Last month, Dr. Kazuko Hillyer Tatsumura attended the grand opening of the Academic Building of Manjushree Tibetan Orphanage in Tawang, India that she helped finance.
Last month, Dr. Kazuko Hillyer Tatsumura attended the grand opening of the Academic Building of Manjushree Tibetan Orphanage in Tawang, India that she helped finance. All 254 children, teachers, villagers, monks, officials, and international guests gathered to celebrate.
Architectural rendering of the new academic building at Manjushree. Image: Manjushree Orphanage.
A member of the Board of Directors of Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), I wrote about her early efforts to fund the Dalai Lama’s children in this publication (LINK) several years ago. I recently had a wonderful Japanese dinner with Dr. Kazuko at 100 United Nations Plaza and she told me:
To me it was a very emotional occasion. It took over four years to build this building – with the help of many in the U.S. and Japan.
Dr. Kazuko provided iPads and uniforms for the children of Manjushree Orphanage. Image: Manjushree Orphanage.
Her enthusiasm of the place and its children are infectious:
I wish you had been there with me: Tawang is a magnificent and very important Tibetan village, located deep in the remote Himalayan mountains, on the border of India and China, near Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar.
This is where the fifth Dalai Lama’s monastery was located, historically the second largest. It is the birthplace of sixth Dalai Lama. To get there, you must cross nine mountains – two almost 15,000 feet!
The old academic building. Photo: Dr. Kazuko.
Dental hygiene used to require brushing teeth in the stream gutter. Photo: Dr. Kazuko.
Manjushree Orphanage was started by a remarkable monk named Lama Thupten Phuntsok, He began 1n 1998 with 17 children and three devoted teachers. The original home was housed in an unsanitary building with no plumbing and no adequate lighting.
The Opening Ceremonies vibrated with Tibetan culture that very much lives in India. Photo: Manjushree Orphanage.
Dr. Kazuko first heard about this Tibetan orphanage from the Dalai Lama and was concerned about the well being of its children. She particularly worried about the existence of infectious diseases.
Another view in the architectural renderings. Image: Manjushree Orphanage.
Dr. Kazuko arrived first in 2009 to take care of eleven children suffering with TB. Originally, many of the children arrived in Manjushree, crossing over the Himalayas in pursuit of a traditional Tibetan education no longer available in Tibet proper. To do so, they risked their lives. Villagers there were as they are today, extremely poor and isolated from Tibet itself.
Walking into the building the first time, Dr. Kazuko said her heart was pounding with excitement. Photo: Dr. Kazuko.
In last three years, the Manjushree produced 22 graduates, and all went to colleges and professional schools. This is a remarkable fact in any standard anywhere, but coming from this very remote village of Himalaya particularly notable.
Architectural rendering of the Academic Building front. Image: Manjushree Orphanage.
Dr. Kazuko told me with great satisfaction:
We now have a beautiful building which houses the classes till they graduate for the higher educations, together with rooms for Science, Biology, Library, Chemistry, Computer lab, Dalai Lama’s teaching hall, and even the Gaia Holistic Health Clinic.
So many people from around the world spent so many years to make this happen. Dr. Kazuko, middle, wearing ceremonial ‘kata’ given to her is appreciation. Photo: Dr. Kazuko.
Although I already knew the answer as she tells me so frequently, I asked her what it was about these particular kids that filled her heart do full of love? She explained:
The children of Manjushree are quite different than any other children! They are all naturally compassionate – full of love for all sentient beings… They never raise their voices, nor quarrel among themselves. They are just adorable. One goes there to assist but, instead, we always learn so much from these children.
The Tibetan monks in residence were particularly pleased to see the children’s school. Photo: Dr. Kazuko.
She continued:
We were all moved and touched constantly in tears. It is a remarkable healing place for anyone’s soul. I hope, in fact, I am sure that these children will grow up to be important leaders for the world – in whatever field they choose.
A Board member of Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), Dr. Kazuko has coordinated fundraising efforts in both the U.S. and Japan for several years for the Manjushree Orphanage for Tibetan children. Photo: OIWW.
This summer a benefit was held in the Hamptons with Dr. Kazuko to raise funds for the Tibetan Manjushree Orphanage in Tawang, India. The benefit was organized by Orphans International Worldwide at Space16. Contributions, earmarked “Tibet,” may be made online at http://tinyurl.com/qyx6hlf. Checks payable to “Orphans International,” earmarked “Tibet,” may be sent to 540 Main Street #418, New York, N.Y. 10044.
“These wonderful children deserve the world’s support. They are kind and generous and loving – and need to be feed, and clothed, and educated. Please join me in compassion for these beautiful children of God!”
The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation (www.lucefoundation.org) supporting young global leadership is affiliated with Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), raising global citizens. If supporting youth is important to you, subscribe to J. Luce Foundation updates here.
Jim’s writings on music and musicians explore the profound global reach and unifying power of musical expression across all cultures and contexts. Through his work, Luce demonstrates how music transcends geographical boundaries and serves as a universal language that builds community connections among diverse populations. He examines music’s multifaceted role as a vehicle for social protest, religious expression, political commentary, and cultural storytelling, whether found in sports anthems, film scores, or across every musical genre imaginable. Central to Luce’s philosophy is his belief that music functions as both educator and cultural ambassador, offering listeners invaluable insights into different societies, traditions, and ways of life while fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation. His writings illuminate how this art form continues to break down barriers and create shared experiences that unite people across the globe.
New York, N.Y. I have been trying to interview Emmy Award-winning composer/philanthropist Peter Buffett [Luce Index™ Score: 98] for two years.
I wrote about Grammy Award-winning UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo [Luce Index™ Score: 98] following the U.N. Day Concert back in October of last year (here).
Both musicians have been on my radar because I cover Thought Leaders and Global Citizens – and they represent everything that is right with celebrity: The power to achieve goodness on a grand scale.
Peter Buffett and Angelique Kidjo recording single to support girls in Africa.
Peter (Wiki) and Angelique (Wiki) spoke to me by phone this week about their latest project. It’s their new charitable single release called “A Song for Everyone” in support of the Batonga Foundation, Angelique’s non-profit dedicated to advancing young women’s education in Africa.
The foundation does this by granting scholarships, building secondary schools, increasing enrollment, improving teaching standards, providing school supplies, supporting mentor programs, exploring alternative education models, and advocating for community awareness of the value of education for girls.
The foundation currently has an active presence in the countries of Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali, and Sierra Leone.
The name “Batonga” stems from a word Angelique made up as a response to taunts when she was going to school — the boys didn’t know what the word meant, but to her it was an assertion of the rights of girls to education. Batonga!
