|
|
|
Join Bridges of Hope International Network in observing International Human Rights Day 2009 | |
On December 10, 1948, we achieved what is known internationally as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in which it was stated that all men are equal in the sight of God, that all men deserve basic human rights, such as the right to be able to worship as they wish and the right to their own freedom. 
Fast forward to 60 years later, after this historic Declaration was achieved, our world is still further from those ideals that we highlighted in that critical document.
Here is our world: Nearly 200 million children are chronically malnourished and 800 million women are raped or abused every year. One billion children live in areas of the world affected by armed conflict and many of those have been forced to become child soldiers against their will. You have likely heard many horrible stories about children who are "invisible" and how our planet is not free yet, and that is very disturbing for many.
As we face the new year in 2010, closing in the new decade of this millennium and as we stand today on this international Human Rights Day, may each of us remember our responsibility to achieve our own human rights and to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves in a way that will help them achieve their own human dignity, for we all deserve this basic human decency.
At the hill of this reality, you can be assured that Bridges of Hope has been labouring these past few years to achieve the liberty and freedom and human rights of thousands upon thousands of orphans and vulnerable children. We work with many women and men who have only now become aware of their own basic human rights, which we proclaim and promote through many means, such as our child sponsorship program, the building of water wells, economic development initiatives, and health care projects, etc. This basic declaration of human rights is reflected in our values and guiding principles at Bridges of Hope. Our first guiding principle states we do not discriminate in our programs and services and we exist to promote the dignity worth and potential of people and organizations, no matter what their ethnicity and gender and creed happens to be. And as such, we help others to achieve their own AUTHENTIC freedom.
I am reminded of the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. who saw the dawning of the new day upon which he said "Let freedom ring...from every mountainside, let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands... Let freedom ring!
Please reflect that on this human rights day, every hour, many people are sacrificed and killed because of their religious beliefs and every three seconds a child dies of preventable disease, which comes from lack of adequate water or sanitation.
I have just had the great pleasure of speaking with three Nepalese refugees who lived for 18 years in a refugee camp. They have come to Canada with an incredible story, gifts, skills and passions to serve the world and meet the world's greatest need. They have lost their homeland and are now looking to give something back to their nation. As I muse upon their powerful story - struggling for the basic human rights that many take for granted, I wonder how many more are displaced, how many more people are struggling to meet their fundamental human rights. Let us mobilize our resources to embrace diversity and end discrimination to empower people to be and become all that they are meant to be.
We invite you to stand up for your rights, such as your right to health, right to freedom, your right to failure, and your right to become successful. We invite you to join Bridges of Hope on our journey to invest in the growth of leaders, communities and individuals and to offer hope to a world tortured by hopelessness.
Sincerely,
Dr. Daniel Zopoula
Founder of Bridges of Hope International Network of Development Agencies Inc.
|
|
Becoming engaged with Human Rights with Bridges of Hope
The struggle to end human rights violations in our world is inextricably connected to the battle against extreme poverty and deprivation in some of the world's poorest nations.
The United Nations, as well as other prominent human rights organizations, now recognizes that fighting poverty, malnutrition, and economic underdevelopment is related to the protection of human rights. According to UNESCO, poverty may be defined as a human condition characterized by sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In other words, if we are starving or do not enjoy basic capabilities to sustain ourselves and our communities, the protection of our civil rights is meaningless. The international community now recognizes that its mandate must go beyond defending political prisoners of conscience towards protecting communities from grinding poverty that also robs them of their human dignity. People who are poor are more vulnerable to human rights violations and human rights violations drive one deeper into poverty. Both feed off each other. Tackling human rights means tackling poverty and vice versa.
As we reflect on Human Rights Day this December 10th, we at Bridges of Hope International Network of Development Agencies recognize that our journey to achieve poverty relief and community empowerment is vital to the building of human dignity that is at the root of international standards of human rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also speaks to human rights to community, dignity, economic empowerment, housing, and the right to meaningful employment.
