Esther graduated from Duke University with a degree in Political Science. She has a diverse background working internationally and domestically and is driven to develop sustainable avenues of assistance that foster thriving local economies. Most recently, she worked for the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development where she worked to stimulate the attraction of private investment and support entrepreneurship and small business development. Her portfolio invested over $20M, leveraged over eight times of private investment, and caused the creation of ~1500 jobs in the local economy. She also has significant field experience, having conducted qualitative research with displaced populations in eastern Nepal and Cairo, Egypt, worked in Amman, Jordan on conflict prevention, and conducted outreach with immigrants at the Legal Aid Society in the boroughs of New York. Esther sees the potential for social enterprise development and impact capital to deliver financial inclusion and economic development globally and looks forward to joining Global Partnerships in Nairobi, Kenya as a Social Investment Associate to invest in and scale sustainable, impactful enterprises.

 

Eva is from Baltimore, Maryland. After high school, she spent a year in New York City as an AmeriCorps member with the program City Year, and then went on to major in Economics and graduate from Emory University in 2014. During her junior year, she started working on an RCT that is measuring the cost-effectiveness and health impacts of water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutritional interventions on child health and cognitive development in rural Western Kenya. She travelled to Bungoma, Kenya for 10 weeks over the summer to continue working on the study as an intern for Innovations for Poverty Action. Eva was also a research assistant for the social enterprise program at Emory’s business school, and is excited to continue using business concepts and solutions to create meaningful impact with The BOMA Project. She is also looking forward to meeting new people, learning Swahili, and seeing the sights she didn’t get to see last time!

Alumni Update:

Since leaving Kenya, Emma has been working as an Innovations and M&E Manager with One Acre Fund, helping to grow their program in Tanzania.

Fellow Bio:

Emma (Barnard ‘10) graduated with a degree in African Studies and a minor in Biological Sciences. Before attending Barnard, Emma worked in southern Africa with baboons, elephants and humans in several distinct capacities. She returned to Africa in the spring of her junior year where she studied wildlife management in southern Kenya. At Barnard, Emma worked as a writing fellow and explored New York City’s vibrant food and coffee scenes. A Princeton native, Emma has worked in many facets of the local food community, both growing and eating the best of central Jersey’s bounty. She is thrilled to be returning to Kenya where she hopes to improve her Swahili, learn more about livestock and make new friends.

Alumni Update:

Emily signed on to a longer contract with SteamaCo and is now working as their Digital Product Manager in Nairobi. They are using their technology to operate 25 microgrids across East Africa, and are currently raising money to expand internationally.

Fellow Bio:

Emily is a Civil/Environmental Engineering Major from Needham, MA. She also pursued studies in Computer Science and Sustainable Energy. Her favorite class at Princeton was building a hybrid wind/solar power system which could be deployed in a disaster relief setting, and she is excited to continue working in a similar field with access:energy in Kenya. Over the past 4 years, she has also been involved in Princeton’s Engineers Without Borders chapter, recently leading the project to construct a potable water system in Samne, Peru. In her free time, Emily enjoys playing on the club field hockey team and rock climbing.

Ellie graduated from Occidental College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and World Affairs. In her freshman year at Oxy, Ellie helped found the campus’ UNICEF initiative and later served as its president. After her sophomore year, Ellie spent nine weeks working in Kigali, Rwanda, conducting community research and interviews and teaching English. Following her time in Rwanda, Ellie studied abroad in Paris, France where she volunteered with community-based engagement and development programs. During her final year at Oxy, Ellie participated in the Oxy at the UN Program, where she interned at the Rwandan Mission to the United Nations. In her free time, Ellie loves hiking, running at the beach, aimlessly driving around her native San Francisco, and catching up on local music. She is looking forward to engaging her dynamic background in her work at the International Rescue Committee as well as to exploring the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Nairobi.

Elizabeth received her BA in International Studies from American University’s School of International Service, concentrating in International Development and Social Entrepreneurship. Prior to enrollment, she spent a year working with Income Generation Projects, a USAID funded coffee cooperative and a street children’s rehabilitation center in Kigali, Rwanda. Additionally, Elizabeth spent time teaching and assisting with photography journalism at an alternative education primary school in Oaxaca, Mexico. During the Fall of 2014, she studied and worked in Pune, India, specializing in handcraft marketing, export programing and organizational development. During Elizabeth’s time at American University, she held an internship every semester in Washington, D.C. Organizations included the U.S. Department of State, Ashoka, GlobalGiving, Global Ties U.S., Lift DC, and Solimar International. Having previously lived in East Africa for a total of two years, Elizabeth can not wait to make a new home in Nairobi, Kenya.

Alumni Update:

Douglas is a Master’s Candidate at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), doing his first year at the SAIS Europe campus in Bologna, Italy. He will be doing his second year in Washington, DC. He studies Energy Resources & the Environment with a special focus on renewable energy technologies and project finance. This summer he will be doing a summer internship at the US development finance agency the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), doing structured finance for energy, infrastructure, financial services and foreign policy priority projects.

Fellow Bio:

Douglas is from Vero Beach, FL and earned his degree in economics and international relations from New College of Florida. Doug moved to Washington, D.C. in 2008 after graduation to pursue a career in international development. He has worked in development in various capacities including international landmine and unexploded ordnance remediation; economic growth and development at the Millennium Challenge Corporation; monitoring and evaluation of development projects with Social Impact; and post-earthquake relief efforts with Destination: Abricots with whom he volunteers. Doug loves to travel—he studied abroad in Italy, traveled to Haiti to deliver earthquake relief aid, and spent three months in Iraq doing work in mine risk education. Doug is excited to be the first PiAf Fellow to work with the innovative Village Enterprise and to explore the culinary and linguistic diversity of Uganda and Kenya.

 

 

Danielle graduated from Princeton University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She spent three months in the spring of 2014 doing a Princeton field study abroad program in Panama. Here she was taught how to formally conduct research. In this program, students had to design their own field projects, collect data and write formal, journal worthy scientific papers all within two weeks. She completed her thesis on prevalence of Angiostrongylus catonensis in Jamaica. This is a parasite in snails that causes eosinophilic meningitis in humans. She modelled the life cycle of this disease, taking into different environmental factors and running simulations. On campus, Danielle served as the Vice President for Rural Health Activism in a club called Tropical Clinics Rural Health. This club worked in connection with a clinic in the rural Kakamega region of Kenya. Her job was to organize events on campus that educated attendees about rural health issues. She led documentary screenings, group discussions and talks about the topic. She also organized dinner discussions with guest speakers and displays on campus. She was also a public health intern at the Blue Mountain Project in Jamaica. Here, she volunteered at a clinic and conducted surveys, which were compiled into a brief report with statistical analysis to determine the direction of the clinic. She also had experience organizing activities for the youth club, including the early planning of a talent show.

Alumni Update:

Dara wrapped up her PiAf year at the International Rescue Committee, Kenya in 2013. After a great month of travel in Kenya, she started at Dignitas, an education support organization focused on school leader and teacher development. As the Program Quality Manager, she gets the chance to think about how to improve their program evaluation and use data to gain new insights.

Fellow Bio:

Dara is a Chicagoan with lots of love for East Africa. While working toward a Bachelor’s in Anthropology she was able to spend over a year in Uganda studying and conducting research on social components of mental health and illness. After completing her degree she worked as Program Manager at Atanekontola (Uganda Mental Health Fellowship), and then returned to Chicago where she was a Youth Case Manager at Heartland Refugee and Immigrant Community Services. Living in Nairobi, Dara hopes to start a garden and ride every city matatu (bus) route at least once.