Angelique, a native of Benin who lived for years in Paris and now resides here in New York City, and Peter, who was raised in Omaha and to this day has a deep appreciation of Native Americans, united to create this moving single.
The song features Angelique’s vibrant, uplifting signature ‘World’ sound, Peter’s pop-rock songwriting and catchy melody, with lyrics in both artists’ native tongues: English and Yoruba.
100% of the proceeds from downloads of the single will benefit the Batonga Foundation, to give girls a higher education so they can take leadership roles in Africa.
Another crucial part of their mission is advocating for community awareness of the value of education for girls by addressing gender prejudice.
There is a growing consensus that the most cost effective way to help African nations reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for their citizens is to support education for girls.
Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan summed it up when he said, “To educate girls is to reduce poverty.”
Grammy Award-winning UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo withchildren in Ethiopia. Photo credit: copyright UNICEF/HQ05-0287/Boris Heger.
Chatting with Peter and Angelique was the highpoint of my week. Such positive energy! Angelique told me:
My mom was educated. She understood the importance of educating her children, boys and girls. When a girl is born in Africa, she has no identify. Education changes that!
“No woman should ever go through what I went through – you must get your education!,” she told me.
My brothers were taught the basics – but also how to go to the market, cook, and sew. The neighbors would laugh about this, but my mother would say: “God forbid if their wife dies – how will they know how to take care of themselves?”
My father was very strong as well and he wanted us all educated. He pushed hard for us. My dad was my champion and he supported me to become an artist.
These ideas were ahead of their time, and the neighbors called my parents “White people,” which was not a compliment.
My dad said, ‘”Call me anything you want – my children will be educated!'”
Both Angelique and Peter stressed how important it was for men to be part of the process of assisting girls. Men must be included. Peter feels that by not being a woman he has a fresh perspective to offer.
Angelique confirmed that by saying she was so happy to be able to work with Peter in helping African girls. He serves as a male role model.
Emmy Award-winning composer/philanthropist Peter Buffett in Liberia with the IRC.
Peter Buffett and his wife Jennifer run the NoVo Foundation. Peter laughed that occasionally friends compliment him on helping his wife ‘do her thing’ with philanthropy. Trust me, it is their thing. Think Melinda and Bill.
Chatting with Peter, I got immediately that he was on a par with Bono in terms of musicians who know the intricacies of international development.
Peter wants to leverage his own assets to solve the problems of the world, not just hand people the proverbial fish. It is obvious he has learned a few lessons from his father Warren Buffett. Peter told me:
No amount of money can solve all the problems in the world. The challenge for us is to try to keep girls in school past the age of 12, which will impact later generations to come.
We need to leverage our resources to create the ‘Girl Effect,’ as the Nike Foundation has called it.
Leveraging is what the three B’s are into: Bono, Bill Gates, and Bill Clinton. Peter gets this deeply.
Angelique sees the ‘Girl Effect’ as a form of trickle-up social development. Similar to how immigrant children in America teach their parents how to make it here, the young African girls learning through the Batonga Foundation are encouraged to go home and teach their mothers:
In Africa, many women sign their names at the ballot box with an “X.” Our girls can teach them how to write their own name. Then, voting becomes real for them- and the chances of fraud are reduced.
I also ask my girls to teach their mothers how to count. This ability alone opens the world for their moms. We have reversed the process: Our children are teaching our adults.
Peter is just himself – he’s neither afraid to sound hackneyed nor controversial:
I realize it sounds trite, but these young women could be your sisters, your nieces, your wives, your grandmothers. We truly are one big family. Our single, “A Song for Everyone,” is about this.
You know, I personally hate the word “charity.” It assumes someone is lesser. We are all in this together.
We simply must lift everyone into the dignity that we all deserve, and in so doing, humanity wins. We all win. Together.
Angelique was also philosophical:
We need money, but we also need people around the world to keep our girls in their hearts, to think of them as their daughters – not just an anonymous stranger that one gives charity to.
And I cannot deal with people telling me anything is “impossible.” Nothing is impossible! Humanity needs to come together, and we can. And we are.
Look at Haiti! Everyone wants to help because we are all connected. We are one planet. Our survival is based on one another.
I asked Peter how he became involved with a cause so far from Nebraska. Growing up in Ohio myself – and working in Asia, Africa, and the Americas – I felt I knew his answer in advance, but felt compelled to ask the obvious. He replied:
Sure, there is poverty in Omaha. Deep pockets of poverty. We just need to extend a hand. Not a hand-out, but a hand. To anyone, anywhere. In Omaha and beyond.
Having just attended the international cell phone conference in Barcelona with 49,000 participants and 1,300 venders, I am now fairly well versed in how the connectivity cell phone technology offers can help in Africa.
Peter, I discovered, knows mobile phone technology inside and out:
There is great promise coming with cell phones, from getting prices to farmers – to being able to pay rural teachers by cell phone banking. Mobile education will be huge.
I was in West Africa where I saw lesson plans being run off on a broken-down copier. Soon, lesson plans will be downloaded to each teacher’s cell. It will be transformational.
Angelique agreed:
My mentors in Benin need cell phones to talk to each other effectively. Right now I need 24 cell phones from the same provider to facilitate their communications. Do you know any C.E.O. from a cell phone provider in Benin? Call them for me – I need help!
In my piece about the United Nations concert last fall I wrote:
Angelique then took the stage and sang the world-popular Swahili song, Malaika. She brought the house down with her rendition of Axe Mama Africa!
Her striking voice, stage presence and her fluency in multiple cultures and languages won respect from her peers and expanded her following across national borders.
It also earned her access to humanitarians who sensed the passion in the words of her songs, resulting in her long-term dedication to global charity work.
She has hosted the prestigious and globally important Mo Ibrahim Foundation‘s Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in both Alexandria, Egypt and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
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Peter does not rest on his laurels either. He and Akon’s social action website, IsThereSomethingICanDo.com, re-launched last year to coincide with the release of the pair’s latest single, “Blood Into Gold.”
Now powered by DoSomething.org, a leading cause-focused social networking site, this site is an on-line destination where users can get involved, share personal experiences in making a difference, and meet others with common goals – and a passion for change.
Spotlighting a new social cause of worldwide concern monthly, IsThereSomethingICanDo brings much-needed attention to human trafficking as the first featured subject – with more to come.
Fans can visit Do Something’s “Celebs Gone Good” blog to see behind-the-scenes video of Angelique and Peter.
As the youngest son of legendary investor Warren Buffett, Peter explains — in his live, touring “Concert and Conversation” series — the reasoning behind his father’s decision not to give his children a financial head start in life.
