The International Rescue Committee has been so fortunate to have had a longstanding relationship with Princeton in Africa since our very first Fellows landed in Rwanda in 1999. Whether it was Emily or Renee in 1999 or the 110 Fellows across 14 IRC countries over the years, we have been blessed by the relationship, the quality of the Fellows and the impact on what IRC does on the ground every single day.
Danielle Allyn
Danielle graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015 with majors in Global Studies (concentration: International Politics and Social Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa) and Sociology and a minor in Public Policy. Danielle is a writer and activist and her undergraduate experiences include work with the U.S. State Department Bureau for African Affairs, summer research and internships in Busia, Uganda and Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and leadership roles in the Washington, D.C. based human rights advocacy organizations STAND and the Enough Project. Danielle completed her senior honors thesis on the United Nations peacekeeping force in eastern DRC (MONUSCO), evaluating the mission’s ability to fulfill its mandate to protect Congolese civilians in the province of South Kivu. While at Carolina, Danielle published blog posts through STAND, Mamafrica Designs, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Enough Project, each examining the economic dimensions of ongoing conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa. While working as a Communications Fellow for Gardens for Health International in Rwanda, Danielle hopes to learn Kinyarwanda, improve her Kiswahili and French, do a lot of hiking and gorilla trekking, and improve her photography skills.
Our History
In 1999, a group of Princeton alumni, faculty, and staff launched Princeton in Africa as an independent affiliate of Princeton University inspired by the University’s informal motto, “Princeton in the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations.” In 2010, the program opened up to include graduates of any US accredited university in order to meet the growing demand from host organizations and allow more young professionals access to the unique opportunities afforded by PiAf. During the past 20 years, we have placed over 600 Fellows with more than 100 organizations in 36 countries, while developing more strategic partnerships across Africa and creating more opportunities for our alumni community to engage with the continent and with one another.