Success stories

The NE Sam Gaunt discovered the EYE through a recommendation from a former graduate of the programme. He decided to join the programme after completing his Master's degree in International Law and wanted to put his knowledge and experience in the field into practise. The HE Xander de Rijk heads the Rights Forum, a non-profit organisation in the Netherlands that focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the exchange, both parties hoped to gain knowledge and skills to expand their organisations. The NE wanted to gain practical experience in the field of human rights, while the HE wanted to learn about international law and fundraising opportunities.

Whilst at The Rights Forum, the NE worked with the HE on a range of organisational development projects, including fundraising, strategic planning and human resources. During the exchange, NE gained hands-on experience in all these areas, enabling it to broaden its knowledge and learn about the practical side of running a business, whilst the HE benefited from NE 's skills in development to expand funding opportunities for the organisation.

The collaboration has been very successful as NE has been able to build its capacity in fundraising, organisational development and human resources. The NE and the HE have developed a very close working relationship which will be maintained after the exchange. The HE also acquired knowledge about international institutions and the functioning of such organisations due to the NE 's previous experience.