IDN Newsletter Winter 2019

WINTER 2019

IDN NEWS

INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS

Bridging Development Practice and Scholarship in an Evolving World

IMPACTENGAGED FOR

IN THIS ISSUE:

EMORY 21 DAYS OF PARTNERS IN NOTES FROM ELMO JOURNEYS OF
PEACE PRACTICE IN THE FIELD RECONCILIATION

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 2

4 In This Issue
13 16
26 2 IDN Highlight Events
4 Emory 21 Days of Peace
13 Partners in Practice
16 Notes from ELMO

in the Field
22 Journeys of

Reconcillation
25 Funding Opportunities
26 Where Are They Now?
28 Staff Updates

Bridging
Development Practice

and Scholarship in
an Evolving World
www.idn.emory.edu

From the Director

Change is constant,
growth is thrilling.

My son started kindergarten this fall, taking the adjustment View of Lake Geneva from The Brocher Foundation where Dr. Dabney P.
to a new school and learning environment in stride. After Evans spent Human Rights Day at a workshop on Human Rights and
his third day of Spanish-language immersion, he greeted me Global Health Governance. Photo credit: Dabney P. Evans
with a morning proclamation of “Hola!” Both he and I were
delighted with his new skill. Each passing day has brought In December, I was honored to participate in an event
more vocabulary along with increased confidence in his commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Universal
reading and writing in both English and Spanish. Declaration of Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. There,
I was reminded of the core human rights values upon
Emory also began a new undertaking this fall—launching its which our international system of governance is grounded:
new strategic vision, “One Emory: Engaged for Impact.” This equality, dignity, and justice. I also considered the ways
bold endeavor will help guide Emory toward its place as “an in which current nationalist and populist movements
inquiry-driven, ethically engaged, and diverse community, are threatening democracy globally. Response to these
whose members embrace respect and employ creativity, movements requires a reinvestment in human rights norms,
critique, and collaboration in providing courageous systems, and programming.
leadership for positive transformation in the world through
teaching, research, scholarship, health care, and social action.” This is what we intend to do at IDN. In this way, we will
further our global engagement and impact, contributing to
What I love about being a part of the Emory community one Emory and one world.
is the constant challenge to reach—to be better, more
inclusive, more collaborative, more compassionate, and to DABNEY P. EVANS, PHD, MPH
strive for new approaches to complex issues. This focus on
improvement and innovation is at the heart of what we do INTERIM DIRECTOR
at IDN, with an eye toward creating impact in the lives of our INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS
students, community, and the world.
IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019
This issue includes great examples of our engagement for
impact and the ways that our work aligns with the university’s
strategic goals. You will read about our involvement in the
Independent Observer Mission of the Mali Peace Agreement
with The Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution Program and our
own IDN Fellow, Roger-Claude Liwanga, who is supporting
the documentation of this historic process.

Our support continues to fuel research and global
experiences through Emory 21 Days of Peace, research by
our PhD Fellow in Uganda, and our ELMO initiative, which
provides technical resources to Emory community members
conducting research in challenging environments. Our
support recently allowed two Emory undergraduates to
travel to South Africa, and they share their impressions with
us here. Their stories are both poignant and powerful—a
testament to the way in which IDN truly does serve as a
gateway to the world.

1

IDN HIGHLIGHT EVENTS 2017-2018 & ONE EMORY

Engaged for Impact

Faculty Excellence Academic Community
of Choice
FOSTER A CULTURE OF EMINENCE THAT
ATTRACTS AND INSPIRES SCHOLARS OF THE CULTIVATE A THRIVING CAMPUS AND A
HIGHEST ORDER COMPELLING STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Through the Publishing and Presentation Fund and By offering programmatic activities such as
the Thought Leader Fellowship, IDN connects the Emory 21 Days of Peace, IDN provides an on-
scholarship of Emory faculty to new audiences campus experience promoting the cultivation of
an intellectually connected and impact-oriented
• In November 2017, IDN launched its Publishing and community

Presentation Fund to disseminate work done in • Emory 21 Days of Peace (September 2017) included
collaboration between Emory University and The Carter
Center. Four projects have been funded highlighting work the Carter Town Hall, prayers and meditation for peace,
in democracy, human rights, and mental health. debate training for students, sponsorship of a Wonderful
Wednesday, and a keynote by Burundian humanitarian
• Since January 2018, IDN has supported 20 Emory Marguerite Barankitse. Events reached nearly 2,000
faculty through its Thought Leader Fellowship. These students and community members across campus.
scholars—80% of whom are women and 50% persons
of color—participated in a one-day thought-leadership • The France-Atlanta Humanitarian Forum (October 2017) on
training and have committed to writing at least two pieces
of public scholarship in their area of global expertise Sexual and Reproductive Health in developing and disaster-
within the next year. torn countries featured three panel discussions during the
half-day event attended by more than 200 participants.
Top Photo: Emory 21 Days of Peace Event, Write to Change the World
workshop September 2018

2

• Through partnerships with the Master’s in Development foundations around the world working to address violence
against women’s participation as voters and candidates
Practice program, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School (February 2018). IDN also presented a public lecture
of Nursing, and the Rollins School of Public Health, IDN titled “Democracy without Women Is Impossible: Global
hosted Neema Namadamu (February 2018), Afaf I. Meleis Perspectives on Violence against Women in Politics and
(April 2018), and Helena Ribe (April 2018), who each spoke Elections,” attended by 80 Emory community members.
under the theme of women’s leadership.
Atlanta as a Gateway to
Innovation through the World
Scholarship and
Creative Expression UNLEASH EMORY AND ATLANTA’S SHARED
FUTURE TO MOBILIZE CHANGE FOR THE
HARNESS IMAGINATION AND DISCOVERY TO WORLD
ADDRESS 21ST-CENTURY CHALLENGES
IDN connects Emory students, staff and faculty to
The IDN research and practice program enables Atlanta and the larger world
students to participate in innovative research and
expand their scholarly reach, building their capacity • Roger-Claude Liwanga joined IDN as a visiting scholar. His
to address current challenges worldwide
research is focused on protecting children against sexual
• In collaboration with The Carter Center Democracy exploitation and other violence (January).

Program, IDN offered workshops on ELMO, The Carter • IDN curated and published “A Unique Collaboration,” a
Center’s open-source data-collection software. IDN
funding supported an ELMO doctoral fellow for the publication highlighting Emory-Carter Center collaborations
academic year as well as four summer fellows. Additionally, for the past decade (October).
57 students across campus from various disciplines and
representing all nine of Emory’s schools were able to • IDN participated in the planning and execution of three
attend these free ELMO trainings.
Atlanta-based conferences: The Carter Center’s Human
• In partnership with The Carter Center Democracy Rights Defenders Forum, 17th Biennial Meeting of the
International Society for Justice Research, and the 2018
Program, IDN held the workshop Measuring Violence African Studies Association annual conference.
against Women in Elections, bringing together 44 scholars
and practitioners from 21 organizations, universities, and • IDN partnered with the Office of Spiritual and Religious

Life to support two students’ travel to South Africa
through the Journeys of Reconciliation program.

