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Human Rights Program
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Locations

Local

American Refugee Committee
430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 872-7060
Fax: (612) 607-6499

Mission: ARC works with its partners and constituencies to provide opportunities and expertise to refugees, displaced people and host communities. We help people survive conflict and crisis and rebuild lives of dignity, health, security and self-sufficiency. ARC is committed to the delivery of programs that ensure measurable quality and lasting impact for the people we serve.

Amigos de las Americas - Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter
1170 15gh Ave SE Suite 204
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: (763) 258-7098

Mission: Amigos de las Americas (AMIGOS) builds partnerships to empower young leaders, advance community development and strengthen multicultural understanding in the Americas. Supported by a vigorous network of Pan-American chapters and partner agencies and a sound financial base, youth from diverse backgrounds and from throughout the Americas challenge themselves and expand their world view by participating in self-directed, meaningful service with communities different from their own.

Africa Network for Development Inc. (ANDI)
1298 Fifield Place
Falcon Heights, MN 55108
Email: Andiandi0102@yahoo.com

Mission: ANDI’s mission is to provide access to resources for African immigrants and refugees for self improvement and participation in community life.

Books for Africa
253 East 4th Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (651) 602-9844
Fax: (651) 602-9848
Email: info@booksforafrica.org

Mission: Books for Africa works to collect, sort, ship, and distribute books donated by publishers, libraries, individuals, and organizations that are then given to African children eager to read. Since 1988, the organization has shipped over seven million books to Africa, with the majority of shipping costs covered by the receiving organization. In the past, Books for Africa has shipped materials to countries such as Botswana, Eritrea, Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, and Uganda.

Casa de Esperanza
1515 East Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Phone: (651) 646-5553
Email: azoltai@casadeesperanza.org

Mission: Casa de Esperanza was created to eliminate violence against women in the Latino community and the community at large. The organization promotes advocacy, education, and support for battered women and children through the crisis hotline, violence prevention programs, using the building as a crisis shelter to house battered women and children, community presentations surrounding domestic abuse, providing medical attention or legal support, and goal setting programs. Casa de Esperanza, established in the late 1970’s, has assisted over a thousand women and children who have been victims of domestic abuse.

Center for Cross-Cultural Health
265 Oneida Street
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 209-8999
Fax: (651) 209-8998
Email: ccch@crosshealth.com

CCCH is a unique educational, training, research, and consulting center for health care/social service organizations/agencies, providers, policy makers, and the general public in their work related to cultural diversity and competency. The Center is a non-profit organization that is guided by the mission "to integrate the role of culture in improving health."

Center for Victims of Torture
2356 University Ave West, Suite 430
St. Paul, Minnesota
Tel: (612) 436-4800
Fax: (612) 436-2606

Mission: The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit whose mission is to heal the wounds of torture on individuals, their families and their communities and to stop torture worldwide. CVT provides direct care to torture survivors in Minneapolis and St. Paul and at projects in Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. CVT conducts training to expand knowledge of the effects of torture and create more resources for healing and prevention; conducts research and advocates for policies to stop and prevent torture.

Children’s Defense Fund: Minnesota
555 Park Street
St. Paul, MN 55103
Tel: (651) 227-6121
Fax: (651) 227-2553
E-mail: axner@cdf-mn.org

Mission: The mission of the CDF is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

Children's Law Center of Minnesota
450 N. Syndicate
Suite 315
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 644-4438
Email: info@clcmn.org

Mission: CLC promotes the rights and interests of Minnesota's children, especially children of color and children with disabilities, in the judicial, child welfare, health care and education systems. The Children's Law Center of Minnesota opened in October of 1995 as a result of eight years' hard work on the part of attorneys, social workers, teachers, pediatricians, and other children's advocates in Minnesota. CLC began with and continues to promote the rights and interests of Minnesota's children in the judicial, child welfare, health care, and education systems. Through representing children (including foster care children and state wards), in court and working with courts, government agencies, and social service agencies, CLC works to change policies that fail children.

