Solving global concerns, such as poverty and hunger, are impressive goals that can only be met by multiple forms of assistance. The Borgen Project is an advocacy organization that works with the United States government and population to support efforts to alleviate global poverty. Advocacy is one form of assistance that works behind the scenes of nonprofit initiatives. It does not require the mobilization of volunteers to build schools or send money to help communities develop better healthcare systems. Advocacy organizations, like The Borgen Project, “bring about change through public awareness and activism.”
The following five nonprofit advocacy organizations, based out of different countries around the world, campaign on behalf of certain global concerns. Each one illustrates the global importance of advocacy assistance programs and lends insight into various causes that are important to different communities. These advocacy organizations work with governments and populations to bring awareness to worldwide concerns such as human rights, poverty and education.
Take a look at the different faces of advocacy organizations and the ways advocacy is implemented in different countries.
Survival International
Survival International is a U.K.-based nonprofit that supports the rights of tribal communities around the world. According to the website, it is “the only organization that champions tribal peoples around the world.” This organization brings awareness to the genocidal violence, slavery and racism that affect tribal communities by “publishing information about (their) problems, supporting projects in their communities and lobbying for their rights in international forums like the U.N.” It has changed the way the world views the tribal population and brought awareness to the over 100 tribes around the world who refuse contact with the outside world.
One of the most recent articles published on the Survival International website examines the plight of the Indians of Brazil who are at risk of disease as a result of the invading deforestation workers. Additional publications assess the reality of forcing development on tribal communities and broadcast the respect these tribal communities receive from the communities around them. Although their land ownership rights are recognized in international law, it takes an organization like Survival International to encourage the world to respect these “off the grid” communities.
VENRO
VENRO is an umbrella organization, based in Germany, that is comprised of multiple development and humanitarian aid non-governmental organizations (NGO). Its members are comprised of NGOs which represent aims of “achieving justice in globalization, in particular, eradicating global poverty.” VENRO creates an environment for its members to meet and “work towards realizing human rights and conserving natural resources.” VENRO is an advocacy organization that advocates for its members’ interests in the political sphere and raises public awareness for its causes.
Its publications are comprised of agendas and reports on topics spanning from global development and sustainability to education and global justice. Along with advocating for the member NGOs, VENRO also has 14 working groups that monitor important developments in areas of disablement in developing countries, global learning and climate change. VENRO is an overlapping organization that functions as Germany’s own unifying NGO collaborator.
World Federation of the Deaf
A Finland-based nonprofit, the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) supports the rights of the worldwide deaf population. This advocacy organization supports the human rights of the deaf population on a global scale because it believes that sign language is a gateway to their success. Its goal is to achieve “equality through sign language for 70 million deaf people worldwide.” Its three main focuses are in empowering its members, advocating for the deaf population worldwide and ensuring greater accessibility for the deaf.
The WFD believes that a “world that is more conscious of deaf people’s needs in a world where deaf people contribute as equals.” It works with organizations around the world like the Mongolian National Association of the Deaf to support equality and human rights for the deaf. The WFD collaborates with the U.N., international organizations and governments to promote the importance of sign language to equal treatment, opportunities and accessibility for deaf people.
VITA Animal Rights Center
In recognition of the animals around the world suffering from cruelty and maltreatment, the VITA Animal Rights Center (VITA) is an animal protection agency that advocates against animal abuse. This Russian-based nonprofit is currently encouraging countries around the world to ban the use of animals in circuses. It focuses on the global treatment of animals as well as “campaign against cruelties to animals by lobbying the responsible organizations, carrying out peaceful actions and spreading publications.”
VITA campaigns against intensive farming, fur production, tests on animals, atrocious entertainments and the problem of the growing stray population around the world. It also supports a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. VITA partners with international organizations like the Fur Free Alliance, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, the Born Free Foundation and Cruelty-Free America. It is the “voices for the voiceless” and works with multiple member-based organizations as Russia’s own animal rights organizations in order to initiate change. VITA’s publications feature the efforts Russia has made to change animal treatment and highlight alternatives to animal cruelty. It also promotes events like the “Celebration of Ethnic Fashion ‘Animals are not to wear!'”
Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights
Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) is a Canadian-based organization that campaigns for international efforts that support human rights. It is an organization with a unique member base that includes international human rights lawyers, criminal lawyers, civil litigators, law professors, non-legal professionals and students. CLAIHR focuses on two main areas of advocacy: Friends of the Court and events that highlight particular areas of development and landmark days like International Human Rights Day. It partners with organizations like the International Law Students Association and the Child Soldiers Initiative. The event-based advocacy focuses on unifying a population with a common interest in supporting human rights internationally.
CLAIHR’s Friends of the Court is an initiative that allows members to intervene with the Canadian court as amicus curiae or “friend of the Court”. When a Canadian court considers an international human rights issue, CLAIHR “provides perspectives on international human rights issues triggered by the litigation.” In combination with its events that encourage discussion and collaboration among members and the community, CLAIHR works with Canadian courts to augment the impact on human rights.
Every one of these advocacy organizations has a website to help promote various causes. Learn more about the importance of advocacy by visiting the websites of these organizations and examining the advocacy organizations near you. Advocating for a cause can mean the difference between its success and failure. If there is a cause that you are passionate about, consider advocating for it by promoting it online and in your community. There is more to supporting a cause than just raising money: sometimes the most effective action can be spreading awareness.
– Eliza Gresh
Photo: Flickr
Fighting Hunger in Gabon
On a continent where a number of countries struggle with the issue of hunger, the western African nation of Gabon has proven to be a relatively optimistic case. Hunger in Gabon has gone down in absolute terms over the past decade.
In general, western Sub-Saharan Africa has improved its hunger situation in recent years. The prevalence of undernourishment in the region has been reduced from 24.2 percent in 1992 to 9.6 percent in 2016. In Gabon alone, the proportion of undernourished people went from 9.5 percent to 2.7 percent between 1992 and 2016. For Gabon, one of the most notable gains has been the wellbeing of children. Prevalence of growth stunting in children has dropped from 26.7 to 17.5 percent and the under five mortality rate has decreased from 9.1 to 5.1 percent in the span of 1992 to 2016. A big part of this improvement in western Africa has been the developments in infrastructure in the region. This has led to increased agricultural productivity.
Another reason for the decrease in hunger, including hunger in Gabon, is the increased cooperation between western African states. Several organizations have sprung up, including the Economic Community of West African States, the West African Monetary and Economic Union, and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel. Additionally, the region has adopted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, which, among other things, aims to right gender imbalances, promote nutrition and encourage investment in agriculture.
There are still some factors that may be perpetuating hunger in Gabon. According to the Hunger Reduction Commitment Index Africa, Gabon lacks access to agricultural research, functioning social protection systems and equal access for women to agricultural land. Gabon also lacks a constitutional right to food. However, access to land was rated as “moderate,” which is an improvement.
Overall, hunger in Gabon still persists. However, the country is making strides in the right direction. If it continues to cooperate with its neighboring states and expand the access of its people – especially in the rural zones – to the resources they need, it will continue down the path to ending hunger.
– Andrew Revord
Photo: Pixabay
Eye Care in Kenya
In fact, in Kenya, 39 percent of all visual impairments are caused by cataracts alone – a medical condition that has been both preventable and treatable for years. Noting the prevalence of cataracts leads to a crucial understanding: so much of these visual impairments are a direct result of inadequate, inaccessible or non-existent options for eye care in Kenya.
For UHEAL eye care in Kenya, such has been an understanding that has driven their business practices. UHEAL’s primary goal is to work against the preventable loss of sight. It does so by focusing specifically on diabetic retinopathy, which is a complication that induces visual impairments and arises about 20 percent of the time in diabetic individuals – a prevalence rate that is so high that on a global scale it is the fifth leading cause of visual impairments.
Diabetic retinopathy is also treatable if it is noted early enough, so UHEAL focuses on screening and then treating rural Kenyans. Though its facilities are based in Nairobi, UHEAL has traveling units that traverse the nation, offering eye examinations, laser treatments and follow-up care. It also works to raise awareness about the specific condition of diabetic retinopathy by educating and training local health workers and diabetic support groups. To date, the organization has provided more than 16,000 individuals with eye-care services.