Dabney P. Evans (left) moderating the Humanitarian Forum on Gender Based Violence in Emergency Settings as part of a France-Atlanta and
Emory University partnered event. Panel presenters included Beirne Roose-Snyder (center), Director of Public Policy at the Center for Health

and Gender Equity, and Laura Huber (right), Emory Political Science Doctoral Candidate.
Photo credit: Stephanie Sorquira, Institute for Developing Nations

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 3

THIRD ANNUAL

SEPTEMBER 2018

ENRICHING STUDENT EXPERIENCE

IN SEPTEMBER 2018, IDN—in partnership with Events included the Carter Town Hall meeting,
Emory Campus Life, The Carter Center Human the Advocacy and Civic Engagement Training
Rights Program, and the United States Institute workshop, the Organizing for Social Change
of Peace—hosted Emory 21 Days of Peace with workshop, the Writing to Change the World
the goal of educating, inspiring, and empowering workshop, the Merci Congo film screening
students with tangible skills to work for peace in (featuring a Q&A with humanitarian and activist
their local and global communities. Neema Namadamu), sponsorship of a Wonderful
Wednesday, and a keynote by Neema Namadamu.

Enrichment for students involved...

• Being able to attend free events that gave them access to

inclusive and financially accessible trainings;

• Having, through the trainings, an on-campus experience that

cultivated an intellectually connected and impact-oriented
community as well as fostered concrete skills;

• Collaborating more fully with various departments and units

that, through their combined power, strengthened student
experiences;

• Learning about on-campus resources such as individuals,

organizations, and even other classmates whom they could
work with on their shared passions and causes; and

• Employing their skills to make an impact in their local and

global communities as well as interacting with and learning
from global leaders.

Emory 21 Days of Peace Keynote Speaker Neema Namadamu

4

Emory 21 Days of Peace finale with participants joining
Neema Namadamu (seated just to the right of middle in
the blue dress). Photo credit: Danny Walters

“The Emory 21 Days of Peace is quickly becoming a signature event Photo credit: Tina Chang, Office of
on our campus. Our partnership on it provides students an oppor- Communication in Emory Campus Life
tunity to explore the global aspects of violence while cultivating

the skills they need to engage their communities successfully
and advocate for peace. IDN has created a unique space for

people from around the world to come together and develop
the skills they need to transform their communities. Listening to
the numerous innovative ways they were already advocating for

peace and human rights was inspiring. I eagerly look forward to
partnering with IDN on Emory 21 Days of Peace next year.”

Ed Lee III, Senior Director, Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate,
Deliberation, and Dialogue

“We all have the potential to be peacemakers—each of us, where we
are in our own lives, and this program is a vivid reminder of that
truth. We should all heed President Carter’s call in his 2002 Nobel
Lecture, which resonates just as strongly today: ‘The bond of our
common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears
and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice. We can
choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for
peace. We can make these changes—and we must.’ ”

Laura Olson, Director, Human Rights Program, The Carter Center

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 5

What was different in this year’s
Emory 21 Days of Peace?

ENRICHING STUDENT EXPERIENCE Photo credit: This year’s campaign took a new direction by focusing on skills build-
Ann Borden, ing. Three new training workshops gave students practical skills
Emory Photo/Video they could use in their efforts to advance peace. “We wanted stu-
dents to leave with a particular skill set and expand their tool box
so they can advance the particular passion or cause they are com-
mitted to. For this reason, we offered three workshops,” explains
Obse Ababiya, IDN’s senior program manager and cofounder of
Emory 21 Days of Peace. “I remember being an undergraduate at
Emory and hungering for specific tools that would help me be more

impactful in organizing for social change, peacebuilding, and advocacy.
That was my inspiration for wanting to create these new workshops.”

Obse Ababiya, IDN’s senior program manager and cofounder of
Emory 21 Days of Peace

Participants at the Advocacy and Civic Engagement Training workshop. Photo credit: Stephanie Sorquira, Institute for Developing Nations

“As Emory continues to serve as a gateway to the world for our stu-
dents, we understand that we also play a pivotal role in contributing
to and shaping the social and civic fabric of Atlanta - the birthplace
of the Civil Rights movement. The Center for Civic and Community
Engagement along with Emory Campus Life look forward to work-

ing with IDN as we continue to grow the Emory 21 Days of Peace
campaign to educate, inspire, and empower individuals to work for
a more peaceful society. Here at Emory, we seek to live, talk, and learn

in such a way that it creates a more just and caring world.”

James Roland, Senior Director, Center for Civic and Community Engagement;
Executive Director, Atlanta Urban Debate League; Director, Emory Center for Advancing
6 Nonviolence, Campus Life, Emory University

“It was great to see the energy and engagement of the Emory community
in this year’s 21 Days of Peace, and the connections drawn to the Peace Day
Challenge of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). The linking of educa-
tion about key global issues with practical ways to act for peace is inspiring to
students and to the broader public, and Emory continues to shine bright as a
hub on the International Day of Peace each year.”
Ann-Louise Colgan, Director of Public Education, United States Institute of Peace

An overview of our new workshops

Advocacy and Civic Engagement Training Workshop

This hands-on workshop provided students the tools to identify and analyze problems; explore how to change power dynamics;
apply the basics of communication and persuasion for advocacy; and determine how and where to engage in policy change
for social justice. Participants also learned how to apply research, planning, and engagement strategies to empower citizens
and grassroots groups.

This workshop aimed to equip current and potential advocates
with skills that can benefit all regardless of their differences.
We empowered students to make informed decisions and to
read and collect data from more than one source to support
their arguments.
Meredith R. Evans, Director, Jimmy Carter Presidential
Library and Museum

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 7

This workshop totally changed my idea of what an advocate
is—an effective advocate is really an empathetic strategist. I’m
interested in promoting women’s sexual and reproductive
health, a topic that triggers strong reactions from people
whether it’s about abortion access or trans-women’s
rights. Our advocacy discussion and role-play scenarios
gave me a toolbox that will help me pursue more effective
conversations about this topic in the future.

