Grants
Grant Recipients
2009 Undergraduates Grants
Tobyn Aaron, Quincy House, a Comparative Study of Religions concentrator: Internship with Human Capital Foundation as a teaching fellow to AIDS orphans in Ethiopia.
Tsion Aberra, Mather House, a Human Evolutionary Biology concentrator: Internship teaching English, Math and Science at a K-12 school in Ethiopia.
Hana Ali, Mather House, a Human Evolutionary Biology concentrator: Internship at a human rights NGO supporting HIV/AIDS patients in Ethiopia.
Jenne Ayers, Mather House, a Government concentrator: State Department Intern at the US Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda.
Allison Brandt, Dunster House, an Anthropology concentrator: Internship with Partner in Health/ Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo, in Neno, Malawi.
Charlotte Chuter, Quincy House, an Organismic and Evolutionary Biology concentrator: Internship with Support for International Change: HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign in Northern Tanzania.
Laura Dean, Dunster House, a Women, Gender and Sexuality concentrator: Internship with Support for International Change—HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign in Northern Tanzania.
Sangu Delle, Quincy House, an African and African American Studies concentrator: Senior thesis research on “The Value of Water Supply and Sanitation in Development: An Assessment of Agyementi, Ghana."
Thomas Graziano, Quincy House, a Social Studies concentrator: Senior thesis research on “Memorials, Collective Memory and State Building in Post-Genocide Rwanda.”
Christopher Higgins, Winthrop House, a Social Studies concentrator: Internship with New Hope Africa Children’s Ministries, a grassroots NGO in Uganda.
Rashmi Jasrajaria, Kirkland House, a Social Studies concentrator: Senior thesis research on “Deconstructing Women’s Empowerment as it Relates to HIV Prevention in Northern Tanzania.”
Christopher Johnson-Roberson, Winthrop House, a History of Literature and a Music concentrator: Intensive Zulu language study at Summer Cooperative African Language Institute.
Kathryn Leist, Adams House, an Organismic and Evolutionary Biology concentrator: Internship with an NGO in Tanzania that promotes AIDS awareness in rural villages.
Alina Mogilyanskaya, Quincy House, a History and Literature concentrator: Internship with Les Amis in Senegal.
Naseemah Mohamed, a freshman Social Studies concentrator: Internship at Standard Limited newspaper in Nairobi, Kenya.
Anjali Motgi, Currier House, a Social Studies concentrator: Senior thesis research on "Community-based AIDS Organizations in South Africa.”
Christina Newhouse, Adams House, a Government Concentrator: Internship with WorldTeach to teach children in South Africa.
Ayodeji Brian Ogunnaike, Currier House, an African and African Americans Studies concentrator: Senior thesis research on “Islamic Divination: The Interaction between Traditional Yoruba Divination and Islam in Nigeria”
Anna Shoemaker, Currier House, a Social Studies concentrator: Senior thesis research on “Alcohol and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) Transmission in Ghana.”
Mackenzie Sigalos, Dunster House, a Government concentrator: Internship with the Victoria Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation as a technology pilot coordinator.
Marguerite Thorpe, Eliot House, a Social Studies concentrator: Internship with Partners in Health in Neno, Malawi.
Aurelia Tichoux, a freshman Social Studies concentrator: Internship with PRIDE Tanzania working on microfinance.
Audrey White, Winthrop House, a History concentrator: Senior thesis research on “An Exploration into the Evolution and Progression of Violence in British West Africa.”
Christina Zhou, Leverett House, an Economics and Psychology concentrator: Volunteer teaching with WorldTeach in Namibia.
2009 Graduate Grants
David Amponsah, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in the Study of Religion: “Religious Markings: Colonialism, Missionization, and the Native Burden in Ghana, 1874-1957."
Tobenna Anekwe, a School of Public Health doctoral student in Population and International Health: “The Effect of Vaccination on Educational Attainment in Rural South Africa."
