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Students Making A Difference in 2008: Working for Nonprofits in Developing Countries

September 16, 2008 |  12:30:00  |  Sid Richardson Hall, Room 3.109

The 2008 Crook Fellows described their experiences from their international development internships this past summer sponsored by the Strauss Center’s William H. Crook Chair in International Relations. The Fellows, comprised of 6 current LBJ graduate students and 1 recent LBJ graduate, are:

  • Joyce Zhao, who conducted research on community transformation for the Institute for Sustainable Communities in Guangdong, China;
  • Ben Ford, who researched public policy issues related to the mining industry in Mongolia for the Asia Foundation’s Securing Our Future program;
  • Becca Carson and Nirav Shah, who developed and implemented a micro-health insurance program for the Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children in Uganda;
  • Todd Smith, who spent the summer in Cape Town, South Africa, working for the Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust, evaluated over 10 local government programs to identify those programs exhibiting good governance and innovative service delivery;
  • Shannon Dugan, who worked in Africa on fundraising and operational services with the non-governmental organization Operation O.F., which works with victims of obstetric fistula; and
  • Akram Al-Turk, who conducted field research on the effectiveness of microfinance loans for FINCA International in Amman, Jordan and worked in the West Bank with the Palestinian Hydrology Group.

The Fellows also discussed whether they think international development events are working. Their conclusions were mixed. Akram Al-Turk believed that development efforts could be working better and seemed to rely too much on international aid. Becca Carson was encouraged by her experiences working with local NGOs.

The Crook Chair is dedicated to promoting global economic development and fighting poverty and sponsors the Crook Fellowships for graduate students working for nonprofit organizations in developing countries.

 

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