Considering the current predictions that the number of visual impairments will triple globally by the year 2050 as the world’s population ages, improving eye care will not only be important, but necessary. Seeing as a large portion of visual impairments arises from treatable issues – like cataracts and diabetic retinopathy – it becomes even more essential to improve eye care. In a world as technologically advanced as this current one, addressing treatable visual impairments should be a given. Nobody should suffer from sight loss if it ultimately could have been not only prevented but treated.
– Kailee Nardi
Photo: Flickr
Be the Change: Social Good Summit 2017
The 2030 theme serves as a benchmark for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) first agreed upon in 2015. All 193 member states of the U.N. signed on to work towards goals such as eradicating poverty, encouraging sustainable economic growth and taking action against climate change. The Social Good Summit 2017 takes a look at the ways the world can make these achievements.
Attending the summit were some influential and familiar faces including actress Whoopi Goldberg, activist Deray McKesson and U.N. Youth Observer Munira Khalif.
Positive Change via Technology
A hot-button topic at the Social Good Summit 2017 was technology and the changing face of connection around the world. Many speakers specifically mentioned the role of technology in fostering movements around the world. Founder of Care2, Randy Paynter, led a talk concerning social good technology. Care2 is a platform that allows its users to sign petitions of causes they support.
Randy demonstrated how the platform he helped create makes strides in the fight against global poverty. With Amazon Alexa’s new social good skill, he showcased the Care2’s donation capabilities and ended up donating to the U.N. Foundation. Throughout his presentation, he stressed how easy it has become to play a part in the movement to help the 800 million people living in extreme poverty.
Pushing for Equality
Another important issue at the summit revolved around SDG #5: gender equality. Speakers discussed everything from health to religion. SafeCity developer Elsa Marie D’Silva and director Ilwad Elman spoke about the importance of creating spaces for women at risk of violence. Within the context of the shocking statistics surrounding rape and sexual harassment around the world, the women detailed their ways of trying to end gender-based violence.
Elsa Marie D’Silva developed a nonprofit and an application that maps sexual violence and harassment in India. Ilwad Elman created one of the first rape-crisis centers in Somalia, which has now turned into a human rights center. Both women emphasized how important it is to create a dialogue around sexual violence and harassment in different countries. Elsa Marie D’Silva stated that normalizing the topic will help create change from the bottom. At the same time, Ilwad Elman made the point that even audience members could do their part and spread the messages through advocacy.
Help for Humanity
Another notable segment of the Social Good Summit 2017 featured Khaled Khatib and Mounir Mustafa, members of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the “White Helmets.” The White Helmets are a group of civilians on the ground in Syria, who risk their lives to help rescue victims of attacks in the country. The men stated that the war in Syria took lives regardless of people’s political affiliation, so they choose to save lives regardless of their political affiliation.
Mounir Mustafa made the point that because of the way the war captured the country, saving citizens is necessary, not optional. Khaled Khatib, only 22 years old, felt that he needed to be involved in the work in order to document the things they see. Both the men stressed that hope is important for victims in this war and any war around the world. This segment showcased both the importance of the Syrian conflict to the world and the resilience and persistence of the people in the middle of it.
The Social Good Summit 2017 created a space for people from all walks of life and careers to come together and speak on how they would like to see the world in 2030. It helped take another step in the direction of creating a collaborative, open-source conversation about sustainable development.
– Selasi Amoani
Photo: Flickr
Poultry for Poor: Chickens as a Solution to Poverty
But can raising chickens really solve global poverty?
Some are skeptical. Chris Blattman, a professor at the University of Chicago who studies poverty, violence, policy and politics in developing countries, wrote an open letter to Gates saying that giving chickens to the poor will only marginally reduce poverty. The laws of supply and demand, he argues, dictate that an increased supply of chickens will drive down prices, thereby cutting into profit margins of those who breed and sell them.
According to Blattman, giving cash might be a better, more versatile solution to poverty. People can invest it as they see fit. Some might buy chickens, but others may purchase fishing poles and lessons or open a shop. He sees a diversified boost to local economies as being more advantageous than a one-size-fits-all model.
