The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project today officially welcomed Mr John Foley, who joined EHAHRDP in April 2013 as Research Associate and Ms Sylvia Kym, who joined EHAHRDP in May 2013 as an intern from York University, Canada. Today also marked farewell to Irunn Vilhelmsen Haug, who has been undertaking an internship with EHAHRDP since February 2013.

John has most recently worked as an intern and consultant for the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch in the United Kingdom and United States, where his work focused on human rights issues in Rwanda and the Great Lakes region. Prior to this, John spent five years working as a human rights lawyer in the United Kingdom, where he specialised principally in disability rights, and social care law affecting children and refugees.

He will be working closely with Rachel Nicholson, our Advocacy Officer, in developing EHAHRD’s output of original research and publications on issues affecting Human Rights Defenders across the region.

Sylvia joins EHAHRDP from York University in Toronto, where she is currently studying towards a Juris Doctor, as well as a parallel Masters degree. She will be working with EHAHRDP on various research projects over the coming months. Sylvia has previously interned for the United Nations in Ethiopia, and has lived in Japan.

Irunn has a bachelor in Social Anthropology, and interned at a peace and reconciliation organization in Nepal before joining EHAHRDP earlier this year. Originally from Norway, she has experience of working with asylum seekers in her home country. At EHAHRDP, Irunn has been working under the Capacity Building Department. She has assisted in organizing and reporting from various trainings and meetings, and has undertaken a needs assessment survey for the EHAHRD-Net. After this internship, Irunn will start a masters degree programme in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at Sciences Po, Paris.