A Brighter Future Ahead for Liberia

A Brighter Future Ahead for Liberia: Garmai’s Story

• By Pamela Pratt on July 18th, 2014
 
• Category: Blog, Featured Blog, Home, Sub-Saharan Africa

Staff members of THINK in Liberia.

Liberia was a beacon of hope for freed slaves from America returning to Africa to regain some normalcy and live a life similar to that of their ancestors. By 1847, these former slaves had established a republic and lived a relatively peaceful life, enhanced by a booming and promising economy.

More than a century later, in 1980, the dream of a peaceful life was shattered by a military coup led by Samuel Doe, which was followed by authoritarian rule. Matters got even worse with a December 1989 coup initiated by Charles Taylor, which led to a decade-long civil war that also affected neighboring Sierra Leone.

As a result, children born around this time in Liberia never had the opportunity to experience the precious life their ancestors lived.

A generation of children grew up hearing gunshots and fearing for their lives. They were forced to become adults before the age of 10, strained to pick up arms and fight in a war they could not comprehend, were raped and impregnated by men they did not know, or threatened by men who had once sworn to protect them. These children suffered numerous atrocities and abuses they could not articulate. Many were forced to live in refugee camps, became victims of sex trafficking, or grew up without parents while suffering through the heartaches and pains of a country in turmoil.

Thankfully, in 2003, Liberia saw another beacon of hope with the signing of a peace agreement and, two years later, with the election of Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Though long-term effects of the war remain, the country is back on track and becoming a stable pillar of economic development in West Africa. This is in large part due to the response of ordinary citizens who did not wait for the international community or elected officials in their country to take the first step. They took matters into their own hands and started making a difference in their own way, supporting and providing much-needed assistance for the country and future generations.

Once a child soldier, Garmai is now a university student studying tropical preservation, thanks to the assistance of GFC grantee THINK.

With the government still regrouping after years of conflict, community-based organizations stepped in to fill the void. Organizations like Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness (THINK), founded in 2003 by Rosana Schaack—called Mommie Rosy by the girls she helps—made it their mission to help empower girls following the war.

Rosana and her team are giving these girls an opportunity for a better future through rehabilitation programs that transform their lives, educational assistance, livelihood training, support for teen mothers, and so much more. Through its nine-month rehabilitation program, safe houses, one-stop centers, and advocacy efforts, THINK works to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence. THINK has been involved with the rehabilitation and reintegration of more than 300 adolescent girls and young women since 2003.

On my recent trip to Liberia, I met Garmai, who has such a bright future ahead of her due to the tremendous love and care Mommie Rosy and the rest of the THINK team have given her over the years.

But don’t just take my word for it! I’d like to present Garmai’s story, told in her own words:

“Most of my childhood was spent during the civil war that engulfed Liberia. I was taken away from my family and home by rebel forces to become a child soldier in the camps of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) for three years. One of my elder brothers heard that I had been captured by the rebel fighters and went out to look for me but was executed by them. When the ceasefire was announced in August of 2003 and the war came to an end, I was recruited and came to THINK Rehabilitation and Empowerment Home in 2004.

I participated in the nine-month program and learned how to make pastries, preserve food, and cater. My best friend and I joined our start-up tool kits we received from THINK to open a tea shop, which we run each day during the evening, after school.

I studied really hard and graduated from high school in 2011. I am now a young lady and turning 25 years old later this year. I am currently enrolled at the University of Liberia, in the College of Agriculture. I’d like to work on tropical preservation, working towards responsible usage of our natural resources in Liberia.

I am grateful that THINK came to my rescue and guided me down the right path. If I had not come to THINK, I would be a single mother of maybe 4 or 5 children and not be able to provide for them, nor for myself. I am proud of who I am today and will always help other girls to make good decisions for their lives.

Global Fund for Children (GFC) has helped THINK to assist me during my last year of high school and my first year at the University of Liberia. I now serve as a mentor for girls in my community, where I provide tutorial classes, and visit the THINK home when I have the opportunity. I do this to encourage new groups of girls that enroll in the program by sharing with them my story.”