Maryclaire Regan 20MPH, Behavioral Sciences and Health

The workshop was led by Ed Lee, Senior Director, Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue; James Roland,
Senior Director, Center for Civic and Community Engagement; Executive Director, Atlanta Urban Debate League; and Director,
Emory Center for Advancing Nonviolence; and Meredith Evans, Director, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

This workshop was presented in partnership with the Center for Civic and Community Engagement, the Barkley Forum, and
the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

Writing to Change the I had the
World Workshop opportunity to
attend the Writing
As part of the tangible skills for peacebuilding, Emory to Change the
students had the opportunity to participate in a World workshop
day-long “Write To Change The World” seminar. This hosted by Emory’s 21
workshop was designed to test assumptions about our Days of Peace campaign.
individual knowledge and what it takes to be influential Since then, I have been able
on a large scale. Participants explored the source of to match with an experienced journalist
credibility, the patterns and elements of persuasion, and the as a mentor and am currently working
difference between being “right” and being effective. The on my own op-ed to publish soon. The
workshop also touched on how to preach beyond the choir workshop gave me the chance to meet
and how to think bigger about knowledge—to have more amazing people who taught me how
impact in the world. Participants emerged with concrete to be more confident in myself and
results, including the outline for an op-ed. my writing.

IDN partnered with The OpEd Project to present this Mishaal Gardezi 20C, Anthropology
workshop. The OpEd Project is a well-respected organization and Human Biology
with an excellent track record of partnering with universities
across the US to help them channel their best ideas to media
gatekeepers and disseminate these ideas to the broadest
audiences. Participants receive ongoing access to The OpEd
Project’s national network of high-level mentor-editors for
individual feedback on their work.

8

Suzanne Onorato (center), assistant vice president of Campus Life, facilitating a
discussion at the Emory 21 Days of Peace finale event. Photo credit: Stephanie
Sorquira, Institute for Developing Nations

Organizing for Social Change Workshop

This day-long training provided concrete skills as well as a framework for thinking about how to do effective and
progressive organizing.
The tools taught were compatible with a wide variety of organizing models and provided a framework for critical and constructive
thinking about how to achieve the goals of a particular organization, constituency, issue mix, and sociopolitical context locally and
globally. The program was led by Midwest Academy, a national training institute committed to advancing the struggle for social,
economic, and racial justice as well as enabling ordinary people to participate actively in the democratic process.

I used to advocate for a lot of things in my country. I participated in the
Egyptian revolution in 2011. As a physical therapist, I advocated
for the rights of children with disabilities for five years.
As a council member in the Egyptian Physical Therapy
Association, I advocated for my fellow physical therapists’
rights, since I was a student in Cairo University. These
workshops were really helpful to me. They helped me
organize my thoughts and learn how to do what I used to
do (advocacy), but in a much more systematic and scientific
way. This experience has changed my way of thinking.
My general experience of Emory 21 Days of Peace is that it’s totally
worth it. Every school in Emory needs to collaborate and cooperate
with IDN if they want to graduate leaders, not only students.
Alhawary Mohammed, Humphrey Fellow, Rollins School
of Public Health

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 9

Film Screening and Discussion

Creative expression and innovation that shed light on a specific challenge and allow us to explore solutions is an important
part of education at Emory. In line with this principle, IDN presented the film Merci Congo in which Neema Namadamu—the
Emory 21 Days of Peace keynote speaker and founder of the Congolese organization Hero Women Rising—showcased her
solutions to the challenges faced by women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This sold-out event was attended
by more than 165 people from Emory and the general public. Connecting Emory to the larger community in Atlanta and
fostering global bridges, the film screening was presented in collaboration with several co-sponsors such as the African Sisters
for Information Knowledge and Empowerment, the Belgian Consulate in Atlanta, the Alliance Française of Atlanta, the Jimmy
Carter Presidential Library and Museum, The Carter Center Human Rights Program, as well as Emory Campus Life and IDN.
The film follows Namadamu, among other changemakers, as she distributes laptops to women in the small village where she
was born in the DRC. This is the first time these women have ever seen such a thing. Each woman carefully opens the laptop,
connects to the internet, and when she sees a face of a person she recognizes, her excitement is palpable. At the Emory
screening, this moment of elation and discovery on screen made those in the audience erupt into joyous laughter. These
women are illiterate, but thanks to Namadamu, they can connect and communicate with the rest of the world. Says Ababiya,
“Namadamu, in a way, has empowered her people with the minerals that have been stolen from them through mining to
produce computer and cell phone chips, and use that technology to give voice to the Congolese people and advocate against
the problem of mining.”

Erin Crysler, associate director of The Carter Center Democracy Program, facilitated a conversation with Neema

10 Namadamu following the film screening. Photo credit: Stephanie Sorquira, Institute for Developing Nations

The Finale “ I have turned my “
challenges into
Every year, an Emory 21 Days of Peace keynote speaker is opportunities.
selected to exemplify how an individual can build peace Having polio is a challenge,
locally and globally, using the skills and resources they being a women, being
have at their disposal to make change in their immediate black, being a refugee are
environment. Peace or making change does not have to all challenges, but I am
take place “over there”; it actually starts where one is by
using the most available tools, skills, and resources. turning these challenges into
opportunities. I am not a victim
Neema Namadamu, a tireless advocate for the most
marginalized women and girls, is a beacon of hope as I am expected to be; I am a
empowering those who the world has forgotten through leader, a hero, ‘a black queen,’
her organization Maman Shujaa, which means Hero
Women in Swahili. This organization supports women who stands for up for myself
and girls’ empowerment in the DRC, a country the UN has and the people of Congo, and
identified as one of the worst in the world for women and
girls. Congo is not a lost cause.

Namadamu was born in Itombwe, a remote region in Neema Namadamu
Eastern Congo beset with humanitarian and environmental
conflicts. Stricken by polio at age two, she grew up hearing IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 11
she was cursed by God and that money should not be

Top image: Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows with keynote speaker
Neema Namadamu at the Emory 21 Days of Peace finale event.
Photo credit: Stephanie Sorquira, Institute for Developing Nations

“wasted” on her education. Her mother, however, believed round tables to encourage conversation among those in
in her daughter’s potential and carried her to and from attendance and designated table leaders who were on hand
school on her back. Namadamu went on to become the to facilitate a conversation on peacebuilding and how to
first woman with disabilities from her tribe to graduate work with each other across disciplines.”
from college in the DRC. She went on to serve in Parliament
and as a chief adviser to the DRC’s minister of gender and The cosponsors for this event included the African
family. To this day, she talks about how grateful she is for the Student Association, the Center for Ethics, the Center for
polio that struck her, allowing her to circumvent the village Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics, the
tradition of being married off at 14. Center for Humanitarian Emergencies in the Rollins School
of Public Health, the Department of French and Italian,
The finale, which was designed as a conversation between Government and Community Affairs, the Institute of African
Emory students and our experienced peacemaker, took Studies, the Master’s in Development Practice program,
place on the official International Day of Peace, September Spiritual and Religious Life, and the Student Government
21. Says Ababiya, “We believe there is a lot to learn when Association.
you are in direct conversation as opposed to when you are
listening to a lecture. We purposefully set the room with A video of this event can be found at idn.emory.edu/
resources/events/index.html.

