Welcome new AFJN Interns: Spring 2010

To date we have four new interns who will assist us this spring!

Aly Lo (left) is a young man from Senegal who received his MBA from Iona College in New York, and has a strong interest in business development. He will be learning our take on fair trade with Africa as well as micro credit possibilities and how to advocate for fair and just trade with Africa as well as encouraging small business.

Kpakpo Serge Adotevi(right) is a graduate student at American University working on a masters in International Affairs. He brings skills and an understanding of world politics, peace and conflict, and justice to his time here at AFJN. He actually met AFJN at our 25th Anniversary two years ago and a member of one of the choirs that accompanied our Mass. He hopes to focus on our Congo advocacy as well as that of women and children caught in conflicts.

Sr. Hiwet Tesfagiorgis(middle) is a Comboni Missionary Sister originally from Eritrea who has spent 12 years serving in Uganda. She is now assigned to the United States to be part of the Mission Education Team of the Comboni Missionaries and will dedicate one day each week with us here at AFJN, assisting us with the development of Africa Summits in the Metro Washington and Baltimore area.

Semhar Abed is currently pursing a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Conflict Analysis and Resolution and Government and International Politics at George Mason University She is originally from Eritrea.  She is extremely passionate about Africa and policies that affect the continent.  Certainly she will help us understand the issues around the Horn of Africa.

AFJN welcomes undergraduate, graduate and others to join us in strengthening the work of education and advocacy that we do here. We welcome interns all through the year. More information is in the staff section of this website. Our Structure, Policy and suggested tasks are listed there for your information

Summer Intern Joins AFJN

Barbara Vi Ho is a senior at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.  She is a History and International Peace Studies double major with a minor in Gender Studies.  She is particularly interested in post-conflict transformation.  Barbara spent the 2009 spring semester completing an experiential learning program in Uganda through SIT/World Learning where she resided with a homestay family and attended classes taught by Makerere University professors.  She also spent half of her semester doing research in northern Uganda (Kitgum district) on community-level approaches to reconciliation and local notions of justice and peace.  She spent last summer in Bosnia-Herzegovina serving as an intern in the human trafficking department and this summer, she returned to the country to conduct research on the connections between the divisive education system, nationalism, and the perceptions of youth on their country.  Barbara hopes her internship with AFJN will help her gain a firmer perspective on how the role of active citizenship in the U.S. and U.S. policy itself shapes African countries and development.