Deutsch (Deutschland)

English (United States)

français (France) - Beta

español (España)

Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesia) - Beta

русский (Россия) - Beta

Register now for free!

Conference 2014: Wall of Equality

The nominees for the "My Choice for Equality" campaign were:

Wall of Equality

Last Updated 12/10/13

0 Subfolders

37 Images

Showing 1 - 20 of 37 results.

First Previous Next Last

Ahmad Mollaee - Iran - Ahmad Mollaee lives in a small village in Iran called Maran Galeh. A lot of the rural population in Iran is leaving villages and moving to cities for two reasons. First is drought and second is this widespread fear that the government might take away their land from them anytime To address this displacement, Ahmad he decided to migrate to dead lands of this village about 20 years ago, and attempted to revive them at his own expense. His aim was to attract people back to the village and at attract government assistance, including asphalt roads and piped water to the village. Although the village people call him crazy, he definitely got to work on the lands of the village. He painted the fence around the ground with dry branches of trees. He dug a channel with his small tractor from the aqueduct of the village to the dead land and he was able to get water from a subterranean village to these dry and dead lands. He was alone and did not have much money, but this prevented the government from seizing the land. He also got the government to allow married rural youth to build their own houses. This encouraged a lot of people to come back from the city to the village and convinced the government to pave roads and set up water supply lines. Although Ahmad faced a lot of resistance from the villagers and the government, and had to use his own money and resources, he is happy that his village has seen development and that poor people have their own houses and farms now.

Ahmad Mollaee - Iran

Andrew Akampurira - Uganda - Andrew Akampurira, 31, is a lecturer of philosophy (Ethics) at Kyambogo University, Uganda and has on several occasions fought discrimination against ethnic minorities. He has done this by encouraging Uganda Human rights commission and NGO's to build schools for these minority groups-e.g. the Batwa community in South Western Uganda and the Karamojong in North Eastern of the country. Thanks to his efforts, several students have been given national scholarships at different universities. He is also an advocate of discrimination against the people with HIV/AIDS. He has done this by starting a small organisation in his home area. He is also fighting against capital punishment in his country. Currently, he is writing his PhD thesis at Makerere University Uganda titled "Capital punishment in Uganda: A critical Analysis". Andrew often writes in local newspapers about ethical issues as a way of promoting justice in the society.

Andrew Akampurira - Uganda

Buraimo Skikru Olaranme - Côte d’Ivoire - Buraimo is a student of economics and management in Cote d’Ivoire and believes in equality across all divides.

Buraimo Skikru Olaranme - Côte d’Ivoire

Derick Dailey - USA - Derick Dailey of USA is working to bring sound theological education to African nations through his work with Bread for the World and his church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He most recently traveled to Lusaka, Zambia to teach on discipleship to hundreds of Zambians; all in an effort to provide solutions to food insecure areas and to strength their faith!

Derick Dailey - USA

Dewi Mariam - Indonesia - Physical and Mental health plays an important role in enabling people to fight for equality in life. Seeing her people unable to fight for equality, Dewi Mariam (Dewi), a young lady from Malang Indonesia, decided to start a program, which promote the physical and mental health of her people. Dewi lives in a suburban area of Malang where most of the people in the neighborhood live in poverty. As a nurse she learned that the problems of physical and mental health of her people have made the people not able to fight for better life. They cannot compete against richer, more privileged individuals who have much better physical and mental health. Dewi’s physical health promotion programs focuses on both preventive and curative activities. She cooperates with volunteers to hold seminars on health promotion and problems. She invites volunteer doctors to provide free health services and to visit the sick people at their homes. Moreover, she helps them to get free medical treatment at state hospitals. To promote the mental health of her people, Dewi also founded a social house called House of Magdalena de Pazzi. The house has become the centre of education and leisure activities in the neighborhood. To empower women. Dewi provides cooking and sewing classes as well. As the place of leisure activities, the house founded by Dewi provides modern and traditional musical instruments. Dewi also holds discussions on certain issues during which people may express their thoughts and feelings. Dewi believes that all of these activities will help her people achieve better physical and mental health.

