Romani Women’s Fellowship

The Open Society Roma Initiatives Office invites applications for its Romani Women’s Fellowship.

Fellowships will be awarded to a maximum of three Romani women university graduates who are committed to engaging in Romani women’s rights work.

We are seeking applications from Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, and Turkey.

Eligibility Criteria

Romani women applying for the fellowship should have:

a university degree

residence in Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, or Turkey

a demonstrated commitment to and experience in Romani women’s rights and activism

knowledge of the history, current status, and challenges of Romani women’s activism in the region

an understanding of contemporary issues of concern to Romani women in the region

the ability to work in English

Purpose and Priorities

Romani women are a particularly vulnerable segment within Roma communities, and they represent a huge potential for advocating for change. While the number of highly educated Romani women is increasing, many Roma activists have said that Romani women’s rights activism is still in need of new human capacity. We are offering the Romani Women’s Fellowship in response to this demand.

Junior fellowships will be offered to a maximum of two Romani women having 3-5 years of experience in Romani women’s rights activism. These fellowships will give them the opportunity to further their engagement in Romani women’s rights issues, to develop new skills, and to gain the confidence to advocate for changes in policies and practices of concern to Romani women.

A senior fellowship will be awarded to a maximum of one Romani woman activist having more than five years of experience and recognition in women’s rights campaigning and advocacy, provided that the proposed fellowship project aims at a particular policy change or marks a new contribution to the field of Romani women’s rights.

Fellowship proposals should involve an issue related to advancing Romani women’s rights:

Developing and pursuing joint advocacy agendas among Romani women’s NGOs and activists on the national and international levels

Building new ways of cooperation between the mainstream and Roma feminist movements, or between Romani women’s rights activists and other minority women’s rights groups

Organizing Romani women’s groups and cultivating local leadership among Romani women in order to influence decision-making

Enhancing the participation of Romani women in political processes and Romani women’s representation in political structures

Improving  public policy and public service responses to issues of concern to Romani women, such as domestic violence, trafficking in women, and early marriages

Addressing gender-based discrimination within Roma communities

Any other issues relevant to Romani women’s rights

We might support research and policy analysis as part of a fellowship project, provided that similar resources are not already available and a strong case is made that the research is necessary for the implementation of the fellowship project.

Guidelines

To be considered for a Romani Women’s Fellowship, applicants should submit the following documents in English:

Fellowship proposal, using the template attached at left.

Curriculum vitae (CV)

Motivation letter (maximum one page) that describes the applicant’s interest in the fellowship and her expectations in relation to future career aspirations

Please see the full application guidelines attached at left.

Candidates should apply online by midnight CET on October 29, 2013.

Pre-selected applicants will be invited for an interview.

Should you have any questions or encounter any problems during the application process, please contact roma@opensocietyfoundations.org.

The Romani Cultural and Arts Company is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

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