ELAW Fellows Program

The Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide has hosted more than 200 environmental professionals from all over the world. ELAW Fellows are committed advocates who help the world’s most disadvantaged communities protect the environment through law.

ELAW Fellows have gone on to do outstanding work and become respected leaders. Seven ELAW Fellows later won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, including 2016 Goldman Prize winner Zuzana Caputova. Ms. Caputova was a 2007 and 2017 ELAW Fellow and elected President of Slovakia in 2019.

ELAW designs each Fellowship to meet the Fellow’s needs. We provide one-on-one training with ELAW attorneys, scientists, and development team members, and reach out to other experts in the U.S. and around the world to help ELAW Fellows meet their training objectives.

ELAW Fellowships may include the following, and more:

  • One-on-one work with the ELAW team
  • ELAW Annual Meeting and Public Interest Environmental Law Conference
  • Collaborating with organizations in the Pacific Northwest
  • Meeting with government agencies, and attending court and public hearings
  • Tours of water and waste management facilities, and visits to protected areas
  • Intensive English study at the University of Oregon’s American English Institute
  • Environmental law and other classes at the University of Oregon
  • Public presentations and press interviews

ELAW Fellows gain skills and build strong organizations that will work to protect communities and the planet for years to come. ELAW Fellows also enrich the Eugene community and share lessons learned from their environmental challenges and successes.

Get Involved!

If you are a Eugene area resident and wish to host an ELAW Fellow, or for any questions, please contact Maggie Keenan, Fellows Program Coordinator.

Eugene Weekly Interviews Ahmed

Raised as the son of a lawyer, Ahmed Elseidi grew up surrounded by legal lingo and strategies. Coming from a position where being a lawyer was at his fingertips, Elseidi took a slightly different approach — becoming the only public interest environmental lawyer in Egypt.

ELAW Fellows, 2024

Roger Mavungu Kama

Democratic Republic of Congo

Roger Mavungu Kama is an attorney and the Executive Secretary of Dynamique pour le Droit, la Democratie et le Developpement Durable (Dynamics for Law, Democracy and Sustainable Development, D5/ASBL) in Kongo Central Province in western Democratic Republic of Congo.

ELAW Fellows, 2023

Maria da Silva Ballerio

Maria da Silva Ballerio

Brazil

Maria Judite da Silva Balerio (Guajajara) is an attorney who works with the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of Maranhão (COAPIMA) and the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB).

Felipe Martins Cândido

Felipe Martins Cândido

Brazil

Felipe Martins Cândido (Apurinã) is a lawyer working with Indigenous peoples in the states of Amazonas and Acre.

Hugo Che Piu

Peru

Hugo Che Piu is the Executive Director of Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Law, Environment & Natural Resources, DAR).

Fatima Diallo

Senegal

Fatima Diallo is Executive Director of Centre de Recherche et d’Action sur les Droits Economiques, Sociaux et Culturels (Center for Research and Action on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, CRADESC).

Ahmed Elseidi

Egypt

Ahmed Elseidi heads the Ahmed Elseidi Law Firm, which focuses on environmental and climate change law.

Paulo Celso de Oliveira

Paulo Celso de Oliveira

Brazil

Paulo Celso de Oliveira (Pankararu) is a partner at Dora, Azambuja e Oliveira – Advocacia em Direitos Humanos (Advocacy for Human Rights).

Frank Tumusiime

Uganda

Frank Tumusiime is Coordinator and Senior Research Fellow at Advocates for Natural Resources and Development (ANARDE).

Eliésio da Silva Vargas

Eliésio da Silva Vargas

Brazil

Eliésio da Silva Vargas (Marubo) is an attorney for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (UNIVAJA).

ELAW Fellows, 2022

Ivo Cípio Aureliano

Ivo Cípio Aureliano

Brazil

Ivo is a Macuxi lawyer with the Conselho Indígena de Roraima (Indigenous Council of Roraima, CIR) in Boa Vista, Roraima.

Bohdan Kuchenko

Bohdan Kuchenko

Ukraine

Bohdan Kuchenko is a scientist at the Kyiv office of Environment People Law.

Kateryna Polianska

Kateryna Polianska

Ukraine

Dr. Kateryna Polianska is a scientist at the Kyiv office of Environment People Law.

Nchunu Justice Sama

Nchunu Justice Sama

Cameroon

Nchunu Justice Sama is an environmental lawyer and Executive Director of the Foundation for Environment and Development (FEDEV).

Jimmy Munguriek Ufoy

Jimmy Munguriek Ufoy

Congo

Jimmy Munguriek Ufoy is an attorney and Executive Director at Cadre de Concertation de la Société Civile de l’Ituri sur les Ressources Naturelles (CdC/RN Ituri).

