Field Project Descriptions
2006-07 Master's Students
Sentongo Ashad will examine, evaluate and report on conflict intervention programs and projects undertaken by the Civil Society and Conflict Management (CSCM) Team within Mercy Corps since their merger three years ago.
Andrew Ian Ginsberg will undertake field work under the guidance of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) in Utica, NY (USA) to obtain a greater insight into how the US government (federal, state and local) works together with refugee/immigrant organizations and civic organizations to promote integration
Yuliana Hilajeva will investigate and analyze present grievances and factors that contribute to interethnic tension between Kyrgyz and Uzbek ethnic groups in Southern Kyrgyzstan and develop a Strategy for Coexistence Intervention that may help address them.
Moussokoro Kané will study donor agencies’ perception of the early warning system within ECOWAS in West Africa to learn about the perceived successes, failures and lessons learned about the system and how the roles of the three institutions and sub-institutions involved (USAID, ECOWAS and WANEP) inter-played successfully or otherwise with each other.
Aejaz Karim will undertake an analysis of the various reforms and policy level changes brought about by Pakistan’s two military governments: the Government of General Zia Ul Haq and of General Parvez Musharaf. He will look at the impacts on those changes on Pakistani society. The work will be undertaken in collaboration of the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington DC and the Center for Strategic Studies and Policy Development, at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad.
Slava Madorsky, in conjunction with Romain Rurangirwa, will work with NGOs and INGOs in studying the needs and well-being of Rwanda’s orphans, many orphaned as a result of the genocide, and at the adequate or otherwise responses of state and other institutions to such needs.
Borislava Manojlovic will work with the International Institute of Boston, and examine their programs that are designed to contribute to the cultural and socio-economic integration of refugees into their US host communities. She will seek to determine best practices and identify ways of improving existing programs and bridge attendant gaps in the provision for such refugees.
Madhawa Palihapitiya will work with the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution (MODR). His field Research will be focus on Community-Based Alternative Dispute Resolution and Dialogue Processes and on designing, implementing and fundraising for a process of public Collaboration with the people of Everett, Massachusetts to increase public participation in the resolution of Disputes between immigrants and ‘locals’.
Sophia Robbana will conduct a survey of psychosocial counseling programs in Nepal, both those that are currently treating perpetrators or who plan to, and those who attend to victims exclusively, in order to ascertain attitudes toward the provision of services to perpetrators of violence. The specific aims of her project will be to provide practitioners an overview of assistance presently being provided to perpetrators elsewhere in other conflicted situations.
Inga Sarsune will do her field project within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Latvian government, within the Security Policy department. She will analyze the European Union’s decision-making process concerning the EU security policies toward post-conflict areas, and will work with the EU personnel in Brussels as well as diplomatic personnel from Member States and related organizations in the field.
Sarah Stanlick’s research will focus on four organizations – the International Committee of the Red Cross, Medécins Sans Frontières, Mercy Corps, and the World Health Organization and address an apparent deficit in training for volunteering health service professionals in regions experiencing conflict, and the development of a draft curriculum for consideration by such professionals.
Nedaa Taweel will undertake a study of Palestinian perceptions in Ramallah and Bethlehem to see how their current conception of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians limits their participation in such programs. The research also looks at how an expanded concept of reconciliation – such as that undertaken in South Africa, northern Ireland or Rwanda that includes both structural and psychocultural processes - might energize a greater Palestinian involvement in such processes.
Judith van Raalten will study the younger generations of Palestinian refugee women in Jordan, who were born and raised in refugee camps, villages and cities of Jordan. She will investigate the engagement of these second, third and fourth generation of women in the debate on the right of return and their ideas as to solutions for their future.
Seung Hwan Yeo is going to work with the Small Arms Network in South Asia. His study will look at the possibility for reducing the intensity of the Sri Lankan Conflict through a reduction/restraints on small arms and their availability.
2005-06 Master's Students
Benjamin Bolger was working in collaboration with the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) undertaking research on a project proposal to use shareholder responsibility initiatives to decrease child soldiering and aid demobilized child soldier refugees.
Clementine Nyuk Moy Lue Clark worked with the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) in Monrovia. She undertook an analysis of their programs, and program implementation within the organization, in an effort to improving the efficacy of the work done by LCC.
Amanda Daly assisted the Youth Assembly to the United Nations, and the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation in New York to effectively develop the 3rd Annual Youth Symphony to the United Nations in August 2006.
Yotam Gonen was working in Tel Aviv with the Conflict Transformation and Management Center of the New Israel Fund. He designed a project aimed at people from social change organizations in Israel, building their capacity for conflict transformation and resolution, and training them in creating change in ways that will not enhance conflict.
Sukhrob Khalilov worked with Uzbekistani political parties and NGO’s investigating the conflict-prevention challenges facing Uzbekistan in the development of democracy.
