Apply for Waging Justice for Women Fellowship Program

The Clooney Foundation for Justice’s Waging Justice for Women (WJW) initiative is working to change this, by transforming the law from a tool of oppression into a driver of change. Working hand in hand with grassroots organizations, they use legal empowerment, strategic litigation and public advocacy to challenge injustice against women and girls. Fellowships will be full-time, one-year opportunities, running from January 2025 – December 2025.

The Fellowship offers an annual salary and an opportunity to work with leading human rights organizations on gender justice. Fellows support at least one strategic litigation case designed to advance women and girls’ rights in national, regional or international courts or UN mechanisms. Fellows should expect to be based in the home country of their host organization and have the right to work in that country.

CFJ and the partner organizations are offering one-year, fully funded fellowships to a class of ten early-career women lawyers in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of CFJ’s Waging Justice for Women Fellowship Program is to equip African gender justice champions with the tools they need to challenge inequality through the courts. These organizations partner with WJW on key issues such as removing legal barriers to girls’ education, combatting child marriage, promoting accountability for gender-based violence, and combatting economic discrimination and criminalization based on gender stereotypes.

Funding Information 

• CFJ’s Waging Justice for Women Fellowship Program will provide Fellows with the equivalent in local currency of a $25,000 USD gross annual salary. Additional travel or work expenses may be covered at the discretion of CFJ and/or the host organization.

Eligibility Criteria

• CFJ’s Waging Justice for Women Fellowship Program is for early career women lawyers (less than five years of professional experience, post-accreditation). You must be accredited to practice law in the country of one of the host organizations.
• Citizenship or work authorization:
  • In either Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, or Liberia.
    • Costs relating to international relocation and acquiring work authorization cannot be supported.
• Work experience:
  • At least two years of post-qualification experience in the legal field. (As this fellowship is for early-career women lawyers, they will be less likely to consider women with more than five years of legal experience post-qualification).
  • Experience in women’s rights and working in human rights organizations preferred.
• Skills/competencies:
  • Experience working with survivors and/or impacted communities.
  • Experience integrating gender and child-sensitive perspectives into substantive work.
  • Interest in gender equality and women’s rights.
  • Commitment to the mission and goals of the Clooney Foundation for Justice and relevant host organizations.
  • A demonstrated ability to conduct complex legal analysis and fact-finding.
  • Excellent research, writing and verbal communication skills.
  • Self-starter with excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills.
  • Demonstrated commitment to social justice and human rights and creativity in crafting strategies to advance justice in the priority areas.
  • Willingness to travel.
  • Fluency in English required; proficiency in other working languages relevant to the countries of host organizations preferred.

For more information, visit CFJ.