About MeNatalie Chwalisz is an expert in human rights and conflict, and works on social development in violence affected countries. She is a current PhD student in Law, Justice and Criminology at American University in Washington DC. Natalie earned her master’s degree in Conflict Studies and Human Rights at Utrecht University. She has worked as a consultant for the World Bank, and smaller NGOs, and has previously worked as an Africa-focused expert at Center for International Policy. She is an alum of the Lantos Human Rights fellowship, during which she worked for the late Congressman Payne on the Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Committee.
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About the Biking Migrant |
The Biking Migrant is a contemplative travel-venture: As a European of many cultures and a migrant myself, I want to go out and investigate the lived experiences of large-scale migration in the affected European countries and communities. I want to explore the popular opinions that feed into policy. So, I propose to bike from Berlin, where Germany’s government makes many of the important policy decisions, to the Hungarian-Serb border, where Hungary erected the border fence designed to lock out the refugees and migrants.
Along the way, I will meet with locals, with politicians, with organizers and advocates to tell a multi-faceted story. I will be blogging and posting short videos. My writing will be a mix of personal impressions and reflection on policy. My hope is to create a space for contemplation that allows for more nuanced debate that hopefully can spur more lasting and human-centered solutions. |