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... > Blogging for Peace > 2006 > AP Interns Realiz...

AP Interns Realize the Impact of Their Work, August 9, 2006

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AdvocacyNet
Intern Update, Volume 4#9, August 9, 2006
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The Advocacy Project's 18 summer interns are blogging on the AP website about their summer assignments. The interns are working with community-based partner organizations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Italy, Guatemala, Nigeria, Fiji, Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and India. Excerpts from their blogs follow. Read more on the AP 2006 internship program.


Glad to Be Back in Colombo

Greg Holyfield (University of Arkansas) is working to preserve and protect economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights with Home for Human Rights in Sri Lanka.

"I was only in the east for 15 days, but Batticaloa has an entirely different feel and unfortunately, it is not for the better. The past several days has seen an escalation in violence pretty near where I was...I was able to visit 4 villages while in Batticaloa and heard many great stories of survival and perseverance."

Rewarding Teaching Moments in Kabul

Alison Long (American University) is working for girl's education with the Oruj Learning Center in Afghanistan.

"There was a great deal of confusion over "v" and "w," and also "c" and "k," and no one seemed able to remember the letter "q" - but overall, it was one of the most wonderful teaching "moments" I've ever experienced...Not once did it occur to me that every single one of these children no longer had a father, no longer could see their extended family, and no longer could visit their birthplace. During that one hour, they were simply good-hearted, enthusiastic students who desperately wanted to learn and/or garner a smile or a "besyar khub" (very good) from their new teacher."

Education Out of Reach For Many of Nepal's Dalit

Nicole Cordeau (Georgetown University) is working for Nepal's Dalit (lowest caste) with the Jagaran Media Center.

"JMC has documented cases of scholarship money intended for Dalit pupils being withheld and misspent by school authorities. Moreover, fees are a small portion of the cost of attending school: expenses like uniforms, salary supplements, lunch, and foregone labor put basic education out of reach for many Dalit families."

Israel Should Be Held Accountable for Qana Massacre

Sarah Sachs (Columbia University) is working for cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis with the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in Beit Sahour/Jerusalem.

"Don't be fooled by the numbers. It doesn't matter whether the death toll in Qana was 56 or 41 or 28. The fact is that the Israeli army targeted and struck a bunker in which it knew civilians were hiding."

More Freedom Creates Instability in Nepal

Lori Tomoe Mizuno (NYU) is working to mobilize civil society networks to work towards conflict transformation and peace building with the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) in Nepal.

"Because of the civil movement that brought down the king, protests have become easier to organize. Police and the army merely observe (with weapons, of course), and the prohibitions against gathering in certain areas have been dropped. COCAP has certainly benefited from this...However, with all the competing voices across Nepal, the political issues it is currently facing, and the tensions caused by poverty and lack of opportunities, this new freedom has created in some ways more instability in Nepal."

New Newsletter Brings Huge Response in Kuala Lumpur

Melissa Muscio (Tufts University) is working on women's development with eHomemakers in Malaysia.

"When it came time to hit the "send" button, the web editor told me her fingers went cold - she was that nervous about the response. Aah, but there was no need, because we soon got calls and emails from contacts that had been dormant, volunteering to help. Suddenly, the office is alive with new vitality as we work to coordinate the different offers and suggestions."

'Crying Wolf' in Nepal

Stacey Spivey (Georgetown University) is working for lower caste Dalit with the Jagaran Media Center.

"While a few, such as the Maoist rally in Kathmandu and the Dalit rights protest in Pokhara, were ones that I purposefully attended, there are many others that I have only happened to stumble across during my life in the city...Rather than providing a strong expression of 'people power,' constant protests only seem to be diminishing it. In the end, I fear that Nepalis are only recreating the exact situation of 'the boy who cried wolf.'

Investing in Kosovo's Future

Barbra Bearden (American University) is working for women's rights in Kosovo with the Kosova Women's Network.

"This exchange, after the actual internship ends, is the true genius of AP's internship program. I am invested in the future of KWN and of Kosova because I have worked 12-hour days. I have sipped wine and talked about human trafficking over dinner, and I have bought into the importance of KWN for the future of Kosova and for peace and conflict resolution worldwide."

Finding Closure in Guatemala

Charles Wright (Georgetown University) is working for indigenous survivors of a 1982 massacre with Adivima in Guatemala.

"For some, it was an end of a journey filled with both broken memory and body. Wives, sons, daughters, brothers - all who had had a piece of their life ripped away only to have that space flooded with a constant sorrow - could now have the closure that they had so long desired."

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