19
Jul
During the May workshop the fellows were ask to reflect over their fellowship experience. To this effect the fellows were asked questions regarding the meaning of the fellowship program, what their expectations are, what they are willing to commit to and what needs to improve to make the…
fellowship program more efficient. The purpose of this exercise was to re-establish the purpose of the fellowship while reiterating the specific objectives it is meant to achieve and how the fellows’ activism is able to fit within the set objectives.
It is important to emphasize that while there are set guidelines, which govern the fellowship program, it is not a rigid process bound by rules and regulations but rather employs a more consultative approach geared towards making it more enriching and fulfilling.
What did you do before that you are now doing differently?
· Now using collective action as opposed to mass protests. Also, there has been more analysis of issues before taking action.
· Was not well coordinated in terms of mobilising to take action against rape cases. Now, the effort by the paralegal team is better coordinated and able to take action in a more systematic manner. However it emerged that in one of the rape cases, a man who had defiled a minor was caught by the community and subsequently killed through “mob justice”. This then led to the discussion below about whether extra judicial killings could be justified.
Why do you think we do what we do in this Program?
· To empower fellows and their affiliate organisations.
· Creating “buddying” in terms of building personal relationships and strengthening bonds.
· To improve on learning and exchange of ideas.
· Creating experiences through meeting other activists on other areas.
· Improving interactions with the fellows and seeing how it influences behaviour in terms of activism.
· Providing mentorship and building skills.
· The fellowship program is good, but there are challenges of working in the community. In the community there’s no collective ownership of projects that have been instituted by the fellow. These initiatives are seen as Fahamu projects that might end up as abandoned.
What needs to improve in the way we do our things in the program?
· Having exchange study group programs for the fellows and if possible include regions where the other fellows are based.
· Allocating time in the monthly sessions where fellows discuss reading materials.
· Initiate cross exchanges between fellows and mentors.
· Sharing of resources and other materials as a means of exchanging ideas and sharing knowledge.
· Consider host organisation partnerships that will offer benefits to the fellows in future.
· Allocate more financial resources in terms of allowance to allow for travel to other regions to network and also access to the Internet when it comes to responding to assignments.