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Ending Human Trafficking in India, One Story at a Time
This year, the Collaboratory partnered with U.S. Consulate General Kolkata to support a pilot project called “Ending Human Trafficking in India, One Story at a Time.”
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Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summits Kick-Off in Salt Lake City
On July 12th, the 2019 Diplomacy Begins Here Regional Summits will kick-off in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with Global Ties U.S., each summit will bring together leaders from business, government, and nonprofit sectors to engage with local communities on U.S. foreign policy.
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Virtual Fitness Session with Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Alumna, Tracy Sena Yeboah!
“We are very grateful to the AWE program for giving us a platform to improve our business strategy and becoming a successful brand” – Tracy Sena Yeboah, AWE Alum Ghana 2019
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Malak Al Akiely
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Short Biography
Content created by Virtual Intern Nayantara AroraMalak Al Akiely is a leader who has inspired Jordanian women through her entrepreneurial spirit and abundant energy. She is the founder and managing director of Golden Wheat for Grain Trading, Ltd., a company which markets grains across the Middle East, Africa, and the U.S. As owner of this agricultural trading company she is focused on food security issues in the MENA region.
Al Akiely is a co-founder of Golden Kayan for Oil & Energy, a consultant to oil and petroleum trading companies, a co-founder and board member in the Jordan Economic Forum, and a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum. She was selected as one of the top ten young persons of the world by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) in August 2019, and is a sought after speaker at events to motivate women and youth.
During her International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) in 2015, she spent time in Chicago, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and D.C. and explored economic opportunities, gained international exposure, and opened professional channels with other participants focused on women's economic stability, prosperity, and entrepreneurship.
Following her IVLP in the United States, Al Akiely used a small grant from the U.S. Department of State to launch a social entrepreneurship initiative called “Women BeeBuzzers,” which enabled rural Jordanian women to earn income and gain new skills.
Her passion for economic security and entrepreneurial innovation have taken her across the world, not only returning to the U.S. but also taking part in an Arctic Expedition with 100 people from all sectors and all continents.
Malak Al Akiely sets the standard for business leaders and changemakers across the MENA region. In addition to upholding values of integrity within her business initiatives, Al Akiely’s advocacy for cross-cultural communication, women, and economic development, is changing the world.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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Al AkielyIVLP Alumni
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Otgontuya Badamgarav
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Content created by Virtual Intern Adelle BarkhuizenOtgontuya Badamgarav started using a wheelchair due to a car accident and mainly stayed at home because of the stigma in Mongolia against people with disabilities. In 2010, she participated in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) that highlighted how people with disabilities live, work, and study in the United States. She saw how disability rights are supported by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Badamgarav was overwhelmed by the support shown to people with disabilities from all levels of government in the United States. She returned home eager to share best practices and find new opportunities to promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities. She describes her IVLP as an opportunity to see firsthand that countries view equality as a human right and gain an understanding of the legal framework provided by the ADA. While on the program she met the Department of State’s special advisor for international disability rights and credits much of the legislative progress in Mongolia with her interactions with the special advisor’s office.
She has started a wide range of activities that empower woman with disabilities. She organized a job fair for people with disabilities, created a mentorship program, and designed independent living courses and even a dance class for people with disabilities.
Networking with people with similar disabilities and goals in other parts of the world brings her an understanding of the possibilities for equality. Otgontuya Badamgarav actively promotes the voices of people with disabilities in Mongolia and is no longer bound by cultural stigmas.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams
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BadamgaravIVLP Alumni
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Rodrigo Alejandro Yáñez Benítez
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Content created by Virtual Intern Celeste Lan
Rodrigo Yáñez Benítez serves as the Vice Minister of Trade in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chile. In 2008, while working as a researcher for the Instituto Libertad, Yáñez Benítez participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) focusing on U.S. foreign policy. During his IVLP, he learned about the collaborative nexus between policies, public interest groups, and government institutions. Thanks in part to the knowledge he acquired through his IVLP, Yáñez Benítez became an advisor to congressional leaders in the Foreign Relations Committee in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Yáñez Benítez further contributed to Chile's foreign affairs by working on a peacekeeping law, which enabled Chile to contribute to global peacekeeping efforts, and on efforts to modernize the Foreign Ministry, which created progressive reforms in the Ministry's structure and operations. He also served as Senior Advisor to President Piñera on international and regulatory affairs, where he developed foreign policy proposals and oversaw the implementation of domestic policy initiatives for different Ministries. In 2011, Yáñez Benítez was involved in creating the Pacific Alliance group, a trade bloc between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, to facilitate regional integration. As Vice Minister of Trade, he leads Chile’s intense bilateral and multilateral trade agenda, including active participation in multilateral trade fora such as APEC, Pacific Alliance, and WTO.
