Global Public Affairs Fellowship Fund

Worlds Apart

In Kandrika, India, 70 students gather to spend a few hours studying with a college-educated tutor and to meet “the funny American guy,” Jonathan Slakey, who is working on a Master of Public Policy. Slakey, who has showed up with school supplies, works with the Association of Relief Volunteers (ARV), a grassroots non-governmental organization that builds houses and organizes education and food distribution centers for the underserved and neglected areas of India.

In 100 Indian villages like Kandrika, nearly 30,000 people have depended on ARV’s educational centers for nearly a decade, but funding cuts from the Indian government combined with shrinking resources from abroad have drastically reduced ARV’s operations. Students like Slakey bring more than just school supplies, they bring know-how learned at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy and figure out how to apply it in real-world situations. Slakey, for instance, is analyzing ARV’s operations and helping the organization organize and present relevant data in order to find and secure new funding from abroad.

While the services are crucial to local villagers, the experience is invaluable to developing problem solving and leadership skills for interns like Slakey. Your generous gift to the Global Public Affairs Fellowship Fund will help both UCLA students and those they serve around the world.