6th Class, 2011-2013
Field Placement: Oxfam America, Dakar, Senegal
Julie Savane served as a Food Security Policy Advisor at Oxfam America in Dakar, Senegal. Working on Oxfam’s GROW! campaign, a global effort to establish food justice, she tracked the implementation of food security initiatives in Senegal and Mali, documenting current projects and identifying constraints that can be addressed through advocacy to foreign assistance donors. Julie worked in close contact with Oxfam America’s team in Washington, DC, providing country-level information to support their advocacy work. She developed relationships with stakeholders in civil society, government, and producers’ associations in Senegal and Mali in order to increase their capacity to influence the design and implementation of foreign assistance programs for food security. Synthesizing the knowledge she gained from these activities, Julie proposed an integrated agricultural program for Oxfam to implement in Senegal.
Policy Placement: Oxfam America, Washington, DC
Julie promoted U.S. foreign assistance policies that effectively improve food security in the developing world. Drawing on her experiences in West Africa, she advocated for an end to food crises through effective, early response and resilience-building. In the context of Oxfam’s GROW! campaign, she educated the U.S. government on the benefits of investing in small-scale farmers, especially to promote gender equity and address climate change. While her primary focus was on food security policy, Julie contributed to research projects and monitoring and evaluation in related areas of Oxfam’s work.
Pre-Fellowship Education/Experience:
Julie Savane earned a Master of International Development degree with a certificate in African Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, where she focused on nongovernmental organizations and civil society. Julie has interned in Mali and Senegal with local organizations that protect the human rights of vulnerable youth. Prior to her graduate studies, Julie served for two years as an AmeriCorps member supporting college access for low-income students, and later worked as an executive assistant at The Saint Paul Foundation. In 2005, Julie received her BA in Global Studies and Social Justice from Hamline University in her hometown of Saint Paul, Minnesota.