Please enter your vote here: IASFM Executive Committee eVote
Secretary (1 position open; 1 candidate)
Abdikadir Abikar
Country: Somalia
Region: Banadir region
Gender: Male
Biography: Abdikadir Abikar is a highly skilled humanitarian professional with over a decade of experience in education in emergencies, coordination, project management, and monitoring & evaluation. He has worked extensively in Kenya and Somalia, showcasing his adaptability, empowering leadership style, exceptional teamwork skills, and ability to navigate complex multi-stakeholder contexts. Abdikadir’s dedication to serving vulnerable populations and passion for making a positive impact on communities make him a valuable asset to any organization.
Personal experience of forced migration: As a highly skilled humanitarian professional, Abdikadir Abikar has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of forced migration on vulnerable communities. During his extensive work in Kenya and Somalia, he has seen families torn apart and individuals forced to flee their homes due to conflict, natural disasters, and other crises.
Abdikadir’s commitment to serving vulnerable populations has driven him to work tirelessly to provide support to those affected by forced migration. Through his work in education in emergencies, coordination, project management, and monitoring & evaluation, he has helped to ensure that displaced individuals have access to basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare.
Abdikadir’s empowering leadership style and exceptional teamwork skills have enabled him to work effectively with partners from diverse backgrounds, navigating complex multi-stakeholder contexts to deliver lifesaving assistance to those in need. His dedication to making a positive impact on communities has inspired others to join him in the fight against forced migration, and his work has made a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals and families.
Candidate’s statement: “Abdikadir Abikar’s tireless dedication to providing support to vulnerable populations affected by forced migration, and his exceptional leadership and teamwork skills, have made a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals and families in Kenya and Somalia.”
Supporting IASFM members:
1. Veronica Fynn Bruey
2. Staci Martin
4. Mary Setrana Boatemaa
5. James Milner
6. Don Dippo
Fundraising and Development (2 positions open; 2 candidates)
Asresahegn Birhanu Gelaw
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Amhara
Gender: Male
Biography: My name is Asresahegn Birhanu Gelaw from Ethiopia. I was born in 1986 in Finote Selam, Amhara Region of Ethiopia. I have BA and MA from Mekelle University and Addis Abba University respectively. I specialized in International Relations and will complete soon my PhD in Peace and security Studies from the Institute of Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University. Currently, working for Debre Markos University as senior lecturer and researcher.
Personal experience of forced migration: I have researched migration-specifically on refugee integration and conflicting relation with the host community. Thus, I have published two articles in internationally and nationally accredited journals. I have been visiting the University of Oxford-refugee Studies Centre as a research fellow and FFVT fellow at Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies, BICC. Besides, I have been a member of different research teams which researched migration, IDP, and refugees in Ethiopia.
Candidate’s statement: I am pleased to write this letter of statement for application to the IASFM Fundraising and Development. Taking all my experiences and professional engagements mentioned above into consideration, I will contribute to the fundraising and developmental activities. This, in turn, will benefit me a lot for a future career that I would like to work in the years to come. Fundamentally, I want to establish a local NGO in Ethiopia that focuses on migration and refugees as the country that went through various crises produced millions of displaced people.
Supporting IASFM members: Executive Committee
Sharmarke Dubow
Country: Canada, Somalia, United Kingdom
Region: Canada, UK and East Africa
Gender: Male
Biography: I am currently a refugee scholar at Somerville College – studying Masters of Public Policy at Blavatnik School of Government at University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and I also completed a Public Relations Diploma at University of Victoria, Canada. I am a refugee advocate and a former City of Victoria Councilor therefore this is an ideal moment for me to seek to be part of academic and advocacy space for forced migration and displacement and also be part of a team that is doing great work in refugee protection advocacy.
Personal experience of forced migration: What is my story? Why would I make a brilliant candidate for the IASFM Executive Committee? At the age of 8, I began my life as a refugee. This was just the beginning of living with excruciating uncertainty. I first lived in a refugee camp for five years in Mombasa, Kenya, and then as an undocumented person for another five years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, followed by life as an urban refugee for 11 years in Cairo, Egypt. This interminable state lasted until 2012, when I was given a permanent home in Canada and ultimately became a citizen on the nations 150th birthday on July 1st, 2018. Shortly after, I was able to vote in my very first election and at the same time was elected as a Victoria City Councillor.
I arrived in Canada at a time when federal immigration policies placed refugee rights under attack. Through my day job, I supported immigrant youth to navigate their new lives in Canada and after work hours, I began organizing with others on issues affecting newcomers, including refugee health cuts, immigrant detention and working on political storytelling campaigns to counter the anti refugee narratives and divisive messaging from some elected politicians. One of my first community events was planning the first celebration of World Refugee Day in my new city Victoria, in collaboration with the local library. This is now an annual event that continues to grow bigger each year as a result of strengthening partnerships between newcomer community members and agencies and community organizations. Through both professional and volunteer experience, I have worked as a refugee rights and migrant justice advocate in multiple capacities for the majority of my adult life in both Egypt and Canada. I have designed programs, facilitated workshops and dialogues, spoke on panels and as a keynote, and negotiated with academic, community and government stakeholders regarding issues of refugee protection and integration. Throughout these roles and activities, I have learned the importance of creating space to learn from one another and work from a place of kindness and empathy.
Candidate’s statement: As the climate crisis worsens and weather related disasters are more impactful, and existing and new wars, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to manage displacement within their nations own borders. As a result, the number of people forced to migrate is growing and yet climate change is not legal grounds for refugee status. This leaves people increasingly vulnerable. It is more critical now than ever to bring together academics, practitioners and decision-makers working on forced migration issues for collective solutions.
Supporting IASFM members: Executive Committee