2004 Fellows
Wendy Adams
The League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissioners
Minneapolis, MN
Wendy Adams is currently a student at the University of
Minnesota in Duluth, Minnesota, working on her Masters in Social Work.
Her host organization is The League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissioners
where she will work on the program “Reducing and Eliminating Hate Behavior
(REHaB). The REHaB Program is a response to requests for corrective services
for persons who have been convicted of hate crimes. The judicial system
requests one-on-one counseling with the offenders. Wendy will serve on
the committee that deals with human rights issues throughout Minnesota.
Her fellowship will focus on engaging individuals in learning about human
rights and responsibilities while challenging offenders to change their
attitudes and behaviors.
Kwaku Agyeman
Legal Aid Society
New York, NY
Fellowship Report
Kwaku Agyeman is a second year law student at the University of South
Dakota. In May, he will undertake an internship with the Legal Aid Society
in the Bronx, New York. His work will be in the Housing Unit that handles
landlord and tenant law. The Housing Unit mediates and litigates cases
of individuals who are being evicted by landlords. He will interview clients,
act as liaison between staff attorneys, prepare motions to be filed in
court, to clients and opposing attorneys. Kwaku plans to work as an international
law and human rights attorney. Upon his return to South Dakota from New
York, he would like to raise awareness on shelter issues, a fundamental
human right, through campus forums and interactions with his university
community.
Clay Collins
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
(COHRE)
Ghana
Fellowship Report
Clay Collins is enrolled in the Child Psychology Ph.D. program at the
University of Minnesota. In addition, he has been conducting research
for a book on non-citizens and assisting in the development of a draft
copy of a chapter on stateless persons. His fellowship will be with the
Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and will be based in Ghana.
COHRE is an international human rights organization that seeks to ensure
full housing rights by applying human rights law to housing situations
around the world. He will work with COHRE’s Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights Litigation Programme and the COHRE Africa Programme.
Lydia Dobrovolny
Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy
(ME3)
Manitoba, Canada
Fellowship
Report
Lydia Dobrovolny is currently working on her Master of Science in Science,
Technology and Environmental Policy at the University of Minnesota. Her
fellowship will enable her to focus on energy and environmental policy
utilizing her science training and research skills, working for Minnesotans
for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ME3). ME3 is a non-profit organization
the works regionally to transition communities to a clean, fair, and efficient
energy system. Her work with ME3’s Just Energy Program will focus on advocating
for the human rights of the First Nation's communities in Manitoba, specifically
implementing environmental just and sustainable policy.
Adriana Dobrzycka
South Asia Human Rights Documentation
Centre (SAHRDC)
New Delhi, India
Fellowship
Report
Adriana Dobrzycka is in her senior year at St. Cloud State University,
majoring in Anthropology and Political Science. She is also currently
interning with Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, conducting research
on the Sierra Leone Truth Commission as well as monitoring human rights
situations in Peru. Her fellowship this summer will take place at the
South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC) in New Delhi India.
SAHRDC is an NGO that studies and documents human rights violations in
the South Asian region. The Centre educates the public about international
human rights standards and treaties. Adriana plans to bring her experience
back to her community by giving presentations and sponsoring discussions
regarding the human rights situation in the South Asian Region.
Jonathan Eoloff
Center for Justice and
International Law
San Jose, Costa Rica
Fellowship Report
Jonathan Eoloff is in his final year at the University of
Minnesota Law School. He currently serves as Symposium Editor of The Journal
of Law and Inequality. Jonathan has extensive experience working with
human rights organizations or projects, including interning with the Asylum
Law Project at the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, clerking for Sandra
Babcock with the Mexico Capital Legal Assistance Program, Minnesota Advocates
for Human Rights, and Witness For Peace in Guatemala. His fellowship will
take place in San Jose, Costa Rica, at the Center for Justice and International
Law. Jonathan will work as a legal intern, partnering with staff attorneys
on cases before the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights.
His work will assist him in the transition from law student to full-time
advocate and attorney in the human rights arena.
