Update on the Work of our Advocates
In her work at the Georgetown Domestic Violence Clinic, Jennifer Goldberg represents victims of family abuse in the District of Columbia. Her work includes conducting intake interviews at the Domestic Violence Intake Center, supervising second and third year law students in the Clinic, and co-teaching the Clinic seminar. With her students, Jennifer has successfully negotiated and litigated civil protection orders for victims of domestic violence in D.C. Superior Court. She was also a guest speaker on domestic violence at Eastern High School through the Georgetown Street Law Clinic. Jennifer is also actively involved in legislative advocacy for victims of family violence, participating in the D.C. Domestic Violence Coordinating Council Legislative Subcommittee.

Fellows' Retreat to Lost River
In November 1999, this year's WLPPF fellows, along with Mary Hartnett and Charlene Gomes, escaped to the wilds of West Virginia for our fellowship retreat. With maps, sleeping bags, excessive amounts of food and beverage, blaze orange gear, and glowing recommendations from last year's fellows, we ventured into Lost River State Park located in Hardy County, West Virginia. Despite downtown DC traffic snarls, we all arrived safely Friday evening and settled into our two adjacent cabins. As a fire roared in the fireplace, we quickly set to the relaxation at hand. Some puzzled over a (somewhat dated) map of the world puzzle while others played Mary's definitely dated "Group Therapy" game, in which each player was transported back to the 60s to answer soul-searching questions which were then judged by the rest of the group as either hip, cool, or a "cop out". While we survived the "Group Therapy" experience, suffice to say that Mary's Christmas present from the fellows this year was, you guessed it, a new game.

Research Assistant Joins WLPPFP Team
Meredith Rathbone, our new research assistant, is a first-year evening student at Georgetown University Law Center. She has long exhibited an interest in women's issues, having written her undergraduate thesis on the trafficking in women from Eastern to Western Europe. Meredith has volunteered as a victim advocate with the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and as an advocate and mentor at "Sisters Offering Support," a Honolulu-based organization helping women and girls to exit prostitution. As the founder and chairperson of Georgetown University Law Center's Amnesty International chapter, Meredith has worked to bring attention to women's issues by generating letters and petition signatures in support stronger anti-trafficking legislation and the ratification of Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Meredith's many projects include working on making arrangements for the Fellows to attend Beijing Plus Five events in New York this summer. Her expertise, talent and enthusiasm are valuable assets to our program.

Group Project and Seminars
Group Project. For this year's group project, the Fellows have been volunteering at Hannah House, leading workshops for women in crisis. Hannah House is a transitional shelter for homeless women and children who have struggled with such difficulties as addiction and domestic violence. The Fellows have led Wednesday night workshops at the shelter, focusing on issues such as interviewing skills, resume writing and job searching techniques. On March 8th, International Women's Day, several Fellows led a presentation on lives of women in Uganda. Upcoming workshops include a workshop entitled Know Your Legal Rights. The experience has been rewarding for both the Fellows and shelter residents. "My favorite part of the workshops has been the opportunity to speak one-to-one with Hannah House residents," said Advocate Jennifer Goldberg.

LAWAs Celebrate Successful Semester
With a lot of hard work and determination, our LAWA fellows achieved excellent marks in all of their first semester courses. WLPPFP hosted a celebratory luncheon on March 31st at the historic DACOR Bacon House, which was used as a lodging by Supreme Court justices in the early 1800s. Luncheon guests included program staff as well as numerous LAWA supporters from Georgetown University Law Center and the community.

In Brief: Alum News
The WLPPF and LAWA alumnae continue to make a difference long after their fellowships have ended. Here are just a few examples - we will address each bit of news at length in the alumnae newsletter scheduled for summer 2000.

Fellows Attend Historic Africa Summit
This February, The National Summit on Africa brought together thousands of participants from across the U.S. and abroad to develop a plan for U.S.-Africa relations. The Summit marked the first time such a comprehensive meeting was held in the U.S. and several Advocates took advantage of the opportunity to attend various ceremonies and plenary sessions.
Participants at the Opening Ceremony were welcomed by President Clinton, and Ambassador Andrew Young addressed participants at the Closing Banquet. Summit Board Member Retired U.S. Ambassador Donald Norland generously donated a table at the Banquet for WLPPFP. Joining the Ambassador and Mrs. Norland were Sarah Lubega, Evelyn Nassuna and Emma Namuli, Isa Hyde and WLPPFP Board member Wendy Williams and her husband Prof. Richard Diamond.

WLPPFP to be Beneficiary of DC Bar International Law Section Event
Every year the International Law Section of the D.C. Bar hosts an event to benefit an organization working in the nation's capital to advance the rule of international law. We are thrilled to say that WLPPFP has been selected as this year's beneficiary. The event will take place some time between May and July of 2000, so please be on the lookout for additional information on the date and time.