Cafer joined the IYF’s Sub-Saharan Africa program in 2011 as a coordinator for the Tanzania Youth Scholars, BridgeIT Tanzania, and TZ21 projects. Prior to joining the IYF, Cafer advocated for universal basic education at the American Federation of Teachers.  Before completing his graduate degree, he worked for the United Nations Office of the Recovery Coordinator in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. At the UN, he drafted and edited social and economic policy recommendations for the local government of Aceh/Nias, which were designed to rebuild the region after the Boxing Day Tsunami.  Cafer has performed research at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Hudson Institute, US Department of Labor, and the US Chamber of Commerce. He holds a Master in Public Policy from Georgetown University, and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Economics and Sociology/Anthropology from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.  He speaks Karacay, Turkish, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia.