Washington, DC: Forensic scientists have identified the bodies of three Peruvians who disappeared thirty years ago at a notorious army base in Southern Peru, breathing new life into efforts to account for over 15,000 people who disappeared in Peru's dirty war against terrorism. The three bodies were among 53 recovered from the base of Los Cabitos, in the province of Ayacucho. They were identified by the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF), a long-time partner of The Advocacy Project (AP).  Read more…

Dale Farm, UK: Fifteen months after they were evicted from their property in southeast England, the Dale Farm Travellers are still living next to their former homes. Iain Guest from The Advocacy Project (AP) assesses the crisis and looks back on AP's involvement. If readers of this bulletin are looking for a good cause they might want to donate a toilet to Dale Farm, the Traveller site in Essex that triggered an epic legal battle in the UK. The site was supposed to close down when 86 Traveller families were evicted on October 19, 2011 - only the Travellers never left.  Read more…

Washington DC: The New York Times has profiled the work of The Advocacy Project (AP) in helping marginalized communities to tell their story through quilting. A recent article in the paper reports from Kean University in New Jersey, where 24 advocacy quilts are currently on show in the human rights gallery. The exhibition is entitled "Advocacy Quilts: A Voice for the Voiceless," and will run until May 10. Neil Tetkowski, the gallery director, is quoted as describing many of the quilts as "remarkably beautiful." AP's program of advocacy quilting began in 2007, when AP helped weavers from the Bosnian women's group Bosfam to produce a carpet carrying the names of relatives who died in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.  Read more…

Baraka, DRC: The Government of Liechtenstein has awarded $21,000 to SOS Femmes en Danger (SOSFED), a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP) that works with survivors of armed sexual violence in the isolated territory of Fizi, Eastern Congo. The grant will allow SOSFED to offer a range of services at its center in Fizi Town, while at the same time injecting badly-needed funds into the desperately poor local hospital.  Read more…