Fellows

Abenezer is a Human Resource Professional with almost ten years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Abenezer earned a Bachelor of Art in Public Administration and Development Management from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. While working as a Senior Human Resource Officer with CARE International in Ethiopia, he helped the organization to recruit, train, and retain a high performing workforce and implemented gender equality program in recruitment to increase female employees in the organization. Previously, Abenezer worked as a HR & Admin Manager with International Rescue Committee Ethiopia program under USAID and other donors funded programs. Through these experiences, he has developed strong people management skills, communication skills, and created welcoming workplaces for employees, where they can strive to do their best. Abenezer enjoys focusing on the topics of economic development, democracy, and human rights and has a strong passion of reading books.

Host Organization: Panorama Global

Role at Host Organization: As a Talent Acquisition Fellow, Abenezer will help Panorama Global source, identify, screen, and hire individuals for a broad range of roles across the organization affiliates. The Fellow’s role includes: inputting the overall hiring strategy of the organization to ensure the teams consist of a diverse set of qualified individuals; ensuring the staffing needs of the company are being met, with a long-term talent strategy in mind; and devising and implementing sourcing strategies to build pipelines of potential applicants, such as employer branding initiatives.

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.

Kashmala has twelve years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is an ACCA Finalist from ACCA, Pakistan. She also earned Masters in International Relations from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan. As Finance & Administration Manager with different organizations including Medecins Du Monde – France, Rural Development Policy Institute, Community World Service Asia, and Oxfam Novib she worked on budgeting, financial management, general accounting, and administrative tasks. During her tenure with Rural Development Policy Institute, she had the opportunity of working as a coordinating partner with Asia Peace Film Festival. Asia Peace Film Festival is a multi-country consortium aimed at promoting peace through cinema by curating film festivals. Two festivals have been organized so far in Pakistan, with more than 70 international delegates invited to participate in the festivals. Kashmala was the focal person for the finances, and the logistics of the event. While working with Medecins Du Monde she worked on a project funded by Operations Smile for acid survivors in Pakistan. During her work experience with different organizations, she worked on projects funded by USAID, ECHO, European Union, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, ACT Alliance, and British High Commission. She has extensive experience in budgeting, financial reporting to donors, and making variances analysis. One of her greatest strengths is her ability to work in accordance with Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) and Sphere. CWS nominated her to attend the training of financial management for nonprofit organizations organized by a British organization, MANGO. Through these experiences, she developed strong project financial management and implementation skills. Kashmala also enjoys focusing on the financial resource planning for organizations and she has strong passion for youth development.

Host Organization: Feedback Labs

Role at Feedback Labs At Feedback Labs, Kashmala will serve as the Finance & HR Fellow: supporting the growing organization’s management by developing long-term financial systems and processes.

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.

(updated August 2018) Nici earned a Masters in Development Management from the Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum in Germany after obtaining a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Management and Human Resources, from the University of Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. She left an award-winning project management career in the tourism and incentives industry, and successfully cross-skilled her organizational and time management skills into the development sector. She has worked with small grass route community organisations to large international organisations throughout East & Southern Africa, as well as on an international platform in the USA and Europe. Her work experiences span across a diversity of sectors, such as refugee livelihoods, peace & conflict studies, health, disabilities & inclusion, education, and all with a constant thread centered around development and volunteerism

(Fellow Bio – January 2013) Nici has two and a half years of full-time experience in the nonprofit sector. She earned a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, after obtaining a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Management and Human Resources, from the University of Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. Nici has been the Program Coordinator for Operation Smile South Africa since October 2011, maintaining the medical and non-medical volunteer base as well as coordinating all the surgical programs in Southern Africa. Prior to that, Nici managed an education project on the Wild Coast of South Africa, where children in rural schools were taught basic end-user computing skills. This change in career came after many years of part-time volunteering and working within the corporate social responsibility sector in the tourism industry. This experience has greatly improved her coordination and time management skills acquired over the years as a Project Manager in the tourism industry, specifically now within the nonprofit sector. Nici is passionate about building a society where everyone actively volunteers and works towards a better future for all, allowing everyone to enjoy at least the basic human rights some often take for granted.

Host Organization : International Peace and Security Institute (IPSI)

Renata has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Tecnologico de Monterrey and two Certificates in Woman, Gender and Development and International Relations from The University of British Columbia. While working as Communications Coordinator in Cinco Panes y Dos Peces A.C., a Mexican nonprofit organization, she helped indigenous communities in isolated regions in Mexico to apply a Risk Prevention, Control and Management Plan. Simultaneously, Renata taught a certificate in Financing Strategies and Fundraising for nonprofits. Previously, she coordinated two international volunteer projects in Belgium at the Red Cross Center for Asylum Seekers and at the ArAsylum Seekers and at the Arthur Regniers Center for motor and brain handicapped people. Renata has volunteered in ten projects nationally and internationally concerning a wide range of topics such as: orphan children, Down’s syndrome children, reforestation, Elkhorn Coral Planting, fundraising, and reconstruction. Through these experiences, she developed project coordination and implementation, fundraising, web development and research skills. Renata enjoys topics related to philanthropy and has a strong passion for poverty relief and refugees. As a result, from her passion in the nonprofit sector, she has cofounded Amarte A.C., and Hoor A.C., two Mexican nonprofit organizations.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: Renata will support the information and knowledge management needs of the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC). This includes providing immediate support for data collection and analysis, maintaining and refining an effective knowledge management system for a state-of-the-art resource center, and piloting of complementary knowledge management initiatives in conjunction with the wider American Red Cross International Services Department (ISD) and the global Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

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