Kimberly Ford
Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)
Sierra Leone and Guinea
Fellowship Report
Kimberly Ford received her Masters of Urban and Regional
Planning degree in March of 2003 from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute
of Public Affairs. Most recently, she was admitted to the Ph.D. Program
in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She has worked
extensively on research projects both in the United States as well as
in Egypt and Nepal. For Kimberly's fellowship project, she will work in
West Africa, specifically in Sierra Leone and Guinea with her host organization,
Center for Victims of Torture (CVT). Initially, she will work with staff
to collect existing data on their programs, assessing the dimensions of
well being that the programs cover successfully, and identifying needs
that have not been met. She will then develop evaluation measures and
methods, and coordinate and standardize a process across CVT's West Africa
programs for future evaluation. The research will provide valuable information
to donors and increase the efficacy of the existing services in Sierra
Leone and Guinea.
Eric Gottwald
International
Labour Organization's Multinational Enterprises Program (MULTI)
Geneva, Switzerland
Fellowship
Report
Eric Gottwald is a second-year law student at the University
of Minnesota. After receiving his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin,
Eric worked as a legislative aide in Washington focusing on international
trade and veteran’s affairs. In the summer of 2003, Eric volunteered at
Oxfam-Great Britain as a Research Fellow. He conducted research in support
of the Oxfam campaign on the precarious employment of women in global
value chains. His fellowship in 2004 will support his internship with
the International Labour Organization’s Multinational Enterprises Program
(MULTI) in Geneva, Switzerland. MULTI works to bring employers, workers’
representatives, and national governments together to ensure that foreign
direct investment generates employment that respects core labor standards.
The work will focus primarily on preparatory work for a sub-regional meeting
on multinational enterprises, FDI, and labor/employment issues in the
Southern African Development Community.
Monica Haller
El
Colegio
Minneapolis, MN
Fellowship Report
Monica Haller is currently a candidate for a Masters of Fine Arts in
Visual Studies and Photography at The Minneapolis College of Art and
Design and a graduate of the College of St. Benedict, where she received
her B.A. in Peace Studies. Her fellowship will take place at El Colegio
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. El Colegio is a charter high school with
a focus in the arts, environment, and technology. The student population
is primarily Latino; however, the school serves all cultures. Monica
plans to work with a group of youth from Minneapolis, using photography
as a medium to address the issue of denial of access to higher education
for undocumented youth. She hopes the photography project will be a
powerful tool in influencing the youth, the community, and legislature
about the human right to education for all. Monica's goal is to create
work that will be exhibited in public venues and circulated locally
to promote awareness of the undocumented youth and their futures, with
or without educational opportunities.
Lena Jones
Institute for Democracy in South
Africa (IDASA)
Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa
Fellowship Report
Lena Jones received her M.A. degree in Political Science
from the University of Minnesota and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in
Political Science at the U of M. Additionally, she is an Instructor of
Political Science at the University of Minnesota and at the Minneapolis
Community and Technical College. She has many publications and awards
for her dedicated work. Lena's fellowship with the Institute for Democracy
in South Africa (IDASA) will include participation in IDASA’s efforts
to institute civic engagement projects in Cape Town and Pretoria. She
will contribute to various applied research projects undertaken by IDASA's
South African Migration Project (SAMP), a subsidiary of IDASA that promotes
public awareness of the role, status, and contribution of foreign immigrants
of African origin in South Africa. Lena's duties will include participating
in grassroots democracy-building efforts and in research projects aimed
at fighting xenophobia and discrimination. This year marks the 10th Anniversary
of South Africa's first free elections. Lena plans to share her experience
with her many students, African American scholars and colleagues, and
the African American community at-large in the Twin Cities.
Kevin Keeley
Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago
for the Advancement of Women
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Kevin Keeley is currently a candidate for a Masters of Public
Policy at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. His specific
concentration is Economic and Community Development with an interest in
gender and development. Kevin will work with the Network of NGOs of Trinidad
and Tobago for the Advancement of Women in Port-of –Spain, Trinidad. He
will work as a project manager, overseeing the design and launch of WomensNet
T&T. WomensNet T&T is an innovative networking support program
designed to enable women to use the Internet to find the people, issues,
resources, and tools needed for their social action in Trinidad and Tobago.
He hopes this effort will promote gender equality and women's empowerment
in this part of the Caribbean. He hopes to be able to transfer this advocacy
work upon his return to the Twin Cities Somali community and, in particular,
with the Somali women and girls community.