The Research
One pilot effort, the Ultra Poor Graduation program, gave livestock (goats and chickens) and basic training to impoverished citizens in places like India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras and Peru, among others. Programs in those six countries were evaluated by researchers from Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), who found significant, lasting improvements in living conditions. Participating households earned an average of $80 a year more than those in control groups. The program was also cost-effective in five of six countries, with positive returns ranging from 133 percent in Ghana to 433 percent in India.
IPA researchers also studied the Women’s Income Generating Support (WINGS) program in Uganda, which gave impoverished women $150 cash grants along with basic training and mentorships to attain business skills. Here, households participating in the program earned an average of $202 a year more than those in control groups. In these cases, cash had a greater positive effect than chickens. In many areas, this kind of income boost is enough to bring people above the extreme poverty line.
The Bottom Line
Cash and chickens both seem to lend themselves to improving living conditions, but, as Blattman acknowledges, the definitive study comparing the two has yet to be done.
Divergent approaches to the poverty problem do not have to be in conflict: they can supplement and build on each other. Diversity allows different people, with different opinions, to test and apply various tactics to find a solution to poverty. Those solutions might work in tandem to cover each other’s blind spots and certain geographic areas may be more conducive to different approaches.
– Chuck Hasenauer
Photo: Flickr
Approaches for Helping Refugees Through Entrepreneurship
Each year, $2.75 billion is needed to address the needs of these refugees, but less than half of that is available. Simply donating the bare necessities for survival to these refugees is not a sustainable solution.
Alfanar is a venture philanthropy organization that supports social entrepreneurs aiming to improve refugee life in Lebanon. A shift to helping refugees through entrepreneurship offers a viable long-term solution.
The Ana Aqra Association is an organization in Lebanon that provides educational support services to Syrian refugees and underprivileged Lebanese children. Programs are offered in literacy, accelerated learning and social and emotional development. In order to fund their efforts in public schools, the organization sells teacher training services to private schools and international NGOs.
Another sustainable solution is pioneered by the Nawaya Network, which connects refugees in Lebanon with the resources needed to develop their talents. The organization has developed a workshop to teach young people how to launch businesses to solve problems in their community.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees works to create environments in which innovative ideas for helping refugees through entrepreneurship can emerge, some of which are social enterprises. An employee of the organization, Natalia Nahra, launched an app to provide refugees in Israel with the information needed for them to utilize services available.
Nahra noticed throughout her life that people without access to information cannot make informed choices, from U.S. workers being unaware of their rights to families in Southeast Asia sending young girls to big cities alone, unaware of the risk of human trafficking.
The problem also exists for refugees in Israel. Information for refugees is provided in English and Hebrew, which most refugees cannot read. In addition, information is scattered on Facebook or at various organizations. As a result, refugees seeking services waste frustrating amounts of time visiting organizations that cannot help them. With better access to information on services available, refugees could better access resources by only visiting organizations that have what they need.
Information such as reception hours and new policies change daily, so the information needs to be distributed quickly. Nahra launched her app in June 2017 with the hope of eliminating these unnecessary obstacles for refugees.
These solutions are examples of the viability of shifting from short-term aid to sustainable solutions for helping refugees.
– Kristen Nixon
Photo: Flickr
Education in Micronesia Leads to Economic Struggle
In Micronesia, the first eight years of education is mandatory, with children beginning primary school at the age of six. The curriculum in this eight-year program includes subjects such as science, mathematics, language arts, social studies and physical education. Public secondary school is available free of cost to all Micronesian students. There are also several private schools available, such as the Pohnpei Agricultural and Trade School and Xavier High School in Chuuk.
Education in Micronesia is an important part of the country’s history, as its first school, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, was the first school established in the entire Pacific. Before education was significantly built up in the late 1960s, secondary school was a privilege reserved for only a few of the very best students in the country. After the educational development of the 1960s, each district had its own secondary school and enrollment was ten times larger than it was just a few years prior.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy reversed the U.S.’ previous policy of slow-paced change and modest annual subsidies to a policy of rapid development. The U.S. doubled its annual budget for Micronesia in just one year, raising it dramatically in the following years. The yearly subsidy of $6 million in 1962 was increased eightfold to almost $50 million by 1970; within the next decade, it doubled once again, resulting in a total close to $100 million.
