Sooji Kim

Sooji Kim grew up in Brunei, studying in an Anglican mission school, and becoming part of Bruneian and Muslim cultures, whilst being a Korean. Studying African communities and civil society organizations in Tanzania brought back interesting memories of such integrations of various cultures – of local and national identities, colonial histories, and the dynamics of today’s globalization and migration issues. Kim wanted to learn better how communities in these environments form political associations for communicating and interacting with institutionalized structures at the local, national and international levels, and the issues that impact such interactions. In particular, Kim plans to spend the coming nine weeks in Tanzania listening to women’s organizations in rural villages and understanding their village development priorities, and what they perceive as barriers to progress. In addition, she will interview a wide range of stakeholders on how they vision the role of community-based organizations, especially women’s organizations, in Tanzania’s village politics.

Read Sooji Kim’s fellowship report here.