“What I love most about Emory 21 Days of Peace is that it is an exceptional
example of faculty, staff, and students collaborating to achieve Emory’s
mission to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service
of humanity. I had the opportunity to participate in the keynote and
served as a facilitator for discussion at my table. That group of eight,
which included undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty,
an alum, and a community partner, had the opportunity to share
our passions and reflect on the ways in which we can, and do, serve
as agents for peace. I left inspired!”

Suzanne R. Onorato, EdD, Assistant Vice President, Campus Life
Emory University

What’s next for Emory 21 Days of Peace 2019?

IDN has received some great feedback from the community about the future
of the campaign. The effort will continue to feature local organizations
and resources; however, for the first time, the campaign will be presented
throughout the academic year rather than concentrating during the 21 days
in September. The campaign will launch on the International Day of Peace, and
IDN will then go on to host 20 additional days of peace throughout the year
by partnering with other departments, units, student organizations, and local
organizations in Atlanta.

If you are interested in becoming part of Emory 21 Days of Peace as a student,
organization, department, or presenter, email [email protected].

IDN offers Nora Elmubarak (pictured right), cofounder of Emory 21 Days of
Peace, a heartfelt appreciation for her tremendous contribution to the event

and congratulations, as she will be graduating from Emory this year.
Photo credit: Stephanie Sorquira, Institute for Developing Nations

12

PARTNERS IN PRACTICE From left, head of the United Nations Office in Timbuktu Riccardo Maia, Special
Advisor on Mali and former US ambassador Bisa Williams, and John Goodman

visit one of 14 the century mosques in Timbuktu, Mali, in January of 2018.

John Goodman

John Goodman is an associate director in The Carter
Center’s Conflict Resolution Program and is responsible

for the Center’s efforts to promote peace in Africa,
focusing on the ongoing conflicts in Mali and Sudan.

The Carter Center, an Atlanta institution, connects
Emory scholars and students to global communities
through research, internships, and IDN programming.

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 13

TELL US ABOUT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOHN GOODMAN. “A peace
agreement without
My best days are in the field meeting and analyzing the implementation is
peace process in Mali and Sudan, with Malians, Sudanese and just a ceasefire waiting
internationals or, in a related way, reading and thinking about to be broken.”
those two countries, conflict resolution and international
affairs. Other parts of my job—airport time and sorting out WHAT HAS PREPARED YOU THE MOST FOR YOUR
administrative issues—do not appeal quite so much. CURRENT POSITION AT THE CARTER CENTER?

HOW IS YOUR WORK PERSONAL TO YOU? I previously worked for the International Committee of the Red
Cross in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
From a young age, I was aware of how the powerful can With great national and international colleagues, I contributed
abuse the weak. I got involved in humanitarian work for to everything from visiting prisoners of war to delivering food
that reason and because, on a personal level, I enjoyed the aid. That was the best learning experience of my life.
challenge. While “in the field,” I realized that it’s hard to end a
war at ground level—that takes negotiations and discussions CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT A SPECIFIC EVENT (OR
about the big issues in dispute. That’s the kind of work we EXPERIENCE) IN YOUR CAREER THAT REALLY SHAPED
try to advance at The Carter Center. It takes patience and a YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE WORK YOU DO TODAY?
willingness to fail before you succeed.
When I was new on the job and a bit unsteady on my feet, I
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE? worked with President Carter on Sudan. He treated me with
great respect and expressed confidence in me; that really
Complexity. In any contemporary conflict there are myriad boosted my confidence and commitment to his project.
actors—governments; armed groups, some of whom may
be designated as terrorists; international bodies such as the WHEN DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR EFFORTS HAD THE
United Nations (UN) or the African Union; other NGOs; and, GREATEST IMPACT?
of course, the population, some of whom may be refugees
or internally displaced within their countries. Understanding In Sudan, working with President Carter, we helped with
these situations is difficult but necessary to chart how, if the negotiations leading to the lifting of sanctions that had
requested, The Carter Center can best contribute. imposed hardship on the people of Sudan for nearly 20 years.
While the lifting has not made all the difference we hoped, it
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE MALI was a major step in the right direction.
INDEPENDENT OBSERVER MISSION?
WHAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP
In 2012, a rebellion broke out in northern Mali—the fourth BETWEEN IDN AND THE CARTER CENTER?
since independence—and rebels rapidly seized control of large
parts of the country. Some of them aligned with international Not many NGOs benefit from a “fully stocked,” top-notch
terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda in the Maghreb. The rebels university partner. Having someone like Roger-Claude Liwanga
advanced to within 300 miles of the capital Bamako before available to advise and assist is an incredible resource. I’ve also
French forces intervened. After negotiations, in 2015, certain worked with a wonderful graduate assistant, April Klein, from
nonterrorist groups in the rebellion and the government of Mali the Rollins School of Public Health. It’s wonderful to participate
signed a peace agreement, which aims to devolve power to in harnessing these synergies between the two institutions.
the north and address longstanding divisions in Mali. An array
of international actors—countries from the region, the UN, the
African Union, and the European Union among them—helped
broker the agreement. We were asked by the Malian signatories
to take on the job of the Independent Observer, whose work
is to identify impartially “who is doing what” in implementing
the agreement and then recommend what could be done
to improve implementation. A peace agreement without
implementation is just a ceasefire waiting to be broken.

14

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU WOULD OFFER A PERSON WHAT DID YOU HOPE TO DO FOR WORK WHEN YOU WERE
ENTERING YOUR FIELD? A CHILD? WHAT WOULD THAT CHILD THINK OF THE WORK
YOU DO TODAY?
We have a lot of interns at The Carter Center, and I find some
of them to be single-mindedly focused on a narrow goal. I used to color maps instead of coloring books, so I don’t think that
International affairs is a massive field, and there are interesting, he would be very surprised by his grown-up self.
rewarding roles of all kinds and all types of people.Take some time
for self-examination about your strengths and weakness, where
you want to take your career and your family life, and, above all,
keep an open mind.

Roger-Claude Liwanga travels to Bamako, Mali

IDN partnered with
The Carter Center’s
Conflict Resolution
Program to
document and
evaluate the
historic role of The
Carter Center as
the Independent
Observer of the
2015 Mali Peace
Agreement. Roger-Claude Liwanga, IDN’s former visiting
scholar and adjunct professor at Emory School of Law,
traveled to Bamako, Mali, for this project.

Since January 2018, The Carter Center has been serving as the
Independent Observer of the 2015 Mali Peace Agreement.
This role, a first of its kind, is established by Article 63 of that
agreement and recognized in United Nations Security Council
Resolutions 2391 (December, 2017) and 2423 (June, 2018).
The Independent Observer is responsible for assessing and
reporting on the implementation of the Agreement by the
signatory parties, identifying any hindrances and outlining
the parties responsible for breakdowns in implementation,
and formulating recommendations to advance the
implementation.