This shift in policy had a major effect on education in Micronesia, as its share of annual education budget stood at 10 percent in 1962 and doubled to 20 percent by the end of the decade. Despite the good intentions, education had far outpaced the economy of Micronesia.
In his article “The Price of Education in Micronesia”, Francis X. Hezel writes,”The industries that were supposed to have developed, if only enough seed money could be found and intelligent and enterprising people provided to initiate these projects, were never begun. Instead, young graduates did what they knew best – worked for the government–and when jobs there could not be found they returned to the village to wait until their luck changed. Yet, it is significant that, despite the stagnant island economy, young Micronesians have returned home after college to take their chances on their island rather than reside in the US permanently.”
If we hope to improve education in Micronesia, we must address these concerns and strive to improve the economy and prospects for young Micronesian graduates.
– Drew Fox
Photo: Flickr
Addressing the Taiwan Poverty Rate
In 2011, under the Social Assistance Act, the government raised the poverty line in Taiwan, making 3.7 percent of the population eligible for social assistance. The baseline poverty rate is TWD 10,244, but for those making less than average, the accessibility of assistance is very low.
Many low-income families are forced to rely on welfare in order to support themselves. The government has been criticized in past years for not doing enough to help address the Taiwan poverty rate. However, in 2013, the government raised the low-income threshold once again, to accommodate more people for state aid. Since this shift in the poverty line, upwards of 29 percent of the population are dependent on state aid.
Taiwan’s economic growth has slowed and it has become harder for people to find jobs as the price of living has increased. Low-skilled workers cannot find sustainable jobs, and most factories have moved to China, so people are often forced to sell products on the street to make a living.
The changing culture in Taiwan has been considered a contributing factor to the rise in poverty as well. Families used to take care of one another at all costs. However, in recent times, grown children have moved away from taking care of their elders and divorced spouses don’t necessarily contribute to raising their children.
Criteria for state aid is still strict, however. The percentage of Taiwanese who qualify as poor has dropped to 1.78 percent of the population, making it hard for those who truly struggle to make ends meet. The government’s decision to raise the poverty line was to enable more people to qualify for welfare, but the country’s low tax rate makes it hard even for the government to provide welfare services.
In 2016, the Taiwanese government raised the poverty line again in order to accommodate low-income workers and the high cost of living. This time, the change impacted the capital city of Taipei, where the poverty line was raised from NT $15, 162 to NT $15,544, leaving anyone who makes less than 60 percent of the latter low-income. Because minimum wage in the country is TWD 22,000 per month, the poverty threshold is directly correlated with the high cost of living. In order to meet the rising number of people who qualify as low-income and needing government assistance, the Department of Urban Development is granting subsidies to the newly-qualified. The department projected that at least 3,000 households would be eligible for rent assistance and low-income subsidies. Households bringing in no income can receive a maximum subsidy of NT $15,162 per person each month.
In order to stabilize the Taiwan poverty rate, the government would need to raise the poverty line in tandem with wages, so that more people could afford the cost of living without relying on government assistance. Because a majority of the population reports that living costs are too high, perhaps the government will work to balance the poverty line by keeping wages higher and living costs lower.
– Olivia Cyr
Photo: Flickr
What is Genocide?
While the dictionary definition is technically accurate, there is much more information and context necessary to truly answer the question “what is genocide?”
The term “genocide” was first coined in 1944 by Polish lawyer Raphäel Lemkin to describe the Holocaust. Lemken created the term to describe what the Nazis were doing to European Jews. During the war, Lemken saw every member of his family except his brother killed by the Nazis. More than six million Jews were killed by the Nazis in a targeted attempt to destroy the Jewish people.
After the war, Lemken fought to have genocide recognized as a crime under international law. During the Nuremberg trials, Nazi officials were charged with crimes against humanity, and genocide was used as a descriptive term for their actions. Genocide was recognized as a crime under international law by the U.N. General Assembly in 1946, and in 1948 the U.N. approved the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention).
