Class 49

Giovana is originally from São José dos Campos, Brazil. Giovana earned a Bachelor’s degree in Translation from Sao Paulo State University – UNESP in 2014. Five years later, she earned a Master’s degree in International Marketing from the Brazilian Association of Consultancy and Advisory in Foreign Trade. In 2023, she earned a postgraduate degree in Sustainability and Environmental Studies from Getulio Vargas Foundation – FGV. Now, Giovana has accumulated extensive experience in operations and content creation. For two years, she worked at BOOMI, an online marketplace for eco-friendly brands supporting daily operations, developing new sustainable products, and creating some of the digital marketing strategies. Previously, Giovana worked for three years at AliExpress, an international B2C e-commerce platform, developing the content strategy and content localization for the Brazilian market as well as leading a team of 9 international writers. She also had the chance to develop customer-oriented skills during her one-year experience as a Customer Service Specialist at a 5-star hotel working with different departments to anticipate the needs of VIP customers. Giovana also learned about different subjects and fields while working for around nine years as a freelancer Portuguese, English, and French translator. Giovana is interested in sustainability, climate change and social impact; she is committed to regenerative development, social responsibility, and advocates for climate action. She has been an active member of the Climate Fresk Organization, facilitating workshops for the local community. Giovana was also a member of CISV (Children International Summer Village) for many years.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a Global Learner Engagement (LE) Programs Fellow, Giovana will support the operations of Generation’s newly launching GYE Direct (fully remote) programs in Ghana, Colombia and 1-2 additional countries by 2024. Giovana will work alongside dedicated project teams and Global LE team members to design offerings, develop supporting tools, support the hiring and training of operations staff, support program launches and monitor / troubleshoot outcomes for learner mobilization, onboarding and mentorship support. The Fellow will also manage global alumni engagement (for GYE Direct alumni) and serve as the primary point of contact for learner engagement topics for GYE Direct Programs.

Comfort is a communications professional with over five years of experience in internal and external communications in various industries like education, media (print and social media), professional training and research as well as operations. She worked as the COO at the KSE Network while also serving as a media account officer at The Alpha Reach. Comfort recently led the KSE Network’s team in a 3 months and 2 weeks training of 100 participants at the #MTNPulseBlowMyHustle campaign which recorded overwhelmingly positive feedback. At This Day Newspaper where she worked as a reporter, she had over 100 articles published in her maiden name (Comfort Umoren). Comfort has an MA (Distinction) and a BA (First Class) in Communication and Language Arts, both at the prestigious University of Ibadan and, an OND (Distinction) in Mass Communication at the former Lagos State Polytechnic. She runs a blog – Unwind With Kam4t, where she writes on issues that affect young professionals and entrepreneurs in a relaxed way.

Host Organization: Deseret Management Corporation

Role at Host Organization: As a Global Communications Fellow, Comfort will assist the global reach efforts of the Deseret Management Corporation, including expanding a mission-driven mandate to help media be a constructive, inclusive part of civil society, in particular as it relates to some of the oft-forgotten issues of faith and values. Comfort will assist in managing a diverse portfolio of activities and partnership in the communications realm. As the supervisor is also the CEO of the Radiant Foundation (the corporate foundation associated with the corporation), there will be ample opportunities to assist with projects that build partnerships and awareness around the foundation’s core issues. Comfort’s fellowship will focus on media brands, on communications, public relations and the nexus of how those issues impact society as a whole.

