Class 38

Shinjini Chowdhury is a social worker from India. With a Master’s degree in English from The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, India, she has experience in documenting best practices and building communication materials for nonprofits. Being involved in social service from a young age, she has worked for education and all-round development of under-privileged children. She has trained college students in soft skills and been actively involved in stakeholder management. Shinjini has also been a freelance correspondent for an online platform, which chronicles stories of entrepreneurship. In this role, she has built narratives around social entrepreneurship. In her work against sex trafficking, she has been immersed in field experiences. She is passionate about creating stories around people, real-life experiences, and efforts to build a better world. She believes in the power of strong and free communication.

Host Organization: SAP SE

Role at SAP SE: At SAP SE, Shinjini will serve as a CSR Communications and Marketing Fellow: leading marketing and communication efforts for strategic partnerships and the three strategic CSR pillars (building digital skills, accelerating best-run nonprofits and social enterprises, and connecting employees with purpose).

Mohammed has four years of experience in the nonprofit and business sectors. He earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in English from the Islamic University of Gaza. Mohammed worked as a Marketing Team Lead at BrandsLine Company. In this role, he was responsible for increasing the company profit, growing its market share, and increasing brand awareness about its investments in Palestine. Currently, Mohammed works as a freelancer providing marketing and communications solutions for small businesses. Mohammed also works as an Alumni Leader at the U.S. Palestinian Affairs Unit in Jerusalem. He works through the Alumni Advisory Council as a communication channel between the U.S. Palestinian Affairs Unit and alumni from various programs, supporting meaningful youth participation and the network’s engagement. Mohammed promotes business development and social entrepreneurship by sharing his knowledge and expertise from the Global Business Institute Program at Indiana University, which he participated in in 2016. Motivated by driving social development for his community, Mohammed played a significant role in the development of a community-based program called Helping the Neighbors sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. While he was an undergraduate student, he devoted much time to local volunteer projects, such as Providing a Safe Environment for Youth in the Gaza Strip held by El Wedad Society for Community Rehabilitation. Through these experiences, he developed strong skills in communication and marketing, leadership, and project management. Mohammed deeply cares about business development and youth empowerment.

Host Organization: Cure Violence

Role at Cure Violence At Cure Violence, Mohammed will serve as the Strategic Partnerships Fellow: acting as a Middle East and North Africa Program Officer and being responsible for the creation, oversight, and implementation of programming activities in the Middle East and North Africa.

Sohaib has four years of experience working in nonprofit organizations. He earned a diploma in Business Administration from the German University in Cairo after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Minufiya University. Currently, Sohaib works mainly as a Business Development Manager for his startup, MD Group. In this role, Sohaib learned to find sponsors through effective networking, closing deals, negotiation, and discovering new leads for partnerships. Sohaib also has four years of experience in entrepreneurship. In addition to his passion for entrepreneurship, Sohaib has a business background. Sohaib has experience in his family’s business, startups, and other professional businesses, which gives him a wider perspective on all aspects of business scales, especially in Egypt. Sohaib is incredibly passionate about providing high-level education for youth in his country and helping charity organizations get funded. In the future, Sohaib intends to be one of the best strategic planners in the government education sector.

Host Organization: Mentor Capital Network

Role at Mentor Capital Network At Mentor Capital Network, Sohaib will serve as the Entrepreneur Fellow: collaborating with for-profit social entrepreneurs around the world, collecting their stories, and helping the Mentor Capital Network connect them to the appropriate peer and mentors.

Precious has four years of experience in the nonprofit development sector. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Jos in Nigeria, a PGD in Information Technology from the National Open University of Nigeria, and is a current MBA candidate from the University of South Wales, London. Precious recently engaged in the DFID-Funded Mafita program in Northern Nigeria as a Monitoring and Results Measurement Officer. In this role, she supported overall project monitoring; M&E system design and implementation; development of indicator trackers; and processing and dissemination of MRM findings and best practices to facilitate evidence-based planning, learning and, decision-making. Precious previously worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in Nigeria under the DFID-funded GEMS3 program, supporting improvements in the monitoring and statistical systems with the use of technology. Previously, she also worked with GIZ Nigeria, in the SEDIN program, providing sustainable entrepreneurial skill training and coaching to women in SMEs, funded by the EU. She also initiated the design and implementation of an advocacy platform and symposium, aimed at providing national-level recognition, and supporting the growth of MSMEs in the country, thereby creating a good business enabling environment. Prior to her work at GIZ, Precious has volunteered as an end-process monitor during Immunization Plus Days, under the Polio Eradication Initiative of UNICEF and WHO. During these experiences, she developed strong project coordination, strategizing, data collection, analysis, and management skills. Precious has a passion for children and community development, and she is interested in public health, leadership and business entrepreneurship. She also enjoys working in intercultural and multinational environments.