The Genocide Convention defines genocide as any of five acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. These acts are killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
There are some critics who say that the U.N. definition is too narrow. It is incredibly difficult to prove “intent,” difficult to determine the definition of “in part,” and the definition does not include political groups, social groups or the destruction of a group’s environment. There are also complaints that the term “genocide” is overused and misused, often in relation to actions not meant to destroy a people group.
Asking the question “what is genocide?” should also lead to an understanding of why recognizing genocide matters. While genocide is not commonplace, its effects are devastating. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum lists four instances of genocide since 1990. These occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Sudan and Iraq. These four genocides resulted in a death toll in the millions. These high casualty counts demonstrate why recognizing and responding to genocide is a necessity.
Genocide continues to be an issue today, as many are accusing the Burmese government of genocide of the Rohingya population, a Muslim minority group in the country. International attention given to the situation in Myanmar is putting pressure on the Burmese government to account for what is happening. With one million Rohingya living in Myanmar, this example shows the continuing need to identify and prevent genocide.
– Erik Beck
Photo: Flickr
Common Diseases in Mauritius
According to Commonwealth Health, “non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Mauritius accounted for an estimated 87 percent of all mortality in 2008.” The most common diseases in Mauritius are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 36 percent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Diabetes, cancers and non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases contributed 23 percent, 12 percent and five percent to total mortality, respectively.
Cardiovascular diseases, “diabetes, urogenital, blood and endocrine diseases”, and cancer are considered the deadliest overall, with ischemic heart disease, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease in the lead.
Ischemic Heart Disease, also known as coronary artery disease, involves a decreased blood flow to the heart. It was considered one of the deadliest common diseases in Mauritius in 2015. In 2014 alone, the diseases caused 1,148 deaths. Cerebrovascular disease, caused by damage to the brain from interruption of blood supply, was the third most common disease in 2015. Fortunately, the disease has decreased in prevalence by 9.5 percent since 2005.
Diabetes, a disease of permanently altered insulin levels and blood sugar was the second-highest cause of death in Mauritius as of 2015. In 2005, diabetes was only the third most common cause of death, but throughout the decade, deaths from the disease have increased in prevalence by a staggering 65.1 percent. This is due, in part, to recent changes in dietary habits with the introduction of fast food and lack of exercise as well as genetic predisposition.
Obesity, caused by diet and lack of exercise, can also play a role in diabetes. The prevalence of obesity has increased from 16 percent in 2009 to 19.1 percent in 2015, with approximately 398,417 Mauritians being overweight or obese.
Conscious of the growing health concern, the Mauritian government has established a National Service Framework for Diabetes. The goal of the organization is to lay out strategies for prevention and standards of care to be implemented.
The common diseases in Mauritius can be found in any country. While some diseases are unfortunately hereditary, there are ways of managing health to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. By making conscious lifestyle changes, such as exercising and maintaining a healthy diet, the risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes can be effectively reduced.
– Stefanie Podosek
Photo: Flickr
Advocacy Organizations Around the World
Solving global concerns, such as poverty and hunger, are impressive goals that can only be met by multiple forms of assistance. The Borgen Project is an advocacy organization that works with the United States government and population to support efforts to alleviate global poverty. Advocacy is one form of assistance that works behind the scenes of nonprofit initiatives. It does not require the mobilization of volunteers to build schools or send money to help communities develop better healthcare systems. Advocacy organizations, like The Borgen Project, “bring about change through public awareness and activism.”
The following five nonprofit advocacy organizations, based out of different countries around the world, campaign on behalf of certain global concerns. Each one illustrates the global importance of advocacy assistance programs and lends insight into various causes that are important to different communities. These advocacy organizations work with governments and populations to bring awareness to worldwide concerns such as human rights, poverty and education.
Take a look at the different faces of advocacy organizations and the ways advocacy is implemented in different countries.
Survival International
Survival International is a U.K.-based nonprofit that supports the rights of tribal communities around the world. According to the website, it is “the only organization that champions tribal peoples around the world.” This organization brings awareness to the genocidal violence, slavery and racism that affect tribal communities by “publishing information about (their) problems, supporting projects in their communities and lobbying for their rights in international forums like the U.N.” It has changed the way the world views the tribal population and brought awareness to the over 100 tribes around the world who refuse contact with the outside world.
