Photo: Courtesy of Cornelia Schneider

CHARACTER SKETCH

Justice Amid Chaos

NAME: Cornelia Schneider, F06

MISSION: To bring the rule of law to war zones

CURRENTLY WORKS WITH: The United Nations Development Program’s Access to Justice Project. She’s been posted in Goma, a city at the heart of the conflict ravaging eastern Congo and its neighboring countries.

PREVIOUS EMPLOYER: The European Union’s Police Mission in Afghanistan. She created a first-of-its kind training manual for cooperation among police and prosecutors and developed a course that brought together four hundred police and prosecutors from across Afghanistan’s thirty- four provinces.

STILL REELING FROM: The summer of 2013, when fighting intensified between Congolese army troops and M23 rebels, destroying houses and killing people in Goma. “It was a pertinent reminder of how violated you feel when war touches your home and your friends, and your freedom to move and to plan your future,” she says.

KEEPS HER COOL BY: Focusing on small steps. “The trick is reminding yourself that you can’t personally solve all the problems,” she says. “You have to bear in mind that reform is a journey and not a destination.”

RECENT TUFTS HONOR: The first Fletcher Women’s Leadership Award