He talks about how important it is for each person to define his or her own path, regardless of their wealth or background. Infused with live music performances and video clips from his film, TV, and philanthropic work, Peter’s candor and unique talent make for an uplifting and rewarding experience.
Peter uses social media extensively and has an active presence on Facebook and NING. His latest book, Life Is What You Make It, is now available for pre-order at Random House. The book takes on themes of following passions over conventions, and how part of life’s journey can be found in the process of giving back.
Angelique ended our interview by telling me what she says in Benin: “I tell my girls that behind me there are many, many people who care so deeply about them. They look at me with such open eyes!”
To join the ranks of those who care about Benin’s young women, and the work that Peter Buffett and Angelique Kidjo are doing to support them, download their single today.
Donating to the foundation is simple: Download the single for yourself, “gift” the track to your friends using iTunes, or via Peter’s on-line store. Or just make an old-fashioned contribution on-line.
Dr. Kazuko Hillyer Tatsumura, founder of Gaia Holistic Foundation, at the Tibetan Buddhist Orphanage at Manjushree. Photo: Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura.
Although Leila and Hank Luce had been supportive of Tibet House and the Dalai Lama (as well as Don Rubin and the Rubin Museum), I had never met His Holiness myself. That soon changed, as Dr. Kazuko invited me to meet His Holiness in India in 2012.
Next month we are having our second annual gala in support of that school at the Manjushree orphanage – in Tibet House off Union Square. In fact, our foundation now has an endowment fund set up to support the Tibetan orphans of Manjushree in perpetuity.
Dr. Kazuko provided iPads and uniforms for the children of Manjushree Orphanage. Image: Manjushree Orphanage.
Join us for this authentic Tibetan dinner in support of the Manjushree Orphanage Endowment on Wednesday, January 24. This year, our Gala Dinner will include film, and other entertainment – as well as some rare auction items to help the orphaned children of Manjushree including trips to Manjushree, Bhutan, and Japan with Dr. Kazuko.
Tickets for the event may be purchased online – just enter $153 with a credit card at http://tinyurl.com/k7qa4wj. See invitation here.
His Holiness presiding over the Kalachakra ritual in Bodh Gaya, India. Photo: Jim Luce.
H.H. the Dalai Lama has been supported by Dr. Kazuko Hillyer Tatsumura for decades. Founder of the Gaia Holistic Foundation and a board member of both Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) and the J. Luce Foundation, Dr. Kazuko has been known as the most prominent non-Tibetan supporter of this project. This fascinating story was first reported here in HuffPo.
The Manjushree Endowment Fund for Tibetan Orphans is managed by the J. Luce Foundation in cooperation with Gaia Holistic Foundation. Gaia Holistic Foundation, Orphans International, Tibet Fund, and the J. Luce Foundation are primary sponsors of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s annual birthday party held each July 6 at Essex House on Central Park South.
Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura is the main force behind His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s annual birthday celebrations at Essex House in New York City. Photo: Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura.
So what is ‘Manjushree’ all about? Manjushree(“Mañjuśrī”) was a bodhisattva associated with prajñā (insight) in Mahayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is also a yidam. His name means “Gentle Glory” in Sanskrit.
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Manjushree Orphanage in the village of Tawang is located high up the Himalayas where there has long been a border dispute between China and India. The monastery and orphanage sits at the most northeastern region of India, sharing the border with Bhutan on its west and Myanmar on its east. Over 10,000 feet above sea level, it is situated where winter is long and severe and summer has a three month-long rainy season.
The Dalia Lama presents his teachings at the Kalachakra in Bodh Gaya, India. Photo: Jim Luce.
Not only does Dr. Kazuko love the compassionate children of Manjushree, she is enthralled with the mountains there; Tawang is hard to get to – and stunningly beautiful. The land there is full of deep forests and high, snow-capped mountains with a great river running through it.
This area is very rich in the culture of Tibetan Buddhism. It carries special significance as the birthplace of His Holiness the 6th Dalai Lama and home to one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world. Thousands of Tibetans now reside there.
These children, Dr. Kazuko says, embody compassion, cooperation, and patience.Photo: Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura.
Tawang is the place where His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama – today’s Dalia Lama – first found refuge after fleeing Tibet in 1959. He stayed there for a while before he settled down in Dharamsala. The monastery in Tawang honors the great 5th Dalai Lama and has old things such as Buddhist sutras written in pure gold.
There is a wondrous story about Tawang. When 6th Dalai Lama left his house where he was born, he planted a tree at the garden and said, “I will come back when this tree grows as tall above the roof of the house.” When the 14th Dalai Lama was exiled and got to Tawang, this tree had just gotten above the roof!
Our group had an Audience with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya. Photo courtesy of Yoshimitsu Nagasaka.
Dr. Kazuko explained to me about the Tibetans in Tawang:
These are the poorest of all the Tibetans living in India and their health conditions are not good, with many contagious diseases. Many suffer from tuberculosis that medicines don’t cure well. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is very much concerned about this and recently helped to build a new hospital there.
In 1998, the young Tibetan monk named Lama Thupten Phuntsok founded the Manjushree Orphanage. It was established with 17 children and as now has 254. The Dalai Lama thought it was imperative to have a new and bigger school building for them and so Dr. Kazuko raised $720,000 to help build the stone structure. Orphans International, founded in 1999, has assisted in this effort for the last six years.
The children of Manjushree Orphanage have known Dr. Kazuko for most of their lives. Photo: Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura.
Richard Gere and Dr. Robert Thurman, a professor at Columbia University and father of Uma, founded Tibet House in New York along with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I had met Bob at the Christie’s auction and asked him about Dr. Kazuko’s daunting challenge — and importance — to raise funds for a school in this economy. Bob told me:
It is wonderful what Kazuko is doing for those orphaned children, and Tibet House U.S. is pleased to be helping with the project to build a proper school for them. She is exemplifying what His Holiness calls “Universal Responsibility,” by adopting all those lovely kids.
Supporters of Manjushree Orphanage gather frequently with Dr. Kazuko for an update. Photo: The Stewardship Report.
Dr. Kazuko says she is frequently asked, “There are so many orphans in the world – Why Tibetan Children?” She responds:
In my over seventy years of life, I have traveled over 135 countries in the world, seen much and met countless beautiful people and wonderful children. But I must say this strongly, ‘Tibetan people are unique, and Tibetan culture is unique and we must preserve them both, if the what they have naturally can be further cultivated and nurtured in a right environment.’
Dr. Kazuko Hillyer at Vulcan’s Peak, Rajgir, India site of The Buddha’s second sermon. Photo: Jim Luce.
She continues:
When His Holiness says, “We must preserve Tibetan Culture,” I think people in general don’t fully understand. He means cultural spirituality. You can learn and preserve painting, dance, music, and food traditions – but these are at the most mundane level. The transcendental aspect of culture is the one the Dalai Lama is talking about.
In this busy world with full of greed and selfishness – this ‘Me First’ environment in which we live – Tibetans’ spiritual culture is unique. Tibetans seem to find happiness in practicing ‘Others before self.’ I believe we need balance on this planet, and Tibetans can give us this equilibrium. I think this is what I saw in the children of Manjushree Orphanage. I want to help these children learn and grow, giving influence to the world.
Second Annual Dinner for Manjushree Orphanage Endowment
Wed., January 24, 2018; 6-9pm Tibet House, 22 West 15th St., NYC 10011 Ticket: $153. Online ticket(s) can be purchased via: http://tinyurl.com/k7qa4wj. Invitation here.
In addition, please join us for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 83rd Birthday Celebration at Essex House on Central South, NYC on Friday, July 6, 2018 at 6:00pm. Tickets are $180. Please contact kazuko@gaiaholistic.com or call (212) 799-9711 for more information.
Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura first met His Holiness in 1972 in Dharamsala when she organized the first worldwide tour of Tibetan folk opera. Photo: Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura.
he James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation (www.lucefoundation.org) supporting young global leadership is affiliated with Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), raising global citizens. If supporting youth is important to you, subscribe to J. Luce Foundation updates here. Follow Jim Luce onFacebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
I spoke to Andeisha Farid yesterday in Washington yesterday, who was pleased to have just met Michelle Obama. Hillary Clinton then spoke about her in her speech.
Washington, D.C. Andeisha, founder of the Afghan Child Education and Care Organization (AFCECO) of Kabul, was in Washington, D.C. to accept the global leadership award at Lincoln Center from the important organization known as Vital Voices.
I first met “Orphans Hero” Andeisha Farid last fall when she was in town as part of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women Program. Vital Voices echoes that theme, with their belief that investing in women improves the world.
Brian Williams’ met and presented a brilliant portrayal of Andeisha in his Making A Difference segment of the NBC Nightly News (video). See also my post (here).
Brian Williams has just filmed another segment about Andeisha on his NBC nightly news show, this time focusing on her award at the Vital Voices event. Brian Williams introduced Andeisha Farid to the U.S. throughNBC News program segment, ‘Making a Difference.
“I was very excited to meet the First Lady,” Andeisha told me. “And I was so happy to receive such a prestigious award. The award encourages me to keep doing what I am doing.”
“My message of acceptance,” she said, “was that I could not have done any of it without Paul Stevers and CharityHelp International (CHI), or without the assistance of all of our volunteers from around the world, such as Ian Pound.
The Afghan Child Education and Care Organization in Kabul is supported by CharityHelp International, founded by entrepreneur Paul Stevers.
The Vital Voices event was a Who’s Who of powerful women. Melinda Gates was also honored. Hillary Clinton and Diane von Furstenberg were among the many well wishers in the audience.
In her speech, Hillary mentioned Andeisha: “When we were listening to Andeisha Farid talk about growing up in a refugee camp, she said words that should stick with all of us: ‘But I got an education.'”
Hillary Clinton, founder of Vital Voices, believes in women. So do many men.
I spoke this week to Peter Buffet who is working with Angelique Kidjo to promote girls in Africa. He feels that having men involved with women’s empowerment is vital to it being seen as a human rights issue.
NBC’s Brian Williams and New York Times writer and author Nicholas Kristof (Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide) attended the Vital Voices event and likewise noted that gender equality is the central moral struggle of our time.
The mission of Vital Voices is to identify, invest in, and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives – and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities.
Vital Voices Global Partnership is the preeminent NGO that identifies, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, enabling them to create a better world for us all.
Their international staff and team of over 1,000 partners, pro bono experts and leaders, including senior government, corporate and NGO executives, have trained and mentored more than 8,000 emerging women leaders from over 127 countries in Asia, Africa, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East since 1997.
These women have returned home to train and mentor more than 500,000 additional women and girls in their communities.
As former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said, “To educate girls is to reduce poverty.” The leadership of this Washington-based organization are truly the Thought Leaders and Vital Voices of our time.
And given her courageous outspokenness, I am now very concerned for her safety.
Cambodian Parliament Member Mu Sochua (มู โซชัว)(Wiki) is headed back to Cambodia where she faces possible arrest and imprisonment. Yet she is headed back nonetheless.
She was in New York last week to attend Women in the World: Stories and Solutions, a conference that provides a platform for women across the world to tell the stories that have shaped their lives.
Some of the speakers in attendance are well-known, like Hillary Clinton, Diane von Furstenberg, and Queen Rania of Jordan. Other faces were less familiar but shared no less powerful stories, such as Mu Sochua.
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Mu Sochua with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Occasion of the Vital Voices Tribute to Global Women Leadership last week.
This high-powered event was sponsored by HP, Exxon Mobil, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women, and follows on the heels of the Vital Voices conference at Kennedy Center in Washington last week.
They invited internationally prominent women such as Mu Sochua to participate. In 2005, she was one of 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and has received many awards for her human rights work.
Waving to her supporters, the odds are stacked against Cambodian Parliament Member Mu Sochua. Many of her contemporaries in the opposition have been assassinated.
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Mu Sochua became a member of her nation’s Cabinet in 1998, after having returned in 1989 after 18 years in exile during the period called the Killing Fields. She was then one of two women in high power there.
War and genocide took me away from my native Cambodia when I had just completed high school, in 1972. War exploded in addition to genocide from 1975 to 1979.
In just three years, over one million lives were lost – a quarter of Cambodia’s people. The green rice fields of Cambodia became killing fields.
Armed conflict continued until the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1991.
She was the first woman to preside over the Office of Women’s Affairs. Prior to her, it had been considered a man’s job.
I left Cambodia as a young adolescent and returned as a mother and an activist, working with women’s networks and human rights organizations to promote peace and to include strong provisions in the 1993 Constitution to protect the human rights of women.
In 1998, I ran for a parliamentary seat in the North West of Cambodia, the most devastated region, and won. The same year, I became Minister of Women and Veterans’ Affairs — as one of only two women to join the cabinet.
I declined a ministerial post in the next government, joining the opposition party instead, and joining forces with Cambodian democrats to fight corruption and government oppression.
M.P. Mu Sochua visits a paralyzed woman denied quality health services.
But the government there is not particularly democrat and she felt the corruption and nepotism kept Cambodia’s women back. She did not wish to be co-opted, so she joined the Sam Rainsy Party, the lead opposition party in Cambodia.
