Dear Friends of PiAf,

This time of year always brings a flurry of activity as our current fellowship cohort transitions into the last quarter of their 12-month commitment. Simultaneously, our team is working diligently with our host organization partners in preparation for our upcoming, 2025-26 fellowship year. 

Despite the busyness that so often characterizes this period, however, we remain immensely proud of the tireless effort and passionate commitment of our Fellows. Once again, I take great pride in bringing you the steady, consistent, and impactful work that is being accomplished by Princeton in Africa Fellows in this month's 'Fellows Flyer'. Our cohort of dynamic, talented, and dedicated young leaders continue to serve as shinning examples of how to respectfully and professionally engage in a manner that contributes to healthy and thriving communities.

Below, you will hear from four dynamic young women who are members of our current fellowship cohort. Amma-Sika, Lyla, Merete, and Sarra have each immersed themselves into their fellowships and are making significant contributions in three African countries: Ghana, Tanzania, and Kenya. Their reflections and photos represent the incredible work that they have accomplished in collaboration with their host organization partners, as well as the additional ways they have enriched their experiences by participating in local activities. 

Today's outreach also comes at a unique time as we are officially less than 1 week away from our 25th Anniversary gala. More information on this incredible event can be found by scanning the QR code below or clicking here. We hope to see you there! 

As you read the reflections below, please recognize the invaluable role that you play in helping these young people build lasting connections while honing their leadership skills. On behalf of the entire team at Princeton in Africa, thank you for your ongoing commitment to our work and mission!

Sincerely,

Damilola Akinyele Wolfgarten, Executive Director

LETTERS FROM THE FIELD

As a Princeton in Africa Fellow based in Ghana, I support Warc Africa, an agricultural social enterprise focused on empowering smallholder farmers through regenerative agriculture and inclusive development. My work spans strategic planning, project coordination, and impact measurement. A key highlight has been co-developing a fish farming business plan for a displaced coastal community in the Volta Region. Through a participatory process, I helped design a sustainable livelihood strategy rooted in the community’s needs and aspirations.

During my fellowship, I've also traveled to Sierra Leone to lead a new project with The Rainforest Builder, an agricultural improvement program that equips farmers with training and inputs to increase yields while encouraging long-term cultivation on the same land—reducing the need to clear new forest areas. As part of this project, I am leading the end-to-end implementation: recruiting and managing a field team, procuring materials, coordinating timelines, and ensuring the overall success of the program’s rollout.

Beyond fieldwork commitments, I contribute to internal organizational strategy, helping to streamline workflows and enhance reporting systems to keep the team focused on high-impact goals.

This fellowship is a transformative chapter in my journey—sharpening my leadership skills while grounding my work in community-driven, sustainable development. On a personal level, returning to my country of origin to contribute to agricultural and economic transformation has been a deeply meaningful and transformative experience.

My name is Lyla Renwick-Archibold and I am a STEM Fellow at Tanzania Education Corporation, based at Tumaini Senior Secondary School in Makuyuni, Tanzania. Tumaini is a private, boarding secondary school. On any given day, I find myself in the company of zebras, giraffes and elephants, as I am based about an hour and a half away from Arusha, which is known as the tourism hub of Tanzania.

Through my work, I get the chance to introduce technology to students and excite them about the possibilities that they have to build their own creations. My responsibilities also consist of building out Project Based Learning courses, which encourage creative thinking on projects that are different from the Tanzanian national curriculum. Working with Tanzania Education Corporation, I get varied perspectives that contribute to making sure the programs and classes implemented support both a new learning style while upholding Tanzanian values. Through my work and bonds built with students and administration, I hope to foster an educational foundation in technology that will contribute to increased diversity of engineers, product managers and innovators in the technology field.

