Rita Akena is the secretary and chief legal counsel of the Tanzania Postal Bank. Sheis also an active member of the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association, Tanganyika Law Society, Zanzibar Law Society, and East Africa Law Society and serves on the Advocates Ethics Committee within the Tanganyika Law Society. Ms. Akena is an advocate of the High Court of Zanzibar, through which she is assigned pro bono cases by the Zanzibar Law Society. Her focus during her Humphrey Fellowship will be to study the effects of HIV/AIDS on the workplace and the best options for intervention.

Gaston Mwenelupembe is the deputy chief state advocate for the Ministry of Justice in Blantyre,Malawi, where he prosecutes criminal cases, gives legal advice to the police, and supervises junior prosecutors in their work. As a Humphrey Fellow, Mr. Mwenelupembe would like to learn how matters of fraud, money laundering, and corruption are handled in the United States and to pursue course work in American legislation and legal
writing pertaining to these issues.

Velephi Riba works as a project officer heading the Policy and Advocacy Section of the United Nations Children’s Fund in Mbabane, Swaziland. In this position, she helps to provide direction and technical guidance to national institutions to strengthen policy making and legal reform processes in the protection of children’s rights. As a Humphrey Fellow, Ms.
Riba plans to gain academic and professional training in the design and preparation of tools for conducting a systematic audit of legal, policy, and judicial structures so they are compatible with the protection of human rights.

Ahmad Warraich s the deputy director of the Human Rights Wing of the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Human Rights in Pakistan, where he monitors human rights on behalf of the federal government. Mr. Warraich’s responsibilities include liaising with nongovernmental organizations and the provincial government, overseeing mass awareness projects, and dealing with reports of human rights violations. During his year as a Humphrey Fellow, Mr. Warraich would like to further his knowledge of how human rights mechanisms work at all levels of government in the United States with the hope of adapting similar methods in Pakistan.

Roseline Zigomo s a partner in the law firm of Atherstone and Cook, located in Harare, Zimbabwe. She is involved in litigation, including human rights advocacy in the area of constitutional rights and freedoms. Ms. Zigomo is a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the Rotary Club
of the Msasa District 9210, where she served as the community services director from 2000 to 2001. As a Humphrey Fellow, Ms. Zigomo hopes to study the constitutional framework of democratic governments and the global protection of human rights.

Michael Njong s the coordinator of human rights and teacher of English for the Projet de Promotion Humain in Maroua, Cameroon. He manages all human rights activities within the organization, conducting sensitization seminars and working with stakeholders, such as traditional rulers and law enforcement agents, to promote the fundamental rights of citizens. During his Humphrey year, Mr. Njong hopes to gain the skills needed to create an effective framework in his organization for implementing policy change.

Hauwa Ibrahim is a senior partner and the pro bono legal aid counsel at the Aires Law Firm in Garki Abuja, Nigeria. She also serves as a consultant to human rights and nongovernmental organizations. Since 1999, Ms. Ibrahim has led a team of lawyers addressing issues related to the Islamic Sharia Law. She has been lead defense counsel in all cases of women who have been sentenced to death by stoning for allegedly having committed adultery. Ms. Ibrahim’s objective for her Humphrey Fellowship is to acquire skills to help her contribute to the development of a culture of human rights and rule of law in Nigeria.

Alaa El Shimy is a former police officer, United Nations liaison officer, and district attorney in Egypt. He currently serves as a judge at the Ministry of Justice, in the North Cairo Court jurisdiction. He hears both criminal and civil cases and conducts investigations in collaboration with judicial and technical experts. In addition, Judge El Shimy leads training sessions for new judges at the National Center for Judiciary Studies and gives lectures on law and English to students at the Police College. As a Humphrey Fellow, Judge El Shimy wants to pursue human rights law, focusing on the rights of prisoners.