KELET_NYUGAT Noknek jogi osztondij lehetoseg NEWW LEgal Fellowships

[Katalin Fabian]

-- 
Katalin Fábián
Lafayette College
Department of Government and Law
Kirby Hall 103
Easton, PA 18042-1780

Tel: (610) 330-5392
Fax: (610) 330-5397



2001 NEWW LEGAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Overview 
The Network of East-West Women (NEWW), an
international women?s advocacy organization, announces
the 2001 Legal Fellowship Program for recently
graduated women attorneys from Central and Eastern
Europe, the Newly Independent States and the Russian
Federation (CEE/NIS/RF) interested in pursuing a
career in women?s human rights advocacy in CEE/NIS/RF.
 The Fellowship Program is one component of NEWW?s
current legal advocacy and public policy programs
aimed at articulating and enforcing laws and policies
that strengthen women's legal status in their
respective countries.  The Legal Fellowship Program is
supported by the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur
Foundation, the Jurzykowski Foundation, and other
donors. 

The goal of the Legal Fellowship Program is to help
bridge the gap between theory and practice by
providing selected women attorneys from CEE/NIS/RF the
opportunity to acquire additional skills needed to
work effectively on women's rights in their own
countries.  This is the fourth year of the Program,
and NEWW expects to select eight applicants for
participation in the 2001 Program.

The 2001 Program 
The Legal Fellowship Program is a sixteen-month
program.  The first four months (mid-August ? December
2001), are spent in the U.S. where fellows complete an
intensive training experience with a human rights
organization that undertakes legal challenges and
conducts policy analysis on various women's human
rights issues.  During this period fellows also
participate in a law school course on international
human rights.  Every effort is made to match each
fellow with an organization that is conducting work
related to the fellows? specific interest areas.  Past
U.S. host NGO?s include Human Rights Watch/Women?s
Rights Division, International Human Rights Law Group,
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, the Battered
Women?s Justice Project, Equality Now,
Parliamentarians for Global Action, and Women
Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE).

The U.S. portion of the Program will be followed
immediately by a one-year follow-on project to be
implemented in the fellows? home country.  Each fellow
designs and fundraises for her project during her time
in the U.S. with the support of NEWW?s staff and her
host organization.  The project will be implemented
with the on-going support of NEWW?s staff as well as
support from the fellows? NGO at home and her U.S.
host organization. 

Stipend 
The fellowship includes travel to and from the
fellowship site in the United States, short-term
medical insurance, and a stipend to cover room and
board expenses during the U.S. portion of the program.
 Housing is arranged in an international student house
or similar student accommodations.  In some cases
fellows live with families in their host city.  NEWW
also provides small seed grants for fellows? one-year
follow-on project.  Additional funding will be raised
for the follow-on project by each fellow in
conjunction with NEWW?s staff.

Application Materials
 Applicants must submit the following materials in
English: 

*CV; 

*Evidence of fluency in English (TOEFL or school
records with English translation.  Do not send
original documents.);

*Two letters of recommendation in English, or
accompanied by English translations, including all
current contact information for the letter?s author.
All written recommendations will be verified in-person
by local NEWW contacts, or via telephone by NEWW?s
staff; 

*A personal statement that should include:
        *The applicant?s particular interests within
the field of women's rights.  The applicant should
discuss in detail her work with women?s organizations
in her home country;
        *A discussion about the applicant?s future
plans, expectations for this experience and/or reasons
for applying to the Legal Fellowship Program;

*A signed declaration that if selected for the
Program, the applicant will complete the entire
sixteen-month Program.  Also, the applicant must
declare that she will return home to work within her
country for one full year at the end of the U.S.
portion of the program.  No exceptions will be
granted. 

*A country briefing paper that should provide an
overview of the current situation of women?s human
rights in the applicant?s country.  The paper should
discuss the various women?s rights issues currently
facing women in the applicant?s country, what
efforts/initiatives are presently underway to address
these issues, and what the applicant believes should
be done in the future to address these issues.

Selection Criteria 
In order to be considered for participation in this
Program, the applicant must have the following
qualifications: 

*Attorney from Central and Eastern Europe, the Newly
Independent States or the Russian Federation.

*Graduated from law studies within the last five
years. 

*Demonstrated commitment to women?s human rights
advocacy. 

*Currently working with an established women?s NGO in
the applicant?s country that is committed to
supporting the fellow?s follow-on project.

All applicants meeting the above criteria will be
given serious consideration.  The international
selection committee consists of NEWW Executive
Director Erin Barclay, an attorney, members of the
Board of Directors, and former NEWW legal fellows.
Applications will be carefully reviewed by the entire
committee.  Following review by the committee, between
fifteen and twenty applicants will be selected for
in-person in March/April 2001.  Final selections will
be made by the end of April 2001.

Time Table 
 Application Deadline:  March 15, 2001
 In-Person Interviews:  to be completed by April 15,
2001 
 Notification:   May 1, 2001
 Program Starts:  August 1, 2001
 Program Ends:   December 16, 2001

Completed application packets should be sent by email
to ebarclay at neww.org.  If email is not possible,
please send the complete application packet by regular
mail to Erin Barclay, Executive Director, Network of
East-West Women, 1761 S Street., N.W., Suite LL-12,
Washington, D.C. 20009.  Please advise Erin Barclay by
email when the application has been posted by regular
mail. 

For more information about the Network of East-West
Women, see our web page at http://www.neww.org.