Expansion to Five African Countries in 2009
Using the three phases and coalition team format developed in 2008, we expanded and fine-tuned the African Human Rights Leadership Campaign again in 2009. In four countries B Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Togo B we were able to train and provide significant experience to some 200 young people in the dissemination and implementation of human rights principles in the face of deeply rooted government corruption, common delays and denials of access to justice, and seemingly hopeless cycles of youth violence in their respective countries. We also reached for the first time into Ethiopia, where we received equally enthusiastic response from a broad spectrum of youth organizations.
Through youth-created human rights public awareness campaigns, participating students reached at least 6,000 young people through local schools, community groups, and other gatherings. By word of mouth, these presentations easily reached double that total. 12,000 is conservative as some of the students took the initiative to go repeatedly on national radio with their message, thus potentially reaching millions more.
In this third annual round of competitions in our more established English-speaking countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ghana, the nine teams (three coalition teams per country, 15 persons per team) selected timely human rights issues for their projects:
- Liberia, Team A: corruption (government and business)
- Liberia, Team B: armed robbery
- Liberia, Team C, child trafficking
- Sierra Leone, Team A: youth violence
- Sierra Leone, Team B: access to justice
- Sierra Leone, Team C: government corruption (in procurement of goods and services)
- Ghana, Team A: government corruption
- Ghana, Team B: student violence
- Ghana, Team C: access to justice
These teams conducted their field research and community delivery between mid-April and mid-July, 2008. Again, the participants substantially exceeded the overall production targets, reaching 78 schools and youth groups (72 minimum target), forming 78 human rights clubs formed (63 minimum target), and 6,209 people through team human rights workshops (2,160 minimum target).
British Council, Freetown, 7 August 2009
We wrapped the 2009 project in these three countries in late-July and into August. Again, in each capital city, the teams finalized executive summaries on their issues, rehearsed and then presented those issues in standing room-only events open to the spectrum of the community. The events were:
- Wednesday, 29 July 2009, Samuel K. Doe Stadium, Monrovia, Liberia
- Friday, 7 August 2009, British Council, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Wednesday, 19 August 2009, British Council, Accra, Ghana
British Council, Freetown, 7 August 2009
Each event featured key note speakers from government and policy making, wide-ranging press coverage (including TV, radio, and print/on-line media), and, most importantly, the impinging presentations of high school- and college-level students on human rights issues that demonstrated to the public and the young people themselves the competence and responsibility of the upcoming generation to make human rights a reality in their communities and nations. Estimating the many media reports reached even 25% of the populace nationwide over these countries, some 7,000,000 individuals received word of our campaign in 2009.
Hon. Joseph Boakai, Vice President of Liberia
The 2009 competitions in these three nations produced the nine student-made documentary films, the three-per-country premiered at the concluding events in Monrovia, Freetown and Accra respectively. If promoted and distributed adequately, some of these B Sierra Leone Team A’s video on youth violence stands out B could significantly affect for the better the outlook and determination of youth nationally
Ghana Team A, Government Corruption
From multiple requests we fielded from students on the program about needed scholarships to fund their education, we implemented this year a $100 per-participant financial aid program for the 130 students from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ghana. It was and is a huge hit, not only with the young people and their parents, but with the government officials and opinion leaders already outspokenly supporting the program.
Ghana Team B, Access to Justice
In Togo, our first French-speaking nation, we completed an initial round of human rights training and activation with some 70 college- and high school-level students that sets the foundation for a full-fledged competition format in coming years. We conducted a standing room-only concluding event for the young participants here as well, with top speakers and extensive press coverage, TV, radio and print. That coverage probably reached an estimated 1,600,000 people, 25% of Togo’s population.
Chamber of Commerce, Lome', Togo, 21 August 2009
In Addis Ababa, considered the capital of Africa as it is the headquarters of the African Union, we have not only established strong ties with key executives of the AU’s democracy and human rights section but have also created partnership with the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Here too, we conducted a full-house forum on human rights and human rights education, in conjunction with the EHRC, that attracted wide press coverage, including nationwide TV (even 10% of the country is an estimated 8,300,000 persons).
Ghion Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 26 August 2009
Tim Bowles
Pasadena, California, USA
June, 2010