For years, Bridges of Hope's guiding principles have been focusing on empowering people to achieve their universal human rights. As we build capacity and community in developing countries, we join also in the struggle to build an enduring international human rights culture in the countries we operate in. Your commitment to poverty relief and community empowerment with Bridges of Hope is helping to make an incredible difference in the lives of thousands of people around the world.
We have built orphanages which attempt to nurture the whole person, through the provision of shelter and daily nourishment. Our school programs build capacity and provide capabilities and choice for the marginalized and the dispossessed. The economic development programs you fund and our women's vocational training programs attack poverty and provide meaningful futures for those who are left behind. By building up people, Bridges of Hope is doing its part to advance a concept of human beings as dignified and possessing rights.
Of course, our child sponsorship program is all about advancing human dignity and rights through the idea that people and their communities need investment. By fighting poverty among children, the most vulnerable class, and focusing on supporting the whole community that child lives in, we are building up a new generation that is healthy and resilient and can be protected against some of the worst human rights violations. These are not people who will face gross injustice lying down. People who are healthy and educated are best positioned to lead some of the poorest nations on earth towards realizing some of our most cherished international human rights standards, such as freedom of expression, religious faith and peaceful assembly. These are also people poised to build democratic governance in the countries that we have projects in. Investing in Bridges of Hope and our projects is an investment in advancing human rights globally.
Your contribution allows individuals around the world to achieve their authentic freedom and achieve sustainable livelihoods. On this most important occasion, we invite you to do what you can to advance human rights in your own community. After all, it only takes one spark to flame the task of changing the world.
|
Investing in Human Rights with access to Toilets
One important way that Bridges of Hope is helping advance human dignity is through something as basic as a working toilet for girls and women. In many developing countries, females lack this basic facility. By helping us invest in this important aspect of sanitation, you can advance many of our goals for helping women reach their full human potential. Here are four essential ways
that helping pay for a toilet can help females in the developing world:
This can help girls stay in school
Girls in the developing world often drop out of school once they reach puberty because there are not separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls or there are none at all. When menstruating, there is nowhere private to tend to their needs or deal with soiled clothes. The resulting embarrassment and anxiety causes girls to give up on school.
But, bring a toilet into the picture and education can remain a rightful priority.
A sixth grader, at one of our sponsored school in West Africa, was excited about the school's new toilets and exclaimed:
"Girls now have their own toilets and we are not disturbed by the boys anymore and do not have to worry about boys seeing us."
It advances women's health
Lack of toilets or other sanitation facilities forces girls to wait until nighttime to defecate (under the cover of darkness) or to wake up very early in the morning. This not only causes extreme discomfort, but can also cause urinary tract infections and other gastro-intestinal problems.
Fecal matter is the leading cause of illness in the world. Most of these illnesses, such as diarrhea, are easily preventable with access to sanitation (toilets, or other means of waste disposal). Because no sanitation facilities are available, open defecation is a common practice in rural areas in the developing world - despite the fact that people are ashamed of being forced to use this practice and often know that it is associated with disease. While many adult women suffer chronic diarrhea and survive, hundreds of thousands of girls less than five years old die each year because of it.
It advances safety for women
With the setting sun comes the long-awaited opportunity for girls to relieve themselves - but fear is a companion to their relief. When a girl's only option is relieve herself under the cover of darkness, in a remote field or other removed location, she is more open to attack by wild animals and poisonous insects, and more vulnerable to rape and physical and sexual assault.
A young girl suffered a severe stomach trouble one evening. Because of its urgency, she did not find anyone to accompany her. "I went alone to attend the call of nature, at that time a drunkard came and fell on me," she said. "I started to shout; two men came and scolded me for being alone. At that moment I felt so ashamed. Why did I not have a toilet?"
It will enhance female human dignity
Imagine living life without sanitation: you have no privacy, no sense of security, poor health, and limited options for staying in school.
Now, imagine this: because of a grant, you have a toilet. You can stay in school. You experience privacy, safety, health, and dignity.
There are few needs more basic - or more important - than sanitation. Once women and girls have access to sanitation, they regain their dignity and the opportunity to thrive in all other areas of their lives as well.
We are grateful for all of your help in investing in human rights and poverty alleviation in some of the poorest nations of the earth.
| |
|
|
|
|
