Search Results for "intern"
Three Things to Know about Rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo
One rape every minute?! Unbelievable. And that might be underestimating how bad the situation is… Several weeks ago, the New York Times published a shocking article on the massive prevalence of rape and sexually-based violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The article cites a new study in the American Journal of Public Health …
Read More
A Glimmer of Hope for LGBTIQ Rights in Southeast Asia
Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). In general, I’m pretty skeptical of the “International Day of [fill in the blank]” model. It will take a lot more than a single day of rallies and media coverage to bring about lasting change. Ultimately, though, IDAHO offers the chance to inspire and applaud collective …
Read More
Reflecting on Today’s Victory in Uganda
When I woke up this morning to the amazing news that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill has been killed (at least for now), I started thinking about what made it possible and what lessons we might extrapolate for the human rights work that AJWS supports all around the world.
Read More
Why Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill is Still a Threat
It’s no coincidence that the Ugandan parliament has galvanized new energy for the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 at a time when Ugandan citizens are protesting high food and fuel prices and the government is cracking down with violence, repression and disregard for the rule of law. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which AJWS’s partners have courageously tried …
Read More
Fighting a Dam from the Ground Up
“These people want Africa to remain as it currently is with all its misery and poverty… I believe the position taken by such groups is not only irrational but also bordering on the criminal.” If someone were to read this passage from a recent speech given by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the Conference …
Read More
Let's Not Forget About LGBT Haitians
Sunday’s New York Times editorial on Haiti’s refugee camps, rightly focuses on one of the most critical issues facing the hundreds of thousands of Haitians still living in Haiti’s decrepit tent settlements: rape. The editorial encourages policymakers to do something about the terrible conditions—a lack of streetlights and not enough police protection—that lead to relentless …
Read More
Why I'm Fasting for Food Justice (Part III)
I fast on Yom Kippur and have done so every year of my life. As I grew older, I learned from the passage of Isaiah that we read on that day, that the act of fasting and spiritual repentance is meaningless unless it’s accompanied by moral actions in the world. We are not being asked to …
Read More
Why I'm Fasting for Food Justice (Part II)
Many of you still wonder what I, and the other 36 human rights and food justice organizations whose leaders are participating in this fast so far, hope to accomplish.
Read More
AJWS President Joins Fast to Challenge Congress’s Proposed Food Aid Cuts
Ruth Messinger Will Fast with Broad Coalition of Faith and Human Rights Leaders New York, NY; March 28, 2011—Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, is fasting this week to protest cuts to the U.S.’s humanitarian aid budget being voted on in Congress. The week-long fast, …
Read More
Why I'm Fasting for Food Justice (Part I)
I’m fasting this week—two days on just water, and another five on liquids—to stand up for the hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries that are at risk of losing U.S. food aid. If the proposed budget passes in Congress this week, support for domestic and international development—including food aid—will be cut by 41 …
Read More