CULTURAL BRIDGE FELLOWS
2009 Cohort
Dany Bahar, India -Center for Microfinance
http://blogaboutnothing.net/
Dany Bahar will devote the summer working at the Center for Micro Finance (CMF) in Thanjavur, in southern India. There he will join a team of researchers that will run a randomized trial in a number of villages around the city. The research is meant to address the question: what is the effect of offering investment products – such as risk-free saving accounts – to the villagers on their demand for loans? This question is particularly important in the case of women in developing countries. Giving women in rural areas access to saving opportunities could have important effects not only in their lives, but in the society as a whole.
Molly Byrne, United States - State Department
http://mollyinwashington.blogspot.com/
This summer Molly Byrne will intern with the State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in the Office of Assistance for Africa (AFR) in Washington D.C. Molly will assist the Central Africa Program Officer in improving protection and assistance programs for more than 300,000 refugees and 1.3 million internally displaced persons from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Specifically, Molly will look at the issue of sexual violence in eastern DRC and will provide policy recommendations to the PRM office on how PRM should respond to the needs of women who have been victimized and how PRM can empower women to prevent or mitigate sexual violence in the future. Molly will also help in the allocation of approximately $5 million in funding to respond to gender-based violence (GBV) in refugee populations throughout Africa.
Lauren Murphy, Bangladesh - BRAC Economic Development Program
www.laurenmurphyinbangladesh.blogspot.com
Lauren Murphy will be interning at BRAC in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She will be working on the SoFEA initiative to target adolescent females and involve them in microcrediting at an early age. Lauren will conduct research in BRAC’s microfinance programme, assess literature on the Economic Development programme, and visit the field to assess industry strength.
Adibeli Nduka-Agwu, Afganistan - UNDP
http://summerinkabul.blogspot.com/
Adibeli Nduka-Agwu will be working at the United Nations Development Program in Kabul, Afghanistan. She will be supporting the UNDP’s Afghanistan Sub-National Governance Program (ASGP) during the crucial weeks leading up to the presidential elections. The ASGP supports and advises Afghan central governance agencies in formulating and implementing policies pertaining to sub-national governance, in developing mechanisms for representation as well as participation, and in building institutional and administrative capacities in provincial and district administrations. Adibeli will be particularly involved with research focusing on whether and how women’s inclusion in decision-making positions is being approached and implemented on the regional, district and local levels in Afghanistan.
Oyebola Olabisi, Liberia - Ministry of Finance (with the Minister of Revenue)
www.toliberty.blogspot.com
Oyebola Olabisi's project is to conduct the first national survey of taxpayers in Liberia. The survey will examine taxpayer practices, their understanding of rules and regulations, and their experiences/feedback in their interactions with the Revenue Department, in order to inform significant reforms to tax policy and tax administration in Liberia. This project would support the design of optimal policies for inclusive and sustainable economic growth that will help maintain peace and stability in the country as it transitions from immediate post-conflict stabilization to sustainable and lasting development.
Nina Rosas, Senegal - UNICEF Economic and Social Policy Unit
www.ninainsenegal.blogspot.com
As an intern, Nina Rosas will be collaborating on UNICEF’s Research Facility for Assessing the Child and Gender Impact of Economic Trends Project, whose aim is to improve the timeliness of crisis response by performing research on the child and gender impact of economic shocks and public budget policy responses. The primary objective of the internship will be to assist in the preparation of studies that analyze the impact of economic crises on children’s well-being (e.g., educational attainment, health, nutrition) and review policy responses and their effectiveness in protecting women and children. Nina will be working under the supervision of Anthony Hodges, Regional Chief of UNICEF’s Economic and Social Policy Unit for West and Central Africa in Dakar, Senegal.
Soo Min Seo, South Korea - Civic Engagement of Teenage Girls Using New Media
http://girlpoliticspower.blogspot.com/
Soomin Seo will spend the summer in Cambridge and in Seoul, South Korea conducting research on new media, gender and political participation. The case in focus will be a mass movement initiated by predominantly female teenagers in early 2008. The research will look intensively into their use of internet communities, blogs and real-time webcasting in political participation. She hopes to analyze the impact of such “political baptism” and come up with its implication for political participation of women in new democracies.
Zara Snapp, Argentina - M.E.I. Fundación Mujeres en Igualdad
http://zara-adventuresinargentina.blogspot.com/
Zara Snapp will spend the summer working with M.E.I. Fundación Mujeres en Igualdad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The vision of M.E.I is to end discrimination against women by promoting their participation and empowerment in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres. While at M.E.I., Zara will be studying the intersection and relationship between political participation, reproductive justice and political equity. Zara will work closely with the Executive Director to promote land further legislative rights and begin institutionalizing programs through public policy.
Rachel Tulchin, Kenya - State Department's Somalia Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy
http://rachelgoestokenya.blogspot.com/
Rachel will be working in the State Department's Somalia Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. The focus of her internship will be on Somali women's issues, especially the political and economic empowerment of the Somali women who have sought protection in the refugee camps of Northeastern Kenya. She will work closely with both USAID and the Office of Refugee Affairs, as well as an interagency team of implementing partners that carry out programs inside Somalia, in northeastern Kenya and in refugee camps (UNICEF, UNDP, IOM, etc).
Kaylene Waindle, India
http://cambridge2kashmir.blogspot.com/
This June Kaylene is traveling to Srinagar, Kashmir to work with Dr. Angana Chatterji and the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir. Her goal is to support human rights efforts in Kashmir and to assist the Tribunal in taking its first steps towards building a gender program to look at the specific issues affecting Kashmiri women, including conflict-related gender violence.
Blog Disclaimer: The information contained in the blogs of the Cultural Bridge Fellowship Program does not represent the views, intentions, or strategies of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School. The information is solely the personal opinion of the blog author. The Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard University may not be held responsible for any content included in the personal blogs, nor are they responsible for how the student develops blog material beyond the scope of his or her Cultural Bridge Fellowship.
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