Summaries of Round Two Opportunity Fund Programs

AFRICA

Enhancing Capacity Building for Promoting Environmental Justice: Conserve Africa Foundation (CAF)

A lack of government and non-government technical and organizational capacity to address environmental challenges continues to hinder effective environmental protection in Benin. To address these issues, Conserve Africa Foundation works to build awareness among all stakeholders. CAF developed the International Network for Environmental Justice in Africa (INEJA) to serve as an environmental resource website housing case studies, information exchange, and learning resources on environmental justice methodologies, which will complement training for government and civil society groups. Through the media, information dissemination, e-bulletins, training, workshops and web resources, the project has benefited more than 500,000 African representatives of NGOs and Community-Based Organizations, governments and academics in Africa and in the diaspora.

The International Network for Environmental Justice in Africa can be found online here: www.conserveafrica.net (English) and www.lerade.net (French).

Improving Women's Access to Justice through Women's Legal Clinic and Campaign Against Gender Based Violence: Women Aid Collective (WACOL) (Nigeria)

WACOL plans a multi-faceted women's rights and gender-based violence campaign to simplify and translate legal provisions related to women's rights; provide women's rights capacity building training for judges (in formal and informal courts), prosecutors, police, and prison officials; and to establish two women's aid clinics to provide legal representation, counseling, and alternative dispute resolution to victims of gender-based violence. WACOL will complement these activities with a community and media outreach campaign. This program will enhance women's abilities to access justice through both formal and informal mechanisms as well as strengthen the government's understanding of and ability to enforce women's rights.

Justice for Women 4: The 50/50 Group of Sierra Leone

The 50/50 Group proposes an extension of its previous Justice for Women programs, educating women around the country on three gender acts and encouraging further implementation and protection of the rights guaranteed therein. This project would include the translation of the laws into 14 additional languages spoken in Sierra Leone, radio broadcasts, and focus groups lead by traditional leaders playing the simplified laws and explaining their significance.

ASIA

Promoting HIV/AIDS Employment Anti-Discrimination in China: China Global Fund Watch Initiative

The China Global Fund Watch Initiatives seeks to engage the legal profession in the fight against discrimination, especially in employment for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), while encouraging social mobilization and building partnership among stakeholders. This pilot program will be based in Beijing and conduct two workshops in the provinces of Hu Bei (Wu Han city) and Yunnan (Kun Ming city--the two provinces both have high AIDS prevalence in China. While Beijing is a ideal place for legal advocacy and reform, it is these areas where poverty and a lack of proper resources place a heavy burden on PLHIV.

Environmental Law Education and Compliance in Northeastern Sri Lanka: Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ)

The Centre for Environmental Justice will empower a diverse group of actors in the North and East of Sri Lanka-including local community leaders in business and law, community-based environment and human rights organizations, and government officials-to enhance the capacity of local communities to manage natural resources decision-making and resolve environmental disputes.

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Legal Empowerment for Domestic Violence Victims: Egyptian Woman Foundation for Law & Peace Culture (EWFLPC)

While awareness of domestic violence against women is slowly emerging in Egypt, there are still very few services available to victims. A variety of factors such as social pressure, economic pressure, family honor, lack of education, lack of appropriate governmental services and ultimately lack of feasible alternatives dissuade women from leaving a violent situation or seeking legal help. This program will provide women at risk and victims of violence with counseling and pro-bono legal services. A training for young lawyers, especially women, will also be conducted to provide counsel to victims of domestic violence and ensure that their cases are taken to court, free of charge.

