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Excerpts from some of this week's blogs follow:
Freedom Fighting in Unsuspected Places in Ramallah
Tatsiana Hulko (Georgetown University) is volunteering for women's rights, community development and peace at the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"For a moment I thought about my own country. Here I was, in a Muslim culture around women who are successfully fighting for their rights despite all stereotypes. And on the other hand I realized that seminars like these would still be impossible in today's Belarus, the supposedly free country on the border with the European Union."
Italy's Other Reputation
Michelle Lanspa is volunteering to prevent and protect victims of human trafficking with the Transnational AIDS Prevention among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe Projects (TAMPEP) in Turin, Italy.
"This message from the film made me think about how the trafficking of persons is part of a greater phenomenon of migration. It made me think about how it is a shame that so many people see Italy now as a country of exploitation."
The Eye of the Storm Over Malaysia?
Mariko Scavone (Georgetown University) is volunteering to empower women with eHomemakers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"By 7 AM the nearby park is filled. Tai chi practitioners, Muslim women clad in head coverings, old and young, healthy and disabled, Chinese, Indian, and Malay gather to get in their morning exercise. But under such a serene sky, perhaps there is a torrent waiting to pour down."
Afghan Women Changing Stereotypes
Maha Khan (Johns Hopkins University) is volunteering for women's rights with the Afghan Institute of Learning in Peshawar, Pakistan.
"These educated women can help to provide both Pakistan and Afghanistan with a brighter, safer future and make women like me realize that there is more to the NWFP [North West Frontier Province] than bombs, guns, and beards."
Not so Proud to be an American in Sri Lanka
Madeline England (Columbia University) is volunteering for human rights and as an advocate for torture victims with the Home for Human Rights (HHR) in Sri Lanka.
"What disgusts me as an American is the idea that my government’s actions are being used to justify the forced expulsions that involved such obvious ethnic discrimination and human rights violations."
Internet Connections and Survival in Malaysia
Julia Zoo is volunteering to empower women with eHomemakers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"As Ching Ching, the founder of eHomemakers, slapped [wrote] in one of her columns, for many people, ICT for ‘homemakers’ is still 'not sexy enough' to get the donors’ feet wet in the project. However, what we usually don’t realize is that when those 'homemakers' talk about the need for Internet connection, it is not about luxury but about finding a way to survive."
Living in Poverty in Nairobi is not a Life Without Dignity
Jonathan Homer (George Washington University Law School) is volunteering for children's rights and issues related to HIV/AIDS with the Undugu Society in Nairobi, Kenya.
"As Mary explained to me the details of her business regarding costs, prices, profits, and payments to the group account, I was reminded of a lesson that I learned several years ago while working in a similar slum in the Marshall Islands. That lesson is that living in poverty does not mean living without dignity."
Normal Teen Qualms From a Victim of Trafficking in the UK
Jennifer Hollinger (Georgetown University) is volunteering to support trafficking survivors with Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking Across Europe (CHASTE).
"I was finally speaking with someone who had gone through such a horrendous ordeal and I didn’t know if I would be able to hold it together. What got me through the meeting was listening to her complain about her 10 PM curfew – she had the same concerns as any normal teenager. She wanted to go out, to have fun, to be with friends. Something she had been denied her entire life."
Life in Gaza Continues Amidst Chaos
Erin Wroblewski is volunteering for transatlantic cooperation in support of global human rights with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) in East Jerusalem.
"He reported that while the political situation was intractable, the drum beat of life in Gaza continued. He had been shopping that morning and background noise from cars and people came through his phone suggesting that a city under siege is still a city…The pictures in international media of masked and heavily armed men roaming the streets coupled with reports that donors are withdrawing aid gives the impression that life here has stopped. It has not. With conflict comes resourcefulness and the Middle East is a glowing example."
'Bang, bang' Among First Words of Toddler in Ramallah
Eliza Bates (Columbia University) is volunteering to support and foster a democratic labor movement with the Democracy and Worker's Rights Center in Ramallah, the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"When bullets smashed through their windows, the entire family hid in the one room in the house with no windows. His one-and-a-half year old daughter now says 'takh, takh' (colloquial Arabic for 'bang, bang') every time she hears gunshots. These are among her first words. Mommy, daddy, takh, takh, bang, bang."
Lower-caste Dalit in Nepal Not so Different to an Outsider
Devin Greenleaf (American University) is volunteering to advocate for human rights through the Jagaran Media Center in Kathmandu, Nepal.
