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.

Translate this page:



TAKE ACTION FOR ADVOCACY

  • News
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Search

The Fellowship Pr... > Blogging for Peace > 2006 > AP Interns Find R...

AP Interns Find Rewards in a Busy Schedule, July 12, 2006

******
AdvocacyNet
Intern Update, Volume 4#6, July 12, 2006
******

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.

Highlights:

Guarding the History of an Afghan Woman

Erica Isaac (NYU) is working for womens' rights in Afghanistan with the Afghan Women's Network.

"As her advocate I am granted the blissful honor of wearing her courage, speaking her words, representing her future and guarding her history. We finished talking and walked around the table towards each other. As I handed Shuib back to her tears rolled down both of our faces. She looked at her son and asked me how she could repay him for saving her life. I told her to love him without conditions and raise him to be a man of honor. She held my shoulders in her hands and whispered tashakor khwahar, thank you sister."

Identifying Bodies from Srebrenica Massacre

Yvette Barnes (Georgetown University) is working for women refugees and survivors in Bosnia with Bosfam.

"At first I was amazed that nearly 11 years after the massacre so few bodies have been buried, only about 1,500, but upon talking to Zlatan, I came to know just what a difficult process this has been for the MPI [Missing Persons Institute]. The bodies of the Srebrenica victims were found in over 30 mass graves."

New Treaty on Disappearances Contradicts Practice in Sri Lanka

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.

"Sri Lanka, a member of the newly formed UN Human Rights Council, voted last week for a treaty to prevent and punish forced disappearances. This treaty will be forwarded to the General Assembly in the fall. This is funny to me as both the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) have extremely poor records on disappearances."

Private Lives are a Public Event in Nepal

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

"For the majority of Nepalis, life takes place out in the open. Bathing, cooking, washing, grooming - all are a matter for public scrutiny. Hit the streets of Kathmandu and a Sunday afternoon's wanderings will reveal all these activities and more to the casual observer."

Hamas Denied Opportunity to Prove Itself

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

"While I am neither a supporter nor defender of Hamas and I do recognize their connections to terrorist acts, it is important to remember that this is not Hamas' only function...Hamas was given its authority by the Palestinian people, through free and fair elections - quite phenomenal, in fact, given the electoral history of the region. But Hamas was never given the opportunity to prove itself as a functioning political body, so we will most likely never know how the authority, responsibility and accountability granted to it in those elections could have transformed its role in Palestinian politics."

Teaching About Pedophiles in Delhi

Donna Laverdiere (Duke University) is working for street children with Butterflies in Delhi.

"He told me the one lesson I had missed in the life skills section was how to deal with pedophiles. He wanted me to create a lesson instructing the children on what to do when they suspect an adult is a threat. My eyes widened at the thought."

Investment in Education Needed 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.

"But there is also a second reality that children are the future of Nepal. As contrived as it may sound, investment in them in terms of rights protection and education is paramount to continue to build on a new democratic Nepal."

Malaysian Companies Unsure About Telecommuting

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

"Finally, we have the issue of convincing local companies that telecommuting is a viable option for certain jobs. It is not a concept that has yet taken off in Malaysia and we have to overcome a lot of resistance to change. There is the idea that if you see someone sitting at a desk for eight plus hours a day that they must be doing work."

Nepalis Love Making Their Voices Heard

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

"Folks here love a good protest, and not a day goes by without a "gherao," a form of dissent unique to the subcontinent that involves surrounding the offending individual, ministry, or whatever, linking arms, and making demands. Many of the causes, like minority rights, women's inclusion, social equality, peace, and democracy, are certainly worthy. But others...well, not so much. "

Learning Dari Brings Rewards in Kabul

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

"It was the most delightful feeling - being a party to that one trivial, linguistic exchange. It also made me realize that even a small effort to assimilate can engender a significant reward. Ultimately, I think that that my officemate interpreted my learning Dari as a sign of respect for her culture and people...and I certainly mean it to be."

Strangers Pull Together in Lagos

Laura Cardinal (Columbia University) is working for victims of human trafficking with the Women's Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON).

"But he had other plans and for the next thirty minutes the man proceeded to chase us down the road, cutting us off and swerving in front of us, not allowing us to get away from him...As scary as the initial situation was, it was amazing to see the manner in which the community, all strangers only moments before, pulled together to resolve what could have been a very ugly and perhaps even violent situation. I have never seen anything like it in my life."

Searching for 'Camelot moments' in the UK

Lynne Engelman (University of Calgary) is working to combat the eviction of Roma and Travellers from their land with the UK Association of Gypsy Women.

"I try to keep that rather clichéd mantra in mind, about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, because the town where I am staying does not afford many Camelot moments...It allows me to focus on my work and to focus on a different kind of beauty: the kind that comes from people - people who continue to press on and help others despite horrible acts against them, their people, and their lands."

Chimps, Baboons and Monkeys Trafficked in Nigeria

Jessica Sewall (Georgetown University) is working for women's rights in Nigeria with the Women's Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON).

"And her small motherless baby has little meat on him, but he will fetch a remarkable price for the trade of animals as pets, ornaments, and eventually meat when he grows older. Luckily, the committed workers at the Afi Drill Ranch, situated on a wide rainforest spread near the border of Cameroon were alerted by locals to the orphaned baboon and rescued it."

Civil Society Missing at UN Symposium in Italy

Anya Gorovets (NYU) is working to prevent human trafficking with TAMPEP in Italy.

"I finally got up the nerve to raise a finger (a hand would be improper etiquette) during the panel on 'human rights,' the only session of 28 with the word 'human' or 'rights' in its title, to ask 'will civil society be represented or similarly absent from the high-level dialogue in NYC this September?' The answer was of course, yes, they will be absent."

Rural Guatemalans Will Miss Out on CAFTA

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

"The jury is still out on CAFTA, and only time can be its judge. My leanings, though, lead me to believe that CAFTA will be good for Guatemala, even if only in the sense that it will increase international scrutiny of its economy and raise the bar for economic accountability. However, we would be sorely remiss to think that free trade's road to economic developmental is accessible to all."

Back