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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The Fellowship Pr... > Kate Cummings and...

Kate Cummings and Vital Voices of Kenya

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University

Kate Cummings will be the first Peace Fellow to work with Vital Voices of Kenya, advocating for five partner organizations that empower women and girls emerging as leaders in their communities.  Kate was born in the North Carolina mountains, and received her BFA in photography at Sewanee: The University of the South, in 2004.  Upon graduation, Kate was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for her proposal, “Compassionate Service as Religious Practice: Photographing Engaged Buddhism.” Kate spent her year-long Fellowship photographing in India, Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, and France. During this year, she photographed Zen Master and international peacemaker Thich Nhat Hanh's first return to Vietnam since his exile 39 years before.  Kate’s images of this pilgrimage were published internationally, and she returned with Nhat Hanh and his International Peace Delegation in 2007 to photograph healing ceremonies led by Nhat Hanh about the Vietnam-American War and its impact on future generations.   

While working as a freelance photographer, Kate moved to western Massachusetts and began teaching photography to at-risk girls.  Kate also became one of the co-owners of Pedal People in western Mass, a human-powered hauling service that picks up the city’s public and residential trash by bicycle.  Building on her work with inmates in North Carolina, Kate co-founded a meditation group at the Hampshire County Jail and led meditation sessions with inmates each week.  In the fall of 2008, Kate began her master’s degree at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston.  She is focusing on human security and the resiliency of women and children in post-conflict societies.  

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We are not accepting donations for individual fellows at this time, please click here to donate to AP's Fellowship program.

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