August 30, 2012 – New York, NY – The American India Foundation (AIF) is pleased to announce the 2012-2013 Class of the William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India. In September, 38 of America and India’s brightest young minds will join NGOs across India to develop solutions to a wide range of social and economic issues. Through ten months of service, learning, and exchange, these future leaders will embark on a journey of self-discovery and partnership to strengthen the capacity of their NGO partners and learn what it takes to lead on the ground in local communities.
The 2012-2013 class comprises a diverse group of talented and ambitious young professionals who have studied at respected universities such as MIT, Brown, Yale, Columbia, UC Berkeley, and Stanford. Nearly 90% of all Fellows have previous international work experience, and more than 50% of the American Fellows have mastery of one or more Indian language. For Marina Yakhnis and Ryan Ballard, the Fellowship was an experience worth repeating. Both are entering their second year in the program, returning to their NGOs (AIF’s Digital Equalizer Program in Karnataka and Magic Bus in Mumbai, respectively) to continue their projects. Marina, who has interned with the US Department of Health and Human Services and several human rights groups, completed a year of AmeriCorps service, and received a Fulbright research grant that led her to work with a youth group promoting ethnic tolerance in Ukraine. Ryan, who was awarded a Tata International Social Entrepreneurship Scheme Fellowship, has also worked in Jamshedpur, India researching strategies to improve maternal/infant health and sexual health in rural communities.
This year’s class includes eight Indian citizens with extensive research as well as personal and volunteer/work experience in fields like human rights and advocacy, urban development, relief and rehabilitation efforts, social entrepreneurship, community conflict resolution, use of visual and performing arts to spread awareness of social issues, and more. These inspiring men and women will serve together with their American counterparts at various NGOs across India, with the common goal of improving the practices and systems of the Indian development sector.
The Fellowship begins on September 3 with a 10-day orientation program in India, followed by a week-long site-specific orientation at host NGO partners during which time Fellows immerse themselves on causes related to education, livelihoods, public health, human rights and advocacy, and social enterprise. The Fellowship’s NGO partners includeleading organizations like People’s Watch, Tata Steel Rural Development Society, Centre for Social Research, Jagori, National Council on Skill Development, Calcutta Kids, SAATH, and more.
The William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India is a selective program that builds a lasting bridge between America and India by placing talented and skilled young emerging leaders in service and partnership with leading non-governmental organizations in India. The program has placed 299 Fellows in 133 NGOs and social enterprises to date. Providing a platform for a meaningful exchange of knowledge, skills and resources, the Fellowship improves the efficiency of the NGO sector in India while developing leaders with a deeper understanding of and continued commitment to India.
For the full list of 2012-2013 Clinton Fellows, visit AIF’s Clinton Fellowship page.