Host Organization: SEED Spot

Role at SEED Spot At Seed Spot, Precious will serve as a Data and Impact Fellow; helping to design, collect, and track Seed Spot measuring and evaluation work, enabling more accurate and up to date data.

Jillani has an extensive eight years of experience in the development sector in Pakistan. He earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He has excellent skills and competencies in the areas of project management, administration, logistics control, and monitoring & evaluation. Being a development practitioner, Jillani has undertaken several projects related to community development, public health, youth development, sexual reproductive health and rights, community health centers, and women’s empowerment. He is an active team player and proactively supports and facilitates teamwork in his daily life.

Host Organization: Venture Philanthropy Partners

Role at Venture Philanthropy PartnersAt Venture Philanthropy Partners, Jillani will serve as an Operations Analyst Fellow; designing and executing program management processes for both specific projects and for organization wide activities, along with ensuring organizational priorities and associated activities are moving by playing an integral role in monitoring work across the organization.

Radhika Ralhan is a sociologist, a sustainable systems thinking professional, and an impact strategist. As a University Gold Medalist, she enhanced her academic erudition in diverse professional contexts. These contexts include extending strategic advisory at leadership levels, executing critical sustainability programs in diverse themes, such as renewable energy, menstrual hygiene, and health, and devising policy research projects on SDGs. She also spearheaded teams by working primarily on social impact analysis and global and national-level positioning of programs. She has been instrumental in curating innovative partnerships platforms such as CSR Collaboration Hub and SDGs Drivers Forum among private sector, government institutions, and NGOs with set-focused outcomes. She has enhanced her professional dynamism by working with leading multi-faceted organizations, such as IIT Delhi, United Nations Global Compact, Development Alternatives, CAF, and Dr. Reddy’s sustainability unit. At the policy front, in her independent capacity, the Bureau of Indian Standards, Government of India appointed her to formulate the first of its kind CSR Standards as a key drafting expert. She has presented her research work and perspectives at global platforms in Milan, Istanbul, and Copenhagen and has taught at prominent universities such as IHM, Pusa, and Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. For Radhika, innovation, unconventional thinking, working on unexplored avenues, and leveraging social outcomes are key drivers in the sustainability discourse.

Host Organization: Collaborating for Resilience

Role at Collaborating for ResilienceAt Collaborating for Resilience, Radhika will serve as the Program Management Fellow: promoting citizen engagement in policy reform and implementation, managing partner collaborations, undertaking action research in one or more program areas, and contributing to program development, marketing, and communications initiatives.

Donaldson has four years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and over two years of industry experience with the private sector. Donaldson earned a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Information Systems from the University of Sierra Leone, and a Six Continuing Units from George Mason University in the United States for successful completion of the IREX Community Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. He is currently a Master of Business Administration Executive Option student at the Njala University Sierra Leone. Previously, he served as District Program Manager for Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) on the Strengthening Accountability Building Inclusion (SABI) program, a UKAID-sponsored project and Project Manager for BudgiT Nigeria in the Accountable Governance in Justice and Security (AGJS) with support from USAID through International Narcotic and Law (INL). In this role, Donaldson worked with local authorities in justice, security, health, social protection, education, and local government to galvanize their attention on providing effective service delivery to citizens through accountability and transparency. Donaldson is an expert in civic accountability and transparency projects and has developed skills in open data, accountable governance, data analysis, proposal developments, and implementation. He has served as a Community Solutions Program Fellow with Glasshouse Policy Austin, Texas, where he supported their programs department to conduct a hack-a-thon event (Budget party). As a Fellow, he also planned baseline research for advocacy on broadband services to rural Austin and inputted in the data analysis for Capital Metro Project Connect in Austin. Donaldson is currently the founder and Managing Partner of Technocracy Innovative Network, a social enterprise that is serving Sierra Leone to improve open and transparent democracy.

Host Organization: Emgage

Role at Emgage At Emgage, Donaldson will serve as the Data Analyst Fellow: managing the various data systems that Emgage uses, including systems which house their voter files, users and donor files, and their mobile users’ data.

Mohamed is an Egyptian researcher at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. He was a researcher at the Law and Society Research Unit at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights’ (EIPR). Mohamed researches law and religion in Egypt, as well as civil society, indigenous people’s rights, and peasant rights. He has published many articles, papers, and book chapters in Jadaliyya and an edited volume, The Rise and Fall of the Labor Movement (2018). He is a recipient of AUC’s John D. Gerhart Center’s Lazord Fellowship and Open Democracy’s Middle East Forum Fellowship. Mohamed holds a diploma in Islamic Sharia. Mohamed participated in several academic conferences as organized by the University of California, Santa Barbara, the University of Amsterdam, and AUC.

