Rethos.com - lilburne's Global Feed

Nicaraguan President Ortega Not Welcome at Salvador Summit, Women Activists Say

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:21:36 -0400

Advocates for women's rights in El Salvador are calling on their government to bar the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, from attending an upcoming presidential summit because of his attempts to repress and intimidate women in his country.

In an Oct. 5 press conference, advocates from CEMUJER, a leading Salvadoran women's group, joined other human rights groups in expressing solidarity with Nicaraguan women. They urged Salvadoran President Antonio Saca to tell Mr Ortega he is unwelcome at the XVII Presidential Summit, a meeting of Central American leaders tha...

Electric Cars Legalized in Vancouver

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:59:30 -0400

"Vancouver city council voted Tuesday afternoon to give a green light to low-speed electric vehicles..."

"...The small light cars are already allowed under B.C. law to travel on roads with a speed limit of 40 km per hour or less, but are only allowed on roads with faster speed limits when municipalities vote to permit them..."

At least there is some progress! Way to Go Zenn and the province of British Columbia :)

Traveller Community Center Faces Demolition as Eviction Threat Looms in the UK

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:27:12 -0400

September 26, 2008, Basildon, UK: Local authorities are threatening to demolish a community center built by the Dale Farm Travellers, creating new tensions as the long-running eviction battle over Dale Farm heads back to court.

The Saint Christopher's Centre, which opened in May, has become the latest target of the Basildon Council as it seeks to remove about 90 Traveller families from their homes in Southeastern England.

"They're turning up the terror to make us leave," said Richard Sheridan, president of the Dale Far...

Disabled Refugees Face Inaccessible Services and Food Shortages in Ugandan Camps

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:35:26 -0400

September 23, 2008, Gulu District, Uganda: Refugees who have been disabled by the war in Northern Uganda are confronting food shortages and inaccessible public services in government-run camps. At the same time they are under growing pressure to return home, even though they lack the resources to resume a normal life.

This warning was issued recently by the Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU), an advocacy group. It comes at a time when the Ugandan government is stepping up efforts to empty the camps, which still house more than half a million internally displaced pers...

Micro-credit to empower persons with disabilities: an approach to development

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:19:06 -0400

Fruitful Micro-credit at BERDO (Blind Education and Rehabilitation Development Organization)

Many people talk about micro-credit as an approach to development and they mention how organizations are being creative in minimizing the operating costs in an effort to provide credit to the poor. Well, BERDO's creativity lies in the way they incorporate different services into the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program while providing micro-credit to the poorest people in the community - the disabled persons...

Employing Disabled Persons - Bangladesh

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:10:53 -0400

Disability at BERDO

For all pictures visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26685510@N08/

Ten out of thirty five BERDO's employees are disabled. Two of them tell me about their life with disability and what lead to these conditions. These stories also give me a sense of what happens to other 650 million people in the world who live their life with disability.

Firoza Khatun faces disability due to poliovirus

Life on the Street

I've been putting off writing this entry because I thought it would be best to provide you with images of these hard-working people so that you can see what I am talking about. But every time I went out and I saw a good photo opportunity, I felt embarrassed and guilty for just wanting to take their photo. I can't talk to them because I don't speak Bangla. I can't explain to them that I am advocating for their rights, nor can I convince myself that my motivation is just. If I could only shake o...

Otesha is Hiring: High School Programs Director

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:11 -0400

The Otesha Project is hiring a new High School Programs Director!

See the attached job description, or check http://www.otesha.ca/files/HSProgramsDirector08.pdf for more information.