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.

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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Asmaa has four years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and completed her Master’s degree in Management and Human Resources from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), United Kingdom. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the Islamic University of Gaza majoring in Business Administration. While working as a Researcher and Business Development Specialist at Small Enterprise Center, she worked on the economic empowerment of marginalized people and areas of economic recovery in the Gaza Strip through Oxfam and UNDP projects. She provided more than 1000 training hours on entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, marketing and financing for small businesses. Furthermore, Asmaa conducted research on the demand and supply of business development services, needs assessments and sector relevant studies. Asmaa is a Global Shaper in Gaza Hub. She was responsible for organizing Gaza contribution in the Shaping Davos “Conflict Resolution” session; part of the World Economic Forum activities held in Davos in 2015. Additionally, Asmaa was one of the 50 shapers attending the World Economic Forum for MENA region where she stressed the role of entrepreneurship in youth empowerment. She is also a co-founder of an initiative called “PAL Initiatives of Change”, which aims to foster and reinforce the human values in the Palestinian society as well as develop the sense of individual and collective responsibility toward positive change. Previously, she worked as a part-time lecturer at Al-Azhar University-Gaza, giving courses, teaching in principles of management, research methodology as well as other areas in management. Asmaa is very passionate about economic development, entrepreneurship, youth empowerment, training, volunteerism and community service.

Host: Internet2

Fellow Role at Internet2:
Asmaa will focus on the core development of the Internet2 Advancement program. She will be identifying and researching programs aligned with the mission, and she will support the membership’s advanced global research and educational priorities by creating case statements in support of various programs.

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.

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.

Lina has two and a half years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and earned a Bachelor´s degree in Business Administration from the University of Los Andes in Colombia. While working as Social and Environmental Promoter in the Aqueduct of Bogota, she has helped to formulate projects about educating people and enterprises on how to handle their solid wastes. In 2013, Lina was chosen to be a fellow of Balloon Chile, where she gave classes on entrepreneurship and innovation to local entrepreneurs of Lonquimay and Malalcahuello, Araucanía, South of Chile. Previously, she worked in a Marketing Research Agency, coordinating quantitative and qualitative projects for different industries. Lina has volunteered in Asociacion Somos CaPAZes where she gave classes to kids about how to handle conflicts, and coordinated an environmental project. Through these experiences, she developed project formulation, and coordination, marketing research, and teaching skills. Lina enjoys focusing on the topics of entrepreneurship, innovation, and development of projects.

Host Organization:  Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)

Role at Host Organization: Lina will be working with Academic support and tutoring, Community Peace Building, and Arts & Media programming within the Teen Center. She will be responsible for working with Teen Center staff to facilitate recruitment and registration of middle/high school youth and evaluating student progress in the programs.

Mayada Abdelazim has four years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is a graduate of Economics with a major in Development from the University of Khartoum. She obtained her Masters in Development studies from The University of Medical Sciences and Technology. She is the co-founder of the SheLearns initiative, which has supported female education in Sudan since February 2012. Mayada has had in-depth experience in women’s rights in Sudan and the horn of Africa, as a projects assistant at SIHA. She worked to enhance the capacity of women at the grassroots level, supporting them to organize themselves in cooperatives to improve their livelihood and gain access to rights. Mayada also worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a researcher on missing persons in Darfur. Mayada is interested in finding ways to link macroeconomic interventions and the development of local communities, by creating cost effective, pro-poor strategies.

Host Organization: Mentor Capital Network

Role at Host Organization: Mayada will expand interaction with entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors (collecting and telling stories, performing due-diligence for investors, and identifying where to further support them). She will also identify potential new opportunities for collaboration.