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A Voice For the Voiceless

The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.

The Impact of Service "Speaking with locals and living in a country is the best way to learn about the real lives of citizens, not just the stories in the mainstream media. I will be more critical of what I read as a result of this experience. I also feel even more grateful for my education, and I feel a stronger responsibility to assist others who do not have resources or access to opportunities in their communities." Maria Skouras (New York University) volunteered in 2011 as a Peace Fellow for eHomemakers in Malaysia. For more 2011 feedback click here.

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Fellow Blogs: Protests Paralyze Work in Nepal...

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AdvocacyNet
Fellow Update
July 2, 2008
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Thirty-four Peace Fellows are volunteering this summer in 21 countries or territories with community-based partners of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP issues a weekly digest of their blogs.

Highlights:

Protests Paralyze Work in Nepal
Massacre Survivors Demand Reparations in Guatemala
The Real Gender Gap in Bangladesh
"Sanabel" a Success in Palestine
Bosnians Brace for Srebrenica Anniversary
No Escape From Caste in Kathmandu
Italy Begins Crackdown on Romani People
Help is More Than Handouts in Vietnam
Obama Accepted to College, but Living on the Streets in Kenya
A Mother's Shame in Peru
Disabled Bosnians Held at a Distance
Rubber Meets the Roads of Kathmandu

Excerpts:

Protests Paralyze Work in Nepal
Nicole Farkouh (UC Berkeley) is volunteering with the Uterine Prolapse Alliance in Nepal.
"As is typical in Nepal, none of this happened the way it was planned. We were prevented from leaving Kathmandu for almost a week (and what a strange, blister-filled week it was) as protest and strike after protest and strike prevented vehicles from moving on the streets of Kathmandu. The series of bandhas were conducted first by constituents of a local bureaucrat who had been shut in a toilet for two hours by a Maoist leader as punishment for his corruption."

Massacre Survivors Demand Reparations in Guatemala
Heidi McKinnon (University of New Mexico) is working with the Association for the Integral Development of the Victims of Violence in the Verapaces, Maya Achi (ADIVIMA) in Rabinal, Guatemala.
'"I want them to pay me for all of the inundated lands... On a 15x30 meter lot, no one can live like this. The state of Guatemala must pay the debt they owe to the community of Rio Negro... We want the reparations now... We are so tired... Sometimes I don't even feel like I am Guatemalan... I don't want to talk anymore because it hurts too much to remember all of this."'

The Real Gender Gap in Bangladesh
Danita Topcagic (University of Denver) is working on disability rights with the Blind Education and Rehabilitation Development Organization (BERDO) in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
"Definitively there are other reasons beside religion why the adult female literacy is only 30.8 percent compared to 49.9 percent for adult males, and why poor women are at higher risk for illness due to malnutrition, numerous pregnancies and hard work. Is it culture, religion, or something else? I don't know; I am puzzled!"

"Sanabel" a Success in Palestine
Hannah Wright (Bristol University) is working to promote women's participation in conflict resolution with the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) in Ramallah, Palestine.
"This week, WATC launched a book entitled "Northern Sanabel." The word "sanabel" refers to the stalks of wheat crops and is the name of WATC's project to empower rural women by providing training in areas such as leadership skills, advocacy, gender analysis, conflict resolution, networking and self-confidence... The book outlines the history of the project and includes profiles of twelve women who have benefited from it and worked to continue spreading its benefits to others by delivering training themselves."

Bosnians Brace for Srebrenica Anniversary
Shweta Dewan (Columbia University) is promoting the Srebrenica Memorial Quilt with the Bosnian Family (BOSFAM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I had been warned several times of the change in atmosphere that comes up whenever July gets closer. The weavers may be going to Srebrenica, or they take time off to mourn. Some think that having loved ones identified will create closure; on the contrary, Beba was telling me of someone who was very knowledgeable about the mass graves and issues related to this. When it came to her relative, she always had hope that he had gone away somewhere and would eventually come home. It amazes me how much faith and hope allows a person to live with their circumstances."

