[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 771

[Garry Krischock]

 Message 
  1. 1465: Rotary announces new class of World Peace Fellows 
Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:43 pm (PST) 
Giving peace a chance: Rotary announces new class of World Peace 
Fellows 

Evanston, Ill. -- Amid daily headlines of war, suicide bombings, 
ethnic and religious violence, and social unrest emerges some welcome 
positive news: The Rotary Foundation has named a new class of Rotary 
World Peace Fellows to study peacemaking and conflict resolution at 
the six Rotary Centers for International Studies located at leading 
universities in England, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and the United 
States. 

Launched in 2002, this innovative approach to world peace is a 
master's level program aimed at equipping the next generation of 
global and community leaders with skills needed to reduce the threat 
of war and violence. The Rotary World Peace Fellows are selected 
every year in a globally competitive process that begins when they 
apply through their local Rotary clubs. Applicants must demonstrate a 
commitment to peace and international understanding through their 
personal and community service activities or academic and 
professional achievements. 

Like the members of the classes preceding them, the 60 students in 
the 2008-10 class are a diverse group, representing 33 countries and 
an array of professional and cultural backgrounds. Their interests 
and areas of expertise include public health, education, 
international law, economic development, psychology, journalism, and 
social justice. They include: 

Mahamoud Abdi Sheikh Ahmed of Borama, Somalia, a team leader with the 
Norwegian Refugee Council in Somaliland, which provides basic 
education to children of displaced families. Ahmed's own childhood 
was interrupted by inter-clan violence, forcing his family to flee to 
Ethiopia. Ahmed eventually returned to Borama, finished college and 
became manager and newscaster of a local TV station. He will attend 
the Rotary Center at the University of Bradford, England. 
Rachel Davidson of Chicago , USA, a restorative justice specialist 
for Alternatives, Inc., a nonprofit youth agency that provides 
technical assistance and training to peer jury and mediation programs 
in public high schools. She is also a senior editor for the Yalla 
Journal , a joint Jewish-Arab project that compiles the personal 
stories of young people affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
Davidson, who holds a bachelor's degree in Hispanic studies, will 
attend the Rotary Center at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos 
Aires . 
Saran Koy of Phnom Penh , Cambodia , who grew up in poverty and 
forced labor during the radical Khmer Rouge regime before joining 
World Vision International, where he helped implement community 
development programs and child-focused educational, healthcare and 
water projects. Koy earlier worked as an election officer and 
translator for the Unites Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. 
He will attend the Rotary Center at the International Christian 
University in Tokyo. 
Alejandra Rueda Zarate of Bogota, Columbia, who earned a bachelor's 
degree in economics and worked for an agro-industrial company that 
promotes social development in conflict areas through the development 
of sustainable palm oil operations. In her current job as marketing 
director for the National Federation of Palm Oil Growers and 
Producers, she seeks new markets for bio-degradable palm oil products 
and oversees the national bio-diesel program. Zarate will attend the 
Rotary Center at the University of California, Berkeley . 
Mohammad Sharif Azami of Kandahar, Afghanistan, whose family fled to 
Pakistan when he was four years old. He has worked for the last six 
years with several humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam Great 
Britain, the United Nations World Food Program and the Canadian 
International Development Agency, to bring peace and stability to one 
of the most volatile areas of Afghanistan. Azami, who holds a 
bachelor's degree in business administration, will attend the Rotary 
Center jointly operated by Duke University and the University of 
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 
Zuzana Petovska of Bratislava, Slovakia , who grew up in the 
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and has worked for the United Nations 
Refugee Agency UNCR since 1997. As senior program assistant, she 
helps improve the care and assistance to children separated from 
their families in Bosnia, Kosovo and Chechnya. She will attend the 
Rotary Center at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. 

Source: R I Newsroom
Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://rotary9640.org/pipermail/d9640general_rotary9640.org/attachments/20080208/f748e0c4/attachment.html