Fellowships

Anna Taft

Founding Director, The Tandana Foundation  

Between Development and Disengagement 

International development has often failed to reach its objectives and sometimes even caused harm to the communities it is supposed to benefit.  Aware of these problems, some North Americans choose to disengage from transnational work. But the reality is that we cannot avoid participating in global networks that affect people in many countries, and there are vast inequalities in access to resources that need to be addressed. By starting with a first person perspective, taking the relational morality that emerges from face to face encounters as a guide, and prioritizing interaction and discussion over making a predetermined product, we can avoid the dangers of dominant forms of development and generate positive change as communities improve on their own terms, gain sources of pride, and strengthen some aspects of their cultures while choosing to change others.  Through experiences with intercultural collaboration, people often enhance and experience their effectiveness, grow in awareness of themselves, each other, and the human condition, and form friendships. Learn how the experiences of one organization illuminate a path between traditional forms of development and disengagement, opening a world of positive possibilities.

After graduating from high school in Ohio, Anna spent four months in Panecillo, Ecuador, where she taught at an elementary school and built the connections that inspired her to start The Tandana Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Whitman College with honors in Politics and a minor in environmental studies. After graduation, she worked for The Traveling School, teaching Spanish, history and literature to high-school students in the Andes and New Zealand. 

Anna founded Tandana to increase opportunities for intercultural sharing and promote achievement of community goals. She holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Skidmore College, with a focus on Morality in a Pluralistic World and speaks English, Spanish, French, conversational Kichwa, and some Tommoso. Her book, Climbing Together: Relational Morality and Meaningful Action in Intercultural Community Engagement (Brill 2024) articulates the philosophy behind The Tandana Foundation’s work.