The Advocacy Project is seeking funds to grow our fellowship program, which has sent 313 graduate students to volunteer for social justice around the world and enabled hundreds of undergraduates to support our partners from Washington. The pandemic prevents us from sending Peace Fellows abroad, but we have expanded remote support from the US and will recruit 15 student Peace Fellows to support innovative startups for social change in six countries in 2021. Please help us to make it happen!
AP supports marginalized communities and the need is great. Current partners include survivors of rape in Mali; girls facing child marriage in Zimbabwe; people with disability in Uganda; and victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam. For 18 years we have sent talented students - Peace Fellows - to help partners find their voice and take action. The pandemic deprives students of this opportunity while plunging communities deeper into misery. But after this turbulent year, we feel we have a solution.
In 2021 we will rely on civil society to come up with innovative responses, and provide up to $30,000 of seed money for 15 startups launched by partners in 6 countries. We will also recruit up to 20 Peace Fellows from the Global North - graduates and undergraduates - to support the startups remotely. While this cannot substitute for field service, 2020 has shown that remote service can provide a rich educational alternative for students while strengthening partner organizations, even in crisis.
Peace Fellows have played a key role in helping AP's partners turn ideas into sustained, long-term programs. 2020 shows that this can also happen through remote service. Our long-distance support has helped a startup in Zimbabwe secure over $100,000 from donors (video). Two micro-businesses in Uganda, which make soap and face-masks, also thrive. Our brand of remote service also opens up possibilities for research. This will help universities to find a new long-term strategy for placing students.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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