When asked about the impact of his IVLP, Yáñez Benítez says, "I believe it strengthened my longstanding commitment to contribute to my country from the international perspective. Having met people with so many different backgrounds, all connected around a strong commitment to international understanding and cultural exchange, has been of great inspiration."
Rodrigo Yáñez Benítez is a trade policy expert who has strengthened Chile's international trading policies and bolstered Chile's economy by diversifying its regional exports and creating new international agreements.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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Yáñez BenítezIVLP Alumni
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Dr. Sara Al-Reefy
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Content created by Virtual Intern Nayantara Arora
Dr. Sara Al-Reefy is a breast and oncoplastic surgeon who owns and leads the London Breast Care Centre located in Bahrain. As a general surgery resident in Bahrain, Dr. Al-Reefy observed firsthand the shockingly high mortality rate of young women to breast cancer due to cultural norms and shame surrounding cancer diagnosis and treatment. In November 2007, Dr. Al-Reefy traveled to the United States on an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled “Breast Cancer Awareness and Community Outreach.” Her visit to the MD Anderson Hospital and the Susan G. Komen Charity opened her eyes to the importance of yearly breast cancer screening and oncoplastic breast surgery. Inspired, Dr. Al-Reefy traveled to London to specialize in breast cancer surgery at St. George’s University Hospital. Three years later, she returned to Bahrain equipped with “advanced oncoplastic surgery techniques.” Reflecting on her IVLP experience, Dr. Al-Reefy writes, “it was that trip that saved the lives of so many women in my kingdom.”
Over the next five years, Dr. Al-Reefy established the first One-Stop Breast Clinic within the Gulf Cooperation Council and the first private medical center specializing in breast cancer screening and treatment. In 2016, she was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Crown Prince of Bahrain that allowed her to purchase her clinic's first 3D Hologic Mammogram. Since then, Dr. Al-Reefy has launched the first mobile breast screening unit, making breast cancer screening accessible to women in Bahrain's villages, and established a clinical branch in Kuwait.
Dr. Sara Al-Reefy’s tireless efforts and innovative initiatives have resulted in the diagnosis and treatment of 3,000 women with breast cancer in the region. She is changing the current management of breast cancer in the Arab world.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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Al-ReefyIVLP Alumni
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Kamel Daoud
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Content created by Virtual Intern Kristin Mitra
An Algerian journalist and writer, Kamel Daoud's contributions to literature and journalism have made a significant impact on Algerian cultural awareness. In 1996, Daoud began writing for Le Quotidien d'Oran, a French-language Algerian daily paper, and has also contributed to the New York Times.
Daoud's 2005 visit to the United States for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) changed the way he looked at journalism. "This trip made me think about how I write and how to change things in my country." As a current affairs reporter, he realized that he needed to consider all points of view in his reporting. He became more aware of the distinction between opinion and information, which liberated him as a columnist and allowed him to distinguish, at times, the challenges of journalism in Algeria.
During his IVLP Daoud also learned more about the American political system; it was much more complex that he had realized. Being from a generation directly influenced by the propaganda and ideology of pan-Arabism, his IVLP experience taught him to conceptualize the idea of "the Other," a point of view that he had not previously incorporated into his work. When he arrived to the United States, he realized that his preconceived notions of what an American looked like were false. Daoud describes his prior worldview as being distinctly Franco-Algerian: "Algerians perceive the West through France and decipher it through French culture or colonial trauma." In his current work as an opinion columnist, he helps Algerians try to understand the world from all perspectives.
Kamel Daoud is a popular columnist who works to break down stereotypes and expand the worldview of the Algerian public.
Edited by Virtual Interns Regina Navarro-Gomez and Kristin Mitra
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DaoudIVLP Alumni
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Alumni from 12 Countries Come Together to Tackle Disinformation, Strengthen Democracy
First-Ever Alumni TIES TechCamp Reconnect Advances Digital Citizenship Through Media Literacy
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IVLP Virtual
In 2020, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Visitors launched IVLP Virtual, the newest addition to the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