Through its nine-month rehabilitation program, safe houses, one-stop centers, and advocacy efforts, THINK works to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence.

With funding from GFC, THINK has been able to provide school tuition assistance to 50 children and young people from kindergarten through university. Many parents are disenfranchised and cannot afford to keep their children in school. Funds from GFC have provided school supplies like uniforms, shoes, and stationery. GFC also supports the administrative costs of THINK by funding the purchase of office supplies, contributing to staff salaries, and providing training opportunities for some of the administrative staff.

A new highlight for the girls of the Paynesville community is a complete set of musical instruments they received through GFC’s fall 2013 grant. This initiative teaches them how to play instruments and enhances their singing abilities. It is the girls’ desire to become a renowned girls’ choir in Paynesville.

I was quite impressed with the musical talents of the girls. From what I could see, they’re off to a great start!

Obama raises human rights issues in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — President Barack Obama said Sunday that he had raised the need for improved human rights in Malaysia with the country's prime minister, but pushed back against suggestions that his failure to meet with a top opposition leader means he is not concerned.
Human rights groups have been urging Obama to meet with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim while Obama is in the country as part of his Asia tour. Instead, Obama is sending national security adviser Susan Rice to meet Anwar on Monday.
          Obama cited freedom of the press, human rights and civil liberties as issues that he said are always on the agenda when he travels the world. He downplayed the fact that a meeting with Anwar wasn't on his itinerary.
"The fact that I haven't met Mr. Anwar in and of itself is not indicative of our lack of concern, given the fact that there are a lot of people I don't meet with and opposition leaders that I don't meet with," he said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Najib Razak after the two met privately. "That doesn't mean I'm not concerned about them."
          Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, was recently convicted for the second time on sodomy charges that the U.S. and international human rights groups have challenged as politically motivated. He presents the most potent political threat to Najib, whose popularity has declined over the past two elections. Obama said Najib has made progress on human rights in his country and would be the first to acknowledge having more work to do to improve the climate. Obama said he shared with Najib his own view that countries will be better off in the long run if they respect the rule of law and basic freedoms — "even when it drives you crazy, even when it's inconvenient."World ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1The United States still has work to do on these issues, too, Obama added. In his own defense, Najib said he and Obama are "equally concerned about civil liberties as a principle" and touted steps he says he's taken to promote them. Answering his critics, Najib said: "Don't underestimate or diminish whatever we have done."
           Obama, who is on a two-day visit to Malaysia as part of a four-nation tour of Asia, also defended Najib's government against criticism that it has mishandled the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The aircraft carrying 239 people, most of them Chinese, has been missing for nearly two months and is believed to be deep at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.
           "The Malaysian government is working tirelessly to recover the aircraft and investigate exactly what happened," Obama said. "I can't speak for all the countries in the region but I can say that the United States and other partners have found the Malaysian government eager for assistance and fully forthcoming with us in terms of the information that they have."
          Anguished relatives of the passengers have been very vocal and public about their unhappiness with the fruitless search effort. Many of them have protested outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing in the past week.
Obama said he understands the heartache and suffering loved ones of the passengers are feeling, but that it will take even more time to find the plane because of the huge amount of ocean being scoured.
          "Obviously, we don't know all the details of what happened but we do know that, if in fact the plane went down in the ocean in this part of the world, that is a big place and it is a very challenging effort and laborious effort that's going to take quite some time," he said.

x

“What If A Sex-Worker’s Daughter Got Into A Better University Than Your Daughter?”

Talking about equality, she's probably the next Emma Watson  Crystal clear words that ought to have created an impact in our hearts. This video deserves unlimited shares. And she certainly deserves unlimited respect. If one is to have an abused childhood, is it right or wrong to blame them for their lifestyle and behaviors in later life? LEADERS ARE MADE WITH EXPERIENCE, ITS NOT A MATTER OF AGE.