Cultural Diversity Resources
810 S. Fourth Ave. Suite 147
Moorhead, MN 56560
Telephone: (218) 236-7277
Fax.: (218) 236-7475
Email: office@culturaldiversityresources.org

Mission: To acknowledge, understand, appreciate and celebrate the diverse heritage and cultures of people in the Cass-Clay counties. To increase the understanding of community leaders, adults and children of the value of diversity in the community. To create an appreciation and awareness of cultural differences as reflected in the behaviors of employers, educational institutions and the general public. To assist diverse population in overcoming barriers to community participation. To support current and new community efforts that encourage diversity by developing and enhancing a "framework" of materials, events and structures that celebrate our community's growing diversity

Fresh Energy
408 St. Peter Street Ste 220
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: 651-225-0878
Fax: 651-225-0870
Email: info@fresh-energy.org

Mission : Fresh Energy works to enhance our economy, protect human health and communities, restore our environment and establish energy independence. In our sustained and coordinated effort to promote a modern, innovative energy system for the 21st century, we provide research, advocacy and innovative policy models while engaging citizens to take action on the energy issues that affect us all. Fresh Energy’s efforts focus on clean electricity, energy efficiency, transportation policy, global warming solutions and energy justice. With expertise, strong alliances and an impressive track record in each of these important areas, we’re able to maintain a long-range view while also nimbly responding to sudden threats and unexpected opportunities.

Generation for Change and Growth
2910 Pillsbury Ave S #204
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: 612.568.0960
Email: gcgbox@gmail.com

Mission : To provide communities with skills and opportunities to strive for advancement of Education and better Health care services. GCG promotes Health and Education in Northern Kenya and other regions of East Africa . The organization accomplishes its mission through partnership with the local community, non-profit organizations, institutions like schools and hospitals, women groups and volunteer services

Girls International Forum
2324 University Avenue West, Suite 106
St. Paul, MN 55114
Tel: (651) 645-3636
fax: (651) 645-5747
Email: zorar@girlsforum.org

Mission: Girls International Forum is a non-profit organization created to empower girls to take action on issues affecting them now and in their future. We believe that girls can and must be part of worldwide efforts to improve the lives of girls and women. In order to improve our own lives and the lives of others, we believe that all girls must be aware of the successes, issues, and problems of girls and women. We will focus our efforts around learning new things, challenging ourselves and others, and acting as role models by raising issues and spreading equality worldwide.

Human Rights Center, University of Minnesota
N120 Mondale Hall
229 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel: (612) 626-0041
Fax: (612) 625-2011
Email: hrfellow@umn.edu

Mission: The principal focus of the Human Rights Center is to help train effective human rights professionals and volunteers through five primary programs: Applied Human Rights Research, Educational Tools, Field and Training Opportunities, Human Rights Online, and Learning Communities and Partnerships.

Human Rights Program, University of Minnesota
235 and 248 Social Sciences Building
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: (612) 626-1879
E-mail: hrp@umn.edu

Mission: The Human Rights Program provides academic, research, and internship opportunities in human rights for University of Minnesota students, especially in the College of Liberal Arts. To achieve its goals, the Program works cooperatively with faculty and other programs across the University, as well as with international human rights professionals in Minnesota and around the world.

Immigrant Law Center of MN/Oficina Legal
450 North Syndicate Street, Suite 175
St. Paul, MN 55104
Tel: (651) 641-1011
fax: (651) 641-1131

Mission: The ILCM is a unique non-profit law firm that started out as a legal aid program of Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services in the late 1970s. Established as an independent non-profit organization in 1996, the ILCM continues to provide help in immigration matters to low-income immigrant and refugee families and individuals in Minnesota. The ILCM is one of the only non-profits in Minnesota to provide comprehensive immigration services to persons of all nationalities who are ineligible for federally-funded legal services. The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota's services consist of direct legal representation and community education.

The Innocence Project
1536 Hewitt Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: (651) 523-3152
Fax: (651) 523-2435
E-mail: eapplebaum@ipmn.org

Mission: The Innocence Project of Minnesota works to exonerate wrongfully convicted inmates, including those incarcerated with lengthy prison terms or who are facing execution. It educates the public regarding wrongful convictions, due process, and other public policy issues.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
2105 First Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 870-0453
Fax: (612) 870-4846
Email: iatp@iatp.org

Mission: independent research and education organization dedicated to fostering economically, socially and environmentally sustainable communities and regions. IATP is committed to creating new economic models and opportunities based on respect for human rights, including economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights.