As a minister, I proposed the draft law on domestic violence in Parliament, negotiated an international agreement with Thailand to curtail human trafficking in Southeast Asia, and launched a campaign to engage NGOs, law enforcement officials, and rural women in a national dialogue.
During my mandate, I campaigned widely with civil society and NGOs to encourage women at the grassroots to run as candidates for commune elections, the first of their kind in the history of Cambodia.
Cory Aquino fought with yellow ribbons, Aung San Suu Kyi fights with a dignified silence. Cambodian Parliament Member Mu Sochua leads the opposition with candles.
Although the government rejects these numbers — and critics are often challenged with misinformation charges — it appears from credible sources that Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia, with 30% of the population living below the national poverty line of 45 cents a day in 2007, with 68.2% of the population living on less than $2 a day.
Mu Sochua wants to improve Cambodia’s economy – with the help of Cambodia’s women:
My efforts have always been for long-term development which includes development of human resources for Cambodia, where most of our teachers, doctors, and judges were killed during the Khmer Rouge years.
As a woman leader I lead with the strong belief that women bring stability and peace, at home, in their communities and for the nation.
I am a strong supporter and advocate for a gender quota, although this special measure is yet to be adopted by the government.
Leaving the government to join the opposition is not the same as Joe Lieberman being a Democrat or Republican. In Cambodia, they don’t play. The head of the opposition party, Sam Rainsy, has been found guilty of destruction of public property and sentenced to two years in prison.
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This trumped-up charge was followed by another three weeks later that will likely send him to at least ten years behind bars.
Armed police in Phnom Penh blocking the opposition’s anti-corruption march.
Drummed-up charges and show trials are part of the Cambodian judiciary system that is directly controlled by the government. It is a direct form of political prosecution of the government’s critics.
A letter to the editor to The Phnom Penh Post this week by a prominent human rights defender points out the charges against Sam Rainsy are similar to the new electoral law in Burma which is designed solely to keep opposition leadership out of atonal elections.
Sam Rainsy, a prominent economist trained in France, was made Finance Minister following the U.N.-sponsored elections in 1993.
However, his parliamentary immunity was stripped and his former party expelled him from his government position in 1995 for his attempt to clean up corruption – forcing him to form the opposition party.
He has survived at least two assassination attempts when leading workers’ demonstrations. At one of the demonstrations his body guard died on top of him. He has since fled into exile in Paris.
Mu Sochua explained her dedication to opposition founder Sam Rainsy:
He leads with one thing in his mind: Justice. A man with strong democratic principles, he delegates power, he seeks the truth, and never shies away from threats to his life.
He has walked thousands of miles with the poor to end land grabs, he has lead hundreds of demonstrations to fight for workers’ rights.
And he has risked his life more than once to end corruption which is calculated at close to US$500 million per year according to the U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia.
Since 1995, Mu Sochua told me — as we sat in the safety of the Time-Warner Building opposite Columbus Circle in New York City — that 185 activists from her opposition party have been killed.
She casually mentioned that just to care for that number of bodies was a burden for her and her followers. As hardened as I have become by my travels, I was shocked.
More than once I have come face to face with armed police and military. My strategy for self-protection is to remain vocal, visible and high profile.
The day I joined the opposition party was the day the leader of the workers’ movement — Chea Vichea — was assassinated. He was the founder of the opposition in Cambodia.
The documentary of his life and death, Who Killed Chea Vichea?, will premiere March 27 at the Frederick Film Festival in Maryland. Chea was shot in broad daylight by assassins, but the government arrested two other men and imprisoned them for their supposed crime.
I was given a private screening of this moving film by its director Bradley Cox and will write its review shortly. Images of Buddhist priests crying as they watch the funeral procession are haunting.
Mu Sochua receives the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for leadership in human rights fromAllida Black, Director of the Eleanor Roosevelt Project at George Washington University.U.S. Mission Photo: Eric Bridiers.
The reason I fear for Mu Sochua’s safety is because the Government of Cambodia wants her gone. Try to follow this story – she is charged with “defamation.” As I understand it:
The Prime Minster insulted my new friend Mu Sochua. She insisted he apologize. He said, “forget-about-it – just sue me!” So she did.
However, her lawyer was immediately threatened with being disbarred, so he had to drop her as a client. The case was then closed for ‘lack of evidence.’
But the case was far from over. The Prime Minster then took her to court – for having sued him. He claimed she had committed a ‘conspiracy to defame his reputation.’ Unbelievable.
She lost this suit in June of 2009. She was told by the court she must pay a $4,000 fine. She refused and appealed – and lost again in November 2009.
Now — about the time she will return home — it goes to the Supreme Court there. The Court is controlled by the Cambodian Government, where she will most probably lose again.
“If I lose, I will not pay that fine,” she told me defiantly. I will go to jail first!”
She faces this verdict upon her return. I call on the world press to monitor this closely, and for the people of the world to reach out to their Cambodian Embassies and let them know: The Whole World Is Watching.
Mu Sochua has a 25-year history now of advocacy. As a Member of the Cambodian Parliament and mother of three, Mu Sochua has played a crucial role in the empowerment of women and has worked tirelessly to lead the fight against gender-based violence.
Her political issues are both specific and universal:
Human Rights of Women. She campaigns widely to defend the human rights of women through the adoption and full implementation of legislation against gender-based violence.
Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Women and Children. She travels around the country to sensitize villagers to the danger of trafficking, pursues the prosecution of traffickers through a strong network of local organizations, and leads the fight against corruption of officials.
Women in Politics. She is the principal leader of the women’s movement for transformative leadership, campaigning widely for legislation and policies to promote women’s participation and positions in decision-making.
The Urban Poor. She advocates for the rights of squatters to improve their living conditions and gain lease-hold rights to land. She also supports the development of communities for squatters with schools, health centers, sanitation, and access to employment.
Land Rights. She advocates for the rights of tenants in her constituency of Kampot and throughout Cambodia, investigating evictions and land-grabbing first-hand, listening to villagers’ stories, and supporting formal complaints.
There are said to have been at least 11,600 victims affected by land disputes in 2009. When urban communities are forcibly evicted and relocated to remote areas lacking proper sanitation, jobs, and food security, female heads of household suffer the most.
Malnurishment of infants and children under five double. Relocation of rural communities are even more dangerous to women as the families who are already vulnerable are further facing more violence as they are relocated to less secure, unfamiliar areas.
Forced evictions and illegal economic concessions happen almost on a daily basis, with villagers arrested without arrest warrants and leading the poor to chronic poverty and food insecurity.
Civil society and local human rights organizations working to empower the landless are often subject of government scrutiny, law suits, and illegal detention.
Cambodian Parliament Member Mu Sochua, whose is in danger for leading the opposition,with Jean-Michel Tijerina of the Cambodia Project and me in the safety of New York City.Photo courtesy of Nozomi Terao.
