Meet the Master's Students
2007-2008 Master's Students
Asnia Asim was most recently employed by the World Bank's South Asia Human Development unit in Washington DC where she researched and assisted the Health Nutrition and Population Management Team in developing its next five-year strategy to effectively combat communicable and non-communicable diseases in the region. Asnia is the winner of the 2005 World Bank International Essay Competition. Her essay "A for Altruism, B for Brotherhood and C for Compassion" was short-listed out of 1,300 entries from 108 countries around the world. She was awarded first prize after presenting it to an International Jury with 8 other finalists at the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics in Amsterdam, May 2005. The essay proposed an idea to bridge children across the globe via educational curriculum and activities that are built around the concept of understanding and tolerance for different cultures, nationalities, ethnicities and appearances. She has represented Pakistan as a Youth Participant first, at the South Asia Youth Meeting in New Delhi, chaired by the President World Bank Mr. Paul D. Wolfowitz, and later at the World Bank Regional Management Retreat in Lahore. Asnia has written and published a few articles on Pakistan's developmental and economic issues and has a published anthology of poems titled "Politically Incorrect" to her credit. The Government of Sindh and the Institute of Business Administration, where she recently graduated as an Honors student, have awarded her grants and certificates of recognition.
Sarah Bawaya is an employee of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) in Rwanda, a place that works to educate Rwandans on the importance of peaceful social cohesion. There she worked with the department of Peace and Leadership (2001-2003) and now heads the Syllabus Development and Training program. Sarah attended the National University of Rwanda where she earned a Bachelor’s degree of Administration and Planning of Education in 1999. Sarah is the recipient of the Alan B. Slifka scholarship.
Irenee Bugingo is a researcher at the Rwandan Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace (IRDP) where he has published on such topics as the rule of law in Rwanda. Irenee graduated from the National University of Rwanda earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Law; he then went on to become a part-time lecturer while working as a legal advisor in the tax administration. He has also completed the coursework for Master of Law program at the National University of Rwanda. Irenee is a recipient of a Fullbright scholarship.
Madhumita Datta is currently the chief reporter of AAJKAAL, a leading Bengali newspaper. She covered the tragic riots in Gujarat and subsequently published a book on the topic entitled Raktomakha Chhai (Blood Smeared Ashes). She has also published a book on human behavior in cyberspace entitled Cyber Santras (Cyber Terrorism). In addition, Madhumita is a social activist, working with underprivileged students from her local community. To help increase awareness, she made a documentary film on the subject and formed an organization of over one thousand members that aids underprivileged students in her country through a networking website. Also, Madhumita attended the month-long International Visitor Leadership Program in 2006 hosted by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational Affairs in Washington D.C. Most of her colleagues represented other South Asian countries, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Her interactions with them, other US and United Nations officials have enriched her immensely. Madhumita received a Master of Journalism and a BA in Geography from the University of Calcutta, India.
Zafar Habib received a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan (2004). He taught at both the International Islamic University, Islamabad and Quaid-i-Azam University. His most recent association was with USAID on parliamentary strengthening in Pakistan. He has been associated with a number of studies on democracy, elections, political parties and parliamentary development in Pakistan. He most recently co-authored the publication Democratization In Pakistan: A Study of Election 2002. Previously, he worked on a Ford foundation project on the State of Democracy in South Asia (SDSA) with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi, India. His area of expertise is South, South West and Central Asian strategic and political economic concerns. His research focuses on security structures in Pakistan and the region, political Islam, transnational groups, democratization and institutional building in Pakistan.
