The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) is now accepting applications for its 2026 Waging Justice for Women Fellowship, an innovative program that equips early-career women lawyers in Sub-Saharan Africa to advance justice, accountability and equality for women and girls.
Launched in 2023, the WJW Fellowship awards 10 women lawyers year-long, fully funded work placements at one of 10 leading human rights organizations across Africa. Fellows receive training, mentorship, and access to a global network of legal experts. They gain experience while providing legal advice and contributing to litigation that advances the rights of women and girls in the region.
Our inaugural cohort of fellows worked on more than 230 women’s rights cases and supported more than 1,000 women and girls with legal information on reproductive rights, gender-based violence, child marriage, and beyond. In the first four months of the fellowship, the 2025 fellows have already worked on more than 90 cases and reached over 800 students and 15 teachers during school outreach activities.
The Fellowship is offered in partnership with the Fund for Global Human Rights’ Legal Empowerment Fund. Our 2026 host organizations will be:
- AdvocAid (Sierra Leone)
- Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (Liberia)
- Centre for Human Rights, Education, Advice and Assistance (Malawi)
- Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (South Africa)
- Female Lawyers Association, The Gambia (The Gambia)
- Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (South Africa)
- Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (The Gambia)
- Katiba Institute (Kenya)
- Pan African Lawyers Union (Tanzania)
- Women Lawyers Association (Malawi)
Eligible applicants must apply by August 4, 2025.
To learn more about eligibility criteria and how to apply, click here.
ABOUT THE CLOONEY FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE’S WAGING JUSTICE FOR WOMEN INITIATIVE
Waging Justice for Women (WJW) provides free legal aid to women and girls to defend their rights, including their right to be free from discrimination, child marriage, and violence.
ABOUT THE CLOONEY FOUNDATION FOR JUSTICE (CFJ)
The Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) wages justice by providing free legal aid in defense of free speech and women’s rights in over 40 countries. Its work has led to dozens of journalists being set free and thousands of women receiving free legal support to defend their rights.