"They cannot be grouped according to physical characteristics as they have many, they don’t share religious norms at odds with the majority, and they have not moved here as immigrants from far off lands. Instead, they are extraordinarily normal apart from their individual talents, exceptional intellect, and incredible devotion."
A Kind Smile, Warm Meal and Strong Coffee in Beit Sahour
Amali Tower (Columbia University) is volunteering for economic rights with the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"This is Palestine. A place where occupation, unrest, curfews, checkpoints, settlements, the Wall, and violence are the norm. But to only see that would be a tragedy. This is a place where people stand in solidarity for their beliefs, where they welcome strangers with a kind smile, and an ever-present, 'Welcome to Palestine.' Where a warm meal, a strong cup of Arabic coffee, and an offer to help in any way, is the norm."
Fellow Submerged in Srebrenica Massacre Stories
Alison Morse (Tufts University) is volunteering for peace and women's rights with Bosfam in Tuzla, Bosnia.
"As I stood in the cooler, the smell, though not overpowering, slowly seeped into my system. Ammonia mixed with the mustiness of old clothes. I could feel the saliva building at the back of my throat. I stared at the cement floor, beginning to tune out the statistics and images of bones and bodies now in my head. I wanted to leave, to take in a breath of fresh air, to close the door and forget the stories that lay inside."
Young, Tiny Girl Versus Older, Powerful Men in Guatemala
Abby Weil (American University) is volunteering to support victims of the Rio Negro Massacre with ADIVIMA in Guatemala.
"Goosebumps began to appear on my arms, and tears swelled in my eyes, as I saw a tiny girl, in rural Guatemala, fight for her rights and assert herself in front of powerful men that were 30, 40 even 50 years her senior."
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Fellows for Peace Blogs, Issue 2
******
AdvocacyNet
Fellow Update, Volume 5 #2, June 19, 2007
******
Fellows for Peace Blogs
Thirty Peace Fellows are working this summer in 18 countries or territories with community-based partners of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP issues a weekly digest of their blogs.
Highlights:
- Freedom Fighting in Unsuspected Places in Ramallah
- Italy's Other Reputation
- The Eye of the Storm Over Malaysia?
- Afghan Women Changing Stereotypes
- Not so Proud to be an American in Sri Lanka
- Internet Connections and Survival in Malaysia
- Living in Poverty in Nairobi is not a Life Without Dignity
- Normal Teen Qualms From a Victim of Trafficking in the UK
- Life in Gaza Continues Amidst Chaos
- 'Bang, bang' Among First Words of Toddler in the West Bank
- Lower-caste Dalit in Nepal Not so Different to an Outsider
- A Kind Smile, Warm Meal and Strong Coffee in Beit Sahour
- Fellow Submerged in Srebrenica Massacre Stories
- Young, Tiny Girl Versus Older, Powerful Men in Guatemala
Excerpts from some of this week's blogs follow:
Freedom Fighting in Unsuspected Places in Ramallah
Tatsiana Hulko (Georgetown University) is volunteering for women's rights, community development and peace at the Women's Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"For a moment I thought about my own country. Here I was, in a Muslim culture around women who are successfully fighting for their rights despite all stereotypes. And on the other hand I realized that seminars like these would still be impossible in today's Belarus, the supposedly free country on the border with the European Union."
Italy's Other Reputation
Michelle Lanspa is volunteering to prevent and protect victims of human trafficking with the Transnational AIDS Prevention among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe Projects (TAMPEP) in Turin, Italy.
"This message from the film made me think about how the trafficking of persons is part of a greater phenomenon of migration. It made me think about how it is a shame that so many people see Italy now as a country of exploitation."
The Eye of the Storm Over Malaysia?
Mariko Scavone (Georgetown University) is volunteering to empower women with eHomemakers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"By 7 AM the nearby park is filled. Tai chi practitioners, Muslim women clad in head coverings, old and young, healthy and disabled, Chinese, Indian, and Malay gather to get in their morning exercise. But under such a serene sky, perhaps there is a torrent waiting to pour down."
Afghan Women Changing Stereotypes
Maha Khan (Johns Hopkins University) is volunteering for women's rights with the Afghan Institute of Learning in Peshawar, Pakistan.
"These educated women can help to provide both Pakistan and Afghanistan with a brighter, safer future and make women like me realize that there is more to the NWFP [North West Frontier Province] than bombs, guns, and beards."
Not so Proud to be an American in Sri Lanka
Madeline England (Columbia University) is volunteering for human rights and as an advocate for torture victims with the Home for Human Rights (HHR) in Sri Lanka.