Improving Administration of Justice for Underserved Communities through Mediation: Moroccan Bar Association & National Labor Union of Morocco-Meknes-Tafilalt

Experts and local stakeholders have expressed considerable concern about Morocco's overburdened court system, citing decreased accessibility to justice and public dissatisfaction with the courts. Morocco recently introduced court mediation as an alternative to Morocco's lengthy and costly litigation process. In the Meknes-Tafilat region where the Amazigh population is heavily concentrated, "Amazigh Ourf" and traditional justice mechanisms heavily influence administration of justice for these groups, especially the use of traditional mediation. The program offers an opportunity to the undeserved labor workers in the Meknes-Tafilat region to participate in trainings in mediation with other stakeholders (including managers of factories, labor unionists, lawyers, judges, religious leaders) on how to negotiate resolution of labor disputes in the best interest of all the parties. Trainings will include live-client legal consultations on labor disputes to underserved Moroccan workers. Once completed, the Moroccan Bar Association will advocate for this program's adoption by Morocco's government in other regions.

Ethics Empowerment for Young Engineers to fight Corruption in the Workplace: World Federation of Engineering Organizations (Committee on Anti-Corruption)

Building on the success of a round one Opportunity Fund program, the WFEO seeks to train young engineers from across the MENA region in the rule of law, ethics, anti-corruption, and leadership. An online network will be created to maintain communication between the 21 country reps and to draft recommendations to improve engineering ethics in their countries and to follow up after the conference. The recommendations will be included in the UN Conference Declaration as an action item for the Engineering field.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARRIBEAN

Access to Public Information and Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health in the City and Province of Buenos Aires: Asociación por los Derechos Civiles

Although freedom of information legislation has existed in Argentina for several years, women are often unaware of their rights and, as such, do not seek to take advantage of them. In addition to educating the public about the importance of having adequate information on sexual and reproductive health, Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC) will empower and train women to present public information requests. ADC will concurrently work with local government officials to develop and systematize information that is more easily accessible to women and more relevant for the design of public policy. This program will help the government to be more accountable and will enable women to realize their right to public health information-resulting in the empowering of women and greater gender equity.

Stabilization of Title to Land Holdings of Poor Farmers in Epin: Zanmi Lasante-PARIS (France)

Zanmi Lasanté-Paris conducted a detailed survey of farmers in Epin, Haiti, that determined that the primary barrier to gaining formal title to land is cost. Through this program, Zanmi Lasanté-Paris plans to train local community members on the land titling process, guide them through working with surveyors and notaries, and assist farmers with acquiring land titles. The resulting security of tenure will provide enhanced access to credit for beneficiaries, allowing them greater flexibility to purchase seed and fertilizer and increased crop production. This will ultimately improve farmers' livelihoods.

Protecting Indigenous Workers Rights in Oaxaca: DePaul University College of Law International Human Rights Law Institute (IHRLI)

Despite making up 10 percent of the population of Mexico, indigenous individuals, especially women, are at the highest risk of discrimination in the workplace. DePaul University College of Law's International Human Rights Law Institute is working with the Centro de Derechos Humanos y Asesoria a Pueblos Indigenas (CEDHAPI) to impact diverse and interrelated groups of indigenous workers in the Oaxaca region of Mexico.

The project is composed of a two tier strategy which involves: increasing awareness using analyzed documentation of violations and building litigation capacity of indigenous workers. This combination will serve to defend and secure their rights. IHRLI will do this by training and informing community leaders, community members and local business supervisors on the importance of indigenous workers' rights and the process by which to defend these rights. The context in which this training is carried out is not isolated to the region, but carried out through the prism of a global need for the necessity of protecting indigenous workers' rights.

NORTH AMERICA AND PROJECTS OF INTERNATIONAL SCOPE

Advancing Legal Empowerment of the Poor through Religious Institutions: Religions for Peace

Religions for Peace will utilize its multi-stakeholder partnerships with religious institutions, local governments, the media, and human rights organizations to carry out the following actions in marginalized areas of Burundi, France, India, Indonesia, and Kenya: bundle formal registration with existing legal ceremonies and service delivery; mobilize religious communities to provide effective, accessible, and affordable legal aid; and facilitate the organization of religious communities to advocate for equal rights in society and the workplace.