Knowledge of communications techniques and the exchanging of experiences strengthen human rights organizations. Their activities confront constant and growing challenges stemming from intolerant, and frequently aggressive, sectors on a daily basis. They must be prepared to deal with this reality. It was with this in mind that we organized the seminar, “Communications, violence and human rights”, which brought together human rights specialists and defenders at the FGV Law School in São Paulo this April.
The seminar was yet another step for the foundation who, with ten years of existence, has accumulated impressive numbers in its support of the human rights field: R$ 11.7 million donated to organizations that defend human rights via its nine annual funding rounds and five specially themed rounds; around 300 supported projects; more than 100 on-site visits; along with events aimed at knowledge building, campaigns and shows.
We’ve just selected 22 projects to be supported as part of the round, “Combating institutional violence and discrimination”. Furthermore, another nine proposals were selected as part of a specific round of funding directed at “Confronting human trafficking”. In just this year alone, the Brazil Human Rights Fund will donate approximately R$ 1 million to projects throughout the country. At the same time, it deepens the ever more important promotion of social justice philanthropy in Brazil.
Bringing together these two aims requires stamina — and our numbers show that we have the energy and the necessary understanding to take this challenge head on.
More recently, we organized a round table whose main result was an in-depth analysis on the current political context and the outlook for a new cycle of human rights defense.
The publicizing of communications materials, open dialog with diverse sectors of society and the constant contact with representatives of the projects we support round up the Brazil Human Rights Fund’s activities, known for its fundamental role in the defense of the human rights legacy and the development of further progress.
We continue onward.
Ana Valéria Araújo
Executive Director