofit sector through a partnership with American Express. In her role, Aida will help to expand the American Express Leadership Academy franchise. Building on the American Express role in supporting best-in-class leadership practices and capacity building, she will coordinate and grow the alumni network; manage and coordinate the global Alumni Summit, help develop and improve communication and dissemination of best practices and provide overall project support for the Leaderstories.org website.

Ankit is a queer feminist activist. He is a member of Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR) and also serves on the Board of Directors. Ankit is passionate about reproductive justice for queer and trans youth, and has worked on a range of issues from Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and public safety to environment and climate change. He serves on the Advisory Group to The Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and the CIVICUS’s Youth Action Taskforce.

Host Organization:  Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute

 Role at Host Organization: As a program manager, Ankit will be working on the international program expanding to other countries including India. He will contribute his knowledge of the situation in India to the program. Overall, he will be supporting Victory’s programs in a range of different countries.

Celstina has 11 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She earned a Master of Science in Organizational/School Psychology from the University of Tirana in Albania. While working as psychologist and project coordinator, she actively supports women’s rights through education, counseling and advocacy initiatives. Celstina has experience leading and organizing field projects to promote community engagement and spur concrete actions to elevate the status of women in the family and society. She specializes in the prevention of domestic abuse, gender based-violence and aggressive behavior among youth. Celstina has also served for five years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Shkodra. She has participated in a Community Solution Program, where she gained leadership skills and effective strategies for increasing participation in community development projects. Celstina has received several trainings and certificates abroad. Through these experiences she developed strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work in multicultural environments. She has a strong passion for social justice and enjoys traveling.

Host Organization: Next Door Solution to Domestic Violence

Role at Host Organization: Celstina will provide both individual and group support, peer-counseling, and appropriate learning to children, youth and families that have experienced domestic violence. She will work closely with the Support Group Coordinator to plan, implement, and evaluate programming for children and youth. Additionally, she will work with parents to access resources and services related to children/youth and parenting.

Génesis has more than three years of experience as an advocate for sexual and reproductive rights and youth leadership in the nonprofit sector. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Universidad Central de Venezuela with academic honors and an invitation to serve as a teaching assistant in the Clinical Psychology Department. As a youth network coordinator for International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere, she developed the structure and functions of the network, supporting meaningful youth participation and the network’s engagement with the organization’s strategical framework for 2016¬2022. She was in charge of planning and providing capacity¬-building activities for nearly 23 youth board members of IPPF/WHR’s Latin American and Caribbean partner associations. She also took part in several advisory groups on comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive rights. Previously, she was program coordinator at Construyendo Futuros Civil Association in Caracas, Venezuela, in charge of Quiero Saber (I Want To Know), a program aimed at providing comprehensive sexuality education to children and adolescents in vulnerable and rural zones of the Miranda State in Venezuela, including Petare, one of the biggest slums in South America. During her tenure, she systematized program indicators and statistics and developed the program’s handbook for teachers and facilitators, leading to 38% growth in the numbers of schools offering the program to its students. She has been a volunteer for Family Planning, Venezuela (PLAFAM) since 2013, representing the nonprofit at national and international events but also as a peer educator at clinics and in Caracas’ vulnerable communities. She has developed program/project management, strategic planning and communications, and community outreach skills. Génesis area of expertise and interest is sexual and reproductive health and rights with a focus on youth issues.

Host Organization: International Planned Parenthood Federation / Western Hemisphere Region

Role at Host Organization: Génesis will assist staff in managing sexual and reproductive health programs related to youth, gender-based violence, and HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STI) to implement programmatic strategies related to: youth leadership, comprehensive sexuality education, increasing access to quality health services (including HIV- and STI- related services), prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence, sexual rights and sexual diversity, and youth participation in programs and governance. Génesis will provide vital support to achieving the desired outcomes of these programs and contribute to the strategic vision of the team, including monitoring existing programs and developing new ones.

Lamia has five years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing from NUST Business School in Pakistan. Currently, Lamia works as a Grants Writer with IOM within their Pakistan Transition Initiative project in Pakistan under the USAID/OTI project to strengthen government-community relations and improve the socioeconomic status of communities in conflict-prone areas of Pakistan. She supervises grant closing, reviews final evaluation report and oversees donor and independent monitoring unit queries. Previously, Lamia worked with a capacity building organization on a mission to create change-makers who promote socio-economic transformation. Lamia has a preceding background in Microfinance. She worked with a prestigious roster of clients including ADB, UNIDO, UNDP, ILO, and the Government of Pakistan. She has had the opportunity to focus on multiple thematic areas, including community development, youth empowerment, livelihood and enterprise development, gender sensitization and mainstreaming, institutional development and good governance. Lamia was able to acquire project design, project implementation and management, curriculum design and training cycle management, monitoring and evaluation, documentation and report writing, and client coordination that enhanced her leadership skills.

