NYU SPS Dean Angie Kamath recently appeared on Spectrum News NY1 to discuss the new Center for Global Affairs Afghan Crisis Fellowship, which was made possible by her through a commitment of funding. The program is a one-time opportunity for three eligible evacuees to receive a $25,000 non-resident academic fellowship to pursue research, writing, and advocacy work at the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs.
Dean Kamath discussed the profound impact on the evacuees of being forced to leave the place they call home. “We are excited to welcome the Fellows into our community, but we don’t underestimate all of the emotions and trauma that they are going through as well,” she noted. “We are committed to making sure that they can not only continue their work but that they are being taken care of as well.”
One of the Fellowship recipients, Metra Mehran, a women’s empowerment activist who endured a month-long evacuee process to leave her troubled country and settle in the US, also was interviewed for the story. According to Mehran, “If we don’t fight and stand up for our rights and the values that protect the dignity of our life as human beings, for me, life becomes meaningless.” The Fellowship will give her a platform to do more research and advocate for women’s rights in Afghanistan.
In addition to Mehran, the other recipients of the Fellowship include:
- Hamed Ahmadi is a blogger, journalist, and peacebuilder from Afghanistan who has contributed to Reporterly–a local English news outlet in Kabul–as well as the International Psychosocial Organization
- Roya Saqib is a social justice and women’s rights advocate who has advised the Afghan government (including as a technical assistant to the president) and international organizations on promoting women's rights, good governance, and sustainable development.
“These recipients were selected from a wide set of applicants who had to leave Afghanistan because their work on issues such as women’s rights, ethnic diversity, democracy, and justice made them targets of the Taliban de facto authorities. As Fellows, they will work with CGA faculty sponsors to continue their pursuit of justice and peace in Afghanistan and elsewhere,” said Anne Marie Goetz, PhD, a clinical professor at the Center for Global Affairs and a member of the faculty team that oversaw each phase of the selection process.