Newsflash - March 30, 2006

UWinnipeg ‘Community’ to
Help Ensure Fair & Democratic Elections in Peru

Student  Backgrounds

  • Emina Cingel is a 2005 UWinnipeg graduate with double major in Conflict Resolution Studies and International Development Studies  with an interest in Latin American Development. Throughout her university education, she has taken courses in Latin American Development, Human Security Issues, Global Political Economy, and this past semester Human Rights 101. She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. As a part of her practicum she spent four months in Brazil volunteering with an organization advocating for the rights of Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). Emina also participated in the 2006 Federal Elections Canada as a polling clerk, overseeing conduct of the polling station and assisting in counting ballots, and filling out all documents and forms. She will continue her studies this Fall  in the International Project Management program at Humber College in Toronto

  • Ewald Friesen grew up in Steinbach, Manitoba and has lived in Winnipeg for the past six years. He has traveled extensively in Europe and the Middle East and briefly in Russia. Ewald is completing his course work for his fourth and final year of an Honours degree in Politics. He is presently enrolled in Dr. Axworthy's  Seminar in Foreign Affairs. He has always had a deep interest in Central and South American Politics and is looking forward to putting his education to use. He intends to pursue graduate studies in Politics.  He feels OAS work is critical and necessary to ensure that governments are accountable to their electorate and to one another, and that elections are conducted in as free and fair a manner as possible.

  • Derrick Martens is enrolled in Intermediate Spanish at the UWinnipeg.  He has a Bachelor of Theology from Canadian Mennonite Bible College (now CMU), a BA from U of M in Political Studies, and a Post-Degree Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Waterloo.  Derrick spent five months in Nicaragua living and working with campesinos, and completed a one year CIDA internship with the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights in Kingston.  While in Jamaica, he also sat on the planning committee of the Citizens' Action for Free and Fair Elections, a citizen election monitoring body. This Fall, he will begin study at the University of Bradford in England in the Peace Studies MA program (International Politics and Security Studies stream).  He feels the experience in Peru will help in his future studies.

  • Jennifer  Zorn-Ford graduated from UWinnipeg in 2005 with a B.Sc. in Biology.   She is working as a Laboratory Monitor for the University’s Spanish Department, and is moderately fluent in Spanish.  She has previously studied in Mexico and has plans to return there for an extended period. She believes it is important in Peru’s move towards democracy to give people a voice and ensure the electoral process is carried out fairly.

  • Remi  Gosselin is a fluent Spanish and French speaker, has worked in Mexico, and has traveled widely through Latin America.  He has worked with CBC French for some years now as a journalist, technician, researcher, and producer and is currently completing a degree in Translation at college St. Boniface.