Leadership
and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship Program
The Leadership and
Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship Program was founded in 1993 at
the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., in order to train
women’s human rights lawyers from Africa who are committed to returning home to
their countries in o
rder to advance the status of women and girls in their own
countries throughout their careers. Over 80 women’s human rights
advocates from Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia,
Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe
have participated in the LAWA Program, and we hope to include Fellows from
additional countries in the future.
The entire LAWA
Fellowship Program is approximately 14 months long (from July of the first year
through August of the following year), after which the LAWA Fellows return home
to continue advocating for women’s rights in their own countries. The LAWA
Program starts in July, when the Fellows attend the Georgetown Law Center’s Foundationsof American Law and Legal Education course. From August through May, the
LAWA Fellows earn a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree at Georgetown with an
emphasis on international women’s human rights and complete a major graduate
research on a significant women’s rights issue in their home countries. After
graduation, the LAWA Fellows then have an opportunity to engage in challenging
work assignments for three months (June through August) at various public
interest organizations to learn about different advocacy strategies to advance
women’s human rights, before returning home to continue advancing women’s human
rights in their own countries.
Throughout their
time in Washington, D.C., the LAWA Fellows also participate in bi-weekly
seminars and professional development training with their American counterparts
in the Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program, where they discuss key
women’s rights issues with prominent government and public interest leaders.
They attend related events, such as Supreme Court and Congressional Briefings on significant women’s rights
issues. The relationships that the LAWA attorneys build with their American
contacts and government leaders, together with their legal training and
enhanced computer research and technology skills, provide the ability to draw
upon vastly expanded legal networks and resources upon their return to Africa.
The results of the
LAWA Program have been extremely compelling and rewarding. Upon completion of
their Program, our LAWA Alumnae have returned home to assume prominent
leadership positions enabling them to focus on women’s rights issues in
non-governmental organizations, government agencies, law schools, courts,
legislatures, and private firms. They have formed their own non-governmental
organizations, such as the Women’s Legal Assistance Center in Tanzania and Law
and Advocacy for Women in Uganda (LAW-Uganda) to promote women’s human rights
in their countries (e.g., by bringing impact litigation under their countries’
statutes, constitutions, and the human rights treaties that their countries
have ratified). The LAWA alums also retain and build upon the relationships
they have developed during their time in Washington, D.C. For example, many
subsequently work in partnership with the International Women’s Human Rights
Clinic at the Georgetown University Law Center to draft new legislation and to
bring test cases before their courts.
The LAWA Program
helps defray the costs for women’s rights attorneys from Africa who would not
otherwise be able to afford a Master of Laws degree focusing on international
women’s human rights and the additional leadership training. The LAWA
Fellowship provides the tuition for the Foundations of American Law and Legal
Education Course (a U.S. $2,200 benefit) and for the LL.M. degree (a U.S.
$46,865 benefit) at the Georgetown University Law Center, as well as
professional development training. Candidates who are admitted to the LAWA
Program must be prepared to cover the costs of all additional expenses (such as
their visas, travel, housing, utilities, food, clothing, health insurance,
books, etc.), and must be able to demonstrate to the U.S. Embassy for visa
purposes that they have the funds available to cover those expenses
(approximately $28,000). Due to the intensity of the LAWA Program and
academic studies, LAWA Fellows are not permitted to work throughout the
academic portion of the program. They must also affirm that they will
return home after the LAWA Fellowship and continue to promote women’s human
rights in their countries throughout their careers.
