Support Dr. Elsa's 'Academic Comeback' Journey this Summer!

Dr. Elsa Talat Khwaja Start Date: May 14, 2024 - End Date: Sep 13, 2024
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Professional Development
  • Tallahassee, FL, United States of America

My Travel Story

by: Dr. Elsa Talat Khwaja Start Date: May 14, 2024 - End Date: Sep 13, 2024
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Professional Development
Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

I've created this campaign to request your support for a special academic endeavor this summer, which I believe will be pivotal to advancing my academic journey, and helping me continue my doctoral research on an important part of the world.

About Me
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dr. Elsa, and I am an independent scholar, writer, artist, and international development consultant. I have a PhD in Public Policy and specialize in International Development Policy in Fragile and Conflict-Affected Spaces. You can learn more about my background on my website at www.elsatkhwaja.com. I am also a writer and blogger, and I like to write on Medium and Substack. I have a new Substack academic newsletter dedicated to exploring qualitative methods and building community with other qualitative researchers, called: "The Qualitative Inquisition."

Purpose of Fundraiser
I am initiating this campaign to support my travels and presentation of my research at the upcoming American Political Science Association's (APSA) Political Networks Conference and Workshops, held from June 5-8, 2024.

My Research
My paper, entitled, "Networks of Resilience During Conflict: 'Localization,' Social Capital, and Humanitarian Assistance in Afghanistan," explores the challenge of multilateral development assistance in locally-led development and social capital generation that contributes to resilience in conflict zones. The research explores how international development policy networks collaborate with local actors to better respond to and recover from crises. It takes the critical example of Afghanistan, which has been facing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world since the Taliban takeover in 2021. I recently presented a version of this paper (virtually) at a conference in LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan, and I am eager to share my ongoing research in person at Polnet!
Please note: the full abstract is posted as the first Update below, should there be interest in learning more about the research.

Why Attend Polnet?
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to present at this special academic conference in person after some conference hiatus. The Polnet conference holds a special place in my heart. I am excited to learn from a wonderful community of political and social scientists who have a passion for social networks and the social capital research tradition, and to discuss my ongoing academic research on Afghanistan from my doctoral studies. Attending this conference will be a significant opportunity for me to share my updated findings, brush up my network analysis skills, engage with fellow scholars and practitioners, learn about some of the latest research and trends in network science, and gain invaluable feedback.

Presenting at the APSA Political Networks Conference will not only allow me to showcase my research but also to connect with experts and practitioners who are working towards similar goals. These interactions are vital for refining our work and expanding its impact.

Personal and Professional Value of Attendance
Unfortunately, due to several constraints, I have not been able to attend conferences (in person). This time, with your support, I am determined to fully seize this opportunity. Attending in person will provide me with experiences and networking opportunities that are simply not possible through virtual participation. I did not get the opportunity to travel to Afghanistan during my graduate school fieldwork, and to LUMS, Lahore Pakistan to present my Afghanistan paper in-person. So I would love to try to make it to this conference! It also marks 5 years since I returned from my Pakistan fieldwork, and 5 years since I last attended this amazing conference. So it would be a meaningful personal and professional endeavor! 

Please take a look at my YouTube video I have linked on this page where I express the broader impacts as well.  

As noted below, If I exceed my funding goal, the additional funds will be directed toward my ongoing research on Afghanistan throughout the summer. These funds will enable me to continue my investigations, gather more data, and advance my academic agenda, as well as focus on publications for this research, and other related publications (two relevant book proposals/manuscripts). Additionally, this support will help me attend the larger APSA conference in September, where I have another poster presentation lined up, exploring a comparative analysis of the global humanitarian responses to Ukraine, Palestine, and Afghanistan. Very exciting!

Donor Rewards
As a token of my gratitude, I hope to gift all my donors with paintings. I hope to give you a shout-out of thanks on my social media channels (with your permission). And for those gifting $25.00 or more, you will get one painting (of your choice). Please note more specifics on the "Donor Rewards" in the right side of this page, under the budget. The choices (painting or style) can come from this gallery here from my Painting Heals Initiative or newer paintings that I will add to the gallery or share in a separate link soon. 

Higher donors will be contacted for the first choice of paintings, and I hope to surprise you with a few additional smaller art gifts, as I usually like to do. I have shared some initial paintings below. So please be sure to share your relevant contact information when donating.

My journey with art and painting was rekindled during my PhD program and has become an integral part of my life and academic pursuits, as I share in my Painting Heals initiative I began last year. It has currently been inactive for the past year, but I hope after this conference experience, over the summer, I can restart it, initially for this campaign, and then simultaneously for the original charity auction.

Please consider this as a sincere, heartfelt gift for your generosity, rather than an incentive to your supporting this campaign. 

