Varalakshmi Vemuru

Varalakshmi Vemuru is a Lead Social Development Specialist in the Global Practice on Urban, Social, Rural and Resilience. Currently she is leading the World Bank’s development response to address impacts of forced displacement in the Horn of Africa, operations on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Nigeria and India. She has worked extensively in the South Asia and Africa regions on broad ranging social development aspects including inclusion, conflict sensitive development and social accountability.
 
Vara is currently leading the regional operation on "Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project" in the Horn of Africa covering Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and IGAD. She is also leading analytical work and her reports include Forced Displacement and Mixed Migration in the Horn of Africa, Assessment of Uganda’s Progressive Approach to Refugee Management, “YES” IN MY BACKYARD? The Economics of Refugees and their Social Dynamics in Kakuma, Kenya, and Refugee Impacts on Turkana Hosts - A Social Impact Analysis for Kakuma, Turkana County, Kenya.
 
Vara has designed and supported a number of Community Driven Development Approach based poverty reduction and service delivery projects in South Asia and the Africa region of the Bank and is an institutional resource person on community mobilization in FCV and Forced Displacement contexts. She has been with the World Bank since 2000.