The Scholarship
The Scholars
Joel Ankunda
Uganda & University of Cape Town, 2019 Joel Ankunda is a Human Rights Lawyer and the founder of “Justice Behind Bars” an initiative geared towards helping inmates who can't afford Lawyers get access to justice through legal representation. He is a visionary and compassionate leader who creates initiatives, seeks accountability and mobilizes communities to fight for equality, especially the vulnerable people in his community. He is passionate about social justice, rule of law and human rights of which he is actively participating in human rights activism and advocacy. Studying at the University of Cape Town will widen his knowledge and skills to offer great leadership to his organization. Upon completion of his Master of Law, he intends to offer consultancy in the fields of Justice and Law & Order. He plans on engaging in legal research and advocacy to shape government policies and legislations in the Justice sector. Ankunda is also a recipient of the Mandela Washington Fellowship 2017; a prestigious fellowship started by President Obama. As a Fellow, he attended the Public Management Institute at Texas Tech University. He is principled, passionate and ambitious. He also has a healthy hunger for knowledge, and a passion for changing society for the better. Ankunda’s conviction is to restore hope, dignity and reformation of inmates through legal education and human rights advocacy, to ensure that justice prevails.