Dewi Mariam - Indonesia

Dr. Ashwin Mahesh - India - Bangalore based Dr. Ashwin Mahesh is an astronomer and NASA climate scientist, who gave up his science career to work on what he calls 'public problem solving' in Bangalore. These days he is a social technologist, journalist and civic thought leader, and also the State President of the Loksatta Party, in Karnataka. He edits the largest public affairs and development magazine in the country, India Together (www.indiatogether.org). His company, Mapunity (www.mapunity.in) develops technology to tackle social problems and development challenges in India. Besides all of this, he works closely with a few development organisations focusing on ecology, urban development, disability, heritage protection, and civics. Armed with degrees from Pondicherry and Vanderbilt University and the University of Washington, it was Ashwin's desire to involve citizens in managing a city that prompted him to take the plunge into providing effective solutions for complex issues. Wired magazine, in its Smart List 2012, recognised him as one of the 50 people likely to change the world. All of this is particularly unusual for a disabled person - Ashwin had polio as a child. As he says himself, "I know there are millions of others who suffer from polio, or any other major illness, who are barely are able to ensure that their needs might be seen, understood and addressed by society. The rays of hope for the stricken in our society hinge on the willingness of a few to stand themselves up to be examples in their name. The few who make it out of their binds have the obligation to speak for those who do not, and to make things easier for them." In recent years, Ashwin has been instrumental in reforming the bus system in the city, strengthening the work of the Traffic Police, reviving many lakes in the city through community management models, and encouraging responsible waste management. His voice is heard - and often heeded - in government circles too; earlier this year he was instrumental in getting funds allotted by the government to build 10,000 homes for the poor in the city.

Dr. Ashwin Mahesh - India

Dr. Nessie Ndive-Hill - USA - Dr. Hill is the founder of The Essex County College African Students Association (ECCASA) which is an organization at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, which promotes the eclectic cultures that are only found in Africa. She has given numerous presentations at the UN Forums on Gender and development issues, at different NGOs, The Hunger Project (non-profit org) She is also the founder of GADIAGO which is Non-Profit Organization that promotes women's education, and raises health awareness amongst women in Cameroon along with providing financial assistance to their families. For more information, visit: www. Gadiago.org. Dr. Nessie is also a member of several New Jersey Education Associations and participated in a special fundraiser for DARFUR. She is currently the New Jersey/New York President of Ex-Saker Students Association which is an association of ex-students of Saker Baptist college in Cameroon with the main goal of putting together programs geared towards advancing the future of the girl child in Saker and Cameroon. For more information visit http://exssa-usa.org

Dr. Nessie Ndive-Hill - USA

Dr. Niranjaradhya V.P. - India - Niranjanaradhya.V.P is known as Development Educationist and Mentor of School Development and Monitoring Committees (SDMC) in Karnataka. He is known for his outstanding contribution for strengthening Government Schools in Karnataka through which he aims to build a Common School System based on neighbourhood principle to ensure equitable quality education to all children. He is also a prolific writer in vernacular language and wrote abundantly on issues related to school education from the Constitutional viewpoint to cherish the Constitutional values to build an egalitarian society based on Equality and Social Justice.

Dr. Niranjaradhya V.P. - India

Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha - India - Fifty-seven-year-old Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha is the Chennai-headquartered Church of South India’s new bishop of Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time a woman has been made the bishop of a mainstream church in India. Born in Diguvappad village in Kurnool district, Rev. Pushpa Lalitha was ordained a priest in 1984. She holds degrees in economics and divinity from the Andhra Christian Theological College. She was also the director of Vishranthi Nilayam in Bangalore and the administrative head of the CSI’s women fellowship. Rev. Pushpa Lalitha has worked in several villages in south India, and wishes to strive towards improving the state of women in the church.

Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha - India

Emmanuel Salawu - Nigeria - As a graduate student in his mid 20's, Emmanuel is one of the youngest people out there who is constantly thinking of how to make the world a better place and who puts plans (emerging from such thoughts) into actions. When Emmanuel thought about the fact that searches on the internet (i.e. queries submitted to search engines) are done in various languages, but that most scholarship/grants information are published only in English and in a few other languages, he felt that students who search for scholarship/grants information using languages other than English are considerably being cut off from a vast of potentially useful information that are only available in English and that would not show up in results of web searches performed in other languages. He saw this imbalance as a potential source of inequality and developed an acceptable way of reducing the impact of this problem by building a website where scholarship information is published in 51 different languages. (http://www.leadlearners.org/) Emmanuel also recognizes the need to develop leadership skills in youths, as today's youths are the leaders of tomorrow. He established LeadershipGraphy to meet this need. At LeadershipGraphy, future leaders are given opportunities of sharing their thoughts (in writing) with the whole world, and youths are challenged to think and write on how to make the world a better place. (http://leadershipgraphy.org/)