“I visited Bamako, Mali, in mid-November to help The Carter
Center understand Malians’ perceptions of the Center’s
work as Independent Observer and examine the best
practices and lessons learned from the Center’s first year
as the Independent Observer. An ‘independent observer’
of the implementation of a peace agreement is a new tool
in international affairs and peacebuilding. It’s important
to document how the Center is developing this field, and
what can be learned and potentially applied in other peace
processes,” said Liwanga.

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 15

Notes from in the field

Abigail Heller for the ELMO technology, which was originally developed
by The Carter Center for election monitoring in real-time,
NEW ELMO GRADUATE FELLOW but since has been applied in research as varied as human
rights and health.
Growing up in Atlanta, Heller remembers being six years
old and going with her parents to vote—the curtain closing Says Heller, “I am excited for this opportunity—to be part
behind them, the careful reading of the ballot, and the of organizations that are so well respected like The Carter
colorful sticker at the conclusion. Center and IDN. The Carter Center is known around the world
for their election monitoring, for their ability to evaluate if an
It wasn’t until 2008 that she electoral process is free and fair, and that approval can have
got the chance to be an active
part of the political process a tremendous impact on how
herself. Barely 18 years old and citizens view the legitimacy
living on Bainbridge Island of the election. In turn, IDN
near Seattle in Washington is this critical bridge that
state, Heller was one of 100 connects Emory researchers
people crowded into her high to global practitioners, which
school gym to participate in has the potential to create
the caucus for the presidential real impact on the ground.
election. “I was one of the And with a flexible technology
youngest in the room and like ELMO, there are so many
yet my voice mattered. After possible applications that can
debating for hours, I was potentially create immediate
elected as a delegate to go impact.” As an ELMO Fellow,
to the next level from our Heller already has started
precinct. It was a thrilling sharing the ELMO technology
introduction to the electoral via workshops on campus.
process,” explains Heller.
In addition to the ELMO
Her excitement about the fellowship, Heller, who is in her
political process has not fifth year, is busy writing her
waned; today, she is pursuing dissertation, which explores
a doctorate in political science at Emory. Heller also recently three topics: public opinion
was named the 2018–2019 ELMO Graduate Fellow with about gerrymandering in
the Democracy Program at The Carter Center and Emory’s the United States; how people’s experience with different
Institute of Developing Nations. The ELMO fellowship will electoral systems in the UK affects their support for electoral
give her an opportunity to work with faculty, students, and reform; and why party members are willing to support
staff across Emory to explore other potential applications electoral reform when it negatively impacts their chances of
being reelected, using a historical case in the UK.

If you ask Heller why she is fascinated with the political

16

Carter Center election observers used ELMO to submit their findings using tablets during Tunisia’s 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Photo credit: The Carter Center

process, she won’t mention that early voting booth with her and would like to interview you and to get them to respond
parents but will instead reference the time she was awarded and then be able to sit and speak with them about this historic
a grant to travel to London to conduct independent research event was so powerful for me.” That research earned Heller the
on electoral reform in Britain as part of her undergraduate coveted Arthur King Kunkel Prize in Government.
program at Franklin and Marshall College. While there in
spring 2011, she had the chance to interview six members Her work at Emory with ELMO has enabled her to participate in
of Parliament to gain insight into why the previous week’s innovative research and expand her scholarly reach, building
critical referendum on electoral reform had failed and how her capacity to address current challenges worldwide.
this would affect the UK’s coalition government—the first
coalition government in more than 50 years. For more information on ELMO and ELMO-related funding
opportunities, visit idn.emory.edu.
Heller remembers,“To be an undergrad and to be able to email
these people that I didn’t know and say I’m here doing research

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 17

Travis Curtice

AN UPDATE ON RESEARCH
IN UGANDA

Curtice, IDN’s previous ELMO Fellow and doctoral candidate refused to acknowledge the government’s role either in
in political science, has just returned from Uganda, where directly displacing the civilians in northern Uganda or
he was researching the politics of policing, specifically indirectly failing to protect them. This was puzzling to me
studying how identity affects who cooperates with police in for many reasons. Without addressing the underlying cause
providing law and order in postconflict environments. of insecurity, I doubted there would be lasting peace in
the region, even if the LRA was defeated. This work and
Curtice’s interest in global development began more than subsequent trips to Uganda became the motivation for my
a decade earlier and 1,500 miles away when, in 2004, dissertation research.
he taught English in Bosnia and partnered with local
community leaders to rebuild homes for families displaced Security is one of the most important public goods that
by the war. While there, he visited several cities that had a state provides, but challenges limit fostering trust and
been designated by the UN during the war as “safe areas,” cooperation between citizens and police in postconflict
including Sarajevo, Gorazde, Bihac, and Srebrenica. and nondemocratic settings. My research examines these
barriers to cooperation. Preliminary results from my
According to Curtice, “These cities experienced unimagin- experiment show that individuals prefer reporting to co-
able devastation during the war as Serbs, Bosnians, and ethnic police officers.”
Croats fought each other. Seeing the aftermath of the
violence in Bosnia made me want to understand the His project was motivated by three goals.
underlying conflict processes that drive people to fight. I
thought only by understanding those ‘micro foundations First, he wanted to test whether ELMO, the data-collection
of conflict’ will we ever truly be able to work toward a tool designed by The Carter Center for election observation
sustainable peace.” missions, could be used as an effective tool (referred to, in
non-election usage, as NEMO) for gathering data using an
A few years later, Curtice learned about a civil conflict experimental research design, even in a low-technology
unfolding in northern Uganda. A rebel group, the Lord’s environment.
Resistance Army (LRA), was targeting civilians, recruiting
child soldiers, and was—at least in part— responsible for Second, he aimed to partner with a nongovernmental
the displacement of millions of individuals in Uganda. He organization in Uganda to train its staff how to use open-
notes,“I traveled to northern Uganda in 2007 to partner with
local and international non-governmental organizations to
provide aid to internally displaced persons. One of the things
that stood out to me was how the violence in northern
Uganda was almost always portrayed as rebel-perpetrated.”

He continues, “The international community ignored or

18

Thanks to support from IDN and The Carter Center and funding
provided by Mellon PhD Interventions Project, Curtice recently moved his
dissertation forward by piloting a successful study on inter-group bias and
policing in Gulu, Uganda, harnessing 21st-century technology to address a

social challenge. His dissertation examines why individuals cooperate
with police in the provision of law and order.

source software in household survey data collection.

Third, with the support of The Carter Center and in
partnership with the Ugandan organization, he hoped
to pilot an experiment on the politics of policing
in Gulu district, Uganda, and gather data for his
dissertation research.

