This Friedman Seminar features Merry Fitzpatrick, Teddy Atim, and Elizabeth Stites presenting "Humanitarian Research and the Agenda of Nutrition: Three cases from the Feinstein International Center."
Abstract
This seminar is comprised of three short “vignettes” representing recent research done by the Feinstein International Center. The faculty and staff of the Center conduct research and promote learning to protect and strengthen the lives, livelihoods and dignity of people affected by or at risk of humanitarian emergencies. Sometimes this research may seem distant from the core agenda of nutrition. This session will offer three recent research stories that demonstrate the links between humanitarian research and the nutrition agenda. The first will be the story of conducting research on factors underpinning the high prevalence of kwashiorkor and possible means to prevent it. Merry Fitzpatrick will discuss her research in a conflict-affected area of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Understanding the impacts and constraints of insecurity and loss of livelihood opportunities on incidence of kwashiorkor is key to determining both causes and prevention of malnutrition in this region. Second, Elizabeth Stites, PhD, will discuss her research on livelihood systems under stress, particularly in conflict-affected or post-conflict contexts, focusing on East Africa and South Asia. By examining livelihoods systems and the environment in which they take place we can better understand the role of social dynamics, power relations, and the impact of both formal and informal norms that obstruct or promote positive livelihood adaptations. The third presentation will focus on the research of Teddy Atim, addressing her work on the consequences of war crimes on livelihoods, food security, access to basic services and gender dynamics in post conflict settings. Dan Maxwell will moderate the session.
Bios
Merry Fitzpatrick is a PhD student in the Friedman School and a researcher at the Feinstein International Center. Merry brings more than 20 years of field experience in humanitarian response, primarily in food security and livelihoods to her research. She has worked with multiple humanitarian agencies. Most recently, at World Concern she was the Relief Director and then the Senior Director for Technical Support. With Feinstein she has conducted research on the Somalia famine, resilience and livelihoods in Darfur, Sudan, and pastoralism. Additionally, she was the international research team leader on the Feinstein Center's Sudan Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Program (SHARP). She holds a BS in Chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill, and MBA-International Development from Hope International University and an MSc in Nutrition (FPAN) from Friedman.
Dr. Elizabeth Stites is a Research Director at the Feinstein International Center and an Assistant Research Professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Her work focuses on the effects of conflict on civilian livelihoods, how household adaptations affect different individuals within a household, and how violence and livelihood strategies can reinforce each other. At present she is running projects in Uganda and Nepal, and has previously worked throughout southern Africa, in Afghanistan, and Bosnia. She teaches (with Dyan Mazurana) two classes on gender and conflict and post-conflict that are cross-listed at Friedman and Fletcher. Liz has been at FIC since 2006. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University, masters degrees from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and the Fletcher School, and a PhD from the Fletcher School.
Teddy Atim leads research on recovery, transitional justice, and reparations in northern Uganda. Her work focuses on the impact of serious crimes resulting from the conflict between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. She works with Feinstein as part of the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC), a multi-country, multi-year study on livelihoods, basic services, and social protection. She also conducts research for the Karamoja Resilience Support Unit in the development of both short- and long-term developmental strategies in Karamoja, Uganda. Prior to joining Feinstein, Teddy worked as a practitioner with various organizations in Uganda supporting the rehabilitation, reintegration, and recovery of conflicted-affected people in northern Uganda with emphasis on gender, youth, and children. Teddy holds a B.A. in social sciences from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, an M.A. in humanitarian assistance from Fletcher and Friedman. Presently, she is in the final year of her Ph.D. at Wageningen University, the Netherlands.