Almost 23 years ago, Brazilians invented a new word. The reason? A story of conversion of two apparently opposing concepts. Here is the story: In preparation for hosting the groundbreaking UN Summit on Environment and Development, best known as ‘Rio-92’, the tensions of approach that remained between the social justice sector and the wilderness…
The world is at a point and time in its evolution, when a shift – and a very rapid one at that – is inevitable. In fact it is already happening. To take a broad sweep – rapid environmental degradation, hazards, and disasters; increasing conflicts; weakening – or in countries like mine, failing States; and…
Dear Friends, We are grieved and outraged to see, in just a week’s time, two grand juries fail to indict police officers who killed unarmed black men: Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, NY. In just the past few weeks alone, more black men and children have been killed or harmed…
By Jenny Brotchie There is an opportunity for philanthropic organisations to work with governments and the influential OECD to explore fresh ideas to some of the big social justice issues of our times. Jenny Brotchie, Policy Officer at the Carnegie UK Trust argues that it is critical that progressive foundations are at the table. What…
On October 12, 2014, a bunch of donors met in Cairo with the Palestinian Authority to discuss and pledge support for Gaza. I can’t find any official statement press release from the conference, so it’s hard to know exactly who came and pledged, but media coverage after the event suggested that Qatar pledged $1 billion,…
Over twenty years of working in this field of social justice philanthropy in Nepal, I continue to be struck by the resilience of the local communities, their home-grown leaderships, and the way they innovate and improvise to sustain and nurture each other as far as it is possible! During a recent visit to several districts…
Earlier this year, the Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace issued a report, Framing the Discourse, Advancing the Work: Philanthropy at the Nexus of Peace and Social Justice and Arts and Culture, that highlighted the synergy between the arts and social movements around the globe — and the general reluctance among funders to fund arts…
US peacebuilding theorist John Paul Lederach talks about achieving “critical yeast” in difficult circumstances, with this arguably being of greater importance than “critical mass.” If the recently circulated report on philanthropy for social justice and peace in Latin America and the Caribbean is to be believed that is exactly what exists: critical yeast. The 32…
It is 3am and my left index finger taps involuntarily on the laminate desk because I’ve been told by someone I respect that I am wrong or just crazy (but oh so politely) to find it very strange that the distinction between what is “humanitarian” and what is “developmental” in terms of aid is so…
The story is borrowed from Sagar Prasain’s facebook and is located in Kathmandu. After settling into a taxi, Sagar inquired if people on wheel chair rode his taxi. The driver then enthusiastically shared his recent story: three college students approached him yesterday, with an elderly man on wheel chair. Inquiring how much it would cost…