Godfrey Mwijage is Assistant Community Services Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for the Refugees (UNHCR) in Kibondo, Tanzania. For the past seven years, he has been responsible for the overall coordination of provision of social services and education to refugees in Kibondo camps, amongst many other responsibilities which include organizing programs for groups of refugees needing special care such as the disabled, the elderly and most vulnerable women and children. Mr. Mwijage has been a focal person in designing, establishing and implementing peace building projects for women, and the Youth such as women peace group, school peace clubs and development of peace manuals for Burundian refugee schools. He has worked closely with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Women Fund (UNIFEM), and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Before joining UNHCR, Godfrey worked as a Camp Manager for Burundian refugee camps with the Tanzanian Red Cross Society in Kasulu, Tanzania. Godfrey volunteered during the massive Rwandan refugee influx at Benaco camps, which followed a Rwandan genocide in 1994. Godfrey received a BA in Sociology from the University of Dar Es Salaam. He is a recipient of Fulbright scholarship.
Sunil Kumar Pokhrel is a development activist working in the field of awareness creation, peace and conflict management in social, economic and cultural issues in Nepal. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Institution of Engineers’ in Calcutta and a Master in Arts in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, The Netherlands. Currently Sunil works as Chairperson of “Forum for Development and Awareness (FODA)” in Nepal. It is a group that advocates work in human rights, conflict and peace building.
Ethan Schechter most recently served as a Senior Program Assistant in the Education Program of the United States Institute of Peace in Washington DC. USIP is a federally funded institution working to prevent and resolve violent international conflict, and promote post-conflict stability. Ethan supported a number of the Education Programs activities working with secondary school teachers as well as college and university faculty. He also served as a Program Instructor for USIP's annual National Peace Essay Contest for High School students. From 2002 to 2003 Ethan worked as a Program Coordinator at the Seeds of Peace center for Conflict Resolution in Jerusalem where he organized joint workshops and activities for Israeli and Palestinian youth. In Jerusalem he also worked as an Assistant Editor of The Olive Branch Magazine. Ethan has spent two summers working as counselor at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine instructing outdoor sports activities for youth from conflict regions including the Middle East, South Asia, Cyprus, and the Balkans. Ethan holds a BA in Government and International Relations from Clark University in Worcester Massachusetts.
Endah Setyowati has been working at the Center for Study and Promotion of Peace at Duta Wacana Christian University since 1999. There she designs training programs, gives training, and facilitates and conducts conflict assessment. She has a BA in History and a Master’s Degree in Peace and Conflict Resolution from Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia. Endah has also participated in researching ethnic conflict in Indonesia. Endah is a recipient of a Ford Foundation Scholarship.
Lotee (Titus) Shau is the program coordinator at Actionaid International Kenya where he works to enhance the poor and those with marginalized rights. He has also organized peace-building campaigns to fight the negative impacts of resource competition that most often result in war. Titus is a board member of the anti corruption body in West Pokot District in Kenya. Titus holds a BA in Economics from Moi University and is a recipient of a Ford Foundation Scholarship.
Isha Wright’s interest in the field of peace and conflict resolution accelerated when she started working as Human Rights Officer at Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) in 2001. There she became a leading figure in the promotion and protection of human rights, justice and the rule of law, focusing especially on women and children rights. As a witness to the devastating ten-year civil war in her country Sierra Leone, she recognizes the importance of a nation’s efforts to address an ugly and violent past and worked extensively with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in various capacities. Isha is a past fellow of the ICTJ and hopes to continue her work in Sierra Leone and other war afflicted regions in the promotion and protection of justice, peace, respect for human rights and good governance. Isha holda an MA in Human Rights from Columbia University, New York.
2006-2007 Master's Students
Sentongo Ashad has spent his professional life working as a teacher, peace activist, and community builder in his native Uganda, as well as in South Africa. For the last six years he has been a partner with Community Development Consultancy Co. Ltd., which works with various organizations on peace and educational development. In the past, Sentongo also worked for the Africa Education Agency and the Southern Africa Dawa Network, and has been a consultant for various forums, including the Peace Education Forum and the Government and Political Parties Consultative Forum. In 2004, Sentongo organized a national conference and five seminars on democracy and human rights, one in each of the five regions of Uganda. In 2005, Sentongo worked with schools in Entebbe Municipality to generate knowledge and promote skills in resolving conflicts among teachers, students, parents and governing bodies. He was educated at Islamic University in Uganda and at the Dameline School of Management.