Emmanuel Salawu - Nigeria

Father Francis - India - Born on May 12,1973 in Kerala and having finished his studies from St.philomenas high school, Father came to Nagaland in 1988 and was ordained as a priest on 12 - May 2004. Currently in Shamator , Nagaland he is known by the name of Yimso (As given by the villagers as they have accepted him as one of their tribe) Father is relentless when it comes to connecting this remote village and its inhabitants to the outside world. He works with the villages, the children and the youth in supporting them with the most basic of all rights “Education”. Social disorganization and unrest are natural outcome of the inadequacy of the basic facilities for growth. No doubt, Shamator is backward due to negligence and lack of support and care. Mountainous geography, lack of communication facilities and basic developmental structures, political instability, educational backwardness, social disorganization, etc., have played havoc on the lives of youth immeasurably and have kept them in constant unrest. Shamator is one such area that has been victimized as a whole. His contributions in enabling this little village figure on the map for various reasons has put the village and its inhabitants in the spotlight. Reaching facilities into this forgotten and remote village has a new meaning as volunteers from across the globe ensure hardships in reaching this village to live and interact with the youth bringing hope of a brighter future.

Father Francis - India

Gitanjali Sarangan - India - Gitanjali is the founder of Snehadhara Foundation. The Snehadhara Foundation strives to integrate children with special needs in the society through creative yet tender approaches, and helps make these children more accepted in the society. Parents of these children are extremely thankful for the time and the effort put in by Gitanjali in looking after these kids. For more information on Gitanjali, and the Snehadhara Foundation, please visit: http://snehadharafoundation.org/

Gitanjali Sarangan - India

Gwendolyn Hallsmith - USA - Gwendolyn Hallsmith founded and developed an ecovillage at The Headwaters Garden and Learning Center in the town of Cabot, State of Vermont, USA. The ecovillage created by Gwen is a demonstration of a community built on common ethical and sustainability values illustrating through their practical application how equal access to good education, participatory decision-making, responsible use, reuse, recycling, replenishing and sharing of resources and services within the community can provide meaningful, healthy, balanced and happy lives for all. There are currently seven home sites. All families are engaged in agricultural and small business activities on the grounds of the ecovillage, and have access to freely available educational programmes on everything ranging from sustainable communities, permaculture, and green design, to alternative and complementary healing and raising children to be world citizens.

Gwendolyn Hallsmith - USA

Helena Norberg-Hodge - UK - Helena Norberg-Hodge, the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC), is a pioneer of the 'new economy' movement. She has received several international awards "in recognition of her pioneering work in the new economy movement to help create a more sustainable and equitable world. Through her advocacy and educational activities promoting localization from an international perspective, Ms. Norberg-Hodge has contributed to the revitalization of cultural and biological diversity, and the strengthening of local communities and economies worldwide."( GOI Award 2102)

Helena Norberg-Hodge - UK

Iren Horvatne - Sweden - Born 1970 in Hungary but later an emigrant to Sweden Iren Horvatne has been a constant advocate for the equality of the Romani minority in the Swedish society. Iren Horvatne has been working as a language teached for over ten years. She also works for The Swedish National Agency for Education, The Swedish Language Council and The Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics and Folklore Research. The Language Council is the official authority for governing the continuation and life of Sweden’s official minority languages. Iren Horvatne has worked and is continuingly working as a translator. She is an editor of The Swedish Language Councils official webpage. She is also a co-author of the ”Curriculum Framework for Romani”, developed in co-operation with the European Roma and Travelers Forum and ”Methods for Teaching Romani Chib as Mother Tongue: Practical suggestions based on classroom experience following the European Curriculum Framework for Romani”. Both official documents and tools meant to constitute the foundation of future school curriculums, thereby enabling a better match between curriculums in schools and the Romani minority. She has also written the well-used Romani Chib schoolbook ”The Fairytale and The Truth”. Iren is the co-founder of NGO Malmo Romani Centre of Ideas. She started the NGO as a response to the substandard educational results of the Romani children within the Swedish educational system. Her NGO works to promote ethnic equality and the right of Romani children to a good standard education.

