Ayoo Irene Hellen

Ayoo Irene Hellen is a fellow at Refugees International and a South Sudanese refugee in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement in Uganda. She is a woman and gender activist, mediator, peace builder, and environmental advocate.  Her work centers around climate adaptation and mitigation with a focus on promoting solar electricity for cooking – a sustainable solution…

Andhira Kara is a refugee advocate and researcher, working with national and international organisations to improve the rights of migrants and displaced people. A refugee from Sudan, she now lives in Kenya and uses her experiences to advise and engage organisations and communities. Having co-founded a youth led organisation, she deeply understands the unique challenges…

Jonathan B. Tucker, foundation relations manager at Refugees International, was born in Washington, D.C. and is a nonprofit professional with over two decades of experience designing, managing, and growing programs for local, national, and international organizations. With a focus on fundraising and winning grants for progressive causes and nonprofits working on human rights, public policy,…

Etant Dupain is the media and communications manager at Refugees International. He has worked as a journalist, TV producer, and a filmmaker. For over a decade, he produced documentaries and stories for international news media outlets including Al Jazeera, ABC, BBC, CNN, Netflix, PBS, and Vice. Etant also founded an alternative media project in Haiti…

Jocelyn Perry is the senior advocate and program manager of the climate displacement program at Refugees International. She has over a decade of experience working in advocacy, policymaking, research, and direct service on climate change and with displaced populations. Most recently, Jocelyn managed a research theme on migration, urbanization, and climate change at the University…

Hourie Tafech is the Director for Refugee Leadership and Partnership at Refugees International. Before joining Refugees International, Hourie was a program manager for the University Alliance for Refugee and at-Risk Migrants (UARRM). She currently serves as an advisor for the United States Refugee Advisory Board (USRAB). Before arriving in the United States, she co-founded Spark15…

Bekah Meyerowitz is the vice president of philanthropy at Refugees International. Bekah has committed her life and career over the last twenty years to the nonprofit space and has had the honor of working at nonprofit organizations and with their leaders to effectively enhance funding while also deepening the impact of the organization. She is…

Farhad Shamo Roto is a Refugees International alumni fellow. He is a survivor of the 2014 Ezidi genocide and the founder of Voice Of Ezidis, an organization that advocates for the rights of Ezidis. He also founded ICanHelp.Host, a solidarity platform that has provided free housing for more than 14,000 Ukrainian families fleeing war. He…

Wafa Ali Mustafa was a fellow in Refugees International’s inaugural refugee fellows program. She is a Syrian activist and advocate for people forcibly disappeared by the Syrian regime. She co-founded the Free Syria’s Disappeared coalition, which fights for freedom and safety for all of Syria’s disappeared. As a journalist, Wafa has reported on Syria for…

Ali Johar was a fellow in Refugees International’s inaugural refugee fellows program. Ali is a refugee and statelessness activist. He co-founded the Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, a community-based support and campaign organization and founded the Rohingya Literacy Program (RLP) to help Rohingya children access formal education in India. He is originally from Rakhine State, Myanmar.