For Ashad's field project, he examined, evaluated and reported 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 is an employee of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). His most recent posting was in Lusaka, Zambia (2004-2006) as a Resettlement Officer. He previously worked in Dadaab, Kenya (2002-2004) and Jakarta, Indonesia (2001 -2002). Although his primary area of concentration has been the resettlement of vulnerable refugees, he has also functioned as a Protection Officer and participated in the management of numerous UNHCR programs. Previous to joining the UNHCR, Andrew worked for the United States Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service, where he represented the US Government in Immigration Court. He received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, and spent six months studying Jewish law and philosophy at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies.
Andrew undertook 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 is from Kyrgyzstan, and in 2005 she graduated from American University – Central Asia with a degree in International and Comparative Politics. She has worked as a translator and interpreter for United States Embassy, where she provided translations for both the Defense Attaché’s Office and USAID. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant in the Security Assistance Office of United States Central Command, and she has also been employed as a translator by the Royal Danish Air Force. Yuliana spent the summer of 2001 teaching a series of classes on ethnic violence and conflict resolution to high school students from various ethnic groups in a very diverse region of Kyrgyzstan.
For Yuliana's field project, she investigated and analyzed present grievances and factors that contribute to interethnic tension between Kyrgyz and Uzbek ethnic groups in Southern Kyrgyzstan and developed a Strategy for Coexistence Intervention that may help address them.
Moussokoro Kané has spent the last fifteen years in program management and administration. Her most recent work has been with the USAID West Africa Mission, where she helped to develop and implement the ECOWAS Conflict Early Warning System (ECOWARN). She also helped to promote peaceful conflict-resolution through assistance programs including the strengthening the West African Peace Building Network (WANEP), and worked to combat human trafficking in Africa. Before joining USAID, Moussokoro worked as an Administrative Coordinator for CARE in Mali. She is fluent in French, English, Bambara and received her Master's degree from the University of Lille.
Moussokoro's field project involved studying 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 is a development practioner from Hunza, Pakistan who specializes in conflict resolution and promotes community building amongst Pakistan's many diverse populations. His current position is with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and he is also the General Secretary of the Gulmit Educational and Social Welfare Society. Aejaz has done research on both the immpact of tourism and conflict resolution methods in the Hunza Valley. He earned his Master's in Sociology and Social Anthropology and his Bachelors in Social Sciences from Peshawar University in Pakistan.
Aejaz undertook 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. For his field project, he looked at the impacts on those changes on Pakistani society. The work was undertaken in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington D.C. and the Center for Strategic Studies and Policy Development, at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad.
Slava Madorsky was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States in 1989. Since earning her BA in British and American Literature from the University of Maryland in 2001, Slava has worked for various organizations, including the International Organization for Migration, the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Poland, and the Greater Washington Area Chapter of Hadassah. She has also volunteered with the Polish American Jewish Alliance for Youth Action and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Slava, in conjunction with Romain Rurangirwa, worked with NGOs and INGOs for their field projects 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 is a translator and personal assistant for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Originally from Croatia, Borislava has also worked as a language assistant with the United Nations Transitional Authority In Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium and was an interpreter for the 2001 Out-of-Kosovo Voting Program. Prior to joining the UN, Borislava spent time as an English teacher. She earned her BA in English language and literature from the University of Belgrade in 2002, and she is interested in researching women’s contributions to strengthening interethnic relations in Kosovo.
For Borislava's field project, she worked 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 is a native of Sri Lanka, where he works with local populations in order to build communities, settle conflicts, and cope with natural disasters. He is presently employed by the Foundation for Co-Existence (FCE), where he is a Programs Manager responsible for an Early Warning and Early Response system for preventing conflicts, a Land Rights program, and many other peace building and relief efforts. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colombo, where he majored in English while minoring in International Relations, Economics, Demography, and Journalism.