Host Organization: World Vision International

 Role at Host Organization: Lamia will coordinate and expand a global, multi-agency network of facilitators and organisations using a unique internationally recognized conflict analysis tool called ‘Making Sense of Turbulent Contexts’ (MSTC). She will manage network communications and resources, while making a key contribution to strategic planning and resource development for future network growth.

Lucy has over seven years of nonprofit experience focusing on elections, public health, and youth development. She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Human Resource Management from Kenya Methodist University. She also earned a Diploma in Community Development and Social Work, and a Certificate in Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in Kenya. Currently, Lucy works as a stringer for the Voice of America’s South Sudan Program where she reports on a variety of political, humanitarian, and social issues affecting South Sudanese in their day-to-day lives. In 2012-2013 Lucy worked as a Producer for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting project in South Sudan, training young women journalists and empowering them through training in gender sensitive radio reporting skills, and outreach strategies by raising fundamental rights issues at local, regional, and national levels. Lucy successfully coordinated the production of more than 50 half an hour women magazine programs. Previously, Lucy worked as a News Editor for one of South Sudan’s most trusted radio stations, Eye Radio, formerly Sudan Radio Service, a USAID funded radio where she spearheaded the coverage of some of the most important historical events in the country. As the news team leader she focused newsgathering efforts primarily on stories of national interest including political stories from Khartoum and northern Sudan, and reviewed news coverage patterns to ensure a balanced coverage of all the states of South Sudan. Through these experiences Lucy has cultivated a range of contacts and has developed an understanding of how media operates, and some basic understanding of the role a nonprofit has in its community. Lucy is passionate about educating the vast majority of South Sudanese population that is illiterate on their political, human and social rights to improve their living standards through radio.

Host Organization: Voice of America

Role at Host Organization: Lucy will serve with VOA staff to identify and research stories in Sudan and South Sudan that are of interest to the audience, and conduct interviews. She will expand her skills in journalism and put together her own radio segment. Also, Lucy will support the editorial process for a daily radio program, and potentially host live programs.

Mays has six years of experience in the nonprofit sector and graduated from Birzeit University in Palestine with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. While working as a media coordinator and fundraiser with Good Shepherd Youth Club under the USAID-funded “Partnership with Youth” program, she focused on empowering youth, promoting quality education, professional development, and job skills. She helped youth become community leaders and active, informed citizens. Mays also started a private practice to assess, treat and evaluate patients and help translate the science of nutrition into everyday understandable information about food. As a community nutritionist and educator for rural areas in Palestine, she helped raise awareness of maternal and child health through workshops and by using the power of social media. Through these experiences, Mays developed strong skills in community-based projects, including nutrition, health, media, and youth empowerment. She has a strong passion for the arts and sports. Mays believes in the power of community and the will of its youth to achieve positive change.

Host Organization: 1,000 Days

Fellow role at 1,000 DaysMays will work to strengthening 1,000 Days advocacy and communications efforts to prioritize investment in maternal and child nutrition programs worldwide. She will support efforts to mobilize new resources and improve policies for global nutrition programs from donor and country governments, including supporting several global advocacy initiatives and campaigns.

Mohammed has eight years of experience in the nonprofit sector; he earned MBA from the Islamic University of Gaza, and a Bachelor’s of Information Technology in Computer Information Systems from Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan. Through his job as Research and Evaluation Officer – UNRWA Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP), Mohammed works in the monitoring and evaluation of the results and impacts of CMHP projects’ and programmes’ implementation. He gathers, standardises and maintains data on different structured programs through databases for internal and external use for M&E and summary reporting purposes. Before his current position, Mohammed worked for CMHP as Training Coordinator where he helped in planning, organizing, and developing capacity building strategies for staff members who provide psychosocial support and counseling services to Palestinian refugees (children & adults) at both UNRWA schools and primary health care centers. Previously, Mohammed worked for UNRWA Khanyones Training College as Technical Instructor, he provided semi-professional training to students of Business Diploma Programs; in addition to his academic experience in delivering a number of management and business administration modules, he contributed practically in delivering different ICT, MIS & Information Management modules. As part of being initiative, Mohammed had a voluntary role during 2014 summer hostilities in Gaza, he worked as a collective centre member in providing PFA, logistical, and emergency preparedness support for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the emergency shelters, which as a result contributed in enhancing IDP’s coping and resiliency. Mohammed is passionate in supporting youth development in different aspects such as training & capacity building as well as entrepreneurship initiatives.

Host Organization: IBM

Role at Host Organization: Mohammed will work closely with the Corporate Service Corps (CSC) Program Manager in Armonk on a number of projects to support the ongoing operations and deployment of CSC teams, in addition to developing new models for community engagement.