Abie is a humanitarian worker whose work focuses on migrant protection and supporting the sexual and gender minority community around the world. In 2019, he founded BRANI, a virtual safe space for Indonesians that encourages discussion and provides information on SOGIESC-related issues. Abie has previously worked with diverse organizations, such as Amnesty International, Project Hope 4 Kids, and International Organization for Migration. He has experience in program management and providing direct assistance to vulnerable groups such as asylum seekers, refugees, and victims of human trafficking both in Indonesia and abroad. Abie earned a Master’s degree in Theology from Uppsala University in Sweden and a Master’s degree in International Humanitarian Action from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Abie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Universitas Gadjah Mada. Abie aims to bolster BRANI by learning about effective online campaigns and how to reach those without Internet access. He also wants to gain insight into the unintended negative consequences of outreach campaigns, including backlash, confusion, and desensitization. Abie now focuses on acquiring skills in organizational management, leadership, fundraising and grant-writing, marketing and communications, and strategic planning.

Host Organization: Princeton in Asia

Role at Host Organization: As a Programs Fellow, Abie will develop relationships with host countries and organizations; improve tools for evaluating new and renewing partnerships for Princeton in Asia; and implement equitable, inclusive best practices in recruitment, application, review, and fellow support in partnership with PiA staff and Board of Trustees committees.

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.

Malek has more than six years of experience in the nonprofit sector in North Africa and earned a Master’s degree in Applied Sciences and Technologies from the University of Science of Carthage. For the previous four years, Malek has been managing operations of projects in Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco, making sure all projects meet their intended scope, budget, and timeline. Most of these projects aimed to assess the needs and living conditions of vulnerable groups, such as migrants and refugees, children, and communities affected by war. The output of these projects provided precise information and granular data on the humanitarian situation that more than thirty-six aid response agencies and decision-makers across the region used to know when, where, how, and what humanitarian assistance to provide to those in need. As an Operations Manager, Malek has also overseen talent acquisition, training, and integration of local staff. Prior to project operations management, Malek worked as a Senior Project Officer for six months overseeing the implementation of migration-related assessment on the border between Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Malek and the team of data collectors he was managing, collected more than four hundred surveys with migrants and refugees to understand their needs and integration process within the community. The output of this study was used by community stakeholders to integrate more than 20% of the refugees and migrants into the labor force of the area and by UNHCR for the resettlement of more than seventy profiles in acute need among them children and women. Malek’s main areas of interest are peacebuilding, child rights, and migration. His mindset of getting things done combined with his problem-solving abilities and teamwork skills are his main roadmap for tackling and positively contributing to these social issues.

Host Organization: CARE

Role at Host Organization: As a Supply Chain Fellow, Malek will support CARE’s supply chain transformation project and help drive key milestones. As one of the core team members, Malek will work with corporate partners and the senior team to review the organization’s supply chain to assess gaps, plan development, and prioritize needs. The Fellow will also support the implementation of supply chain policies and trainings across the organization’s different country offices.

Faryal is a youth development and community engagement specialist with 7 years of working in the not-for-profit sector. She holds a Master’s degree in Mass Communication and is an IVLP alumnus of the Young Leaders: NGOs and Civic Activism program. As the Program Manager, Faryal manages Lincoln Corners (American Spaces) in Sindh, Peshawar, and Balochistan, where she supported the implementation of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurship (AWE), STEM workshops, entrepreneurship boot camps, digital storytelling for GBV & Climate Change workshops, and campaigns against gender-based violence facilitating over 2000 young women. She is passionate about exposing the youth of Pakistan to more opportunities and building their capacities through volunteering, networking, and skills development. Faryal has also worked as a communications and content development specialist at for-profit and not-for-profit organizations for 6 years, where she maximized the causes and built brands through social media campaigns, copywriting, and editorial content. Faryal volunteers with not-for-profit organizations and underserved schools to mentor teenagers in communications, resilience, dialogues, and active citizenship. She loves exploring new places, meeting new people, bonding over food, and making friends over tea.

Host Organization: Generation

Role at Host Organization: As a SAMEA Strategy Fellow, Faryal will be a strategic thought partner and force multiplier to the Region COO. This is an exciting year for Generation’s growth for Kenya, India, Pakistan, and their newly-launched Ghana program, and the Fellow will focus on supporting key innovations (e.g. freelancing), regional strategy development, and country launch support in Ghana.