Robert Lafrentz
Western Shoshone Defense Project (WSDP)
Crescent Valley, Nevada
Fellowship
Report
Robert Lafrentz studied at the University of Minnesota at
the Institute for Global Studies and received his B.A. in International
Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. Presently, he is a law student at
the University of St. Thomas. As a fellow with the Western Shoshone Defense
Project (WSDP) in Crescent Valley, Nevada, he will be working to reaffirm
Newe (Western Shoshone) jurisdiction over Newe Sobobia (Western Shoshone
homeland). He will be responsible for writing reports to the Organization
of American States and to the United Nations Committee on Elimination
of Racial Discrimination outlining the human rights violations against
Western Shoshone people. He also plans to create materials for WSDP'S
distribution to further awareness of human rights violations against the
Newe people. Robert also will assist WSDP'S efforts in the "no Dirty
Gold" campaign to stop the negative impact of gold mining on Western
Shoshone land. Upon his return, Robert hopes to educate individuals about
the human rights abuses against the Newe people, through undergraduate
and graduate student newspaper articles and will attempt to start a human
rights organization at the University of St. Thomas.
Tai Nicole Leather
Cultural Diversity Resources
Fargo-Moorhead, MN
Fellowship
Report
Tai Nicole Leather is a senior at Minnesota State University
in Moorhead. She has been working with Cultural Diversity Resources in
Fargo-Moorhead since March and will continue through August. Tai will
collaborate with Cultural Diversity Resources in the planning, implementation,
and follow-up for the Human Rights Training of Trainers. Her fellowship
aims to assist the cities with their goal of improving the human rights
climate through the development of effective trainers. Tai hopes to acquire
increased awareness of human rights so that she can serve as a human rights
educator in the community.
Victoria Lichtman
Peace Now
Tel Aviv, Israel
Fellowship
Report
Victoria Lichtman is a candidate for her Masters of Public
Policy, with a Human Rights Minor, at the Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs. She received her B.A. in International Relations at the University
of Minnesota. Working as an intern at Peace Now in Tel Aviv, Victoria
will be engaged in numerous responsibilities, including working with Peace
Now’s political campaigns and outreach efforts and promoting a viable
and sustainable Palestinian – Israel peace. Peace Now is a non-partisan
volunteer-based movement working to revive the peace process in order
to end the cycle of violence for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Robyn Linde
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
Minneapolis, MN
Fellowship Report
Robyn Linde is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at
the University of Minnesota. She received her M.A. degree from the University
of Delaware in International Relations and her B.A. from Indiana University
in Philosophy. Robyn’s fellowship will be with Minnesota Advocates for
Human Rights in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Specifically, she will volunteer
with the Women’s Program conducting research for the “Stop Violence�? website
designed to combat violence against women in Central and Eastern Europe
and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS). Robyn’s experience
living and working in Central and Eastern Europe for over three years,
as well as her skills as an activist and researcher, will help in compiling
information for the website. Robyn plans to continue her work with human
rights and, in particular, her work with women’s rights issues in her
home community when she returns.
Amanda Loge
Hogar de Cristo
Arequipa, Peru
Amanda Loge obtained her B.S. in Family Social Science and Spanish from
the University of Minnesota and is currently working on her Masters of
Social Work at the University of Minnesota. Amanda will conduct her international
fellowship at Hogar de Cristo, a non-profit in Arequipa, Peru, which serves
children between the ages of four to seventeen who work on the streets.
She will work collaboratively with the staff psychologist and social worker,
conduct home visits, and make assessments with the children’s families
to help plan interventions and increase family support. She will also
work with educational, psychosocial, and mental health services. Through
her experience in Peru, she hopes to gain insight into ways to advocate
effectively and empower those individuals with whom she will work. Amanda
hopes to apply this knowledge in promoting the rights of immigrant children
and their families in Minnesota upon her return.
Patrick McGroarty
University of Minnesota
Human Rights Center
Minneapolis, MN
Fellowship
Report
Patrick McGroarty grew up in Minnesota and is currently
a sophomore at Boston College. This summer Patrick will work at the Human
Rights Center, conducting interviews of past fellowship grant recipients
and other associated with the history of the Human Rights Center’s different
programs. These interviews will be presented as part of the Human
Rights Center’s 15th Anniversary Reflection Project. Additionally,
Patrick will assist with the completion of the Human Rights Education
Series publications and work on promoting the Human Rights and Peace Store.
He hopes this experience will help to prepare him for his life-long commitment
to working with human rights and social justice issues.