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Healthcare for women in Cambodia itself is beyond comprehension to me. According to Mu Sochua:
Maternal mortality rates in Cambodia are higher than any other country in the region although some progress has been made in the at five years.
There are currently over 4,000 deaths of women during delivery or five women die in childbirth per day, and one woman dies every five hours from childbirth. An average of 19,780 children die per year — with 55 dying every day during the first year of life.
Education is also a mess. According to Mu Sochua‘s research:
The literacy rate among women are 55.6%; only 12.6% of girls in rural areas attend lower school and 4.1% of rural girls attend lower secondary schools. Drop out rates also at primary level is at 50%.
Last month the organization that I founded, Orphans International Worldwide (OIW) presented its 2010 Distinguished Global Citizenship Awards for Helping Humanity. U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, a Member of the Hellenic Parliament, were awarded.
It is obvious to me that this Cambodian Member of Parliament, the Hon. Mu Sochua, must receive my organization’s 2011 Distinguished Global Citizenship Awards for Helping Humanity. It is up to the world to make sure she is not in prison so she can receive it.
The Luce family has a rich and enduring history of engagement with Korea, deeply rooted in their Presbyterian faith and missionary work. This legacy includes the Rev. Henry W. Luce, an influential American missionary in China during the late 19th century and the father of renowned publisher Henry R. Luce. In recognition of his contributions to missionary work and education, Yonsei University in Seoul honors his memory with a chapel named after him, symbolizing the Luce family’s longstanding ties to the region. Jim Luce continued this familial tradition of engagement with Korea, first traveling to Seoul during his college years. During this visit, he connected with friends at Yonsei University, immersing himself in the vibrant academic and cultural life of the institution. This early exposure to Korea’s rich heritage and contemporary society left a lasting impression on Jim, further deepening the Luce family’s connection to the country.
For more than two decades, Jim Luce has dedicated himself to documenting the lives and legacies of the world’s most influential voices—from Nobel laureates and world leaders to grassroots activists and cultural icons. His extensive collection of profiles and obituaries serves as a remarkable chronicle of global citizenship, capturing the stories of those who have shaped our modern world through their courage, creativity, and commitment to positive change. Through his thoughtful portraits, Luce reveals the human stories behind history’s most significant figures, offering readers intimate glimpses into the lives of presidents and poets, revolutionaries and reformers, artists and advocates who continue to inspire generations across the globe.
The Johns Hopkins undergraduate students behind ShapeU are changing the name of their fitness technology startup to FitMango, according to founder and C.E.O., Seal-Bin Han. I wrote about Seal, recipient of the 2014 Luce Leadership Award, a year ago here.
Image: FitMango.
Seal tells me now that the name change reflects their management team’s desire to focus on health clubs and gyms as the company’s primary market, as opposed to college campuses and recreation centers.
“We wanted to pick a new name that we could brand easily,” Seal said. “The mango isn’t ordinary, but it isn’t pretentious, either. The color is warm and inviting – it’s exactly the vibe that we want to give our users. Also, looking forward, nutrition will be an important part of what we will support and we wanted a name that could aptly reflect both fitness and nutrition.”
ShapeU was a web application that matched college students into small groups to work out with professional personal trainers, according to the company’s Angel List page.
Instead of automatically designating its users to the recreation centers of their respective universities, the new FitMango platform now intends to integrate with gyms and health clubs all across the country in order to give users — college students and non-affiliates, alike — the flexibility of finding or creating their ideal small group session of three-to-five individuals among the many gyms in their network.
Image: FitMango.
“We’re strong believers in the small group personal training model,” said Han. “One-on-one is unaffordable to most people at a national average of $60-per-hour and you can’t benefit from the positive peer pressure environment and the social aspect of group training. On the other side, large class sizes can be even worse, given that you will have little-to-no personal attention with the instructor and many issues with overcrowding.”
The newest team member of FitMango, Hannah Cowley, will be in charge of marketing the platform both inside the partnered gym facilities and around the city of Baltimore.
“Reaching out beyond the college market is a bold move, but one we are making with confidence in our vision, our mentors, and, most importantly, our team,” Hannah told me. “Our team of talented, motivated people is what has made us successful thus far and what propels us into our bright future. This team inspires me to strive for greater, face new challenges head on, and nurture our idea to reach its full potential.”
Image: FitMango.
In the coming months, FitMango plans to launch at Brick Bodies, along with a host of other gyms in the Baltimore, Maryland area, where the company is headquartered. I attended the Brick Bodies gala for mental health last month in Baltimore and was impressed to meet its visionary owner Victor Brickwho has embraced our young leaders and entrepreneurs.
“Baltimore has become our home and we’re quite fond of it,” said Seal who moved there to studying electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in 2013. “We’ve received overwhelming support from the tech community here. You’d be shocked at how many resources are available in this city and how much easier it is to become noticed.”
“I don’t think Baltimore is a conventional tech city, but FitMango was born in Baltimore. Our home is Baltimore. And we’ve found such amazing opportunities here,” said Jordan Matelsky, the founder and Chief Technology Officer of FitMango.
On left, Jordan Matelsky, Chief Technology Officer, and on right, Seal-Bin Han, Chief Executive Officer. Photos: FitMango.
In September, Steve Case, the co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer and chairman of AOL, visited Baltimore as part of his “Rise of the Rest” tour, where he heard pitches from local entrepreneurs. According to Technical.ly Baltimore, “Han got in front of the Internet legend twice — once by applying to the pitch competition and once via the startup’s connection to Hopkins.”
Recently, FitMango raised $200,000 from the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), AccelerateBaltimore, Towson University, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, Accenture, and several others.
“We weren’t looking to raise a big round,” said Seal. “We just wanted to have enough to make it through a well-advertised Beta test in about 45 gyms around the area.”
J. Luce Foundation Awardees Alana Galloway, Meera Gandhi, Mitzi Perdue, Eugenie Carys de Silva, Seal-Bin Han, Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura Hillyer, the author, and Kevin McGovern. Photo: Annie Watt/Stewardship Report.
The platform is currently available as a web application with a native iOS app expected to release in the coming months.
“A native app is the critical next step,” said Tucker Chapin, head of iOS development at FitMango. “People always have their phones with them and an app makes sure FitMango is convenient and useful.
The company will continue to serve college campuses and will run its legacy programs on the ShapeU website until January, where all programs for college recreation centers, health clubs, and gyms, alike, will be available on the FitMango site.
“We’re excited to move forward with renewed enthusiasm in our mission to bring a modern twist to health and wellness, and health and wellness to the world,” said Matelsky. “We’re joining forces with some awesome new people and we are looking forward to expanding the FitMango family.”