ELAW Fellows, 2021

Capacity Building for CEMDA

Capacity Building for CEMDA

Mexico

Eight new staff members at at El Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (Mexican Center for Environmental Law, CEMDA) gathered online in a 4-week series with ELAW staff that focused on law, science, and protection resources available to environmental defenders under threat. The virtual ELAW Fellows were Ricardo Garibay, Aarón Siller, Gerardo Álvarez, Luz Coral Hernández, Yoatzin Popoca, María Inés Centeno, Gabriela Sánchez, and Gabriela Carreón.

Brazil Map

Strengthening Indigenous Advocacy in Brazil

Brazil

Five Indigenous lawyers from Brazil’s Amazon region gathered online in a 2-month weekly series with ELAW staff and others. They collaborated with ELAW Staff Attorneys and Staff Scientists, heard from experts in Brazil, met with an economic analyst, met with Indigenous lawyers from Nicaragua and Panama, and worked with ELAW’s Defending Defenders team. The virtual ELAW Fellows were Ivo Cípio Aureliano, Christiane Baré, Kari Guajajara, Felipe Apuriná, and Eliésio Marubo. Read more here.

ELAW Fellows, 2020

Joseph Ahimbisibwe

Joseph Ahimbisibwe

Uganda

Joseph Ahimbisibwe is a scientist and Program Officer for Nature Conservation at Advocates for Natural Resources and Development (ANARDE), based in Kampala.

Mamadou Alpha Mariam Diallo

Mamadou Alpha Mariam Diallo

Guinea

Mamadou Alpha Mariam Diallo is an attorney at Les Mêmes Droits pour Tous (The Same Rights for All, MDT) based in Conakry.

Hugo Echeverria

Hugo Echeverria

Equador

Hugo Echeverria, based in Ecuador, is an attorney and leading scholar on “rights of nature.”

Anna Fomina

Anna Fomina

Russia

Anna Fomina is an attorney working in Russia to protect communities and the environment through law.

Dickens Kamugisha

Dickens Kamugisha

Uganda

Dickens Kamugisha is CEO at the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO).

Olivier Bahemuke Ndoole

Olivier Bahemuke Ndoole

Democratic Republic of Congo

Olivier Bahemuke Ndoole is Executive Secretary at Alerte Congolaise pour l’Environnement et les Droits de l’Homme (ACEDH).

Gligor Radecic

Gligor Radecic

Croatia

Gligor Radecic is Legal Officer at Biom Association (BirdLife Croatia).

Isaias Ramos

Isaias Ramos

Panama

Isaias Ramos is Staff Scientist at Centro de Incidencia Ambiental (Center for Environmental Advocacy, CIAM), based in Panama City.

Emmanuel Umpula

Emmanuel Umpula

Democratic Republic of Congo

Emmanuel Umpula is an attorney with African Resources Watch, based in Kinshasa.

ELAW Fellows, 2019

Juliana de Paula Batista

Juliana de Paula Batista

Brazil

Juliana de Paula Batista is an attorney at Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).

Bernis Cunningham

Bernis Cunningham

Nicaragua

Bernis Cunningham is Executive Director at the Nicaragua Center of Environmental Conservation.

Laura Haiselova

Laura Haiselova

Czech Republic

Laura Haiselova is an attorney on the Responsible Energy team at Frank Bold, based in Brno, Czech Republic.

Issiaga Keita

Issiaga Keita

Guinea

Issiaga Keita is an attorney at Memes Droits pour Tous (Same Rights for All, MDT) based in Conakry, Guinea.

Csaba Kiss

Csaba Kiss

Hungary

Csaba Kiss is a lawyer at the Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA) in Budapest, Hungary.

Olena Kravchenko

Olena Kravchenko

Ukraine

Olena Kravchenko is Executive Director at Environment-People-Law (EPL) in Ukraine.

Natasha Lisitcyna

Natasha Lisitcyna

Russia

Natasha Lisitcyna is a lawyer at Sakhalin Environment Watch in the Russian Far East.

Bernard Ngalim

Bernard Ngalim

Cameroon

Bernard Ngalim is a Cameroonian attorney pursuing an LLM at Northeastern University School of Law.

Ragchaa Ochirbal

Ragchaa Ochirbal

Mongolia

Ragchaa Ochirbal is a lawyer and Lecturer at Otgontenger University in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Saa Pascal Tenguiano

Saa Pascal Tenguiano

Guinea

Pascal is the Executive Director of Centre du Commerce International pour le Developpement (CECIDE).