Class XVII (2018-2020)

Victoria is interested in understanding social conflicts and building skills for dialogue and mediation. She plans to do research to address questions that have arisen through her professional work –for example, how to create room for genuine political dialogue where there are feelings of hatred and resentment, or how to intervene in social conflicts to prevent violent outbursts.

Victoria brings experience leading advocacy efforts on behalf of minority communities in the U.S. and as a policy analyst for local government in Venezuela. She has worked to help solve pressing development problems and has organised nonviolent civil resistance activities to achieve positive social change. Additionally, she has been a mediator between student protesters, the state’s armed forces, and the Mayor’s Office of Maracaibo.

Victoria holds degrees in Political Science and Psychology from New York University. She is sponsored by Rotary District 2350.

Rebecca is interested in issues of genocide, post-conflict recovery, and collective memory. She hopes to do further study and specialised research on sexual violence as a weapon of conflict, and on the social and political conditions that lead states to engage in genocide and ethnic cleansing.

She brings seven years of experience with non-governmental organisations in India, Nepal, and Cambodia, and a lifetime of experience with Girl Guides in Australia and internationally. Most recently, she worked as a Youth and Gender Officer with the UN in Lesotho, and prior to that spent two years at the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh as a Language and Composition instructor, academic writing tutor, and volunteer program coordinator.

Rebecca received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from the Australian National University. She is sponsored by Rotary District 9570.

Afaf is interested in working in the field of peace building, by developing comprehensive sustainable programs that address the root causes of conflict such as marginalisation. Her long-term goal is to be a decision maker and play a key role on bringing long lasting peace in her country Sudan.

Afaf is passionate about making peace in Sudan through developing the marginalised areas. She brings ten years of experience with international organisations in the field of democracy and peace making. She has worked with the UN Office for Project Services and most recently with providing integrated services to women victims of GBV and Human Rights Defenders.

She received her Bachelor degree in Actuarial Science from Elneelien University. Afaf is sponsored by Rotary District 2452.

Tania is interested in learning more about quantitative research methods and how to apply them in both intrastate and interstate conflicts. She wants to gain more experience in research and explore other aspects of peacebuilding like policymaking.

Tania wrote her thesis on the strategies of social movements and government in environmental conflicts in Guatemala. She has worked as a social researcher in conflict analysis using primarily qualitative research methods in various regions of the country focusing on topics like ethnic conflicts and natural resources. She has taken part as organiser or lecturer in various events involving Peacebuilding initiatives in the Latin-American region, for example, Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico.

Tania holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala

Her sponsor Rotary District is 4250.

Karim is interested in exploring how the western and indigenous peacebuilding approaches can be strategically hybridised and applied to ensure that conflicts does not relapse.

Karim has eight years of experience in the non-profit sector as a community development practitioner and peace ambassador. He founded and was president of the West Africa Peace Ambassadors Network (WAPAN), a youth-centered peace network that establishes peace clubs in basic and senior high schools in Ghana to train the students to become ‘peace rebels’ in their communities. Karim received an award from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana as a Social Media Peace Ambassador.

He holds a BA degree in Community Development and MPhil in Peace and Development Studies from the University for Development Studies (Wa-Campus) and the University of Cape Coast respectively. His sponsor Rotary District is 9102.

Amra is interested topics of inequality, social exclusion and conflict prevention, and strengthening evidence-based decision making related to protection issues in conflict and other situations of violence.

Amra holds over 12 years of experience as a humanitarian practitioner and researcher with extended field experience in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Her expertise includes strategic analysis, advocacy and response related to protection, principled access, refugees, children and youth, conflict sensitivity, and sexual and gender-based violence.

She has a Bachelor of Arts/ Law, Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Master's in Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development from the Australian National University, and a Diploma in International Humanitarian Law from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Amra was sponsored by Rotary District 9800.

Roli is interested in the role that environmental resources can play in conflicts, how terrorists use internet to plan attacks (physical and psychological), and internet freedom.

She brings experience as a communications expert with understanding of media and public diplomacy. She was chosen as a Women Aloud: Videoblogging for Empowerment fellow, a MacArthur Foundation project, and as a youth blogger during the International Year of the Youth by Advocates for Youth. She has written on sexual health, educational topics for children and development issues.

Roli holds a Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Lucknow, a postgraduate diploma in International Conflict Management, and a certificate in disarmament studies from UNODA and in public diplomacy from DIPLO Foundation, as well as a postgraduate certificate from International Peace and Security Institute. She also completed a diploma in photojournalism. Roli is sponsored by Rotary District 3011.

Bijay’s experience witnessing different political change and the effects of the civil war and the people’s revolution in Nepal shaped his desire to work in the field of peace and conflict resolution. He is interested in inclusion, food security, and gender equity and in strengthening the roles of young people in peace building and on providing access to quality education and skills development.

Bijay has over 12 years of experience in multi-disciplinary development, training and consultation. He brings diverse experiences related to humanitarian support, food security, poverty alleviation, gender equity and social inclusion, youth movements, and LGBTI rights with work in Indonesia, Burundi, and Bangladesh.

He holds a Master degree in human rights and democratisation. Bijay was sponsored by Rotary District 3292 of Nepal-Bhutan.

Ayako is interested in research and policy analysis related to peacebuilding in fragile states in Africa, particularly about international interventions and local legitimacy. She hopes to generate innovative knowledge in the field of peacebuilding in fragile states and share it with younger generations in Japan.

She has over 10 years of experience working in the humanitarian and development aid sector. Ayako worked with Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian and medical NGO, in Africa, Asia, and Central America and has been involved in the management of the organisation’s humanitarian programs in different contexts including epidemics, armed conflicts and displacement, natural disasters and urban poverty. Previously, she worked as a communication officer for MSF Japan and served as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) in the Republic of Benin.

Ayako holds an MSC in Humanitarian Programme Management from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She is sponsored by Rotary District 2760.