Jennifer Ludwig was working with the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her specific role was to develop a framework to enhance the implementation and evaluation ability of agencies within the criminal justice sector to mainstream a government Racial Equality Strategy.
Anya Maria Mayans worked in collaborations with the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) in Denmark. Her research was focused upon victims who resettle in Denmark and the impact of social stigma (actual or perceived) in the Western host country on the recovery process of refugees with a history of trauma.
Angela Nicoara assessed a cross-border broadcast media project run by the East West Institute in Gjilan, Presevo, Kumanovo, Trgoviste (GPKT) to see how media standards in post-conflict Kosovo have been affected by social, cultural and economic factors.
Olajide Olagunju documented the challenges faced by the Nigerian government and NGO agencies in addressing the problems of IDP’s arising from the violent Hausa-Kataf ethno-religious conflict in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, in 2000. The report includes recommendations for the better management of IDP problems in Nigeria.
Shelly Ross was working with the regional offices of the EastWest Institute – Center for Border Co-operation in Kosovo, Serbia and Macedonia. She investigated to what extent planning, coordination and cooperation (or the lack thereof) has affected conflict transformation within the GPKT (Gjilan/Gnjilane, Presevo, Kumanovo, Trgoviste) micro-region of Kosovo/Serbia/Macedonia.
Amit Sa'ar focused on how NGO’s in Israel can more effectively create sufficient political will to address coexistence issues between Jewish and Arab citizens within Israel.
Sitoramo Safolova looked at the realities and challenges of social services providers working on the prevention of domestic violence in the Russian immigrant community in the United States.
2004-05 Master's Students
Tamara Ambar has her project with the Abraham Fund in Israel. She worked on evaluating the effectiveness of the Coexistence Network, which included over 160 non-profit organizations in Israel working specifically on coexistence and equality issues between Arab/Palestinian Israelis and Jewish Israelis.
Mengistu Ayalew was part of a team doing a comparative assessment of the impact of tsunami and tsunami interventions on the intra-state relations in Sri Lanka and Indonesia (Aceh). (He was a recipient of a Mellon-MIT award for this project).
Peter Bauman was working with a team who received Mellon-MIT fellowships to conduct a comparative assessment of the impact of the tsunami and the tsunami interventions on intra-state relations in Sri Lanka and Indonesia/Aceh. He is also currently evaluating an Outward Bound prototype course designed for Palestinian and Israeli youth.
Michael Ehrlich was working with the Project on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard on the Abraham Project conceived by Dr. Bill Ury. Michael’s primary task was to look at how the European Union could contribute to the Abraham project by contacting members of the European Parliament. Michael was also conducting research for his field project on the role of religion in the peace-building process and look at how religion can support coexistence work.
Phil Gamaghelyan was drawing up a strategic plan for coexistence interventions in the Caucasus in conjunction with the learning of International Alert, Seeds of Peace, Mercy Corps Conflict Management Group and other peace-building organizations.
Keren Hendin worked as the program officer for African projects at the Institute for Multi-track Diplomacy. She is currently working on developing a trauma healing and training center in Zimbabwe in collaboration with Africa University. She also developed a proposal at the request of the Somali Parliament to provide Parliament members with training in conflict resolution skills.
Isabella Jean was working with the United Nations Bi-Communal Development Program in Cyprus on designing follow-up programs and evaluation approaches for their coexistence programs for Turkish and Greek Cypriot youth.
Gracia McGovern is working for the UN Development Programme in East Jerusalem creating a database of all ongoing UNDP/PAPP projects in the West Bank and Gaza. Ms McGovern is also conducting research with IPCRI (Israeli Palestinian Center for Research and Information) on a dry river basin which runs from Hebron in the West Bank through Israel and back into the West Bank at Gaza. The current aim of this project is assessment of the current level of pollution, the contributors and the stakeholders on both sides for possible conflict assessment and mediation in the future.
Priscilla Kankhulungo was doing her project in Malawi with the Office of the Ombudsman. She was looking at the role of women in promoting political tolerance and coexistence work as a prerequisite for safe guarding their rights.
Chandan Nandy did his project in Bangladesh and India to address the problem of illegal immigration from Bangladesh to India and other related issues, including the coexistence conflicts that arise from such immigration. (He has received a Mellon – MIT award to do this.)
Gazala Paul did research on how the tsunami has impacted coexistence issues in Aceh, Indonesia, and in Sri Lanka, where there have been long running conflicts. (He has received a Mellon – MIT award to do this.)
Inessa Shishmanyan was working with Seeds of Peace as a Co-coordinator of the Delegation Leaders (DL’s) Program. She coordinated afternoon and evening sessions for the adult educators from conflict regions, such as Middle East and South East Asia. She also helped DL's to interact with their peers from across borders of dispute and guide them through the coexistence journey.
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