FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York – September 13, 2012: The American India Foundation (AIF) is delighted to announce that Jennifer Chowdhury, an alumni of AIF’s William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India, has been listed by the Diplomatic Courier and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy in the “Top 99 Under 33 Foreign Policy Leaders”. The list captures the extraordinary impact of 99 hardworking young professionals on issues related to international affairs, and highlights their outstanding creativity, determination, and passion in tackling the world’s most critical challenges. The “99 Under 33” List includes entrepreneurs, technologists, journalists, bankers, activists, and scientists, as well as diplomats, reflecting the holistic nature of foreign policy in the 21st Century.
Jennifer served as an AIF Fellow in the Class of 2011-2012, working with Jeevika Development Society, a grassroots women’s rights NGO in Kolkata, West Bengal. During her Fellowship, Jennifer helped create a standard reporting mechanism that would help document cases of violence against women in the villages served by Jeevika’s Women’s Rights Program. She also helped Jeevika with a broad-based marketing and outreach campaign; including interviews of rural women Jeevika serves, to help raise the NGO’s profile. Her interviews will be distributed through several documentary videos, which will be available in Bengali and English, to broaden Jeevika’s outreach.
“While the fellowship was an extraordinary opportunity to work on issues I felt deeply passionate about, developing a cultural and spiritual connection with the women and girls I met at Jeevika was perhaps the most profound and meaningful part of my experience in India,” reflects Jennifer. “From the pani puri business owner to the activist who was a survivor of violence, I was humbled by just how resilient and spirited these women were throughout all their struggles. Their stories and their insights inspired me to stand strong in this global battle for gender equity.”
Jennifer’s accomplishment is a realization of the vision of AIF’s William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India – to create a generation of thoughtful leaders committed to service and capable of creating impactful change. The Fellowship selects emerging young American and Indian professionals to live and work in India for ten months, where they exchange technical skills and intellectual resources to build the capacity of under-resourced Indian NGOs while developing leadership skills and a firsthand understanding of India. The Fellowship develops leaders who will represent a collective voice for change in the world and strengthen the bridge between India and the United States. Since 2001, AIF has sent 298 Fellows to work in partnership more than 130 Indian NGOs.
For more information on the “99 Under 33” List, click here.
For more information on AIF’s Clinton Fellowship Program, click here.
