Wrabel headshot

Leland Fellow

Maria Wrabel

10th Class, 2019-2021

Maria Wrabel holds an MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics and an MS in Food and Nutrition Policies and Programs from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. While in graduate school, she focused on multi-sectoral programs addressing to food insecurity and undernutrition in humanitarian contexts. As part of her degree she completed an internship with Action Against Hunger in northeast Nigeria where she coordinated an effectiveness and sustainability study of a community-led WASH program throughout Yobe State. While at Tufts she worked as a research assistant with the Feinstein International Center, supporting case studies of the challenges and constraints of information and analysis in classifying food insecurity and declaring famine. She also managed the Research Engagement on Food Interventions for Nutritional Effectiveness (REFINE) project of the USAID/FFP Food Aid Quality Review (FAQR). Prior to beginning the Leland Fellowship, she worked as an assessment officer with the REACH Initiative in Iraq, leading research to inform the cash and livelihoods responses of humanitarian actors. Originally from Connecticut, Maria holds a BA in Global Development Studies from Stetson University.

Host Organization: Action Against Hunger

First Year Placement
Juba, South Sudan

Maria worked with Action Against Hunger USA in South Sudan as a Nutrition Fellow, focusing on the treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition in humanitarian contexts. Based in former Gogrial West county, Warrap state, Maria’s primary role was to support Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition program design, management, and monitoring and evaluation. This included donor reporting and nutrition database management, conducting supportive supervision visits to Outpatient Therapeutic Program and Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program sites, and working collaboratively with program staff to develop strategies aimed at enhancing program quality and accountability. She also participated in the January 2020 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis workshop for South Sudan to identify areas of high nutrition and food security need and inform humanitarian response throughout the country.

Second Year Placement
New York, N.Y.

For her second year placement, Maria is working with Action Against Hunger USA’s New York office. As a Project Officer, she is leading a project to map, document, and analyze modifications made to community-based and outpatient acute malnutrition treatment programs during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. This study aims to identify and share lessons learned and best practices in implementing simplified approaches to acute malnutrition treatment at scale both during the pandemic and beyond. She also supported the development of Action Against Hunger’s COVID-19 global- and country-level learning agenda. In addition to these projects, Maria is providing technical support on strategic initiatives and business development efforts.

Publications & Blog Posts

Should We Really Go Back to Normal? Innovations to Improve Acute Malnutrition Treatment

Video / 2019-2021

What Happens When Nowhere is Safe?

Blog Post / June 17, 2020

Stopgaps into Systems: Pandemic Adaptations for Treating Acute Malnutrition

Blog Post / February 14, 2022