Each year, The J. Luce Foundation presents our annualLuce Leadership Awards to young leaders working to better humanity who embody the characteristics of honor, intelligence, benevolence, and stewardship.
Seal Bin Han met such criteria in 2014 and was subsequently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Foundation. He continues to exemplify these virtues through FitMango. I can only imagine the places he will go after graduation.
Drawing from decades of interfaith dialogue and firsthand spiritual exploration across continents, Jim Luce offers a uniquely accessible yet scholarly approach to understanding humanity’s diverse religious landscape. His extensive travels—from Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India to temples in Thailand, from Manhattan’s religious communities to Indonesia’s spiritual festivals—inform writings that bridge academic analysis with lived experience. Whether examining ancient wisdom traditions like Taoism and Buddhism, exploring contemporary religious movements, or investigating the complex dynamics between faith communities and social justice, Luce brings both intellectual rigor and genuine curiosity to questions that shape billions of lives. His work stands out for its commitment to dialogue over debate, seeking common ground while honestly addressing the tensions and controversies that arise when different belief systems intersect in our increasingly interconnected world.
Jim Luce holds an honorary Doctorate of Divinity degree from the Universal Life Church and brings decades of interfaith dialogue experience to this exploration of humanity’s spiritual landscape.
I first met Ambassador Sichan Siv in 2004. He spoke on surviving Pol Pot’s Killing Fields in Cambodia – and coming to America. He ended up working in the White House and then the United Nations.
New York, N.Y. I first met Ambassador Sichan Siv in 2004 when I was invited to hear him speak at the imposing Women’s Republican National Club, just north of Rockefeller Center. What a speech!
He spoke on surviving Pol Pot’s Killing Fields in Cambodia, then making his way to America where he earned a degree in International Relations at Columbia. He ended up working in the White House and then the United Nations.
Others have graduated from Columbia‘s prestigious business school, but few have done so after arriving at JFK with only $2, a scarf from their mother, and an empty sack for rice as their total life possessions.
There are fewer than ten speeches I have ever heard in my life that have stuck with me. His was one of them. Hearing a man recount how every member of his family – 15 in all, including his mother – were killed during genocide — that sticks in one’s mind for a long, long time.
Ambassador Sichan Siv, a Buddhist, revisited Angkor Wat in 1992.
After the war, Sichan learned that his mother had gone up to the Khmer Rouge and said, ‘Why do you leave me alive? You have killed my daughter and my son already. Why don’t you kill me as well?” So they did.
This man — who suffered so much, and yet went on to accomplish so much — impressed me greatly. I was delighted to be invited to his New York City home last week to meet with him and his lovely wife Martha. They now reside in Martha’s home state of Texas, but visit the East Coast regularly.
I was particularly pleased to do an on-camera interview with Sichan about his harrowing but ultimately triumphant life – and his best-selling book, Golden Bones. The title means “Very lucky, very blessed.”
“An extraordinary Journey from hell in Cambodia to a new life in America.”
A few days later, I heard the Ambassador speaking at Columbia Business School, at a symposium sponsored by my friends at Global China Connection, and wrote about that event last spring.
Hon. Sichan Siv with the leadership of Global China Connection at Columbia University.
We have all seen the heart-breaking footage of the fall of Saigon with the last helicopter leaving the U.S. Embassy, leaving Vietnam. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge entered neighboring Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. Once again, America evacuated key personnel and locals.
Sichan had been selected for U.S. evacuation because he had helped manage the U.S. relief agency CARE. He had one hour to get to the embassy – but he did not make it. Thus began his dark brush with death that somehow led him to the corridors of power in Washington and New York.
No one knows how many were executed by the Khmer Rouge — at least 200,000 by the lowest counts. Estimates of the total number of deaths resulting from Khmer Rouge policies – including disease and starvation – range from 1.4 to 2.2 million out of a small population of around 7 million. Sichan should have been among them.
To escape notice as a pariah “intellectual,” he had thrown away his glasses. None the less, he was immediately captured by the Khmer Rouge and placed in a labor camp.
Last spring he journeyed back, and in a poignant essay in the New York Times, “Last Breakfast in Cambodia,” wrote about his return. Cambodians, like most Theravada Buddhists, celebrate their New Year in mid-April.
He reminisced about how his family held their reunions every year to mark both the New Year and his mother’s birthday. “In 1975,” he wrote, “we had no idea that it would be our last.”
PHOTO The Ambassador visiting orphaned Cambodian children playing with masks in Takeo.
For a year he was imprisoned in a succession of slave-labor camps in Cambodia, toiling 18 hours a day, digging ditches, hoeing weeds, fixing roads. He would then stagger back to the huts, gag down a bowl of rancid soup, and fall into a nightmarish sleep.
After a year he escaped to Thailand and became a Buddhist monk. His escape will one day be the subject of a Hollywood movie. Sichan arrived in Thailand, where he eventually made it via a refugee camp to New York’s JFK. His powerful book has all the riveting details, a must-read.
There is also an incredible piece on the Ambassador’s life by Voice of America, in Mandarin.
Sichan’s marriage to Martha Pattillo, a Presbyterian from Texas who had once worked for the U.N. in Bangkok, is the Buddhist Ambassador‘s greatest blessing. They were married in the Lone Star State on Christmas Eve 1983.
Sichan’s marriage to Texan Martha Pattillo has made him a Cambodian cowboy.
Are names destiny? His slaughtered mother named him “Sichan,” which means “Beautiful Moon” in Khmer. She instructed him, “Remember, Sichan, whatever happens, never give up hope.”
Jim Luce (Orphans International), Ambassador Sichan Siv, Jean-Michel Tijerina (The Cambodia Project), and Gavin Newton-Tanzer (Global China Connection).
He never has. He continues to inspire young leaders across the U.S. and world, such as his friends Jean-Michel Tijerina, founder of The Cambodia Project, and Gavin Newton-Tanzer, founder of Global China Connection.
Ambassador Sichan Siv is a thought leader on the miracle of Making It In America, and a global citizen with a deep understanding of human nature, learned during his unlikely journey from his Buddhist temple to the White House.
He has never given up hope – which inspires my friends and me, and the entire world.
UNICEF warned that as urban warfare increases, the use of weapons designed for open battlefields are now a common reality in cities, towns and villages, with devastating effects on their young residents.
Between 2018 and 2022, explosive weapons were responsible for 49.8 per cent of the more than 47,500 instances of children killed and maimed that were verified by the UN in more than 24 conflict zones globally, with the vast majority occurring in populated areas.
