A celebration of human rights [Archives:2008/1119/Last Page]
By: Nawal Ali
A group of young Yemeni leaders recently celebrated International Human Rights Day in Sana'a. The two-day event commenced Jan. 2 in the presence of numerous youth, government officials and representatives of non-governmental organizations.
Entitled, “Together Toward a Better Yemen Full of Rights and Freedoms,” the event was organized by the Young Leaders Development Foundation, a local NGO based in Sana'a.
The first day was devoted to human rights and included educational games, such as movies and puzzles, organized by several local NGOs.
Seeking to enhance human rights issues, the games were a mixture of entertainment and seriousness, as the youth received small prizes, but also benefited in a different way, as every game contained ethical concepts.
“The entertainment is gone in a moment, but the benefit remains forever,” one female participant stated.
Most participants and coordinators were human rights activists and students from the foundation's Human Rights and Democracy Program.
The second day, participants celebrated the graduation of this program's last class. The Young Leaders Development Foundation will suspend its activities in Sana'a in order to transfer them to Aden and Hodeidah governorates.
They are doing this due to their belief in the importance of youth awareness regarding human rights concepts, which is why the foundation has a specialized human rights department because it seeks to train and qualify more Yemenis, especially youth, in human rights.
This is the Human Rights and Democracy Program's fifth year and including its recent graduates, there are now 120 qualified human rights activists. All human rights advocates gathered at the foundation to participate in the two-day celebration.
“One of our most important duties is to spread human rights concepts among youth because human rights simply means one thing – man himself,” explains Iman Al-Tawqi, head of the foundation's Girls Communication Center.
Another local NGO, the Ibhar Foundation for Childhood and Creativity, organized a similar event Jan. 3 in Sana'a to promote children's rights and present its institution's role toward healthy children in Yemen.
The group also used the opportunity to announce the new edition of “Steps,” a book project that encourages youth to compose stories advocating human rights concepts. One of the foundation's primary activities is to publish and distribute the best stories from those submitted.
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