Call for HELP! (see it's in capital letters, so take me seriously)

Hi everyone,

Well I got some more specific information on research projects for my thesis and now if anything it is harder than ever.  I am supposed to eventually come up with a list of 3 in order of preference so they can assign me to one.  I am having a very difficult time choosing even though I have it narrowed to a list of four general topics (though with some you can also choose different countries).  However, while they all have something I like, or find interesting I have not figured out how to make this decision.  Some are in countries I would be more excited initially to go to than others, (though I am open to anything after going to Mexico and loving it even though I did not think I would), some projects may be very interesting to me but not as "high profile" (should I try to base what I write my thesis on the chances I may have a better opportunity for work in another field, or get a job based on the well-known work being done in the project?)

I have put together short summaries of the projects and I would LOVE it if all of you can offer me some advice as to how to make the decisions, or which projects you find most interesting etc, I know that in the end I will have to decide but any help you can offer would be so appreciated.

Here they are:

 please leave your comments here, or email me at Briana.n.jones@gmail.com Thanks!

1.  Civil Society Networks, Advocacy Coalitions, and Education for All: Exploring the Global Campaign for Education

Currently, there is a growing international consensus on the necessity and importance of providing Education for All (EFA) of the world's children.  Nevertheless, in 2008 there remain over 100 million children excluded from primary education.  In the 1990s the Global Campaign for Education was founded in response to the failure to meet EFA objectives.  This transnational civil society movement brought together several INGOs (Oxfam, Action Aid, Global March for Labor) and Education International and sought to strengthen the role of civil society advocacy movements working in the defense of public education and to pressure both national governments, international donors and international organizations such as the World Bank and the IMF to honor financial and political agreements to deliver high quality public education to all.  This project seeks to theorize the nature of the histories, networks, strategies, and progress of the GCE and in doing so reveal the complex and contested nature of civil advocacy in the field of education, the tensions between local/global and North/South actors and explore the complex issues of cooption and opposition with the field of advocacy for public education.

Note: This project is very large and organized so I would not be completely on my own in setting it up.  It is also pretty high profile, sponsored in part by the Dutch ministry of education and working in conjunction with international NGOs.  I have heard that this research (taking place over 5 years) is supposed to also lead to a book.  The countries that I have been told are options are Equador, Ghana, and the Phillipines.

2.  India

There is also a large project here that encompasses a wide variety of issues including governance, poverty, and access to basic services.  It is very well organized as well with a supervisor I have heard very good things about and is in conjunction with a well known research project.  The project could be tailored to my interests and they said they would help me to narrow my ideas.  Some general topics could be access to services (healthcare, education, housing, etc) and how the poor gain access to these services, if they even have access, etc.  You could also do it more from the institutional viewpoint and look at how they decide and categorize which groups of people qualify for what and if it is delivered.  How poverty is perpetuated, etc...the list goes on and on.  I know this isn't very clear but I hope you get the gist.  I would need a translator to do my fieldwork here but they said I could get a good full-time assistant for 200 euros a month which they would help me arrange before leaving and that I could find housing for as little as 40 euro a month.

Note:  Some benefits I see here are also a lot of guidance throughout the fieldwork in getting things prepared as well as lots of on-the-ground support (though I think this would also be true for the other projects).  I have heard very good things about the supervisor for this theme and the costs of living here are cheap which would help me save money.

3.  Kampala, Uganda working with a small NGO called "Raising Voices"

This NGO is recognized internationally as a pioneer in preventative approaches to violence.  The thesis should focus on a theme involved in violence against children, particularly children's perceptions of violence, how it affects them, how it determines their choices and what they feel should be done about it.  The specific area of study could be done in either homes or schools.

Note:  If I am honest, this is the project that appeals to me the most.  The issue I think I would be more passionate about than some of the others, though I am worried about the fact that it is not necessarily in a wider field, I don't know whether this would affect my job opportunities later.  One other consideration is that the supervisor for this one teaches two of my classes and while she is a very nice lady (and I actually heard a good thesis supervisor, she seems a little scatterbrained to me so I am a little worried about how much guidance I would receive, although I would be working with the NGO so they would probably be guiding me as well.)

So once again, any guidance, suggestions, etc you can offer would be greatly appreciated.  Love you all!