International Institute of Minnesota (IIMN)
1694 Como Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: (651) 647-0191
Fax: (651) 647-9268

Mission: The International Institute is a social service agency affiliated with the Immigration and Refugee Services of America and the United Way. Founded in 1919, the Institute's mission is to: provide a center of information and assembly for all nationalities and races; develop fellowship and understanding among such persons through group activities; promote the welfare of our foreign-born populations; and preserve and stimulate intercultural values. This is achieved through Casewosrk Services, Education and Employment Training, Citizenship Preparation, Intercultural Activities, and the Festival of Nations.

International Leadership Institute
5021 Vernon Avenue South, PMB 136
Minneapolis, MN 55436
Phone : (612) 340-0250
E-mail: info@internationalleadership.org

Mission : Providing partnerships in infrastructure, rule of law, and educational development projects throughout the world that focus on people and nations in transition. The Institute's mission is to facilitate interaction in world affairs and foster intercultural communication among Minnesotans, international organizations and people in other countries.

International Women's Rights Action Watch
University of Minnesota
229-19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: (612) 625-4985
Fax: (612) 625-2011
Email: mfreeman@umn.edu

Mission: IWRAW was founded on the belief that women's human rights-established through legal, political, and educational systems-are an essential component of development, and that governments and NGOs can be encouraged to understand and apply the Conventions' principles to achieve equality. IWRAW is an international network of activists, scholars, and organizations that focus on the advancement of women's human rights.

Kids Against Hunger
5401 Boone Ave N
New Hope, MN
Phone: (763) 257-0202

Mission: Kids Against Hunger is a nonprofit organization with the mission to significantly reduce the number of hungry children in the USA and to feed starving children throughout the world. This is being achieved by getting volunteers involved, and by setting up food packaging satellites in the USA, and through partnerships with humanitarian organizations worldwide - enabling Kids Against Hunger to deliver its specially formulated rice-soy casserole to starving children and their families in more than 40 countries. The Kids Against Hunger network currently includes over 30 food packaging satellites across the United States and one in Canada.

Kids Home International
3751 Sheridan Ave. North
Minneapolis, MN 55412
Phone: 763-202-4439
In Kenya :
P.O. Box 1101
Kericho, Kenya
E-mail: kishome@khi-kenya.org

Mission : Kids home international is a non profit humanitarian organization that seeks to improve the quality of lives of the homeless and orphaned kids through programs designed to develop their spirit, mind and body, so they can realize their full potential in the society.

League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions
Minnesota Department of Human Rights
190 E. 5th Street, Suite 700
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: 651-296-5663
TTY: 651-296-1283
E-mail: webmaster@therightsplace.net

Mission : The League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions is a voluntary, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and advancement of human rights. Founded in 1971 and reorganized in 1987, the League is a coalition of local human rights commissions, which have been established by charter or ordinance in communities throughout Minnesota. While its member commissions are public agencies, the League is a private, non-governmental organization. The Board of Directors consists of 20 members, who meet monthly. An annual conference is held each fall.

Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis: Adolescent Law Project
Southside Office
2929 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 201
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Phone: (612) 827-3774
Email: imopsahl@midminlegal.org

Mission: This project provides free legal assistance to adolescents in need of protection due to homelessness, child abuse or other social issues. Potential projects include legal research, court observation, and administrative assistance.

The Advocates for Human Rights
650 3rd Ave S, Suite 550
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 341-3302
Fax: (612) 341-2971
Email: hrights@advrights.org

Mission: The mission of The Advocates for Human Rights is to implement international human rights standards in order to promote civil society and reinforce the rule of law. By involving volunteers in research, education, and advocacy, we build broad constituencies in the United States and select global communities.

Refugee and Immigrant Program
The Advocates for Human Rights seeks to promote and protect the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants. International human rights law requires the fair, just and humane treatment of all persons in the United States - regardless of immigration status. The Asylum Project provides volunteer legal representation to indigent clients seeking asylum in the U.S. because they fear persecution in their countries of origin. Potential Projects include: (1) country and case research for volunteer lawyers; (2) assist with client intakes including write-up of interviews; (3) research on issues related to current caseload such as female genital mutilation, social group, and caste. French or Spanish language skills are helpful.