Chie Michihiro
Association of Women for Action
and Research (AWARE)
Singapore
Fellowship
Report
Chie Michihiro did her undergraduate work at the University
of Wisconsin and Kobe University in Hyogo, Japan, as well as Kinki University
in Osaka, Japan. Currently, she is a candidate for a Masters of Public
Policy at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Chie will
work as a fellow at the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE),
a voluntary organization for women in Singapore. AWARE is committed to
raising awareness of violence against women. Chie will conduct research
and collect data on violence against women, the migration of women workers,
and foreign victims of violence against women for their website. Chie
plans to do public speaking engagements in classrooms and volunteer at
Minnesota organizations that deal with violence against women when she
returns.
Evangeline Nderu
Womankind
Kenya
Kenya
Fellowship
Report
Evangeline Nderu received her B.S. in Mathematical Sciences from Portsmouth
University in England and her M.A. in Elementary Education from Western
Illinois University. She is currently a candidate for her Ph.D. in Education
Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota. Nderu will work
at Womankind Kenya in northeast Kenya. Womankind Kenya is an NGO whose
mission is to support the most vulnerable members of communities in Garissa
and Ijara districts, the women, and children, poor and destitute. Nderu’s
fellowship will assist in their mission by helping to strengthen the education
program, particularly for women and children, with her expertise in program
development. Evangeline plans to work in the non-profit work on education
program development.
Juliette Onyancha
United Nations Children’s Fund
Nairobi, Kenya
Fellowship
Report
Juliette Onyancha received her B.S. in Management Information
Systems at Metropolitan State University and is currently working on her
Masters of Public Health, and Public Health Administration. Juliette will
be a fellow at the United Nations Children’s Fund in Nairobi, Kenya, on
a project called Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS/People
Living with Aids (PMTCT/PWLA). In the next five years, the PMTCT program
will emphasize five major areas including, The Education Programme, The
Nutrition and Health Programme, The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme,
The Special Protection Programme and The Social Policy, Advocacy and Communications
Programme. UNICEF is developing and implementing these interventions.
Juliette interest and dedication to improving the health of mothers and
their children, is the focus of her life work now and in the future.
Nadifa Osman
Generation for Change and Growth
Mandera, Kenya
Fellowship Report
Nadifa Osman is a native of Somalia, and attended Somali
National University School of Engineering where she received her B.Sc.
in Electrical Engineering. She has studied at the University of Rome,
Italy, California State University, and the University of Pennsylvania,
where she received her M.S. degree in Energy Management. Since moving
to Minnesota, Nadifa has done research and analysis, consulting, and volunteering
throughout the Twin Cities community. Her fellowship work will take her
to Mandera, Kenya, to her host organization, Generation for Change and
Growth. Her intentions are to identify grass-roots leadership among the
women of Mandera, Kenya, and assist them in developing a local powerbase
from which they can organize on a variety of issues. For example, teaching
alternative cooking methods using solar ovens so the women don’t have
to travel far from home to gather firewood, making them vulnerable for
rape. Education of the women is another priority of Generation for Change
and Growth. Nadifi will continue her education and outreach efforts when
she returns to Minnesota.
Mike Scharenbroich
Urban Coalition
St. Paul, Minnesota
Fellowship
Report
Mike Scharenbroich is currently a student at St. John’s
University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He plans to do his fellowship work
at the Urban Coalition in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Urban Coalition advances
systemic changes through policy and advocacy initiatives. Addressing the
injustices at the intersection of race and class, the Coalition’s agenda
identifies common ground among disparate interest and crafts solutions
to transform the system. Mike will work as an intern there for the summer.
His future plans include enrolling at the Humphrey Institute for Public
Affairs and continuing his work in the human rights arena.