MEDIA MANIPULATION

MEDIA MANIPULATION AND OWNERSHIP IN ELECTION

As discussed earlier, a free and impartial media is important for a functioning democracy. However, as also detailed in other parts of this web site, a lot of mainstream media suffers from concentrated ownership by a handful of companies that usually results in less diversity of views being aired, as those owning companies have their own interests to protect and promote.

In the US and UK for example, there have been various cases of media outlet parent companies contributing to election campaigns or candidates/parties. Famously, Tony Blair got support by Ruper Murdoch and the Sun tabloid, usually a right-leaning paper, which helped him come to power in 1997.

In Italy when Silvio Berlusconi became Prime Minister (on more than one occasion), he was a powerful media mogul and was able to use that to good effect to promote his agenda andsometimes controversial views. As one of Italy’s richest men he was also embroiled invarious allegations of corruption, including from the influential Economist magazine. Berlusconi has been able to use his influence in business, media and politics to avert much criticism and charges in various ways.

In Venezuela there has been both an intense anti-Chavez mainstream media, but also a state run channel where Chavez has had is own TV program. (As an interesting aside, Chavez’s recent election win—an overwhelming win—has been described by some foreign media as an example of amassing more power. The irony here may be that he may have won a popular democratic vote, but because he is not looked at favorably by nations such as the US, and because many of the mainstream media outlets of those other nations often follow the government/establishment position on such things, the reporting by the mainstream media from there reflected that government position. Had Bush or any other US presidential candidate won US elections with such a majority it is unlikely to be described as amassing more power, but rather an example of democracy and overall success and popularity of that candidate.)

RACISM HAS TO STOP!

Racism

Author And Page Information

• by Anup Shah

• This page:http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism.
• To print all information e.g. expanded side notes, shows alternative links, use the print version:
  • http://www.globalissues.org/print/article/165

Image © Understanding RaceRacism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns.

Racism is also a very touchy subject for some people, as issues concerning free speech and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights come into play. Some people argue that talking about supporting racial discrimination and prejudice is just words and that free speech should allow such views to be aired without restriction. Others point out that these words can lead to some very dire and serious consequences (the Nazi government policies being one example).

Debates over the origins of racism often suffer from a lack of clarity over the term. Many conflate recent forms of racism with earlier forms of ethnic and national conflict. In most cases ethno-national conflict seems to owe to conflict over land and strategic resources. In some cases ethnicity and nationalism were harnessed to wars between great religious empires (for example, the Muslim Turks and the Catholic Austro-Hungarians). As Benedict Anderson has suggested in Imagined Communities, ethnic identity and ethno-nationalism became a source of conflict within such empires with the rise of print-capitalism.

In its modern form, racism evolved in tandem with European exploration and conquest of much of the rest of the world, and especially after Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. As new peoples were encountered, fought, and ultimately subdued, theories about “race” began to develop, and these helped many to justify the differences in position and treatment of people whom they categorized as belonging to different races (see Eric Wolf’s Europe and the People Without History).

Another possible source of racism is the misunderstanding of Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution. Some took Darwin’s theories to imply that since some “races” were more civilized, there must be a biological basis for the difference. At the same time they appealed to biological theories of moral and intellectual traits to justify racial oppression. There is a great deal of controversy about race and intelligence, in part because the concepts of both race and IQ are themselves controversial.

— Racism, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, May 1, 2004

EMMA WATSON- #HeForShe

What are human rights? Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups. Universal and inalienable The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example, noted that it is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems.   All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified four or more, of the core human rights treaties, reflecting consent of States which creates legal obligations for them and giving concrete expression to universality. Some fundamental human rights norms enjoy universal protection by customary international law across all boundaries and civilizations. Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law. Interdependent and indivisible All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education , or collective rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects the others.   Equal and non-discriminatory Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The principle is present in all the major human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.   The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of non-exhaustive categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle of non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of equality, as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Both Rights and Obligations  Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At the individual level, while we are entitled our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of others.