Link to award winning documentary-short on Development Issues in Mukuru, and informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.
2020- Mukuru Mosaics - https://youtu.be/Zop5hTlbuco?si=NF0Tb9167DNjRNzz
PhD
Graduate Degree
Howard University
2022
See all Profiles
Faculty
Faculty
Angela R. Pashayan, PhD ( she, her, hers)
Department/Office
- COAS Center: Women, Gender, and Sexualities Collective
Biography
Dr. A.R. Pashayan is an Africanist scholar, author, and international development expert whose work bridges academia, research, and global engagement. She has taught in Washington, D.C. at Howard University, American University, and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where her book Below the Proletariat was named the #1 Best Summer Read of 2024.
Dr. Pashayan earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University, an M.A. in Diplomacy and International Relations from Norwich University in Vermont, and a B.A. in Psychology from UCLA. Her writing has appeared in Foreign Policy Magazine, The Conversation, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Brookings Foresight Africa, and numerous academic journals.
As an ECOSOC Advisor to the United Nations, Dr. Pashayan has addressed the UN General Assembly on issues of equity and inclusion in development. For over a decade, her advocacy has centered on raising global awareness about the socio-economic realities of Africa’s informal settlements—particularly Mukuru, Nairobi’s second-largest slum, where she has conducted extensive primary research.
Dr. Pashayan also leads experiential learning trips to Kenya, connecting students directly with community-led development initiatives. In 2025, she launched the podcast The New Frontier of International Development, exploring how the global aid landscape is shifting in the wake of USAID restructuring.
In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Pashayan mentors students worldwide in developing strong research methodologies and writing dissertations or theses.
Website - www.angelapashayan.com
Education & Expertise
Education
MA
Graduate Degree
Norwich University, VT
2014
BA
Undergraduate
UCLA
Expertise
Informal Settlement/Slums - Kenya
Dr. Pashayan brings extensive academic and field experience addressing complex development challenges faced by residents of Nairobi’s slums and informal settlements.
Selected article links
2025 - Book chapter link - https://minnstate.pressbooks.pub/comparativepoliticscases/
2024 - Frontiers
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2024.1331229/full
2024 - The Conversation Article on Kenya Protests - https://theconversation.com/how-debt-and-taxes-conspired-to-rob-nairobis-slum-dwelling-youth-of-the-promise-of-a-better-life-237007
2024 - Brookings Foresight Africa article on climate change in informal settlements - https://www.brookings.edu/articles/informal-settlements-and-climate-change-in-the-last-mile-of-urbanization/
Research
Research
Specialty
Informal SettlementsFunding
N/A
Group Information
Three current projects in work:
- Settling the Informal Settlements; leapfrogging in development-Nairobi, Kenya
- Voices of Twice Displaced Women; climate floods in Nairobi, Kenya
- Realities of Community-led Development in slums; Nairobi, Kenya
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
ECOSOC Advisor to the United Nations
Dr. Pashayan was granted the special consultative status of a UN Economic and Social Council member by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations on December 17, 2021. She subsequently spoke on the UN floor in February 2022 to bring light to the plight of 2.5 million residents living in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.
World Bank/IMF CSO Ongoing Status
Dr. Pashayan has been an active participant in the World Bank and IMF Annual and Spring Meetings since 2018, where she has engaged directly with global development leaders—including former World Bank President David Malpass, current President Ajay Banga, and senior executives overseeing development projects in Nairobi, Kenya—to advocate for the needs and inclusion of residents living in informal settlements and slums.
Non-profit Founder & Advocate
YOD-International.org was founded by Dr. Angela R. Pashayan to advance equitable development in Nairobi’s informal settlements, with a primary focus on Mukuru, a densely populated community of more than 825,000 residents. Situated along a heavily polluted river that floods each year, Mukuru faces severe infrastructure challenges—including inadequate housing, lack of running water, absence of sanitation facilities, and limited waste management services. The organization works to raise global awareness and advocate for sustainable, community-led solutions to improve living conditions and restore dignity for residents.
Website: www.YOD-International.org
Featured News
Multimedia
Mukuru Mosaics, 2020 Docu-short
Podcast - The New Frontier of Int'l Development
Non-profit Founder & Advocate
YOD-International.org was founded by Dr. Angela R. Pashayan to advance equitable development in Nairobi’s informal settlements, with a primary focus on Mukuru, a densely populated community of more than 825,000 residents.
Link - https://www.yod-international.org