Category Archives: Equitas blog

JORGE SAMANEZ – Peru. Early in his career, Jorge was interested in alternative teaching methods, as opposed to traditional education, which he compared to a “military cartel” in his country because of its strict practices. 

Adriana Correa was born into conflict. In her homeland of Colombia an armed conflict has been going on for 52 years with more than 220,000 dead—81 percent of them civilians, according to ¡Basta ya! of Centro Nacional de Memoria Historica, the National Centre for Historic Memory, or NCHM where Adriana serves as communications coordinator. 

SALLY SALEM – Egypt. At 22, Sally Salem seemed to be heading down the path expected for many women in Cairo, Egypt. It was 1999 and she had just graduated with a degree in English literature and, through family connections, had landed a secure job in a local company. But she was restless. And she couldn’t stop quietly questioning the social inequalities and discrimination she observed. 

BRIAN BRONFMAN – Montreal, Canada. “We realized early on that we had to focus fairly tightly if we would be successful with a small Foundation, since the concept of peace is so incredibly huge.  We work on creating healthy relationships, not tackling huge issues such as solving crises in the Middle East.  That being said, healthy relationships are at the core of peace on every scale, large and small.” 

FREDERIC DIOUF – Senegal. Tens of thousands of courageous people across the globe have dedicated their lives to the promotion of a fairer, more equitable and more peaceful world. Frederic Philippe Diouf, Senegalese human rights defender, has a clear goal: to give communities the power and autonomy to build solidarity, to participate in decision-making processes, and to take their future into their own hands. 

LUCIEN KABORE – Burkina Faso. “Poverty is a phenomenon that really degrades the human being. In this situation, human dignity is compromised: you can’t go to health centers, you can’t have three meals a day, and your children no longer attend school. Poverty is real in Burkina Faso and we must find ways to support these populations. ” 

AMPARITA STA. MARIA – Philippines   This story is part of the series We are human rights changemakers to celebrate Equitas’ 50th anniversary. All through 2017, we invite you to discover stories of 50 inspiring human rights changemakers. These are but a few of the hundreds who have changed lives around the world through human […]