Host Organization: Project on Middle East Democracy

Role at Project on Middle East Democracy At POMED, Mohamed will serve as a POMED Resident Fellow: using his time with the organization to enhance his analytical, research, and public speaking skills by completing an independent research project in consultation with POMED staff.

Elvira has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector; including one year of experience as an IT Technician and two years of Education Research. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in 2016 and is pursuing a double Master’s degree in Development Studies and Computer Systems at JKUAT in Kenya. Previously, she has worked as a Research Assistant and IT Support Officer at Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA); which capacity builds In-service teachers in Kenya and Africa. In 2017-2018 she assisted in the design of data collection tools for impact assessment and baseline survey of STEM in Kenyan schools by CEMASTEA. Elvira also served as an ICT supervisor at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Her achievements include technical input in introducing Google classroom approach to over 1000 Kenyan teachers and Robotics in Kenyan schools targeting high school students to boost creativity, innovation, and competency-based learning. Elvira is the Deputy Director and Co-Founder of Humara Tennis Kenya, which features among the top-three successful tennis organizations under Tennis Kenya in developing ways to improve tennis accessibility, competition and to fix drug and alcohol abuse among youth via sports activities. At the Association of ICT Mentors, she mentors young people between 13-18 years-old to raise awareness for opportunities in STEM courses and careers. Elvira believes that acts of volunteerism will not only benefit her personally, but also the community around her and make the world a better place.

Host Organization: Per Scholas

Role at Per Scholas At Per Scholas, Elvira will serve as the Blended Learning Integration Fellow: helping to further facilitate blended learning into Per Scholas’ tuition-free IT training for unemployed and underemployed adults.

Mahdi has seven years of experience in the nonprofit sector, as a full-time employee at INJAZ El Djazair (JA Algeria) and also as a Fellow/volunteer in numerous local and international organizations across the MENA region, Europe, and the United States. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from HEC Algiers, and has a first year Master’s degree at ENSM Algiers in Industrial Economics. In his present role at INJAZ El Djazair, Mahdi has contributed to the training of more than 20,000 Algerian youth in business and entrepreneurship. He is also in charge of program implementation, fundraising operations (up de 20 millions dinars per year), and the evaluation and monitoring of the results. He was also able to establish a partnership with the Algerian Ministry of Industry, valued at several million dinars. Additionally, Mahdi is known as an activist in macro-economic/politics topics related to the regional inclusion of the Maghreb countries. He launched an initiative called the Maghreb Souk Of Initiatives in November 2018 to gather influencers and diaspora of the Maghreb countries. On top of his professional experience, Mahdi is also an arts activist, working as a talent manager to help young artists/designers/musicians live their art and creation, through an initiative called The TalentArt. Mahdi is an art lover and he’s passionate about youth development in a global market.

Host Organization: LearnLaunch

Role at LearnLaunch At LearnLaunch, Mahdi will serve as the Program Manager Fellow: supporting the Accelerator staff in creation and delivery of the Bootcamps for international edtech entrepreneurs exploring entry points to US edtech market, and learning all aspects of operating training programs for entrepreneurs.

Busang Maruping has 3 years of experience in integration of strategic communication and development projects. He has earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Business. He currently serves as a full-time senior Communications Specialist for the World Economic Forum Global Shapers, and the UN Volunteers programme. As a communication expert, he provides support and expertise towards facilitating shifts in power relations and contributing to positive social transformation led by those most affected by development policies. Busang has extensive knowledge in communication strategy design and planning. He has used this wide-ranging knowledge as an International Youth Consultant at CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organizations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. In this role, he has joined the CIVICUS team in designing a prototype that will better resource young activists from the Global South. Previously Busang has been employed as a Public Relations Practitioner at one of the top marketing agencies in Botswana where he obtained extensive training in strategies and brand management at Incepta Communications and Strategy. As a shaper, he has launched several social cohesion projects in Botswana such as the Albinism Awareness Campaign, a project that was recognized by the World Bank. He is currently pioneering an initiative called Boy Pitso (Men’s Dialogues), which seeks to empower men to reduce Gender Based Violence and raise awareness of feminism.

Host Organization: SAP SE

Role at SAP SE At SAP SE, Busang will serve as a CSR Communications and Marketing Fellow: leading marketing and communication efforts for strategic partnerships and the three strategic CSR pillars (building digital skills, accelerating best-run nonprofits and social enterprises, and connecting employees with purpose).

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.