"What disgusts me as an American is the idea that my government’s actions are being used to justify the forced expulsions that involved such obvious ethnic discrimination and human rights violations."
Internet Connections and Survival in Malaysia
Julia Zoo is volunteering to empower women with eHomemakers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"As Ching Ching, the founder of eHomemakers, slapped [wrote] in one of her columns, for many people, ICT for ‘homemakers’ is still 'not sexy enough' to get the donors’ feet wet in the project. However, what we usually don’t realize is that when those 'homemakers' talk about the need for Internet connection, it is not about luxury but about finding a way to survive."
Living in Poverty in Nairobi is not a Life Without Dignity
Jonathan Homer (George Washington University Law School) is volunteering for children's rights and issues related to HIV/AIDS with the Undugu Society in Nairobi, Kenya.
"As Mary explained to me the details of her business regarding costs, prices, profits, and payments to the group account, I was reminded of a lesson that I learned several years ago while working in a similar slum in the Marshall Islands. That lesson is that living in poverty does not mean living without dignity."
Normal Teen Qualms From a Victim of Trafficking in the UK
Jennifer Hollinger (Georgetown University) is volunteering to support trafficking survivors with Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking Across Europe (CHASTE).
"I was finally speaking with someone who had gone through such a horrendous ordeal and I didn’t know if I would be able to hold it together. What got me through the meeting was listening to her complain about her 10 PM curfew – she had the same concerns as any normal teenager. She wanted to go out, to have fun, to be with friends. Something she had been denied her entire life."
Life in Gaza Continues Amidst Chaos
Erin Wroblewski is volunteering for transatlantic cooperation in support of global human rights with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) in East Jerusalem.
"He reported that while the political situation was intractable, the drum beat of life in Gaza continued. He had been shopping that morning and background noise from cars and people came through his phone suggesting that a city under siege is still a city…The pictures in international media of masked and heavily armed men roaming the streets coupled with reports that donors are withdrawing aid gives the impression that life here has stopped. It has not. With conflict comes resourcefulness and the Middle East is a glowing example."
'Bang, bang' Among First Words of Toddler in Ramallah
Eliza Bates (Columbia University) is volunteering to support and foster a democratic labor movement with the Democracy and Worker's Rights Center in Ramallah, the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"When bullets smashed through their windows, the entire family hid in the one room in the house with no windows. His one-and-a-half year old daughter now says 'takh, takh' (colloquial Arabic for 'bang, bang') every time she hears gunshots. These are among her first words. Mommy, daddy, takh, takh, bang, bang."
Lower-caste Dalit in Nepal Not so Different to an Outsider
Devin Greenleaf (American University) is volunteering to advocate for human rights through the Jagaran Media Center in Kathmandu, Nepal.
"They cannot be grouped according to physical characteristics as they have many, they don’t share religious norms at odds with the majority, and they have not moved here as immigrants from far off lands. Instead, they are extraordinarily normal apart from their individual talents, exceptional intellect, and incredible devotion."
A Kind Smile, Warm Meal and Strong Coffee in Beit Sahour
Amali Tower (Columbia University) is volunteering for economic rights with the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"This is Palestine. A place where occupation, unrest, curfews, checkpoints, settlements, the Wall, and violence are the norm. But to only see that would be a tragedy. This is a place where people stand in solidarity for their beliefs, where they welcome strangers with a kind smile, and an ever-present, 'Welcome to Palestine.' Where a warm meal, a strong cup of Arabic coffee, and an offer to help in any way, is the norm."
Fellow Submerged in Srebrenica Massacre Stories
Alison Morse (Tufts University) is volunteering for peace and women's rights with Bosfam in Tuzla, Bosnia.
"As I stood in the cooler, the smell, though not overpowering, slowly seeped into my system. Ammonia mixed with the mustiness of old clothes. I could feel the saliva building at the back of my throat. I stared at the cement floor, beginning to tune out the statistics and images of bones and bodies now in my head. I wanted to leave, to take in a breath of fresh air, to close the door and forget the stories that lay inside."
Young, Tiny Girl Versus Older, Powerful Men in Guatemala
Abby Weil (American University) is volunteering to support victims of the Rio Negro Massacre with ADIVIMA in Guatemala.
"Goosebumps began to appear on my arms, and tears swelled in my eyes, as I saw a tiny girl, in rural Guatemala, fight for her rights and assert herself in front of powerful men that were 30, 40 even 50 years her senior."
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