On March 8, Pfifer, GSAS ’08, a graduate of Fordham’s International Political Economy and Development (IPED) program, was honored with the 2017 Swanstrom-Baerwald Award for more than a decade of relief and development work with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Madagascar, Niger, Tanzania, and in Uganda, where she serves as the country representative.

“In honoring Liz, we honor all of those who, like her, have dedicated and continue to dedicate their time, talent, and passion to those in need,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, S.T.D., apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, who delivered the opening prayer at the Rose Hill ceremony.

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, described Pfifer as a “bringer and bearer of sunlight, warmth, and hope.”

“She brings love to those who are most in need of it,” he said.

The Swanstrom-Baerwald Award— which commemorates the memory of Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom, FCRH ’24, GSAS ’38 and Swanstrom’s mentor professor Friedrich Baerwald—recognizes individuals who have made notable contributions in the service of faith. It also celebrates the CRS and IPED’s time-honored partnership, which spans for nearly two decades.

In her acceptance speech, Pfifer credited the IPED program for providing her with the skills to work creatively with local partners to address pressing development problems across Africa.

“Fordham better prepared me for the work that I do today,” said Pfifer, who spoke about how her faith and focus on humility has served as a guiding light in her efforts to make a difference in the lives of the poor.

Before joining IPED, Pfifer served as a Jesuit Volunteer in Tanzania for two years.  She later provided support to CRS’s international programs unit in Baltimore. As an Arrupe Fellow at Fordham, she studied emergency programming in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in Africa that has struggled with severe droughts.

After graduating from IPED, Pfifer said she rejoined CRS as an international development fellow in Madagascar, where she worked to reduce food insecurity in seven regions in the country and helped to construct focus groups for women who were looking for ways to better feed their children.  A year later, she served as CRS’s program quality and grants coordinator in Niger. There, she provided support for the organization’s agriculture, health, and education initiatives, and also secured more than $10 million in funding for emergency assistance projects stemming from the 2010 Niger food crisis.

“There was an incredible amount of food insecurity and I got to see firsthand the travel routes that West Africans [took]to the borders to get to Europe,” she said. “There were lots of people who would travel by foot to get to the Libya border. It was quite an interesting time.”

Pfifer also shared her experiences working as deputy chief of party for a $13 million annual project providing HIV and AIDS care to people in Tanzania. By 2013, she was tapped for her current role in Uganda, where she helped CRS tackle issues related to the South Sudanese refugee crisis. Most recently, she has helped launch an innovative project with Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to advance Ugandan rural farmers’ participation in the vanilla value chain.

“We think of partnerships as catalysts for each other, catalysts for change, and catalysts for improvement,” the honoree told the audience.

Later at a dinner following the ceremony, the John F. Hurley S.J. Commendation was presented to Lois Harr, FCRH ’76, GRE ’76, assistant vice president and director of campus ministry and social action at Manhattan College. Harr helped to facilitate the Catholic Relief Services – Manhattan College Partnership Task Force, which established the college as one of CRS’s first Global Campuses.

Being honored alongside Pfifer for her work with CRS was especially inspiring, said Harr.

“I think when you’re honored by your peers and colleagues, it’s very moving,” she said.

Sarah Weber, GSAS ’05, received the 2015 Swanstrom-Baerwald Award for Excellence during a special ceremony held at in Rose Hill’s Keating Hall. The biennial award—of which Weber is only the fourth recipient—recognizes members of the Fordham community who demonstrate stellar commitment to the service of faith and the promotion of international peace and justice.

Weber, a graduate of Fordham’s International Political Economy and Development (IPED) program, was honored for her work at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in support of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and malaria. Her work to secure three grants totaling more than $65 million has helped to distribute 450 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets in Africa to protect families against malaria.

Her service with the Global Fund is just the most recent instance of her international development career, which spans close to 20 years. She received a Fulbright Fellowship to Botswana after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College in 1997; served with the Peace Corps in Côte d’Ivoire; conducted a microfinance internship in Mali while in the IPED program; and has worked with CRS in Ghana, in post-conflict Liberia, and in Benin.

“You have to be an optimist if you want to stay in the field of international development for the long haul,” Weber told an audience of dignitaries, students, peers, and her former teachers.

She said one of the challenges of humanitarian work is “investing everything you have” into a project with no way of knowing whether you’ll get the results you’d hoped for.

“You want to do the right thing, and the people you’re working with want to do the right thing,” she said. “But when it comes to actually making that thing happen, you don’t always know if it’s going to work.”

Weber works at CRS’ headquarters in Baltimore, providing technical support to CRS country teams around the world that are furthering public health.

Joining the ceremony were: Joseph M. McShane, SJ, president of Fordham; Archbishop Bernadito Auza, the Apostolic Nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the Archbishop of New York; and Michelle Broemmelsiek, executive vice president of CRS for overseas operations.

At a dinner following the award ceremony the Father John F. Hurley, SJ Commendation was presented to Irene Baldwin, FCRH ’83, for her work in support of CRS. Also recognized were two travel fellows—Elvin Rivera and James Sheridan, both of St. Joseph’s Seminary of the Archdiocese of New York.

The Swanstrom-Baerwald Award honors the memory of Friedrich Baerwald, PhD, former professor of economics, and Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom, FCRH ’24, GSAS ’38, a student of Baerwald’s and the founder of CRS.