Refugees International Welcomes 2024 Refugee Fellows

Refugees International is proud to welcome its 2024 cohort of refugee fellows. The six fellows joining Refugees International have each demonstrated outstanding leadership and a strong commitment to advocating for their communities. They have been selected for their track records driving positive change and their unwavering dedication to addressing the unique challenges facing displaced people.

The 2024 fellows are:

Andhira Yousif is a refugee advocate and researcher who works to improve the rights of migrants and displaced people. She is the co-founder of AFRO ROAD- African, a refugee-led research organization. She previously worked as a scholars' program coordinator at the Displaced and Refugee Youth Enabling Environment Mechanism project. She is a refugee from Sudan living in Kenya.

Twitter/X @AndhiraKara

​Ayoo Irene Hellen is a woman and gender activist, mediator, peacebuilder, and environmental advocate. Her advocacy focuses on climate adaptation and mitigation, particularly promoting solar electricity. She currently works as a partnership officer with Last Mile Climate. She is a South Sudanese refugee from the Kiryandongo settlement in Uganda.

Twitter/X @ayoo_irene3

Jomana Abunahla is a woman, peace, and security scholar and a human rights activist. She has played a pivotal role at multiple women-led organizations, meticulously documenting human rights violations against women and girls in Gaza. As a member of the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) and Youth Advisory Panel (YAP), she represents Palestine, ensuring that Palestinian youth voices are included in strategic decision-making. She recently fled Gaza and is living in Egypt.

LinkedIn @Jomana Abunahla

Lucky Karim is a refugee and human rights activist and has worked for several international humanitarian organizations to serve the Rohingya community. She is a refugee from Myanmar and recently resettled to the United States after living for six years in Cox's Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh.

Twitter/X @Lucky2944576441

Masooda Qazi is a lawyer and advocate focused on women's rights. She began her legal career at the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, where she promoted gender parity in government hiring. In 2013, Masooda joined the EU Police Mission to support capacity-building and rule of law projects, including a significant effort to criminalize domestic violence in the Penal Code. Currently, she is co-leading a project that will raise awareness about gender persecution in Afghanistan. She also works as a paralegal at the San Diego County Public Defender's Office. She is a refugee from Afghanistan and now lives in the United States.

Twitter/X @Masoodaqazi

Wiliam Adrian Clavijo Vitto: is a researcher and advocate focused on energy, sustainability, immigrants, and refugees. He is the president and founder of the Venezuela Global Association, established in 2021 to promote the social and economic integration of migrants and refugees in Brazil. He is originally from Venezuela and now lives in Brazil.

Twitter/X @wclavijo90

"Building on the success of our first cohort of fellows, Refugees International is thrilled to continue this vital program," said Refugees International's Director for Refugee Leadership and Partnerships Hourie Tafech. "This has been an inspiring journey. For the second year in a row, we received almost 1,000 applications, with many significant profiles, which speaks to the vast and largely untapped talent and potential that exists within displaced communities. We are thrilled to welcome our new cohort, and we will keep working to grow our program and increase the number of opportunities offered."

"We are honored to have the opportunity to work with this extraordinary second cohort of refugee fellows," said Refugees International's Vice President Hardin Lang. "They represent the future of the humanitarian and refugee system. We are committed to supporting these leaders to shift power and advance meaningful change in their communities."

"The Refugees initiative is proud to support a second cohort of refugee leaders as part of this fellowship program, which demonstrated impressive success and important learnings in its first year," said Barri Shorey, Senior Program Officer, Refugees initiative & Disasters program, at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. "We are strongly committed to supporting the meaningful participation of refugee leaders so they can advocate for changes that will improve the lives of people in their communities."

Refugees International's Refugee Fellows Program works to enhance the expertise of refugee leaders in global advocacy through comprehensive training, networking, and professional development opportunities. Fellows work closely with Refugees International staff members who support them in achieving their advocacy goals. Fellows also contribute to shaping the institution's global advocacy priorities and enriching its organizational expertise.

Refugees International would like to thank the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for their generous support that has made this program possible.

For more information, contact Etant Dupain at [email protected].

Featured Image: A collage of headshots of Refugees International's 2024 Refugee Fellows cohort.

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