Alternative Methods of Support
As conference days approach closer, you may also donate through my Buy Me a Coffee Page, which allows for more immediate use of funds, or you can support my indie art/writing efforts which I have connected to this campaign. There is a small fee that is generated in the platform and payment processing (both approximately 3-5% of donation), as indicated in this budget on the right. 

Also, there are other non-monetary ways to support! You can engage this campaign here on this page, or social media, or share this page among your networks. Your support, in any way, is greatly appreciated and will make a significant difference in my successful participation at this conference, and the ongoing work on this important research!

Broader Impact:
As I share in the video, this work will aim to contribute to the academic literature on critical development studies, development program efficacy, and supporting policymakers and policy interventions to improve program effectiveness in Afghanistan and other challenging/fragile spaces. Further, the broader impact of restarting my Painting Heals charity auction, in conjunction with this academic endeavor will ultimately help spread awareness and support for philanthropic and aid efforts on important issues like climate change challenges and humanitarian crises. Overall, I hope that my academic research will continue to reveal important insights and considerations for improving community empowerment and resilience in conflict-affected and fragile spaces. 

Thank you so much for supporting independent scholarship, and furthering my interconnected research and artistic endeavors. I know with your support it will be the impetus and encouragement I need to make a strong and meaningful "comeback" to academia, which will allow me to be in a position to continue "paying it forward" in the future!

with heartfelt gratitude,

Your sister,
Dr. Elsa

"All your scholarship would be in vain if at the same time you do not build your character and attain mastery over your thoughts and your actions." - Mahatma Gandhi

Confirmed Budget Estimates (with Fund My Travel)
Airfare: (Actual) $409 - (seeking reimbursement)
Accommodation: $558.00 (4 nights, $124/night)
Program fee: $300+8.25 processing fee - (seeking reimbursement)
Program Registration fee (Conference and Workshops - $150 each):
$300+8.25 processing fee - (seeking reimbursement)
Local Travel Expenses: $130 total (estimate)
     Taxi from Home to Airport and Airport to Home: 40/way - 2 ways = $80
     Taxi from Airport to Hotel and Hotel to Airport: 25/way - 2 ways = $50
Meals (15/day for 4 days): $75.00 (estimate)
American Airlines Baggage Fees ($40 x Round trip) - $80.00 (estimate)
Contingency Fund (unexpected expenses - calculated 10% of total budget): $156.00
Fund My Travel Site Fee (5% of total budget/raised - $1,716.25): $86.00
Total = $1,802

Transparency On Use of Potential Excess Funds:
While I allocated an amount for a "contingency fund" (calculated at 10% of the full budget), I would like to ensure full transparency on the use of any additional funding. Should there be excess funding, the following is how the funds will be applied:

1) Registration and conference attendance (lodging, travel) at the APSA Annual Convention this September, in Philadelphia (to present my Poster Paper noted above, and attend for the Academic job market)
"Navigating Global Humanitarian Responses to Conflict: The Case of Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Palestine"
2) Continued support of ongoing research endeavors, including all related publications.
3) Supplies, prepping, and shipment of paintings to be shipped to donors post-conference (Tentatively planned to be shipped after the Polnet Conference between June 10 and July 31st. Due to potential summer travels, and the independent labor involved, the dates may have to vary. I will keep all my donors updated!)
4) Any other logistical costs for sustaining these endeavors. 

Please feel free to reach out to me should there be any questions or concerns: dr.elsatkhwaja@gmail.com.

Thank you once again for all your support! 
  • Tallahassee, FL, United States of America

Updates

3

  • The "Afghan Girl" - A Gift A Top Donor!

    The "Afghan Girl" - A Gift A Top Donor!
    In 2020, I started drawing again, and I sketched 20 drawings of Sharbat Gula, famously known as the Afghan Girl. I will share a link to the story of Sharbat Gula, which I have written, in the near future. The one on the right is the "2020 Afghan Girl" that I attempted at the end of 2020. The final version of the sketch was number 20, featured on the left in the photo, which I completed at the beginning of 2021. As we know, later that year, the Taliban came into power again, upon U.S. withdrawal. I intended to paint over these two drawings and I will update that on this page. But I also hope to gift this painting as an option for a top donor as well. It's a special sketch, given the timeframe, and I may even leave these sketches and paint a different one. I will keep you updated! Let me know if you have any thoughts, feedback, or preferences! Thank you for your generous support and engagement!

  • Gifting My Donors!

    Gifting My Donors!
    This small acrylic pour painting was one among two paintings, completed after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. It would be wonderful to gift both of them, to a top donor. I will share some more paintings that I hope to donate, and update with a link to the donations.
    Gifting my paintings to donors for my academic research travels this summer helps me return to my art philanthropy indie painting auction, the "Painting Heals" project, to support philanthropic efforts to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan and other developing countries (as noted above). You can learn more about the project I initiated last year, here: paintingheals.elsatkhwaja.com . Thank you so much!

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