Emmanuel Asiedu-Acquah, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in History: “Youth Culture and Popular Politics in Colonial and Postcolonial Ghana.”
Adefolakemi Babatunde, a Medical School student: Internship – “Investigation of Program Practice Concerning Use and Distribution of Micronutrients in Multiple HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Centers in Central Kenya.”
Emmanuel Bagenda, an SJD student at the Law School: “Revisiting the Formal and Informal Spheres: Lessons from Uganda.”
Venise Battle, a Master's of Theological Studies student in the Divinity School: “Mami Wata: Arts, Gender and Devotion in a West African Tradition.”
Jody Benjamin, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in African and African American Studies: will be taking an intensive Bamana language course in Bamako, Mali.
Stephanie Bosch, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in African and African American Studies: will be taking an intensive Zulu language course in Johannesburg.
Bolanle Bukoye, a School of Public Health masters student in Population and International Health: “Malaria Control Methods among Pregnant Women and Children in Kwale, Kenya.”
Connie Chung, a Graduate School of Education doctoral student: “Gender in Place and Relationship: The Relational and Spatial World of Street Girls in Zambia and Tanzania."
Sarah Eltantawi, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in the Study of Religion: “Stoning Punishment in the Islamic Tradition and its Application in Modern Nigeria.”
Michael J. Esdaile, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in History and Middle East Studies, will be in Kenya as part of his research on “The End of Empire in the Aden Colony: The Role of Indigenous Social and Commercial Networks.”
Claire Grace, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in History of Art and Architecture: “South African Urbanity in Contemporary Art.”
Catharine Hale, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in History of Art and Architecture: “Asante Schools and Cross-Cultural Encounters in Ghana."
Christine Jeon, a School of Public Health master’s student in Epidemiology: “Impact of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics on TB Treatment Delay and Drug-resistant TB African Miners in South Africa."
Raquel Kennon, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in Literature and Comparative Literature: will take an intensive Yoruba language course in Nigeria.
Sharon Kivenko, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in Anthropology: “Mobile Bodies: On the Transnationalization of Malian Dance and Music.”
Carla Martin, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in African and African American Studies: “Sounding Creole: The Politics of Cape Verdean Language, Music and Diaspora.”
Ian Mills, a Kennedy School masters student in Public Administration: Internship – "Assisting in the Promotion of Democratic Governance in Botswana."
Rugemeleza Nshala, a doctoral student in the Law School: “The Extractive Industry in Africa: An Examination of Regulatory and Tax Laws Reforms of the 1990's in Tanzania and Zambia."
Philip Osafo-Kwaako, a Kennedy School doctoral student in Public Policy: “Health Insurance, Child Health and Educational Outcomes in Western Nigeria.”
Devaka Premawardhana, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in the Study of Religion: “Transnational Pentecostalism: The Discourse of Spiritual Warfare in Brazilian Missions to Mozambique.”
Pamela Scorza, a School of Public Health doctoral student: “Development of a Psychosocial Intervention for Adolescents in Rwanda.”
Chana Teeger, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in Sociology: “Selling Memory and Making Identity: Apartheid Commemorations in South Africa in a Global Age.”
Loic Watine, a Kennedy School Masters student in Public Administration and International Development: Internship – "Randomized Controlled Trial on a Microfinance Program in Rural Togo.
Brian Wood, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences doctoral student in Anthropology: “Poverty Reduction through Community-based Forest Management in Babati, Tanzania.”
Shannon Wright, a Divinity School Masters of Divinity student: Internship - "Facilitating Church-based Restitution and Reconciliation in South Africa."
2008 Undergraduates Grants
Gloria Cheche, an Environmental Sciences and Public Policy concentrator: “Using transdisciplinarity to assess the effectiveness of environmental policies/projects in Tanzania.”
Heidi Kim, a Social Studies concentrator: “Research on the role of faith-based organizations in delivering health care in Rwanda.”