Madhawa worked with the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution (MODR) for his field project. His field Research focused 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’.
E. Sophia Robbana has experience, primarily in a management consulting capacity, with a wide variety of companies in many industries including Wall Street on Demand, Tompkins Trustco Inc., JP Morgan Chase, United Management Technologies, NameEngine, Inc., and Arthur Andersen LLP. Sophia has organized and implemented multiple business process improvement initiatives, and has a vast amount of experience in the field of project management. She graduated from Binghamton University in 1998 with a joint BA in Mathematics and Philosphy.
Sophia conducted 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 field project will be to provide practitioners an overview of assistance presently being provided to perpetrators elsewhere in other conflicted situations.
Romain Rurangirwa is an ordained priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Butare in his native Rwanda. Romain was the Chancellor of Butare Diocese and Secretary to the Bishop, where he had the opportunity to meet with various political and religious leaders in Rwanda. He also organized the 2000 Year Jubilee of the Church. Romain became involved in the field of coexistence and conflict through his work with prisoners who were perceived as perpetrators in the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994, and widows and orphans who were victims of the genocide. Romain graduated from the Nyakibanda Major Seminary and the Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
Romain, in conjunction with Slava Madorsky, worked with NGOs and INGOs for their field projects 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.
Inga Sarsune works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, her native country. She presently holds the position of Third Secretary in the Security policy department where she deals with European Union civilian crisis management issues. Inga has also worked in the EU Co-ordination department and the Minister’s Bureau. She graduated from the University of Latvia with a Faculty of Law in 2003, and earned her Master of International and European Law degree from the Riga Graduate School of Law. Inga spent eight months with the European Diplomatic Programme and was the President of a youth NGO club called “The House” – youth for the United Europe.
Inga worked on her field project within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Latvian government, within the Security Policy department. She analyzed the European Union’s decision-making process concerning the EU security policies toward post-conflict areas, and worked with the EU personnel in Brussels as well as diplomatic personnel from Member States and related organizations in the field.
Sarah Stanlick is a Research Coordinator for the CDC-funded Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH 2010), working to alleviate health burdens on the underserved population of Lawrence, MA. She previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and with the Nuclear Security Program at Physicians for Social Responsibility. She graduated as a Trustee Scholar from Lafayette College in December 2003, receiving a B.A. in International Affairs. Her research interests include issues of health and security, nuclear policy, ethnic conflict, empowerment, and reconciliation.
Sarah's research for her field project focused on four organizations – the International Committee of the Red Cross, Medécins Sans Frontières, Mercy Corps, and the World Health Organization and addressed an apparent deficit in training for volunteering health service professionals in regions experiencing conflict, and worked on the development of a draft curriculum for consideration by such professionals.
Nedaa Taweel is a psychologist specializing in the effects of violence and trauma. She graduated from BerZait University in Palestine with a BA in psychology, and went on to work for the psychosocial support program for the YMCA. Nedaa then joined the Palestinian Youth Union, where she worked with children and teenagers to reduce familial problems. Following that, she spent two years with the Mann Center, conducting group therapy and training for families and children. Nedaa has six years of professional and consulting experience in the field of psychology. She has also done research into the results of war on women and the results of violence and trauma on children. Nedaa seeks to develop new approaches of working in conflict situations, primarily the Middle East, through using art, music, and culture.
For Nedaa's field project, she undertook 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 looked 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 is originally from the Netherlands and worked for three years as a researcher and teacher at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The courses she taught includes Intro to Western Philosophy and a Critical Thinking / Informal Logic class. She graduated in 2003 from the University of Utrecht with a Master's Degree in Philosophy. Currently she is coordinating a project researching the short and long term effects of peace camps in the Middle East and the Balkans. Additionally, Judith is the field researcher for the USA region for an international immigration studies based in Europe. In the summer of 2006, Judith participated in the Bosnia Human Rights Delegation for Young Leaders by Global Youth Connect.
