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Fellows for Peace Blogs, Issue 10

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AdvocacyNet
Fellow Update, Volume 5 #10, August 15, 2007
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Fellows for Peace Blogs

Thirty Peace Fellows are volunteering 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:

• Street Children in Kenya Share Traumatic Pasts
• Millions Spent on Sri Lankan Conflict is Tragic
• Traffickers Go Underground as Police Crack Down in Albania
• Caste System Forces Women into Prostitution in Nepal
• Bus Adventure Gives Insights into Everyday Challenges in Nepal
• In Bangladesh, Microcredit Leaves out Disabled
• Peaceful Protests Turn into Violent Arrests in Nepal
• New Fundraising Methods Help Spread Advocacy Message in Macedonia
• Meeting Emphasizes Importance of Clear Vision in Nepal

Excerpts from some of this week's blogs follow:

Street Children in Kenya Share Traumatic Pasts

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.
"Jed's story is actually too complicated for a blog. It would be better recorded in a small book. Each complicated part of his life would be a chapter. There would be chapters about death, abandonment, sexual abuse and drug abuse. It wouldn't be an easy read. It would require breaks in between chapters to restock the Kleenex supply and take a mind-clearing walk. If the shocking tragedies of Jed's life were put into a book, it would be titled, Life At Age Nine."

Millions Spent on Sri Lankan Conflict is Tragic

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.
"I heard recently that the government is spending $2 million a day on the conflict. The LTTE is obviously spending their share as well, but I don't know the amount. This doesn’t exactly compare to the $200 million a day the US is spending in Iraq, but in a country where there is so much need, this amount seems so tragic and misplaced."

Traffickers Go Underground as Police Crack Down in Albania

Jennifer Hollinger (Georgetown University) is volunteering to support trafficking survivors with Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking Across Europe (CHASTE).
"One of the difficulties in examining the phenomenon of trafficking is that, as laws have changed and police forces have become more aware of the issue, traffickers have increasingly gone underground. It makes trafficking harder to study and, therefore, harder to fight."

Caste System Forces Women into Prostitution in Nepal

Jeff Yarborough (Columbia University) is volunteering for democracy and human rights with the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) in Mahendranagar, Nepal.
"Now when I walk past that single neon pink bulb at night, I can't help but think about how caste and social exclusion have forced an entire community into this horrendous situation. Before coming to Nepal I thought I knew about the caste system and the plight of Dalits, but I find that the more time I spend here and the more I learn, the more there is to make one depressed."

Bus Adventure Gives Insights into Everyday Challenges in Nepal

Nicole Farkouh (UC Berkeley) is volunteering for peace and democracy with the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) in Gaighat, Nepal.
"As funny as it is to tell the story of my crazy bus-adventure, I also can't ignore the story’s less-funny broader implications. What serves me as fodder for crazy stories before I ultimately return to a life surrounded by order and stability is an inescapable reality for most Nepalis (and many other people around the world) that leads to a life of unpredictability and inefficiency. Scenarios like this also give me a deep and disheartening insight into the myriad of challenges facing such societies and ultimate respect for the members of them who are steadfastly committed to bringing change."

In Bangladesh, Microcredit Leaves out Disabled

Caitlin Burnett (American University) is volunteering for the development and protection of the disabled community with the Blind Education and Rehabilitation Development Organization (BERDO) in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
"But while microcredit projects have long focused on empowering the marginalized (namely poor, landless women, particularly widows or divorced women without the resources to support themselves and their families) many projects have missed a key portion of the least well off in the developing world - persons with disability."

Peaceful Protests Turn into Violent Arrests in Nepal

Aaron "Ted" Samuel is volunteering to advocate for human rights through the Jaragan Media Center (JMC) in Kathmandu, Nepal.
"Today, however, I learned that the demonstrations got a bit more heated. Rem Bishwokarma, for instance, showed us bruises he got during the arrest. Suvash Darnal, the chair of JMC, recounted how women protesters were harassed and 'mishandled' by the police. These events sparked even more protests in other parts of Nepal. Obviously the playful game-like pattern that I had described in yesterday's blog entry didn't apply to the third day of these consecutive protests."

New Fundraising Methods Help Spread Advocacy Message in Macedonia

Stephanie Gilbert (Georgetown University) is volunteering with the Institute for Sustainable Communities in cooperation with the Association for Emancipation, Solidarity, and Equality of Women (ESE) in Skopje, Macedonia.
"Even small things like putting donation boxes in local supermarkets can be revolutionary in their way - it's never been done here before. In six months ESE raised about $500 this way -not a whole lot of money in terms of their operations, but considering that each person probably donated less than a dollar, it means ESE's message is getting out to a lot of people."

Meeting Emphasizes Importance of Clear Vision in Nepal

Mark Koenig (Tufts University) is volunteering for democracy and human rights with the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP) in Nepalgunj, Nepal.
"This frustrating conclusion to what had been up until that point a good meeting suggests a challenge that COCAP faces in general. How can these 42 different groups with different ideas and focuses come together and act collectively? There are clashes of opinion and clashes of ego that often make it difficult to truly coordinate projects. For these reasons for COCAP to be most effective it needs either a unifying mission, like participating in ending the oppressive reign of a Monarch, or active and charismatic leadership."

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