The Davis Projects for Peace is an annual competition that rewards students who design grassroots projects – anywhere in the world – which promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties. Over the years, several ISH-DC Resident Scholars have submitted proposals; nearly every year, one of our residents is selected as a finalist and goes on to win a Davis Project for Peace prize ($10,000).
This year was truly remarkable as for the first time two of our Resident Scholars were finalists, and both were awarded Davis Project for Peace prizes.
Building Rainbow House: Achieving LGBTIQ rights in Kyrgyzstan
Georgina Rannard (UK) is a Humanity in Action-Lantos fellow, completing a Congressional fellowship while working toward a PhD in economic history at the University of Edinburgh. Georgina’s project creates positive social and political change for the persecuted LGBTIQ community in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Her project transforms LGBTIQ organization Indigo by providing staff with skills in blogging, reporting, and fundraising to end their international isolation and empower them to build a sustainable, permanent safe space and headquarters to change the deteriorating human rights situation.
Eshad (Testify): Egypt
Mai Tarek El-Sadany (Egypt/USA) is a Juris Doctorate candidate at Georgetown University Law School. Her interest is in international human rights and civil rights. She has interned extensively with prominent civil and human rights non-governmental organizations. Her project establishes a database platform that aggregates reports of sectarian attacks in Egypt. The project establishes a non-profit organization, a professional website and database that allows for self-reporting of sectarian violence, and a volunteer corps to verify stories of sectarian violence. Eshad will play an essential role in providing the data that is necessary for effective legal resolution and policy reform to address sectarianism in Egypt.
Congratulations to Georgina and Mai!
International Student House of Washington, DC (ISH-DC) is a private, non-profit 501(c)3 organization located near Dupont Circle in the heart of Washington, DC. Donations will help support our mission to provide an exceptional residential experience to a highly diverse international community of graduate students, interns and visiting scholars. The House promotes inter-cultural dialogue, encourages life-long connections, and fosters global citizenship.