Julia Davatzes

My fellowship working for Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU) and Women in Action for Women (WAW) was an incredibly impactful experience, both personally and professionally. I learned so much in just 10 weeks from working alongside the dedicated staff at GDPU and WAW and living in Northern Uganda. In my graduate program, I have focused on localization and the role that INGOs may play in the development and humanitarian spheres. Working directly for local community-based organizations has reaffirmed some of those learnings, but also altered some perspectives and exposed me to new challenges and roles I had not thought of before. The direct project development and implementation experience gained through this fellowship will benefit me for the rest of my academic and professional career. I am deeply indebted to the Advocacy Project for this opportunity.