For her field project, Judith studied the younger generations of those of Palestinian origin in Jordan. She investigated if the younger generations prefer to stay in their host country or if they would prefer to exercise their right to return.
Seung Hwan Yeo is a native of South Korea who is interested in studying how strategic weapons affect the security environment. After serving in the military, Seung Hwan graduated from Songang University with a BA in Mass Communication and Political Science. He then spent a year studying at the Keio University Center for Japanese Studies, where he was an assistant researcher. He has also interned at both the Educational Broadcasting System and the Daedong Law firm’s Department of International Law.
Seung worked with the Small Arms Network in South Asia for his field project. His study looked 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 has undertaken graduate studies in politics, sociology, education, and urban planning. He has extensive experience teaching in diverse and disadvantaged communities, as well as researching social conflict and educational inequalities in the United States. Benjamin has worked to promote socially responsible investing and shareholder responsibility initiatives. Benjamin’s public service includes affiliations with Common Cause and the White House Press Office during the Clinton Administration.
For his Field Project, Ben 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 Lue Clark is a native Jamaican. She’s worked in various capacities for the international NGO Initiatives of Change, in the US, France, Switzerland, and Uganda on a variety of initiatives, including the African Great Lakes Initiative for Peace, Initiative Dialogue, Agenda for Reconciliation, and Women: Creators of Peace. She's a graduate of the Caux Scholars Program (Switzerland).
While completing her Masters field project, Clementine looked at the role of Liberia's faith community in promoting good governance, she helped the Liberian Council of Churches start a Good Governance Commission and evaluated a USAID funded project for the international NGO Search for Common Ground. Her research interests include youth and gender issues, and inter-faith dialogue in conflict and post-conflict settings.
Yotam Gonen is a freelance journalist from Israel and media strategy consultant for social change organizations. Yotam writes about social justice and culture for the Nana web portal and for Time Out magazine, and has done research and script writing for documentary films focusing on human rights and minorities. Yotam is also an activist and a founding member of Kvisa Shchora, and was active in different joint Palestinian-Israeli peace initiatives, such as the peace camp in the Palestinian village of Mas’ha.
Yotam was working in Tel Aviv with the Conflict Transformation and Management Center of the New Israel Fund for his Field Project. 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 is from Uzbekistan. His research and expertise area is the US policy in Central Asia with a focus on democratization and human rights. He has participated in various research projects on minority issues in Uzbekistan.
For Sukhrob's Field Project, he worked with Uzbekistani political parties and NGO’s investigating the conflict-prevention challenges facing Uzbekistan in the development of democracy.
Jennifer Ludwig has worked in the past for the Abraham Fund Initiatives in Israel on the development of Arab-Israeli coexistence projects. She has also worked at the Israel Religious Action Centre, in Jerusalem, for the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in Washington DC, and for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan(ACLU).
Jennifer was working with the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities in Belfast, Northern Ireland for her Field Project. 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's background in psychology and research interests in conflict and trauma have taken her to Argentina and to Uruguay. In Uruguay, she conducted interviews with survivors of political torture, as part of her research on the aftermath of the military dictatorship under which her family suffered. She was most recently working in Oaxaca, Mexico developing fundraising materials and a website for an NGO that serves 25 indigenous communities around the State. Anya Maria's career includes consulting for Governor Bill Richardson's Moving America Forward initiative in New Mexico during the 2004 Presidential election. This program focused on voter education with Latino and Native American voters. In 1999, Anya Maria was one of 25 individuals selected internationally as a New York City Urban Fellow. From 2000 to 2003, her work in the Technical Assistance department at The After School Corporation - a George Soros initiative- involved developing creative programming for after-school programs in New York City. Anya Maria organized cultural sensitivity trainings with Muslims Against Terrorism and the Coney Island Project for Pakistani immigrants shortly after 9/11. She has also volunteered with the Solace Program for Survivors of Torture and for other NGOs in New York City.