Death Penalty Project
The Death Penalty Project was formulated in 1991 to provide legal representation, education and advocacy on death penalty issues by helping to defeat the reintroduction of capital punishment in Minnesota . The Death Penalty Project works through a community based initiative to create support opposing the death penalty, along with providing 100 specially trained volunteer attorneys and paralegals to assist death row in a system that has serious flaws in its legal proceedings. The Death Penalty Project has also served as a resource for local, national, and international communities on issues surrounding the death penalty.

Women’s Program
The Women’s Program promotes women’s human rights through research, documentation of abuses, public education, human rights advocacy and technical assistance programs. The Program achieves its goals through international, national, and local initiatives. Potential projects: (1) assist with planning special events, including international training institutes; (2) research and editing; (3) grant management and writing.

Human Rights Education Program
To educate students of all ages about international human rights and to encourage active involvement in promoting and protecting human rights. The Partners Project trains volunteers to teach human rights classes to K-12 students and matches volunteers with interested teachers

Minnesota African Women’s Association
2207 North Second Street
Minneapolis, MN 55411
Phone: (612) 529-9267
Fax: (612) 529-4743
E-mail: mawa0302@yahoo.com

Mission: MAWA works to create an organization that nurtures and draws from African immigrant and refugee women.

Minnesota Coalition For The Homeless
2233 University Ave West, Suite 434
St. Paul , Minnesota 55114
Telephone: 651.645.7332
Fax: 651.645.7560
Email: info@mnhomelesscoalition.org

Mission : The Coalition’s mission is to generate policies, community support, and local resources for housing and services to end homelessness in Minnesota

Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network
2500 University Ave
St. Paul, MN 55114
E-mail: freedomnetwork@gmail.com

Mission: The Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network (MIFN) is a grassroots, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to fix the broken immigration system in this country. Although we are a young organization, our creative and successful organizing projects along with the dynamic growth of the immigrant rights movement have positioned us in the heart of a burgeoning movement, join us

Minnesota Indian Women’s ResourceCenter
2300 15th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 728-2000
Fax: (612) 728-2039
E-mail: skincade@miwrc.org

Mission: The Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center (MIWRC) is a non-profit social and educational services organization committed to the holistic growth and development of American Indian women and their families. Founded in 1984, MIWRC provides a broad range of programs designed to educate and empower American Indian women and their families, and to inform and assist those who work providing services to the community.

Minnesota International Center
711 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: (612) 625-4421
Fax: (612) 624-1984
E-mail: mic@globe.mic.umn.edu

Mission: Founded in 1953 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the Minnesota International Center is dedicated to supporting Minnesota’s growing interest and involvement in the world. Our mission is to inspire our community to understand global issues and cultures in an ever changing world

Minnesota International Health Volunteers
122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 510
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404-2480
Phone: (612) 871-3759
Fax: (612) 230-3257
Email: info@mihv.org

Mission: To improve the health of women, children and their communities around the world. MIHV envisions a world in which communities are organized to improve their own health. MIHV will be recognized as a center of excellence for community organized health care. In our work, we will be seen as a trusted partner who honors the strengths and assets of the communities with whom we work.

Nonviolent Peaceforce
425 Oak Grove Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Phone: (612) 871-0005
E-mail: intern@nonviolentpeaceforce.org

Mission: The mission of Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a large-scale trained, international civilian nonviolent peaceforce. Nonviolent Peaceforce will be sent to conflict areas to prevent death and destruction and protect human rights, thus creating the space for local groups to struggle nonviolently, enter into dialogue, and seek peaceful resolution.

OutFront Minnesota
310 38th Street East #204
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Phone: (612) 822-0127
Fax: (612) 822-8786

Mission: "OutFront Minnesota's mission is to make our home a place where GLBT Minnesotans have the freedom, power, and confidence to make the best choices for their own lives." Our organization is a community-based, membership organization that serves the statewide GLBT and allied communities of Minnesota with a wide variety of programs and services. We are Minnesota's largest GLBT organization, and we are the only organization representing the GLBT community on a full-time basis at the Minnesota Legislature.

