Clooney Foundation for Justice Announces 2025 Waging Justice for Women Fellows

Annual Fellowship Empowers Africa’s Next Generation of Women’s Rights Advocates

The Clooney Foundation for Justice today announced the recipients of the 2025 Waging Justice for Women Fellowship — a trailblazing initiative that equips early-career African women lawyers to take on gender inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In partnership with the Fund for Global Human Rights’ Legal Empowerment Fund (LEF), the fellowship provides fully funded work placement at ten of the region’s premier women’s rights or gender justice NGOs for one year. Fellows receive mentorship, training, and access to a global network of legal experts, while providing free legal assistance to women and girls, and contributing to litigation that advances women’s rights in courts and human rights mechanisms.

“I am so inspired by the incredible young women beginning their fellowship with CFJ,” said Co-Founder Amal Clooney. “We can’t wait to see what this next generation of justice warriors will achieve.”

The fellowship builds on the success of last year’s inaugural cohort, which waged justice in over 230 women’s rights cases and provided legal information to more than 1,000 women and girls on a range of critical issues, including gender-based violence, reproductive rights, property rights, and child marriage.

“I’m profoundly honored to support our incredible partners and to welcome our second cohort of fellows,” said Rothna Begum, Legal Advocacy Director for Waging Justice for Women. “This remarkable set of young lawyers will expand access to justice for women and girls, and help tackle systemic inequalities.”

 

2025 WAGING JUSTICE FOR WOMEN FELLOWS

Click here more on the WJW Fellowship and this year’s fellows.

Awa Gai

Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa • The Gambia

Betty Nkirote

Katiba Institute • Kenya

Fatoumatta Bintou Sanyang

Female Lawyers Association of The Gambia • The Gambia

Francess Gegbai

AdvocAid • Sierra Leone

Hope Gee Williams

Centre for Human Rights, Education, Advice and Assistance • Malawi

Husna Zacharia

Pan African Lawyers Union • Tanzania

Peteryna Jah-Kanneh

Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia • Liberia

Senamile Madlala

Institute for Strategic Litigation in Africa • South Africa

Sheryl Kunaka

Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria • South Africa

Tonthozo Saukila

Women Lawyers Association • Malawi

 

ABOUT 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.

ABOUT WAGING JUSTICE FOR WOMEN

Waging Justice for Women provides free legal aid to women to defend their rights, including their right to be free from discrimination, child marriage, and violence.