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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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Elisa Garcia and the Bureau pour le Volontariat au service de l’Enfance et de la Sante (BVES)

University of Deusto

Elisa García-Mingo will be working this summer with the Bureau pour le Volontariat au service de l’Enfance et de la Sante (BVES) as a Peace Fellow. The mission of the BVES is promoting and defending the rights of the children in the African Great Lakes; they have worked for more than a decade with victims of the social, political and economical crises in this war-torn region (street children, child refugees or displaced, victims of sexual violence, demobilized child soldiers, etc.) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The BVES has programs in support of health, education and protection but it is also well-known for advocating for children's human rights and monitoring and reporting the violations of children’s rights. Elisa García-Mingo will be helping this Bukavu-based NGO in their advocacy efforts aiming to make their voice heard and in order to do so she will be using the ITC to promote their advocacy and networking activities around the world.

In 2006 Elisa García-Mingo graduated with a MA in Media Studies from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), after being visiting student in the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium) in 2004-2005. In 2008, she graduated with a MA of Peace and Conflict Studies from the Universidad de Deusto (Bilbao, Spain). In September 2007 she became a PhD candidate of the European Doctoral Programme on International and Intercultural Studies, also at the University of Deusto (Bilbao, Spain). Between March 2008 and March 2009 she has been a visiting researcher in the Peace Studies Group in the CES (Center for Social Studies) of University of Coimbra (Portugal).  During all these years she has conducted researches on the representation of African conflicts in the European Press, the Peace Communication option, the Role and features of the Women Journalists activism in Peacebuilding and the use of communication and advocacy in political action agaisnt violence and injustice. In the meanwhile, she has volunteered in differnt non-profits such as Scouts, Amnesty International and a local nature preservation foundation.

Elisa thinks that she is ready to take the challege of working in Congo and is looking forward to working with the AP partners in Bukavu and is willing to put great effort, motivation and joy in this new project that gives her the chance to work in outstading projects with courageous peoples that will teach her very much about the work of activism and advocacy as the context of an incredible struggle: Eastern Congo.

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