Quy Ton
Partners in Health-Socios
en Salud, Peru
Zanmi Lasante, Haiti
Fellowship Report
Additional Report 1
Additional Report 2
Quy Ton is currently a medical student at the University
of Minnesota. He was the founding president of the Physicians for Human
Rights Minnesota Student Chapter, the American Medical Association Student
co-president, and founding member of Universities Allied for Access to
Essential Medicines. Quy received his Masters in Public Health from the
University of California, Berkeley, and his B.A. from Carlton College
in Northfield, Minnesota. For Quy’s fellowship experience, he will join
the research and clinical teams of Partners in Health-Socios en Salud
in Peru and Zanmi Lasante in Haiti. In Peru, he will help design, analyze,
and publish patient data from the pioneering nationwide DOTS-Plus multidrug-resistant
tuberculosis treatment program. In Haiti, he will join the clinical care
team at Clinique Bon Sauveur and see patients daily in clinic implementing
the HIV Equity Initiative, utilizing DOT-HAART, a community based model
of treating AIDS patients in resource poor settings. Upon his return,
Quy hopes to utilize his practical experience in implementing a community-based
model of disease prevention and treatment. Someday, he hopes to design
and implement a similar program in Vietnam and other resource-poor settings.
Asya Varbanova
United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM), Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Fellowship
Report
Asya Varbanova is a Masters candidate of Public Policy at
the Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. She did her undergraduate
work at American University in Bulgaria and at the University of Maine.
Asya’s fellowship will be undertaken at the United Nations Development
Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe,
located in Bratislava in the Slovak Republic. She will be involved in
supporting the development and implementation of various UNIFEM programs
in the region. The three key aspects to UNIFEM’S work include women’s
human rights, economic security and rights and peace and gender justice.
Asya expects to be involved in all three aspects and particularly in projects
for elimination of violence against women and eradication of feminized
poverty. Asya’s future plans include continuing her work in the women’s
human rights arena, specifically with domestic violence, rape, employment
discrimination and the trafficking of women and girls for commercial sexual
exploitation.
Jeff Vockrodt
International Labour Organization's Freedom of Association Branch
Geneva, Switzerland
Fellowship
Report
Jeff Vockrodt is currently a student at the University of
Minnesota Law School and at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs. He received his B.S. in Business and Industrial Relations from
the Carlson School of Management. Jeff will intern at the International
Labour Organization’s Freedom of Association Branch in Geneva, Switzerland.
His work will concentrate on protecting workers’ rights to organize and
choose union representation. He will examine government documents and
evidence of actual government practice to determine compliance or noncompliance
with the terms of the ILO Freedom of Association Conventions.
Leah Marks
University of Minnesota Human
Rights Center
Minneapolis, MN
Leah Marks recently moved to the Twin Cites and will
work as a Human Rights Fellow at the Human Rights Center. Leah will be
a part of the web team of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library She will be responsible for maintaining the various language versions of the electronic
library by posting documents and materials, including UN Treaty documents, important
human rights jurisprudence, bibliographies and research guides, asylum
resource and regional human rights documents. The information will provide
a valuable tool to human rights activists, lawyers, researchers and students
around the world.
Dayna Wolfe
Mobility
International USA, The Hesperian Foundation and Whirlwind Women
Mexico
Dayna Wolfe is a physician in private practice specializing
in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She is also a Zen peacemaker
priest in training She received her Doctor of Medicine from George Washington
University D.C. She completed her residency and internship at the University
of Minnesota Hospital. She received her B.A from California State University.
Dayna will work in Mexico with three U.S. West-coast based disability
rights organizations. The common mission is to provide health education,
access to greater physical mobility and economic self-sufficiency, thereby
improving the quality of life for women with impaired mobility due to
disability. Mobility International USA, The Hesperian Foundation and Whirlwind
Women each have a different means for implementing their mission. Dayna’s
fellowship will work on behalf of the human rights and health of women
with disabilities in collaboration with all three host organizations.
One of the many long-term goals Dayna has, is to serve as a Medical Director
of the Twin Cities first clinic for women with disabilities.
Sara Wilkinson
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
Minneapolis, MN
Peru
Fellowship
Report
Sara Wilkinson recently completed her B.A. at Smith College
in Northampton, Massachusetts where she majored in Spanish Language and
Latin American Studies. She has lived in Chile for 6 months and has spent
one semester at the University of Havana, Cuba. Her work at Minnesota
Advocates for Human Rights involved working with the Human Rights Monitoring
Project for which she monitored the work of the Truth and Reconciliation
Commissions in Peru and Sierra Leone. She also participated in MN Advocates
fact-finding trip to Peru to see how the local government was implementing
the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commissions recommendations. Sara
helped by monitoring news from Peru, translating documents and materials,
corresponding with organizations in Peru, and providing Spanish interpretation
while in Peru. After graduation Sara hopes to work for a non-profit NGO
in the field of social justice, and is considering continuing her education
in the future.
