Indiana University Students and LDN Create a Handbook to Human Rights Innovations in Eastern Europe

Publication date: October 8, 2026

From January to May 2026, the student consulting team Hamilton Lugar School Global Development Consultants (HLSGDC) from Indiana University (USA), in partnership with the Legal Development Network, implemented a unique international initiative.

Indiana University students spoke with five human rights organizations from Eastern European countries to learn about creative approaches in the field of human rights protection. These are members of the Grassroot Justice Network, which also includes the Legal Development Network. The information gathered will be compiled into a practical handbook and distributed in English among Grassroot Justice Network members, as well as in Ukrainian among the Legal Development Network’s partners in Ukraine.

The project team at a research poster symposium, where they presented their experience. Left to right: Mason Hartlage, Jasmine Madison, Andrew Scheingold, Mayah Ringo, Grace Anderson, Sydney Edwards, Nico Sproule.

HLSGDC is a selective program for undergraduate students at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, who implement real consulting projects for international development organizations. The collaboration with LDN became both an academic and practical experience for the students — an immersion into the human rights reality of Central and Eastern Europe.

GDC Project Manager Mayah Ringo

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with LDN this semester and connect with so many organizations throughout Eastern Europe. We are very inspired by all of the creative human rights initiatives and hope that our handbook will inspire others to implement their own initiatives. We are incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish together,,” said project manager Mayah Ringo.

Throughout the semester, students conducted in-depth interviews with representatives of five organizations: the Center for Legal Empowerment (Albania), the Ukrainian Association of Paralegals, Association LET STATION (North Macedonia), Romano Capice (North Macedonia), and the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation. Each organization not only shared information about their work, but also provided materials, photographs, and reflections — so that the case studies would reflect real practice rather than abstract descriptions.

GDC Consultant Grace Anderson

“After working on this project for a few months, I was surprised at how extensive the organizations’ creative legal solutions were and how they could be applied to other regions. Many organizations shared similar challenges despite operating in different legal systems, my hope is that through this partnership with LDN, other Grassroot Justice Network organizations can take creative inspiration to overcome their own legal barriers.” shared consultant Grace Anderson

The handbook contains 11 case studies, each presenting a specific initiative: from a legal board game for legal education in liberated regions of Ukraine — to community resistance against the illegal construction of a hydroelectric power plant in Albania; from projects mapping Roma communities in Skopje, North Macedonia — to environmental justice initiatives in Macedonia. Each story follows the same structure: context and reasons for intervention, solutions and tools applied, results and recommendations for other organizations.

LDN Director of Organizational Development Iryna Chaika

“This handbook is not simply a report on someone else’s experience. It is a working tool for organizations looking for new approaches. What we received through collaboration with the students is a product we could not have created ourselves in such a short timeframe and in such a format. It is tremendously valuable that young professionals from across the ocean looked at this experience with fresh eyes and helped us structure it,” said LDN Director of Organizational Development Iryna Chaika.

The handbook is written in English and addressed to civil society organizations seeking practical inspiration for developing their own human rights initiatives. It covers a wide range of topics — from community engagement and legal education to environmental protection and work with marginalized communities. Despite the diversity of subjects, all case studies are united by one idea: innovation in human rights protection is not the privilege of large organizations, but the result of careful listening and the willingness to act unconventionally. The guide will also be translated into Ukrainian.

If you have notices an error on the web-site, please, highlight the text and press ctrl-enter.