According to Curtice, the project in Uganda exceeded
his expectations. NEMO was effective at collecting
data for household surveys. Given that it is open-
source, NEMO was free to use. Similar software would
have doubled the cost of his study.

There were also challenges to completing the project.
Recent political unrest in Uganda underscored the
dual role of the Ugandan Police Force—providing
security as a basic function of government but acting
as political agents protecting the authoritarian
government. Researching socially sensitive topics,
such as policing in nondemocratic states, requires
building strong community connections by
developing informal and formal research networks.
Curtice was able to strengthen relationships with key
community stakeholders and implement his study.

Curtice trained a team of eight enumerators and a
research director on how to collect data using NEMO.
The enumerators surveyed 331 participants from
five subcounties, 10 parishes, and 20 villages within
Gulu district. “Social capacity building is an important
component of my ethos as a scholar. I was honored
to train a team of researchers on important research
skills which they could apply in future studies.”

Concludes Curtice, “I look forward to sharing results
from my study as I complete the analyses and seek to
publish the study’s findings.”

Photo: Participants using ELMO in Uganda

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 19

Jian Xu

SUMMER RESEARCH IN CHINA

Jian Xu is a doctoral candidate in political science to obtain or retain business, receive preferential regulatory
at Emory. He received IDN’s ELMO Predissertation treatments, or restrict market access by competitors.
Funding to conduct research in China during summer
2018, furthering Emory’s potential to mobilize change In response to transnational bribery, a variety of
around the world. His research project examines how international anticorruption initiatives have been put
international anticorruption legal institutions impact in place, including the United States’ Foreign Corrupt
corruption in developing countries. More specifically, Xu Practices Act (FCPA). Xu’s research looks at whether
investigates under what conditions transnational legal transnational antibribery enforcement, represented
regimes can detect, discourage, deter, and/or sanction by the FCPA, can effectively deter corruption and lead
illicit corrupt payments by multinational corporations to institutional and policy changes. Xu used The Carter
to local government officials, and the conditions under Center’s open-source data-collection method ELMO/
which international legal mechanisms are no longer NEMO as he conducted his field research in China.
effective in doing so. He focused on China because it is one of the larger
emerging economies and has been involved in the
“In China, JP Morgan offered jobs and internships to most enforcement actions of the FCPA thus far. This is
children and relatives of high-ranking government because of the vast business opportunities in the market
officials in exchange for banking deals. In Mexico and and, according to Xu, “Foreign companies are tempted
India, Walmart paid bribes to local authorities to fast- to offer bribes to win exclusive and lucrative business
track store openings. In several Eastern European and contracts and to avoid expropriations or unfair regulatory
Middle Eastern countries, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) paid treatments by Chinese authorities.”
state-owned hospitals to increase medical professionals’
prescriptions of GSK products and hence boost its Making initial contacts with interview subjects, especially
sales,” explains Xu. His fieldwork explores transnational with Chinese government officials, was challenging
corruption in which multinational corporations pay bribes for Xu. “After several rounds of political purges and
to government officials or state-affiliated entities in order anti-corruption campaigns, government officials are
generally reluctant to speak to outsiders about anything
that might jeopardize their political career. Some officials

20

seem to be especially alert to the fact that I am from a US difficult to deal with.” He continues, “Some view it as a
institution, even though I am a Chinese national. China classic example of the US government infringing upon
recently tightened its regulations targeting foreign the sovereignty of other countries, while others applaud
NGOs, and any foreign-affiliated personnel are under US efforts in putting pressure on foreign firms to maintain
greater scrutiny than before.” ethical business conduct anywhere in the world. It seems
that Chinese bureaucrats now understand much better
He explains, “I managed to gain access to government the legal obligations that US firms face when conducting
officials who were either directly involved in a high- business in countries like China.”
profile FCPA prosecution or who had insider knowledge
about FCPA-related misconduct by his/her colleagues. Xu’s research highlights the challenges but also the
The interviewees have very diverse attitudes toward necessity of anticorruption endeavors. He concludes,
extraterritorial enforcement of the FCPA. Some officials “The emerging global anticorruption legal regimes
feel that investors from countries like Italy, France, Japan, provide external judicial pressure and alternative
and the Middle East are much more ‘accommodating’ legal resources to the disempowered and vulnerable
in terms of ‘learning to do business the Chinese way’ populations in developing economies with large markets
and that companies from the US are too ‘inflexible’ and but weak institutions.”

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 21

Journeys of

Just Back From
South Africa

Emory undergraduates Bobbye history of oppression and violence toward people of
Hampton and Mariah Doze color. Here is an excerpt from her travel journal:
just had the chance to live out
a lifelong dream of traveling “Today was one of the best days since I’ve been
to South Africa thanks to the in Cape Town. We began the morning at an Art
Journeys of Reconciliation Center in a township named Langa. The theatre
Program and the support of IDN. program there aimed to create opportunities
in schools and the community for Black South
Hampton, a senior majoring in African American Africans to express themselves and their
studies, longed to explore South Africa through the own stories through the arts. We watched a
lens of her major but also through her ancestral ties to performance exploring ‘dom passes,’ which were
the country and the continent. She hoped to explore identification cards all non-whites had to carry in
the notions of truth and reconciliation and to see if order to travel throughout the country. The two
reconciliation is possible in countries such as South main actors included the audience by randomly
Africa and the United States, where there is such a assigning each audience member pass cards,
which have gained use in postapartheid South
Africa and are required when Black South Africans
enter largely White gated communities.

“We are deeply grateful for IDN’s support of Jour-
neys of Reconciliation. I can’t imagine our time
in South Africa without Mariah or Bobbye. Their
contributions to the community of travelers en-
hanced all of our understanding and challenged
us to think beyond our own experiences and
perspectives. IDN’s support makes participation
possible for many of our students and enhances
the Journey experience for all of us!”

LISA GARVIN
Acting Dean of the Chapel, Associate Dean of
22 the Chapel and Religious Life

Reconciliation

Bobbye Hampton Emory NAACP, and the cofounder and treasurer of
Emory IGNITE, an organization that seeks to empower
We were forced to look down and keep quiet as they asked for young women pursuing positions of political power.
our names and reasons for being outside of areas where our
dom pass didn’t give us jurisdiction. The experience was a lot The goal of her recent trip to South Africa, as Doze
to take in and reminded me much of how my ancestors must explained, was to interact with South African leaders and
have felt in similar experiences in America being Black.” activists who would provide her with valuable insights that
she could then bring back to the US and use to continue
the struggle for racial and economic justice here.

Here is how Doze reflected on her time in South Africa:

“It would be very convenient for me if I could magically
tie these 10 days of incredibly intense content into a nice,
neat bow. However, despite trying, I am unable to do so
because it would mean oversimplifying an experience
that was so nuanced, so messy, so complex. . . .

