Over three months have passed since our return from Bangladesh. I must confess, though. My head is very much still immersed in the developing world and the adjustment back to my ultra-urbanized life has been a challenge.
Nonetheless I have been attending classes – writing policy papers and op-ed articles about reflections on South Asia and broader humanitarian issues. Some of these experiences have been highlighted in brochures from New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. It is an honor to have been included in these publications and I am really proud to share them. They represent the first published steps in my journey to become an international human rights practitioner.
During the first month back I completed an application for a Fulbright research grant. Funded by the US State Department, I would study abroad for ten months beginning next August. The research will form the basis for my master’s thesis on women’s rights in Cambodia. The completion of this application is significant milestone. It is one that I could not have achieved without the support of NYU’s network of professors and partnerships. I also received guidance from within my extended family versed in grant writing. All of which I am eternally grateful.
My husband Gregory and I also received good news from PHREB, the NGO where we worked this summer. The first grant proposal we pitched for PHREB was accepted by one of the five largest Dutch development organizations. The initial correspondence was written after landing in the country for a mere three days. Subsequently, we (the NGO) were invited to submit a detailed programmatic and financial action plan.
The €40,000 euro funding covers a one year pilot study to investigate ways to improve maternal mortality rates in Moheshkhali. A remote island in the Bay of Bengal, the isle has a single hospital for 600,000 people. There are virtually no obstetric services. (You can read more in my blog entry 5 July 2009: The Caged Bird Sings).
And a few weeks ago, we received positive word from another potential funder. This partner has asked PHREB to submit a proposal to fund physical education programming for girls. It is based upon a single page expression of interest that I recently wrote. Greg and I are now compiling a ten page application that is due at the start of December. Fingers crossed.
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