Robert Ross, a Social Studies concentrator: “Post-conflict reconciliation process in Northern Uganda: the origins and evolution of Mato Oput.”
Lauren Yapp, a History and Anthropology concentrator: “District Six and Sophiatown: The history and memory of lost communities and cultures in South Africa.”
2008 Graduate Grants
Ivelina Borisova, Graduate School of Education: “Sierra Leone’s Child Soldiers: the Role of the Family in the Pathways of Reintegration and Adjustment.”
Brooke Jack, Kennedy School of Government: “Allocation of Direct Incentives for Water Quality Improvement in Malawi.”
Philipp Lehmann, History, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: “The Nature of Colonialism: The German Imperial Encounter with the East African Landscape.”
Janet Lewis, Government, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: “Protecting the Periphery: Violence and Center-Periphery Economics Integration in African States.” She is the recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Grant.
Chérie Rivers, African and African American Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: “Music in Senegalese Film After Sembene.”
2007 Undergraduates Grants
Khary O. Francis investigated the influence of mode of instruction in teacher training on the understanding of Curriculum 2005 in South Africa.
Milo M. Harman traveled to Ethiopia to study the Falash Mura.
Alexandra M. Jacobs researched in Senegal on the Rassemblement démocratique african and its role in West African decolonization.
Ofole U. Mgbako traveled to Nigeria to research the political development of Wole Soyinka's life and literature from 1967-69.
Ashley L. Shuyler studied the national exam culture in Tanzania.
Susannah P. Wilson studied the cultural, economic and medicinal significance of beads, in particular powder-glass beads, in Ghana.
2007 Graduate Student Grants
Adia Benton, Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, conducted archival research in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to historicize ethnographic data on marriage and sexuality.
Jean Biem , Romance Languages & Literatures, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, traveled to Cameroon to examine aspects of women's agency in African culture and politics through an understanding of the anthropological, historical, social and political context of the works of novelist Werewere Liking.
Sharon Kivenko, Social Anthropology, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, studied the transnational flows of Bamana dance forms through a study of itinerant African artists' performance practices in Mali.
Timothy Mah, Population and International Health, Harvard School of Public Health, conducted a quantitative survey and analysis of predictors and risks associated with concurrent sexual partners for HIV prevention in Southern Africa.
Carla D. Martin, African & African American Studies (Anthropology), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, will travel to Cape Verde to study connections among members of the Cape Verdean Diaspora in U.S. and Cape Verdeans with a focus on popular music and sociolinguistic practices of youth.
Benjamin Piper, Administration, Planning & Social Policy, Graduate School of Education, conducted a mixed methods study of the impact of in-service education and training on achievement in Ethiopia.
Allistair M. Witten, Administration, Planning & Social Policy, Graduate School of Education, studied the role of schools in confronting the challenges of HIV/AIDS in South Africa.
2006 Undergraduate Grants
Megan Camm, "Impact of the Xhosa Cattle Killing: What Oral Narratives Tell Us 150 Years Later," in South Africa.
Kafui Gbewonyo, "A Comparative Study of the Use of Wastewater in Agriculture in Ghana and Kern County, California."
Leah Pillsbury, "Language and Education Policy in Tanzanian Schools."
Anne Romatowski, "The Influence of Female Genital Cutting and Local Language Programs on National Identity in Senegal."
Kathleen Walro, "An Analysis of the Relationship Between De Beers and the South African State in 1986 and 2005."
2006 Graduate Grants
Laura Murphy, "Irruptions of Memory: The Transatlantic Slave Trade in the Literature of West Africa" in Nigeria. She was a recipient of a Jennifer Oppenheimer African Studies Graduate Student Research Grant.
Ijeoma Nwachukwu, Harvard Law School, "Law and the Politics of Educational Reform in Nigeria."