Beyond work, I have learned new aspects of Tanzanian culture and have adopted the politeness, pride and patience of Tanzanians around me. I have also learned basic communication in Kiswahili and have understood so much through short conversations. Additionally, I have had the chance to visit neighboring cities of Moshi, Babati, Arusha, and traveled further to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful Swahili coast. I have built a strong community of Tanzanian friends—most of them work within the tourism and gemstone industries, and are the minds behind the safaris you may go on or the Tanzanite designs you purchase here. These individuals have been great companions as I embark on local adventures. As my time begins to close here in Tanzania, I look forward to contributing further both to Tumaini and TEC.

Living and working in a rural posting these past eight months has instilled the deep value of neighborliness. How to work hard and walk slow, stopping to greet each person you pass. My organization, the Lwala Community Alliance, is located in southwestern Kenya, between Lake Victoria and the Tanzanian Border. At Lwala, community is everything. The organization started as a small locally led clinic and has since grown into a hospital and community-led health movement that works to professionalize community health workers, empower local leadership committees, and work with local governments to better train and equip health facilities. 

In my role as the Communications & Learning Fellow, many of my projects involve photography, videography, writing, interviewing, and graphic design. I directly support our hospital’s health communications as well as our Primary Health Care team that implements our community-led health model across three counties and leads clinical training initiatives in nine. During my fellowship, I’ve designed and launched a new branding guide for the organization as well as lead the design of all our reports (check out our new annual report here!). My favorite part of my work is getting to interact with all our different programs, documenting their work and helping to amplify local voices to our global audience. 

In my time off, I go for hikes, take soapstone carving classes and visit friends. In adjusting to rural life, I feel like I’ve had to redefine family, friendships, and the hobbies I have access to. There are growing pains, but I’m grateful to be sharing so much of this experience with Senam, my co-fellow and built-in sister. Together we’ve gotten to explore so much of Western Kenya- fishing on the lake, hiking in Kakamega forest, exploring local parks, etc. The people make the place and I’m lucky to be surrounded by some pretty great ones.

My name is Sarra Hussien, and I work with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Kenya as an Advocacy and Communications Fellow. IRC Kenya is dedicated to improving the lives of refugees, vulnerable populations, and host communities, with a focus on health, education, nutrition, and economic recovery. We work in various regions of Kenya, including Kakuma Refugee Camp, Turkana, and Dadaab, among others.

During my time as a Fellow, I’ve had the opportunity to engage in impactful initiatives and projects. One of the highlights of my experience was attending a workshop with technical coordinators from various IRC sectors where feedback was provided on the government’s new Shirka Plan. The Shirka Plan is the government of Kenya’s strategy for improving the integration of refugees into local communities, with a focus on enhancing access to services and livelihood opportunities. I had the unique opportunity to consolidate feedback from all sectors that was then sent to the government for revisions. It was inspiring to see the collaboration between the government and NGOs, all working together to improve the refugee integration process.

In January, I traveled into the field to support content collection for the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, one of IRC's key donors. During this trip, I had the privilege of assisting with interviews of refugees receiving health and nutrition support from IRC clinics, as well as refugee entrepreneurs and teachers. These interactions provided me with firsthand insight into the resilience of the refugee community. From this experience, I produced an op-ed published on IRC’s global website, emphasizing the importance of trained teachers in refugee education. The article featured Maria, a 24-year-old teacher who manages over 200 students in a single classroom. It highlighted how resources from TeachWell, a program supported by IRC, have been instrumental in helping Maria with classroom management and ensuring the success of her students.

Outside of work, I’ve been embracing life in Kenya. I’ve enjoyed exploring Nairobi’s vibrant culture and everything the country has to offer. I’ve gotten to travel to the coast for weekend beach trips, visited tea farms, and I've also discovered a love for traditional Kenyan cuisine, especially dishes like nyama choma (grilled meat) and chapati. On the weekends, I often visit local thrift markets, spend time with my friends, and take part in community events. As I near my 9-month at IRC, I’m thankful for the opportunity to contribute to such an impactful international organization and for the personal and professional growth I’ve experienced. The work has been challenging, but it has also been rewarding, teaching me valuable lessons along the way. I’m eager to see what the next phase of my time here brings.