I watched through the airplane window as we parted
with South Africa; I was completely overwhelmed by
the reflection of the sun on the deep blue waters, the
diverse array of birds speckling the horizon, and the
lush plant life clothing the bare mountains. The scene
was nothing short of paradise.

However, as I moved my gaze toward the cities, I could see the
geography of apartheid. I observed the distinct separation
between homes in historically Black townships, many of which
lacked electricity, and homes in historically White suburbs,

Hampton is utilizing innovative creative expression by Mariah Doze
creating a video to share her experience and that of her trip
mates. The video will be presented on the Emory campus
followed by a discussion about similarities and differences
in the struggle for Black liberation in this country and
the way in which we can think globally about the Black
experience to improve conditions across the board and
address a complex challenge.

Mariah Doze, who is majoring in sociology and African
American studies, is inspired by the memory of her great-
grandfather, who was a union leader for Southern laborers in
Memphis, Tennessee. Today, Doze honors his commitment
to social justice by serving as an intern for the Emory
Commission on Racial and Social Justice, a member of the

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 23

which boasted property values of millions of rands. I was confronted yet again with this juxtaposition that seemed
to be a recurring theme throughout the trip. On one day, I would be inconsolably forlorn at the sight of the images
of children being shot in the streets by police officers at the Hector Pieterson Museum. On another day, those
images would be overshadowed by the excitement of watching two elephants caressing during our safari at the
Aquila Reserve. These varying experiences make it incredibly difficult to say with simplicity how this journey to
South Africa has been for me. As we drew closer to our destination, I wondered what I would say to my family and
friends who would ask the inevitable question, “How was your trip? . . .”

As I share my experience in South Africa with my family and friends, I will be sure to tell not only of the
magnificence of Table Mountain, one of the seven wonders of nature, but also of the injustices that South
Africans of color continue to face postapartheid. Frankly, the horrors of apartheid are just as much a part
of the story of South Africa as is the glory of its natural beauty. To exaggerate the positives would be as
great an injustice as to exaggerate the negatives. In life, we can choose to emphasize the details we like and
downplay the details that we do not, but I have learned that this only breeds more of the prejudice and bias
that separates us. In order for true reconciliation to occur, we must first acknowledge the whole truth, and
the truth is, this trip to South Africa has been both amazing and horrifying—and that is okay.”

Upon graduation, Doze plans to attend law school with the goal of practicing civil rights, criminal justice,
and/or human rights law, cultivating a gateway between her Emory scholarship and global practice.

Organized by Emory’s Office of Spiritual and Religious Life, Journeys of Reconciliation is an interreligious
immersion program that explores the root causes of conflict and builds relationships between Emory and
communities in the US and around the world. At the program’s heart is an affirmation that barriers of race,
religion, nationality, gender, and class can and ought to be overcome. The program invites groups to encounter
the world’s complexity, to hear stories of pain and liberation, and to seek wisdom outside the university walls.
Each trip carries the hope that participants will be transformed into more thoughtful and caring citizens of
the world. Each group is multidisciplinary, multi-generational, multireligious, and multiethnic in the hopes
of growing an inclusive community. This program is open to students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Emory.
IDN partnered with the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life to support the travel of two students this year,
Mariah Doze and Bobbye Hampton; IDN’s support of the program will continue in 2019 when Journeys of
Reconciliation travels to the US-Mexico border.

Faculty leader Pamela Scully, an expert on South
African history, led this journey to South Africa.

She reflects that “the trip highlighted the ongoing
inequality long after colonialism and apartheid
as well as the creativity of citizens forging a new
world through law, art, and business. The trip

provided an opportunity for ongoing discussions
about the nature of justice. I am still processing the
implications of all we saw and the wonderful con-
versations we had with South Africans engaged in

forging a post-post-apartheid South Africa.”

Professor Pamela Scully
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs

Scully paying her respects to Madiba— a statue of Nelson Mandela outside
Victor Verster prison from where he walked out a free man in February 1990.

24

IDN Funding Opportunities

The Institute for Developing Nations supports academic excellence and scholarship through a
number of funding opportunities for students, staff, and faculty.

PUBLISHING AND PRESENTATION FUND

The goal of the IDN Publishing and Presentation Fund is to foster the dissemination of work done in collaboration
between Emory University and The Carter Center. The fund facilitates the publication and presentation of scholarly
works by assuming some of the costs associated with them. Emory University faculty and staff, postdocs, researchers,
and currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students, along with Carter Center staff, are eligible to apply.
Applicants may receive funding for one paper and one presentation per year. Funds also may support student travel
for presentation at professional conferences. The Publishing and Presentation Fund renders its decisions on a
rolling basis.

THOUGHT LEADER FELLOWSHIP

To promote public discourse broadly on issues related to global development, IDN has partnered with The OpEd
Project by providing Emory faculty a daylong Write to Change the World workshop. The OpEd Project has an excellent
track record of partnering with universities across the US, helping them channel their best ideas to media gatekeepers
and disseminate these ideas to the broadest audiences. This initiative aims to break storytelling barriers by introducing
new voices and fresh ideas in local as well as national and international media. Given IDN’s commitment to advance
human rights and alleviate human suffering, this fellowship will give prominence to unheard stories of the most
marginalized people in society, which includes women and people of color, particularly those working in and on
behalf of the developing world.

ELMO INITIATIVE GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP

Open to advanced doctoral students in Laney Graduate School, the ELMO Fellowship is an opportunity to utilize The
Carter Center’s ELMO data collection and reporting system, as well as enhance coordination skills, lead workshops, and
gain methodological experience in social science research. Applications for the 2019–2020 academic year are due
January 29, 2019.

ELMO PRE-DISSERTATION FUNDING

Laney Graduate School doctoral students who wish to use ELMO for pre-dissertation fieldwork in developing countries
may apply for funding. ELMO is not limited to election observation; it can be used for quantitative or qualitative
research in any field of study—including conflict, human rights, and health—in developing nations to facilitate data
collection, analysis, communication, and reporting. Applications for summer experiences are due February 5, 2019.

GENERAL GRADUATE FUNDING

From time to time, opportunities to work with The Carter Center programs arise. Emory graduate students may apply
for General Graduate Funding in order to take advantage of these opportunities; they might include, but are not limited
to, short-term assignments such as election monitoring and summer research work that fulfills a programmatic need.
Short-term opportunity applications must be received at least three weeks prior to departure, while applications
for summer experiences are due February 5, 2019.

For more information on any of these opportunities, please visit idn.emory.edu.

IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 25

WHERE
ARE

THEY
NOW?