No Escape From Caste in Kathmandu
Shubha Bala (Columbia University) is advocating for human rights and democracy with the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) in Baglung, Nepal.
"But it is interesting to realize that even these upper caste people, originally from villages but having lived in Kathmandu for a long time, have these feelings etched into their psyche. They admit quite freely that their thoughts are morally wrong, scientifically unfounded, yet, they say, the feeling is so strong in them it is quite hard to fight against. So, if even these educated Nepalis, living in the most urban city, can refuse someone their business based on caste, then how hopeless does it seem in the villages where there isn't even an acceptance that their thoughts are possibly irrational?"

Italy Begins Crackdown on Romani People
Colby Pacheco (UC San Diego) is working on Romani rights with the Dzeno Association in Prague, the Czech Republic.
"...the right-wing lead government in Italy has attempted to evict Roma from the country under the guise of national security. Unfortunately, cool heads do not seem ready to prevail as police in Rome have destroyed Roma communities and have plans to fingerprint all Romani, including children, for documentation. This practice is nearly unheard of in modern civil society as many critics describe it as an "ethnic survey". Even more disturbing seems to be the fact that the "neo-fascist" Mayor of Rome appears to be winning political points through these actions."

Help is More Than Handouts in Vietnam
Chi Vu (Columbia University) is working alongside survivors of landmine injuries with Survivor Corps (formally the Landmine Survivors' Network) in the Quang Binh province of Vietnam.
"People in Vietnam do care greatly about those with disabilities or disadvantages, but from what I've observed, help is more often given in the form of handouts, which, while given with good intentions, create dependence and are ultimately unsustainable. LSN-V is firmly moving away from that approach, focusing instead on providing the right tools to help survivors succeed."

Obama Accepted to College, but Lives on the Streets in Kenya
Kristina Rosinsky (University of Maryland) is working with poor and marginalized youth, including street children with the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK).
"One of the five young men that I interviewed got accepted into university but was unable to go due to a lack of money. His nickname is Obama... Obama got a scholarship to go to university, but his sponsor never paid and he was unable to attend school, leaving him no choice but to turn to the streets. When asked what his immediate needs are, he responded by saying that he needs a scholarship because he wants to continue his schooling so that he can become a lawyer. Instead of studying law, he spends his days collecting scrap metal to sell for money and eating from a dumpsite. He has so much potential, the only thing holding him back is poverty."

A Mother's Shame in Peru
Jennifer Tucker (UC Berkeley) is working to ensure quality education for children with Supporting Kids in Peru (SKIP) in El Porvenir, Peru.
"On a run-down, croweded bus a young woman holds a baby whose face is deformed by a cleft lip. She notices me staring and when I look back, she has covered her baby's face. According to Operation Smile, corrective surgery costs $240, more than the average monthly income for many."

Disabled Bosnians Held at a Distance
Antigona Kukaj (Columbia University) is working alongside survivors of landmine injuries with Survivor Corps (formerly the Landmine Survivors' Network) in Tuzla, Bosnia.
"When I told my neighbor about LSN BiH's [Bosnia Herzegovina] initiatives, including their outreach work in the employment opportunity sector, she quickly asserted that people without disabilities have a difficult time getting a job in Bosnia. Her comment and the way that she said it gave off this sense that PWDs (people with disabilities) stand out separately from the community, and that the needs of others come before the needs of PWDs."

Rubber Meets the Roads of Kathmandu
Jes Therkelsen (American University) is advocating for Dalit rights with the Jagaran Media Center (JMC) in Kathmandu, Nepal.
"To walk the roads in Kathmandu demands a bit more attention than I prefer to give and today I had to side step the huge puddles left over from last night's rains. If I avoid getting hit by bicycles, motorcycles or vegetable carts, I'm often tripping over big rocks, mounds of poop or sleeping dogs. Before moving here, I invested in a nice pair of New Balance walking shoes. Like most Nepalis, I get around by walking or public transportation. Unlike most Nepalis, I have the proper foot support. Or rather, I am fortunate enough to afford the luxury of proper foot support. I'm self conscious of this and wish my feet wouldn't hurt so much after a day of walking in sandals. Perhaps a Nepali's threshold of foot pain is higher than my own."

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