Anya worked in collaborations with the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) in Denmark during her Field Project. 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 worked as reporter, camerawoman, editor, director, and trainer in conflict and post-conflict areas. Since 2003, she has served as Country Director for Internews in Rwanda and Tanzania. She has produced numerous films about justice and reconciliation that have been screened to local communities, in prisons, and at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Raised in Communist Romania, Nicoara was trained as an engineer and helped set up one of Romania's first 'free radio' newsrooms.
For Angela's Field Project, she 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 is from Nigeria, where he has been working on the establishment of the Warri Mediation Centre. He has also worked with several state government Ministries of Justice to successfully set up mediation centres. He is one of the founding members of Corporate Mediators and of the Commonwealth Mediation Association, of which he is the Secretary. He has also served on the Committee of the Lagos State Government Citizens Mediation Centre, on the National Project on Alternative Dispute Resolution of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and was Secretary for the Consortium for Reconciliation in Nigeria. He founded World Peace Institute in 1994 to help train leaders from various sectors and in various countries on peacebuilding. He has written several books on conflict resolution including Commercial Mediation, which has been on the Nigerian Law School reading list since 1998.
Olajide 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 for his Field Project. The report includes recommendations for the better management of IDP problems in Nigeria.
Shelly Ross has over 10 years experience of training, managing and fund raising in the fields of conflict prevention, peace building and economic development. She has worked as development and research manager for FEWER – the Forum on Early Warning and Early Response (UK), as a consultant to the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific (Fiji), and with the Peace Corps in Benin in West Africa.
For Shelly's Field Project, she 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 is from Israel and is on study leave from the Israeli Defense Force where he is responsible for producing comprehensive research and analysis papers for policy purposes on issues of peace and security in the Middle East.
Amit 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 for his Field Project.
Sitoramo Safolova is from Tajikistan where she is the Director of Elena, an NGO dedicated to involving Tajik women into social activities and the processes of democratization. Previously she worked for Oxfam, Great Britain in Tajikistan, where she was the Project Officer on gender issues. Sitoramo has also worked as a Coordinator of women’s programs for the Open Society Institute of the Soros Foundation in Tajikistan, and she worked within OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission/Parliamentary Election in Tajikistan in 2005 as an Assistant to Legal/Gender Analyst.
For her Field Project, Sitora 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 received a Master’s degree in Near Eastern & Judaic Studies from Brandeis University. Motivated by the Jewish imperative to pursue social and economic justice, she worked with Jewish teens on a literacy education project in urban Boston last year. Tamara’s interest in Coexistence and Conflict has grown out of both personal experience of working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and from her academic study of marginalization.
Tamara completed her field project with the Abraham Fund in Israel. She worked on evaluating the effectiveness of the Coexistence Network, which includes over 160 non-profit organizations in Israel working specifically on coexistence and equality issues between Arab/Palestinian Israelis and Jewish Israelis.
Mengistu Ayalew has a Master’s degree in International Studies and ten years’ experience working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the government of Ethiopia, including a posting to Nairobi. He came to the program with direct experience of peace processes in East Africa and had undertaken a particular study of the IGAD, a sub-regional set up to facilitate development and conflict resolution endeavors in the Horn of Africa.
For his field project, Mengistu 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 came to Brandeis after spending several years working as an instructor and independent facilitator on the Outward Bound Unity program, which helps youth overcome hatred and celebrate diversity. He has a particular interest in the use of the program as a tool for coexistence work in the Middle East.
Peter completed his field project 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 currently evaluated an Outward Bound prototype course designed for Palestinian and Israeli youth.
Michaël Ehrlich received his M.A in international economics and finance from the International Management Institute of Paris and has studied Business at University of Florida, Gainesville. As part of his program he worked for Francois Zimeray, French member of European Parliament and president of Medbridge Strategy Center, where he helped to develop and realize the First Inter-Parliamentary forum in the Middle East. This was a delegation of 160 Parliamentarians from 28 European countries that launched a new initiative to support the Middle East peace process through meetings with high political leaders in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories.
