Several of the past and present Peace Fellows keep blogs. We will put links to any that we know about, on Fellows' individual web pages. Please let us know of any we have missed. Thank you.
JILLIAN LARSEN
USA
Sponsored by: The Rotary Clubs of Whidbey Island, District 5050, USA
Country of Citizenship : USA
Language proficiency : English, Italian & Spanish. Basic French.
Academic Experience : Masters Studies in Public Administration - Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, New York University. B.A. in International Studies - Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. Recipient of Rotary Academic merit scholarships in 2001 and 2002. Former high school Rotary exchange student to Rome, Italy, during the academic year of 1999/2000.
Areas of interest : Aid effectiveness. The role of economic development, inequality and corruption in conflict prevention, mitigation and durable post-conflict recovery. Linkages (or lack thereof) between humanitarian relief programming and long term development strategies in conflict/post-conflict settings and their impact on durable peace. Highly aid-dependent African countries and the intersection between international development initiatives and democratic accountability.
Background : Jillian is a human rights advocate/researcher with a focus on expanding access to opportunity for marginalized populations. She has professional and academic experience spanning four continents and covering a wide range of economic development, health and human rights issues at an array of research, NGO and governmental institutions. For nearly three years, Jillian has been based in Uganda where she has worked on a variety of projects, including: improving access to financial services for micro and small enterprises; access to formal and informal justice mechanisms in post-conflict environments; aid dependence, corruption & governance in Uganda; and access to testing and first line malaria treatment in rural areas. Currently she is a Research Coordinator for the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative.
What do you plan to do with your RWPF: Pursue a career aimed at improving program design and effectiveness of humanitarian and development interventions through evidence based approaches in conflict and post-conflict environments.