Harmony O'Rourke, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Diasporas and Knowledge Systems: Changing Notions of Cleanliness, Health and the Body" in Cameroon. She was a recipient of a Jennifer Oppenheimer African Studies Graduate Student Research Grant.
Gemma Rodriguez, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Guns and Rhodes: The Colonial and Postcolonial Urban Landscapes of Harare, 1890-present" in Zimbabwe. She was the recipient of a Jennifer Oppenheimer African Studies Graduate Student Research Grant.
Sandra Sequeira, Kennedy School of Government, "The Political Economy of Transport Policies in Southern Africa" in South Africa and Mozambique.
Kwame Shabazz, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Ethnographic Fieldwork on Globalization, ‘Race,' and Neo-Traditionalism in Ghana."
Graziella Silva, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Comparison of Affirmative Action Policies in Higher Education in South Africa and Brazil."
2005 Undergraduate Grants
Lindsay Crouse, "The Legacy of the Dop System: Understanding Alcohol on South African Farms from Colonialism to the Present."
Kathryn Eidmann, "Role of Liberal Discourse in the Transnational Feminist Movement: Domestic Violence and Women's Advocacy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania."
Bethany Hoag, "Displaying Pain: Community Theater in the Fight Against HIV & AIDS in Swaziland."
Zoe Sachs-Arellano, "A Case Study on the Possibility of a Paradigm Shift in Approaches to International Development and Education: Focusing on Individual Agency," in Namibia.
Virginia Schnure, "Implementing Uganda's Health Care System with Severely Limited Means: An Ethnography of Buhinga Hospital's Doctors and Nurses."
2005 Graduate Grants
Sharon Abramowitz, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Trauma and War in Civilian Populations in West Africa," in Guinea and Liberia. She is a recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Graduate Grant in African Studies.
Sana Aiyar, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Relationship Between the South Asian Diaspora in Kenya and the Government of India."
Jonathan Harris, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Traditional Governance and Local Economic Outcomes," in South Africa. He is a recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Graduate Grant in African Studies.
Anne Hazel Mugo, Harvard Law School, "Evaluating Firms' Response to Information Costs and How Political Risk is Necessary for Successful Legal Reform," in South Africa.
Myles Osborne, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Kenya's Forgotten People: Ethnicity and Identity Among the Akamba, 1938-63."
Brian M. Wood, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Food Sharing Among Hadza Hunter Gatherers," in Tanzania. He is a recipient of the Jennifer Oppenheimer Graduate Grant in African Studies.
2004 Undergraduate Grants
Abigail Fee, "Effects of transporting Western family planning ideology into Ho, Ghana."
Lindsey Freeman, "Role of women's organizations in establishing peace and in reconstruction: a case study of 'Inclusive Security' in post-war Uganda."
Willa Friedman, "Educational projects and programs aimed at improving social capital in community schools in Kati, Mali."
Christopher Golden, "Bushmeat consumption in the Makira Forest, Madagascar: an evaluation of economic incentives in wildlife conservation."
Ashley Horan, "Evolution of oral traditions in urban areas of Cameroon."
Itumeleng Makgetla, "Large South African banking groups' approach to low-income housing finance as an indicator of their interest in the domestic economy and internationalizing tendencies." She is this year's Harvard African Students Alumni Network (HASAN) grant recipient.
2004 Graduate Grants
Sonya Anderson, Graduate School of Education, "'Girl friendly' education: teachers' beliefs and praxis in classrooms in Benin."
David Evans, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Orphans and schooling in Africa: a longitudinal analysis in Kenya."
Leora Maltz, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Landscapes of home: aesthetics and identities in the new South Africa."
Myles Osborne, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Role and impact of the Kamba on the anti-colonial struggle in Kenya."
Abena Osseo-Asare, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, "Representing poison: scientists, healers and the transformation of plant medicine in Ghana since 1850."
Corrinne Williams, Harvard School of Public Health, "Consequences of domestic violence on women's health in Tanzania."
