
Sabina C. Robillard
Sabina was a doctoral student at the Friedman School of Nutrition, studying the “localization” of humanitarian assistance. She worked in disaster response, public health emergencies, peacebuilding, and conservation. Her expertise was in engagement between crisis-affected populations and humanitarian organizations. Her work included the earthquake and cholera response with IOM in Haiti, the Ebola response with IOM in Guinea, and community-driven peacebuilding efforts with Haitian organizations in gang-affected areas of Port au Prince.
She held a master’s degree in food policy and applied nutrition from the Friedman School, a master’s in community change and applied peacebuilding from the Future Generations Graduate School, and a B.A. in community health and peace and justice studies from Tufts University.
Sabina passed away on November 16, 2022, after a long battle with cancer. Learn more about Sabina’s life and career here.
News Items
Remembering Sabina Robillard
Sabina Carlson Robillard passed away on November 16, 2022, after a long battle with cancer. The Feinstein International Center and the whole Friedman and Tufts community mourn her passing…
Read MorePresentation on localization of humanitarian aid draws more than 200 people from BHA
On January 21, 2022, Daniel Maxwell and Sabina Robillard presented findings from their recent study of the localization of humanitarian assistance to USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). More than…
Read MoreFeinstein Research Projects
Localization of Humanitarian Assistance
This research program seeks to understand the enabling and hindering factors that support localized or locally led humanitarian responses to natural disasters, conflicts, and prolonged complex emergencies.
Read MoreSynthesizing Research on Resilience in Drylands and Fragile Contexts Project
From 2005 to 2017, we developed a wide-ranging research portfolio on livelihoods systems under stress throughout the Greater Horn of Africa and beyond. This project synthesizes key themes of that research.
Read MoreFeinstein Publications
Localization of Humanitarian Action: Four Country Case Studies

Four case studies that illustrate how key concepts related to the localization of humanitarian action differ across contexts.
Read MoreLocalization: A “Landscape” Report

This landscape study about localization examined the literature and spoke to over five dozen key informants from different perspectives, positions, and countries across the humanitarian sector.
Read More