Sandbox Fellow Bios

Giselle Aris

Giselle Aris graduated from the University of Oxford in July 2009 with an MPhil in International Development. Her master’s thesis examined different forms of agricultural cooperatives and their effectiveness in regard to tackling poverty in the rural developing world. Giselle conducted her fieldwork for this thesis in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines. Prior to attending graduate school, Giselle worked for the Department of Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations, the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and Women’s Campaign International. Giselle has also worked in Ghana at the Center for Democracy and Development and conducted fieldwork for her bachelor’s thesis on language policies and education systems in South Africa.

Giselle’s main project at Navachetana Foundation during her first year as a Sandbox Fellow was leading the design and implementation of a dairy social enterprise.  Giselle worked collaboratively with the other members of the Navachetana Dairy Initiative (NDI) team at every stage of her work, namely intensive field research at the farmer, market and consumer levels; in-depth data analysis; business plan writing; attracting investors; training milk collection center testers and secretaries; training farmers in best practices for obtaining high-quality milk; operationalizing milk routes; negotiating partnerships with the private sector; and providing a full package of high quality dairy development services to farmers.  NDI has successfully transitioned from a broad idea to a well-developed, locally run, financially viable dairy business.  With operations management under control, during her second year as a Sandbox Fellow Giselle is focusing on monitoring and evaluation, and revising NDI’s action plan accordingly; designing and implementing scalability strategies; and ensuring NDI’s financial sustainability.

Julia Bach

Julia Bach sees working in the field of education as the perfect opportunity to remain curious and hopeful. Although in India for the first time, she has worked with students on three continents from ages five to twenty. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 2006 with B.A. in History she received a Fulbright grant to Korea where she taught elementary school students and helped redesign the early primary English curriculum. Her next adventure was in the world of an American middle school where her students constantly reminded her about the importance of a good sense of humor. She recently received a masters in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus in International Education Policy. Currently a Sandbox Fellow in Hubli, Julia is the newest member of The Teacher Foundation’s Hubli center and is eager to work with teachers as they continue their professtional development and reexamine their practices in an effort to make their schools and classrooms lively, engaging and effective instruments of social change.

Xanthine Basnet

Xanthine Basnet graduated from Salem College in 2007 with a major in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. While at Salem College, she interned at both Wachovia Corporation and HanesBrands Incorporated; there she was primarily involved in managing and analyzing large volumes of data and improving marketing strategies for the respective companies’ products. Xanthine also participated in a summer program in International Business at Oxford University and a pre-MBA program at the Babcock Graduate School of Management, Wake Forest University. In 2007, she conducted an independent study using a combination of first-hand case studies and literature reviews to investigate the challenges faced by microcredit strategies in Nepal. After graduation, she worked as a consultant in the for-profit sector for a year before joining PlaNet Finance US, an international non-profit organization, in 2008. At PlaNet Finance, she was involved in fundraising, communications, project management and feasibility studies of new projects to support PlaNet Finance’s global operations in the microfinance sector. Xanthine has a strong interest in the development sector, particularly in South Asia, for which she credits her upbringing and work experiences in Nepal, including a year-long tenure at the Family Planning Association of Nepal. Xanthine is currently working as a sandbox fellow with the Agastya Foundation.

Chiara Capraro

Chiara Capraro attended Università degli Studi di Torino in Italy, where she graduated with a BA in Modern Languages (Hindi and English) in 2006. Her thesis, an Italian translation of Krishna Sobti’s Hindi novel Ai Ladki, is due for publication in Italy in 2010.

She spent six months in India between 2003-04 living in Varanasi, improving her language skills and conducting field research on the contrasts between purity and pollution of the river Ganges in the Hindu perspective. This research formed the base for her MA dissertation in Anthropology of Development obtained from SOAS, University of London, in 2008. Chiara has worked for PhotoVoice, a participatory photography organization, developing a M&E and sustainability strategy. She has also worked for ALDA, a participatory citizenship NGO, as a project assistant. She was a UNICEF India KCCI intern in 2009 and worked freelance as an intercultural officer and interpreter with Indian migrants in her hometown in Italy. As a Sandbox Fellow Chiara is working with Bhoruka Charitable Trust on a foster care project for children and women living with HIV/AIDS.

Genny King

Genny graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005 with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a minor in Social and Economic Justice. She spent the summers of 2002 and 2003 conducting educational camps for youth in Malawi, where she developed a passion for education. In 2004, she studied in Chile and researched an organization that empowered indigenous and rural women.

Following college, she worked for two years in the non-profit sector with victims of domestic violence. She then returned to UNC-Chapel Hill in 2007 to work as the Internship Director for the Minor in Entrepreneurship. During her two years with the program, she helped develop courses on entrepreneurship, ran an experiential education program on entrepreneurship, coordinated a faculty boot camp on entrepreneurship and helped facilitate an entrepreneur speaker series.

In July of 2009, Genny came to India as a Sandbox Fellow with the Deshpande Foundation. She brings a strong passion for social entrepreneurship and expertise on entrepreneurship education to the EA team.

Emil Kuruvilla

Emil Kuruvilla graduated with honors from the University of California, Irvine in 2006 with a B.A in International Studies, and a minor in management. While at UC Irvine, Kuruvilla was a part of the International Studies Honors Programs. After graduating, he was a Fellow at the Coro Foundation in Los Angeles. His work placements included SEIU United Long Term Care Workers, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Re-election Campaign, the Orange County Business Council and the City of Los Angeles. His non-profit placement was LA36, an educational television channel. There, he served as a production assistant, and worked on multiple productions. Kuruvilla has been hired to film projects with the American Lung Association, the California Youth Advocacy Network and the Project Courage Campaign.

Since 2009, Kuruvilla has been the Media Fellow for the Deshpande Foundation. He has developed both commercials and documentaries for the Foundation and its NGO partners. He has worked with the AME Foundation, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, R.A.P.I.D, Mitan and the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT). This year, he will continue to work with the Foundation’s NGO partners to develop new and innovative projects that will enhance their organization.

Aliza Lailari

Aliza Lailari graduated from Tufts University in 2009 with a B.A. in International Relations. Her Independent Study project focused on women call center workers in Bangalore, India and the impacts their work has on various aspects of their lives. She also participated in a student research project in Lagos, Nigeria. Aliza has interned for the Marketing and Communications Department at Grameen Foundation, Global Economy and Development Program at Brookings Institution, and Child Hunger Programs at Feeding America. As a Global Exchange Sandbox Fellow she will be working with RAPID.

 

Source: Deshpande Foundation Website