Iren Horvatne - Sweden

Jessica Cox - USA - Jessica Cox was born without arms. The doctors do not know why she was born “differently-abled.” But Jessica has accomplished things with her feet that most people can only dream of. With the support of her parents and family, Jessica became confident in herself as an adult and continued to explore the world with her feet. As a child, Jessica studied dance in her home town. At the age of 14, Jessica earned her first Black Belt in the International Taekwondo Federation. Jessica also has a Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet. Jessica now works as a motivational speaker. To learn more, visit: http://rightfooted.com/

Jessica Cox - USA

K. K. Varma - India - K. K. Varma is nominated for his book “Life and Times of Unborn Kamla” The Book is a very first effort at creative writing on an issue assuming alarming proportions upstaging India’s demographic contour with many –facet implications- violation of Human Rights at its barbaric best. An Alumni of IIT- Kharagpur, after teaching stint at IIT, is currently working as Director-Programs with Childreach International India which is part of a global charity. “Life and Times of Unborn Kamla” is a book written with great passion. It is a fiction based upon real situations and incidences. It focuses on one of the most pressing social problems of contemporary India- that is of diminishing girls from the demographic map of the country. It is probably the very first comprehensive narration on the issue of Female Feticide in shape of a book, rather a novel -unlike sporadic reporting on the issue as part of crime reporting and published in Newspaper. The book makes a genuine effort to shake nation’s conscience, arouse passion and collective human actions.

K. K. Varma - India

Klaus Leisinger - Switzerland - For most of us social scientists, working toward equality is difficult and easy. It is difficult because inequality is complex, our resources are modest, and our efforts and results are often limited. But it is also easy because this is our job, our vocation, our passion, and this is what we get rewarded for from our organizations and our peers. Klaus Leisinger has worked tirelessly throughout his working life to reduce global inequality. For Klaus, however, working for equality was mostly difficult and difficult. Yes, he was well-paid, but we academics rarely gave him credit for his work because most of us saw him as belonging to the enemy - Novartis. And for many in the corporate world, he and the organization he built - the Novartis Foundation - was considered an unnecessary expense. He rarely received adequate recognition for the countless and significant contributions, neither from "us" nor from "them". Nevertheless, his work has saved and improved countless lives across all continents, and even after his recent retirement, his new projects are fully dedicated to the reduction of inequality amongst the most disadvantaged in the world, continuing to work with, and receive criticism from, both sides.

Klaus Leisinger - Switzerland

Leyla Zana - Kurdistan - Leyla Zana (born May 3, 1961 in Silvan, Diyarbakır Province), is a Kurdish politician, who was imprisoned for 10 years for her political activism, which was deemed by the Turkish courts to be against the unity of the country. When she was a member of pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, she was banned from joining any political party for five years with the Constitutional Court's decision to ban this party. She has been elected as an independent member of parliament for Diyarbakır by the support of Peace and Democracy Party. She was awarded the 1995 Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament, but was unable to collect it until her release in 2004. She was also awarded the Rafto Prize in 1994 after being recognized by the Rafto Foundation for being incarcerated for her peaceful struggle for the human rights of the Kurdish people in Turkey and the neighbouring countries.

Leyla Zana - Kurdistan

Lindsay Wheeler - USA - Lindsay stands for nothing short of the highest ideals of ethical and equal treatment of all human beings. The passion I hear in her ideas and speech is so genuine, and it is reflected right into what she takes action on. Just about any day that I'm at Kent State University, I know exactly where to find her. She'll either be at a booth recruiting members or raising money for the Kent State Chapter of Invisible Children, or she's marching throughout the campus leading a protest to end the recruitment of child soldiers or in support of refugees. She stands so strongly for the most fundamental rights of all human beings, and to me she serves as a reminder of how doable and important taking action for what one truly stands for is, as well as how substantial the choice and struggle for a sense of fairness in this world really is. She is a true inspiration in for many people, and I think it is fair to predict that she'll actively stand up for equality for many many years to come.

Lindsay Wheeler - USA

Showing 1 - 20 of 37 results.

First Previous Next Last