Aviva Shwayder, a Middlebury College student, is currently interning at the La Maison des Journalistes (MDJ), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting journalists who have fled their countries (such as Syria, Iran, Rwanda, Tunisia, Cuba) and who are now political refugees in France. The MDJ not only provides these journalists temporary housing, but the staff also helps them apply for political asylum, teaches them French, and find employment so that they can integrate into their new community. The journalists are able to continue to pursue their work in the name of freedom of the press by writing for the MDJ’s online publication “L’oeil de l’exilé.” The MDJ also organizes outreach to secondary schools and universities throughout France, explaining the importance of freedom of speech, the press, and human rights. Aviva works in the communications department, where she translates documents, designs promotional material, and assists with weekly events with the journalists.
For more information on the organization and its activities, please see their website: http://www.maisondesjournalistes.org/ .