Meet
Chelsea
Edwards

WHAT WAS YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT/HOW DID WHY DO YOU DO THE WORK YOU DO? WHAT
YOU USE IDN FUNDING? IS YOUR PERSONAL WHY? WHAT KIND OF
IMPACT DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE WITH YOUR
I researched a government-run development program WORK?
in rural Nicaragua that formed and funded women’s
agricultural cooperatives. I believe every person should be treated with dignity and
respect. My clients are people who have been treated as
WHAT RESULTED FROM YOUR IDN-FUNDED a means to an end—a body to work for the benefit of a
RESEARCH? WHAT WAS THE IMPACT TO YOU, company or a trafficker instead of a human being—and my
TO AN ORGANIZATION/INDIVIDUALS ETC.? job gives me an opportunity every day to set that right in
some small way.
I provided reports to the local government office and
engineers operating the program. This research opened my WHAT DOES A DAY IN YOUR SHOES LOOK LIKE?
eyes to, among other things, the ways that women form the
organized core of many communities and the ways in which My days vary between interviewing and counseling clients;
offering them a direct connection to a government official negotiating with employers; representing clients in local,
often allows them to be effective advocates for projects that state, and federal courts; and researching and writing briefs
benefit the entire community. and outreach materials.

26

At the core of IDN’s mission of shaping international studies. She then received
the role of higher education in global a law degree (University of Pennsylvania
development is providing access to Law School) in 2015. She is currently an
students to help solve complex global attorney-legal fellow at Justice at Work, a
problems. This funding provides legal-aid organization that provides free
students a gateway to the world to legal services, education, and advocacy
mobilize change for the greater good. for low-wage immigrant workers in
Pennsylvania. Edwards is an attorney
In fall 2008, IDN awarded Chelsea representing women who work in the
Edwards funding for a research restaurant industry on matters including
project to address women’s access sexual harassment, wage and hour
to government. She received her BA violations, and labor trafficking.
from Emory in 2010 in journalism and

HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH IDN WHAT’S IN YOUR DESK THAT WOULD
HELP PREPARE (OR POSITION) YOU TO SURPRISE US?
MAKE REAL IMPACT?
A dozen pairs of shoes (you never know when you’re going
At a very basic level, it helped me learn Spanish so I can to need to run to court or run to dance class).
communicate with my clients (my days are usually divided
evenly between Spanish and English). It also taught me WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU WOULD YOU
really helpful skills like how to interview clients, how to OFFER A PERSON ENTERING YOUR FIELD?
navigate government systems outside the US, and how to
quickly write, review, and translate reports. Don’t go to law school just because you don’t know what else
to do. Spend some time in the trenches serving people in the
HOW HAS THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN IDN community you care about; figure out what their needs are
AND THE CARTER CENTER IMPACTED YOUR and how that matches up with the work about which you’re
STUDIES AND YOUR CAREER? most passionate. Then decide what you need to do to get
the skills you need to respond, and become the best (lawyer,
My experience at IDN gave me insight into the lives of poor nurse, community organizer, mayor—whatever it is) that you
Central American families, a better understanding of global can be to serve those people best. And if you do end up in law
economic and migration patterns, and models of effective school, don’t forget why you’re there.
(and ineffective) organizing. I was steered to my current
career through a number of different experiences, but my IDN NEWSLETTER Winter 2019 27
IDN experience—made possible through this partnership—
was absolutely crucial to where I ended up.

Welcome to IDN Graduate Assistants
and Staff Updates

In cultivating a compelling student experience and community
that promotes a thriving campus, we welcome our new
IDN Graduate Assistants

Anushka Karki is currently working on a master’s in development practice.

She earned a bachelor’s in international and global studies from the University
of Idaho, where she focused on global resource management in Asia. Karki is a
cofounder of a nonprofit called EffortLab, which focuses on promoting various
awareness programs in Asia. Highlights of her career include being part of a
program conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nepal to raise awareness
about human trafficking and labor abuse and working closely with Pushpa Basnet
(CNN Hero 2012 and CNN Superhero 2016) to help relocate children living behind
bars with their incarcerated parents in Nepal. Her research and field interests are
water scarcity, climate change, workings of intergovernmental organizations, and
policy reforms, among many others.

Laura Linde received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–

Madison in chemistry and environmental studies and is in her first year of pursuing
a master’s in development practice through Laney Graduate School. Linde served
in the Peace Corps Nicaragua, where she taught about science, school gardens,
compost, and tree nurseries in local elementary schools, as well as working with the
broader community to promote recycling. While there, she discovered a passion for
gender-equity work during her time as a cochair of Peace Corps Nicaragua’s Gender
and Development Committee. In addition to participating in a boy’s gender-equity
camp called CHACA (Chavalos a caballeros, “Boys to gentlemen”), she codirected two
national girls’ empowerment camps, facilitated discussions with Peace Corps trainees
about development theory, and gave trainings to Nicaraguan teachers about gender-
equitable teaching practices. She hopes to combine her two passions, gender equity
and the environment, in her studies at Emory.

28

Maryclaire Regan, who holds a degree in religion from Emory, is a first-year master’s

in public health student in the Behavioral Sciences and Health Education department.
She is pursuing a certificate in human rights and focusing her studies on interpersonal
violence and women’s empowerment. Her interest in these issues developed during her
semester studying abroad in Costa Rica while taking the course Latin America from a
Gender Perspective with Helen Temple. Regan has also served as a corps member with
Teach for America and taught English as a foreign language while living in Ho Chi Minh
City, Vietnam.

Kate Schwenk is currently a master’s in public health candidate in the Hubert

Department of Global Health with a concentration in community health development
along with a certificate in complex humanitarian emergencies. Her global experience
includes serving a two-year stint in the Peace Corps in the Republic of Georgia, as a
disaster- risk-reduction volunteer in the Philippines, and as a staff member at a nonprofit
development center in St. Petersburg, Russia. Schwenk first became interested in
community development and humanitarian emergencies when she worked at the
Tippecanoe County Health Department in emergency preparedness and then as a
health services supervisor on local and national disasters with the American Red Cross.

Staff Updates

Congratulations to Stephanie Sorquira, who was recently accepted into the juris master’s

program at Emory. Sorquira’s passion for human rights is reflected in her commitment to pursue this
degree while continuing to work full-time with IDN. Time to hit the books again!

Thank you and goodbye to Kristin Tanis, the talented communication specialist who worked

hand-in-hand with the staff of IDN for a number of years to design this newsletter as well as our
other IDN materials. She was an ideal partner because she brings an in-depth understanding of
international development theory, thanks to her work in program development with organizations
such as CARE USA and CARE India. We wish her the best as she embarks upon her nursing career. We
will miss her visual expertise and her skill at collaboration.

Join Us!

To learn more about our work, get access to IDN resources,
newsletter, or to contribute, please visit

idn.emory.edu /InstituteforDevelopingNations /idn_emory

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