Shilton is an innovative development professional with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with Library and Information Science, and a professional certificate in Qualitative Data Analysis with NVIVO from the University of Zambia. He is currently pursuing an MBA in Projects Management. Shilton comes with a rich background of professional training and work experience that reflects his passion for social impact and justice. Shilton has demonstrated proficiency in project management, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and data management. In the recent past, Shilton worked as a Programs Officer to support the programming, communications, and grant-writing, for projects aimed at empowering young women and girls in leadership and SRHR. Previously, he worked as a Data Manager on a carbon project, where he managed over two hundred and fifty thousand household data in Zambia, Angola, and Tanzania. In 2019, Shilton founded Mentor Dreams, an initiative to mentor and empower the Zambian youth in leadership and skills development, respectively. He has also worked as a Communications and Donor Relations Officer on projects relating to child care, access to primary education, and fundamental freedoms for children in rural areas. Shilton is an aluminate of the United States Exchanges Program in which he obtained a professional certificate in Civic Leadership, covering cross-cutting issues and specialized skills for international development management. Driven by a strong vision for global impact, he continuously acquires cutting edge skills and carries out policy research that strategically positions him for high level professional consultancy and contractual work. He has special interests in youth empowerment and attaining decent work for all.

Host Organization: The Climate Initiative

Role at Host Organization: As a Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow, Shilton’s role is focused on bringing and utilizing data to demonstrate The Climate Initiative’s impact as it can be mapped against the overall theory of change. The Fellow will work with the TCI programs and policy teams and TCI Executive Team on projects related to climate action and building out metrics and tracking frameworks.

Shakir has over 5 years of experience in the non-profit sector of Pakistan. He has expertise in case management, communication, monitoring, evaluation, and research. He holds a Master’s degree in Muslim Cultures from Aga Khan University International in The United Kingdom. He worked at the Silver Jubilee Development Agency Pakistan (SJDAP) as a caseworker & mentor with ultra-poor families on their socio-economic upliftment. He worked with families on 7 quality of life indicators, i.e., education, health, livelihood, nutrition, habitat, access to finance, and community inclusion. He has facilitated 15 families through numerous interventions and has acquired micro loans of approximately 02 million PKR for them. Earlier, he was associated with the Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) as an M&E and communication officer. He overlooked 77 social action projects to assess and report their output, outcome, and impact. Before that, he worked with the Basic Education for Awareness Reforms and Empowerment/Basic Education for Afghan Refugees (BEFARe), an Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) on the ‘Capacity Building for Civil Society’ project with DAI and USAID, where he assisted in the data collection, reporting, management and designing of M&E tools. He has also studied the ‘Conflict and Development’ module from the Open University (UK), where he has analysed various conflicts through the conflict analysis framework and participated in a mock conflict negotiation simulation. Additionally, he has spent significant time volunteering for community schools, libraries, and welfare boards as a mentor, educator, and management personnel, where he gained project coordination and project management skills. Working in conflict, education, and social development contexts has honed his critical thinking, cultural sensitivity, rapport building, and monitoring and evaluation skills. Besides his professional and voluntary endeavours, Shakir loves sports and exploring new cultures.

Host Organization: American Red Cross

Role at Host Organization: As a Business Planning Analyst Fellow, Shakir will be part of the Quality, Data and Learning team and will support planning, analysis, data visualization, and reporting functions for both the American Red Cross International Services Department (ISD) and the Service to the Armed Forces/International Services (SAF/IS) Department. Shakir will help senior leaders’ decision-making by providing accurate data, helping to identify trends and effective comparatives, analyzing key performance indicators, and creating data visualization and other reporting materials. The Fellow will bring expertise in business analysis, planning, and performance management concepts and a willingness to learn new systems and applications. Shakir’s contribution will allow the Business Planning team to provide superior reporting, analytics, and planning support.