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Israelmore Ayivor
We offer a wide variety of grants fellowships/internships positions with a focus on guiding, teaching and mentoring our leaders of tomorrow. Our Fellowships and grants cover many subjects and themes including development and good governance, human rights, anti-corruption strategies and how to combat the issue of human trafficking. AU Watch program participants have the opportunity to make a direct impact on the programs they are enrolled in. Whether it’s working in one of our studios, radio or TV centres or assisting the Pan African Parliament draft legislation or working with Nepad, or working side by side with our operations team on the ground, our participants gain a wide variety of skills where they are given the opportunity to learn and flourish.
Early applications are highly recommended as the selection process is on a rolling basis.
Our fellowships offer the opportunity to work in one of our offices monitoring human rights developments across Africa and around the world. In addition, fellows investigate and report on human rights conditions on the ground and do publicity and media outreach to help end human rights violations.
Some of our fellowships allows young lawyers to gain experience in international human rights law. Working with AU Watch attorneys, fellows will develop and implement legal strategies to protect human rights and the environment around Africa. In addition to working in our offices in Banjul, The Gambia, fellows may have the opportunity to collaborate with and travel to attend African Union meetings and sessions.
Fellows could be working on a project concerning how to optimise the use of research into the strategic litigation process. This will involve working closely with both researchers and the casework team at our Banjul office, and being involved in the production of an original piece of practical research.
Everyone is welcome, as long as you are 18 years of age or older. We welcome applications from individuals of various backgrounds. Legal fellows would normally be someone with a back ground in law. All advertisements will clearly state the requirements of the position.
Recent law degree with either admission or application to a bar (less than two years’ experience are especially urged to apply). Those with LL.M. degrees may qualify if they have been admitted or applied to the bar. Background in international human rights law, international law is required.
Please note that all fellowships and internships are unpaid, generally last at least 12 weeks and could be located in any number of places in Africa. Please check the main AU Watch website and the website of our country offices for specific vacancies that you may be interested in. If you would like to be considered for an additional opportunity, please list your top three positions in order of preference in the second sentence of your cover letter.
Only qualified candidates will be contacted.
For more information on our Fellowship program, please see our FAQ.
AU Watch seeks to fund outstanding scholarship, while maintaining a distinctive role within the human rights research funding landscape
In assessing applications for funding, we use the following established criteria to prioritise work of outstanding scholarship:
Secondary criteria
The second set of criteria reflect the particular values of AU Watch, and express the organisation’s aspiration that our funding maintains a distinctive role within the human rights research funding landscape. We particularly welcome applications that:
• reflect an individual’s personal vision, aspiration, or intellectual curiosity
• take appropriate risks in setting and pursuing research objectives
• enable a refreshing departure from established patterns of working – either for the individual, or for the discipline
• transcend disciplinary boundaries
Supplementary criteria
Supplementary criteria may apply to specific grant schemes – please refer to the detailed guidance on the relevant scheme pages before beginning an application.
For more information on our Fellowship program, please see our FAQ.
AU Watch believes in the power of storytelling as an instrument for advancing human rights. At a time when civic spaces in Africa are at risk and the journalism establishment faces mounting state and industry pressures, the public is deprived of substantial and in-depth issues-based exploration of human rights issues. Now, more than ever, we believe that human rights journalism must be harnessed and supported.AU Watch Human Rights Journalism Fellowship is our contribution to the building of spaces for truthful and changemaking journalism. It is intended to provide opportunities for journalists, artists and advocates to conduct intelligent, nuanced and brave reporting on human rights issues.
Equally important is the expansion of the role of research in understanding and addressing human rights issues. AU Watch Human Rights Research Fellowship is intended to provide opportunities for academics, independent researchers, and human rights advocates.
With AU Watch Fellowship, we want to support journalism and research projects that reveal state abuses and wrongdoing and their multifarious negative impacts on the human rights and dignity of Africans.
Any Africa who are professional and citizen journalists, researchers, artists, and advocates with a strong understanding of human rights issues in the country and are passionate in communicating these issues to the public. Applicants with existing affiliations and connections with reputable human rights organizations are highly encouraged to join. Individuals or teams may apply.
What does the Fellowship entail?
For the Journalism Fellowship, the 20219round will provide a minimum $4,000 and maximum $5,000 to fund, entirely or partially, at least one story focusing on the African Human Rights System.
For the Research Fellowship, the 2019 round will provide a minimum $5,000 and maximum $6,000 to fund, entirely or partially, at least one research project focusing on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights or the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The funds will be disbursed in two tranches, 50% upon proposal approval and 50% upon submission of first draft.
Submitted applications will be subject for review and approval by a committee of human rights experts, journalists, and researchers.
Publication and release of the story or research will be subject to editorial processes, including fact-checking and legal review.
We want to support stories that involve signing and ratification of legal instruments.
For the Journalism Fellowship
What story formats are accepted?
Traditional longform storytelling is welcome. Applications that aim to incorporate multimedia forms such as photography and audio-visual media are also encouraged. Any and all innovations in presentation and format must always be in the service of telling the story in the best and most accessible manner possible.
How will applications be evaluated?The applications will be assessed by their strengths in the following areas:
• Urgency of the proposed story
• Impact potential on state accountability
• Strength of storytelling approach/es
• Public engagement potential
For the Research Fellowship
How will applications be evaluated?
The applications will be assessed by their strengths in the following areas:
• Relevance of the topic to the mandate and objectives of the institution
• Uniqueness and timeliness of the topic
• Clarity and coherence of the research objectives
• Measurability and Achievability of the methods vis-à-vis proposed timeline