Visiting Fellows Program

"We would recommend this to another office like our own. We were able to learn from [the fellow] about his life, home country, and experiences while engaging in interesting discussions that challenged us to think of new ideas for collaboration."
Alissa Irion, Center for Civic Education, Calabasas, CA, Spring 2006

"The idea of the program is very impressive. I was inspired by the [host] Center’s work in many areas, and learned new approaches to human rights education and activism."
Bassam Bahgat, Visiting Fellow Egypt, Spring 2008

"I was very satisfied with my fellowship. This experience will directly impact my work at home and will enable me to better advocate on behalf of the issues I believe in."
Sally ElBaz, Visiting Fellow Egypt, Spring 2009

Visiting Fellows from Egypt form a circle of trust during their civic engagement training in Orkney Springs, Virginia, October 2007.

Freedom House’s Visiting Fellows Program, launched in 1990, provides young leaders from new and emerging democracies with the opportunity to work side-by-side with their U.S. and European counterparts in government, non-governmental organizations, and media. Through their fellowships, participants gain the skills needed to build the institutions of democracy.

More than 900 Visiting Fellows from Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa have participated in the program. They typically spend a week in Washington, D.C. to meet with government, civil society, and media and then are placed at a counterpart organization for a one- to two-month fellowship tailored to their individual interests.

Visiting Fellows from Egypt meet with Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in May 2009 to discuss U.S. policy.

Freedom House Visiting Fellows have gone on to serve as foreign ministers, vice ministers, members of parliament, ambassadors, press spokespersons for heads of state, vice-mayors, and regional and city council members. They have also become directors of the most influential civic organizations in their countries and prominent editors, reporters, and broadcasters.

Visiting Fellows have returned home to launch innovative initiatives that were inspired by their fellowships or used skills they gained in the U.S. Examples include:

• After working with Slate Magazine, a young freelance blogger returned home and became the website editor for Egypt’s largest circulation independent newspaper, Al-Dostour. Using the skills he learned from Slate, he revamped the newspaper’s website to include comment boxes for online readers, a PDF version of the newspaper for easy download, a video blog for breaking news, and links to popular blogs and social networking websites such as Facebook.
• Another fellow launched a human rights campaign using Short Message Service (SMS), based on an idea he formulated during his fellowship with the National Democratic Institute.
• A fellow who worked with The White House Project in Denver, Colorado, developed three initiatives focused on women for Egypt’s 2010 election in collaboration with her home organization. Her interest in increasing the number of women running for office in Egypt was bolstered by her experience in the U.S.
• Upon returning home, a fellow from Ukraine received approval to enter in an agreement of cooperation with his host university. This agreement will allow students and faculty members from both universities to exchange visits and work together.