One of the most recent articles published on the Survival International website examines the plight of the Indians of Brazil who are at risk of disease as a result of the invading deforestation workers. Additional publications assess the reality of forcing development on tribal communities and broadcast the respect these tribal communities receive from the communities around them. Although their land ownership rights are recognized in international law, it takes an organization like Survival International to encourage the world to respect these “off the grid” communities.
VENRO
VENRO is an umbrella organization, based in Germany, that is comprised of multiple development and humanitarian aid non-governmental organizations (NGO). Its members are comprised of NGOs which represent aims of “achieving justice in globalization, in particular, eradicating global poverty.” VENRO creates an environment for its members to meet and “work towards realizing human rights and conserving natural resources.” VENRO is an advocacy organization that advocates for its members’ interests in the political sphere and raises public awareness for its causes.
Its publications are comprised of agendas and reports on topics spanning from global development and sustainability to education and global justice. Along with advocating for the member NGOs, VENRO also has 14 working groups that monitor important developments in areas of disablement in developing countries, global learning and climate change. VENRO is an overlapping organization that functions as Germany’s own unifying NGO collaborator.
World Federation of the Deaf
A Finland-based nonprofit, the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) supports the rights of the worldwide deaf population. This advocacy organization supports the human rights of the deaf population on a global scale because it believes that sign language is a gateway to their success. Its goal is to achieve “equality through sign language for 70 million deaf people worldwide.” Its three main focuses are in empowering its members, advocating for the deaf population worldwide and ensuring greater accessibility for the deaf.
The WFD believes that a “world that is more conscious of deaf people’s needs in a world where deaf people contribute as equals.” It works with organizations around the world like the Mongolian National Association of the Deaf to support equality and human rights for the deaf. The WFD collaborates with the U.N., international organizations and governments to promote the importance of sign language to equal treatment, opportunities and accessibility for deaf people.
VITA Animal Rights Center
In recognition of the animals around the world suffering from cruelty and maltreatment, the VITA Animal Rights Center (VITA) is an animal protection agency that advocates against animal abuse. This Russian-based nonprofit is currently encouraging countries around the world to ban the use of animals in circuses. It focuses on the global treatment of animals as well as “campaign against cruelties to animals by lobbying the responsible organizations, carrying out peaceful actions and spreading publications.”
VITA campaigns against intensive farming, fur production, tests on animals, atrocious entertainments and the problem of the growing stray population around the world. It also supports a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. VITA partners with international organizations like the Fur Free Alliance, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, the Born Free Foundation and Cruelty-Free America. It is the “voices for the voiceless” and works with multiple member-based organizations as Russia’s own animal rights organizations in order to initiate change. VITA’s publications feature the efforts Russia has made to change animal treatment and highlight alternatives to animal cruelty. It also promotes events like the “Celebration of Ethnic Fashion ‘Animals are not to wear!'”
Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights
Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) is a Canadian-based organization that campaigns for international efforts that support human rights. It is an organization with a unique member base that includes international human rights lawyers, criminal lawyers, civil litigators, law professors, non-legal professionals and students. CLAIHR focuses on two main areas of advocacy: Friends of the Court and events that highlight particular areas of development and landmark days like International Human Rights Day. It partners with organizations like the International Law Students Association and the Child Soldiers Initiative. The event-based advocacy focuses on unifying a population with a common interest in supporting human rights internationally.
CLAIHR’s Friends of the Court is an initiative that allows members to intervene with the Canadian court as amicus curiae or “friend of the Court”. When a Canadian court considers an international human rights issue, CLAIHR “provides perspectives on international human rights issues triggered by the litigation.” In combination with its events that encourage discussion and collaboration among members and the community, CLAIHR works with Canadian courts to augment the impact on human rights.
Every one of these advocacy organizations has a website to help promote various causes. Learn more about the importance of advocacy by visiting the websites of these organizations and examining the advocacy organizations near you. Advocating for a cause can mean the difference between its success and failure. If there is a cause that you are passionate about, consider advocating for it by promoting it online and in your community. There is more to supporting a cause than just raising money: sometimes the most effective action can be spreading awareness.
– Eliza Gresh
Photo: Flickr