Pangea World Theater
711 West Lake Street, Suite 101
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Tel: (612) 822-0015
Fax: (612) 821-1070

Pangea World Theater is committed to international works, styles and traditions that illuminate the human condition, end divisiveness and celebrate differences. We strive to bring communities across the world together through theater productions, workshops and speakers. We view the stage as a powerful international forum and a podium for discussion. Throughout our work we employ a cross-ethnic vision of tolerance and human rights through excellence in the arts. Domestic violence piece or a performance that we create in the area of human rights. This year, we are going to take the domestic violence performance that we have developed with battered immigrant women into the communities and they could be involved in that in a support capacity as they do administration or other things in the organization.

Resource Center of the Americas
3019 Minnehaha Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
Phone: (612) 276-0788
Fax: (612) 276-0898
Email: rcta-info@americas.org

Mission: Community-based education and advocacy center that works to strengthen local and global communities engaged in social change. The Center’s projects include the Many Faces Project, to educate Minnesota communities about new immigrant populations; the Child Labor Project, Adult and Community Education, and Educating about the Americas, to work with K-12 educators.

Somalian Women’s Association
2101 Hennepin Avenue South, #113
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 870-7001
Fax: (612) 870-7003

Mission: The Somalian Women’s Association works to strengthen the capacity of Somalian women immigrants to survive in their new country by helping them counter the negative impact of isolation, poverty, violence, and discrimination. SWA provides various different programs for Somali women, such as housing assistance, ESL workshops, employment assistance, childcare services, medical care, community meeting forums, and immigrant advocacy and assistance.

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services /Immigrant Legal Services
166 East 4th St, Suite 200
St. Paul, MN 55101
Phone: (651) 222-3299
Fax: (651) 222-3599
Email: smrls.administration@smrls.org

Mission: To provide a full range of high quality legal services to low income persons and eligible client groups in civil matters, in a respectful manner which enables clients to; enforce their legal rights,obtain effective access to the courts, administrative agencies and forums which constitute our system of justice, maintain freedom from hunger, homelessness, sickness and abuse, empower persons and assure equal opportunity, thus, helping people to help themselves and become economically self-reliant, to the extent their individual abilities and circumstances permit.

United Nations Association – Minnesota (UNA-MN)
2104 Stevens Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: (612) 879-7512
E-mail: info@unamn.org

Mission: The United Nations Association of Minnesota (UNA-MN) is a non-profit grass roots organization located in Minneapolis / St. Paul that works on a local and regional level to promote the principles and goals of the United Nations. The UNA-MN has 705 members. Their mission is to increase understanding of and support for the United Nations and its agencies and to create educational programs that enable learning about the U.N., the principles in its charter and the urgent need for international cooperation in order to solve global problems. Two areas of interest for UNA-MN at this time are AIDS and also the use of landmines.

WATCH
Suite 465 Northstar East
608 Second Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 341-2747
Fax: (612) 339-1171
Email: watch@watchmn.org

Mission: The mission of WATCH is to make the justice system more effective and responsive in handling cases of violence, particularly against women and children, and to create a more informed and involved public. Their objectives are: to hold the justice system accountable for its actions, to improve the administration of justice, to conduct research to identify problem patterns and issues within the court system, to increase public awareness and public trust in the justice system.

WISE (Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment)
570 Asbury Street, Suite 110
St. Paul, MN 55104
Phone: (651) 646-3268
Fax: (651) 646-3278
Email: wilhelminaholder@aol.com

Mission: W.I.S.E. helps to empower immigrant women and girls achieve prosperity through diversity and innovative community solutions. W.I.S.E. helps bring public awareness to the issues and challenges affecting immigrant/refugee women and girls by promoting advocacy, and providing them with health care services, coaching and leadership programs, support groups, financial independence education workshops, and board training programs for refugee/immigrant women looking to become board members of non-profits.

World Relief MN
1515 East 66th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55423
Phone: (612) 243-2942
Fax: (612) 798-4314
Email: Minnesota@wr.org

Mission: World Relief Minnesota resettles more than 460 refugees each year. Recent refugees include those from Kosovo, Bosnia, the former Soviet Union, Somalia, Sudan and Burma. World Relief’s goal is to help the refugees to attain self-sufficiency as soon as possible.