For his field project, Michael worked 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 also conducted research for his field project on the role of religion in the peace-building process and looked at how religion can support coexistence work.
Philip Gamaghelyan majored in political science, served in the Armenian army on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and has worked as a Refugee Assistance Project Manager in a human rights NGO in Armenia. He was a founder member of the Michnaberd cultural-educational NGO, whose objectives included assisting political dialog with Azerbaijani NGO’s.
Phil's field project consisted of 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 has worked in the field of informal education in Israel, the United States, and the former Soviet Union. She served in the Israeli army as a military social worker and has worked as a facilitator in programs dedicated to promoting dialogue-based coexistence for teenagers from countries in conflict. Keren served as the Jerusalem Coordinator for Building Bridges for Peace, a program designed for young Israeli and Palestinian women, under the auspices of Seeking Common Ground, and as a coordinator and facilitator of the youth initiatives sponsored by the Interreligious Coordinating Council of Israel.
For her field project, Keren worked as the program officer for African projects at the Institute for Multi-track Diplomacy. She worked on developing a trauma healing and training center in Zimbabwe in collaboration with Africa University. She is also developing a proposal at the request of the Somali Parliament to provide Parliament members with training in conflict resolution skills.
Isabella Jean is a native of Armenia. She has undertaken extensive research on issues of peacebuilding and conflict in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Cyprus, Israel, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Egypt. She has worked and volunteered for years with groups dedicated to grassroots organizing, human rights and conflict resolution. These have included Seeds of Peace International Peace and Conflict Resolution Camp, Search for Common Ground, and the NGO Training and Resource Center in Armenia. She came to Brandeis after spending the previous two years as a trainer/facilitator at a policy research and advocacy non-profit working on educational equity issues.
As part of her field project, Isabella worked 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 has been involved in developing an economic aid initiative for Palestinian women in the west bank called the Olive Branch Workshop. She has a particular interest in fostering economic development with Palestinians, and increasing awareness about such programs.
Gracia has worked 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 has also conducted 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 the Civic Education Officer at the Office of the Ombudsman, Malawi. She was responsible for raising public awareness of good administrative practices, human rights and conflict resolution through seminars, workshops, publications and television and radio programs. She also investigated cases of alleged administrative injustices and abuse of human rights.
Priscilla completed her field project in Malawi with the Office of the Ombudsman. She looked at the role of women in promoting political tolerance and coexistence work as a prerequisite for safe guarding their rights.
Chandan Nandy has been working as a journalist in India for over ten years, reporting on conflicts in Kashmir, Punjab, northeast India, and Gujarat. He has worked for the Hindustan Times, the Telegraph in Delhi, Calcutta, and Jameshedpur, and the Observer of Business and Politics, in Delhi. He has a particular interest in the nexus between security and religious issues. He was awarded a Chevening Scholarship in 1999.
Chandan completed his field 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 received a Mellon – MIT award to do this.)
Gazala Paul has been working in development and social justice NGO’s in India for many years. She is currently the Managing Trustee of the Samerth Trust, a Gujarat-based NGO devoted to community peace-building and humanitarian support. Previously she has worked for Oxfam as a program officer in Gujarat and Rajasthan. In 2004 she was the recipient of a Chevening Scholarship to study peace and conflict management in Northern Ireland.
For her field project, Gazala completed research on how the tsunami has impacted coexistence issues in Aceh, Indonesia, and in Sri Lanka, where there have been long running conflicts. (She received a Mellon – MIT award to do this.)
Inessa Shishmanyan has been working as the manager of youth programs and as a trainer in conflict resolution and manager of youth programs at ‘Democracy Today’ in Armenia. Her particular training specialties are gender studies and conflict resolution.
For her field project, Inessa worked 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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