Irrefutable Evidence
“The evidence is irrefutable. When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, children suffer profoundly, not just physically but in every aspect of their lives,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban.
“Thousands of young lives are abruptly ended or forever altered each year,” he added.
“Beyond children’s physical injuries and scars lie additional – often less visible – psychological, educational and social impacts, that can persist throughout their lifetimes, creating cycles of hardship and suffering.”
The use of explosive weapons also has broader social, economic and environmental impacts that severely affect children’s access to healthcare, education, clean water and other essential services.
In addition, the destruction of infrastructure has long-term consequences for their development and the health of the community at large.
Prevention is Critical
UNICEF is working on the ground in conflict zones to mitigate impacts, delivering aid and support to the children most at risk.
However, the agency stressed the critical need for prevention, which requires “a robust and sustained international response”.
It is sounding the alarm as countries meet this week in Oslo for the first international follow-up conference to the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA), adopted in November 2022.
More than 85 countries have endorsed the Declaration, which commits States to take steps to avoid civilian harm when conducting military operations in populated areas.
Protect Future Generations
UNICEF called on all warring parties, and those with influence over them, to protect and ensure respect for children’s rights, including by ending the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
All countries are urged to sign the EWIPA Declaration, while those that are already signatories should identify and adopt military measures, policies and practices that reduce harm to children.
Other areas for action include providing sustained financial support for programmes and interventions that will protect children, for example, through injury surveillance, victim assistance and conflict preparedness and protection.
Member States should also refrain from transferring explosive weapons to warring parties that are likely to use them against civilians and civilian objects in line with the Arms Trade Treaty.
Mr. Chaiban said ongoing commitment by leaders and implementation of the EWIPA Declaration are critical.
“As the international community continues to witness the unspeakable harm these weapons cause, we must take decisive action to protect our future generations. The cost of inaction is too high, a price paid by our children,” he said.
Bangkok. I understand that one should not speak poorly of another’s faith, but I am very familiar with Soka Gakkai and believe it to be more cult than religion. I first learned about Soka Gakkaifrom our host family maid in Tokyo in the 1980’s to my musician housemates in Brooklyn in the 1990’s. I find it to be a cult hellbent on raising funds from those least able to afford it, hiding behind a global fade of international peace, and interfering in the domestic politics of Japan. I have great respect for Buddhism, ‘but this ain’t it.’
Soka Gakkai members form a human pyramid in Rio de Janeiro, 2011.
The group was disbanded during the Second World Warwhen much of the leadership was imprisoned for violations of the 1925 Peace Preservation Law and charges of lèse-majesté. After the war, it expanded to a claimed total of 750,000 households in 1958 through explosive recruitment. Further expansion was led by its former third president Daisaku Ikeda. According to its own account, has 11 million members in 192 countries and territories around the world.
Religion and politics are not supposed to mix, but they do–legally–in Japan. Komeito, a political party closely aligned with Soka Gakkai and founded by elements of its lay membership, entered a coalition agreement with the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party in 1999 and is currently a junior partner in government.
The belief of the Soka Gakkai centers on recognizing that all life has dignity with infinite inherent potential; this immanent Buddhahoodexists in every person and can be awakened through the Buddhist practice prescribed by Nichiren. They believe a person’s social actions at every moment can lead to soka, or the creation of value (the theory of the interdependence of life). Societal change is facilitated through “human revolution,” a way of living in the world that creates value.
Chanting the wordsNam-myoho-renge-kyo (also called Daimoku) is the main practice of the organization. Believers of the organizationchant these words reputed to change their lives, including the natural environments in which they live. They say an internal change that serves as the motivator for external social change.
Soka Gakkai members believe that chanting releases the power of the universal life force inherent in life. For some members, chanting for material benefits is a first step toward realizing the ultimate goal of Buddhahood.
Soka Gakkai, excommunicated from Nichiren Shoshu in 1991, has a custom of chanting excerpts from the Lotus Sutra. Soka Gakkai members, like the sect, receive the Gohonzon and place it on a unique altar called “Gakkai-Yo,” and perform the service facing it. It can be substituted for the installation of a Buddhist altar.Soka Gakkai’s expansion methods have been seen as controversial. The reason for propagation, as explained by Josei Toda, is “not to make the Soka Gakkai larger but for you to become happier … There are many people in the world who are suffering from poverty and disease. The only way to make them really happy is to (Soka Gakkai) to them.”
I have seen many people, including many friends, who have attempted to ‘chant their way to happiness and success‘ and go broke trying. I have witnessed that Soka Gakkai is a cult and I resent Interfaith attempts to channel it into the mainstream of world religion.
Jim Luce’s passion for exploration began at the age of four, when he first traveled to Europe. Since then, he has visited 76 countries and lived in six, immersing himself in diverse cultures and perspectives. As the saying goes, “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer”—and for Jim, each journey has not only enriched his life but also expanded his global thinking. He believes that experiencing the world firsthand fosters understanding and empathy, essential foundations for building international peace.
Jim Luce’s engagement with Israeli history began in high school during the 1970s, when he first delved into studying both the Holocaust and Israel’s founding. His decades-long interest in the region has been shaped by this historical foundation, yet he now finds himself in a position of profound moral conflict. Despite maintaining friendships with many Israelis who share his opposition to current military actions, Luce expresses deep anguish at what he perceives as a tragic historical irony—witnessing survivors of genocide and their descendants engaged in what he characterizes as genocidal actions against others, regardless of provocations. His concerns extend beyond the immediate conflict to encompass global implications, particularly his assessment that Benjamin Netanyahu, whom rates unfavorably with a Luce Index™ score of 51/100, poses a broader threat to international stability and peace.
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) social movement is dedicated to fighting racism and anti-Black violence, especially in the form of police brutality.
Racism, discrimination and crippled economies and health are among centuries-old legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and part of the stark messages behind the #RememberSlavery special events and newly unveiled chilling exhibits at UN Headquarters.
“You’re speaking about the greatest crime against humanity ever committed,” said renowned historian Sir Hilary Beckles, who also chairs the Caribbean Community’s Reparations Commission, reflecting on the transatlantic trade that enslaved more than 10 million Africans over four centuries.
“One could say it was an institution that was abolished 200 years ago, but let me tell you this,” he explained, “there is no institution in modernity, in the last 500 years or so, that has changed the world as profoundly as the transatlantic slave trade and slavery.”
“I stand before you today as a proud descendent of enslaved people who resisted slavery and racism,” Ms. King told the world body.
“Like my grandparents, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King,” she said, “my parents, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, have also dedicated their lives to putting an end to racism and all forms of bigotry and discrimination. Like them, I am committed to the fight against racial injustice and to carrying on the legacy of my grandparents.”
UN News caught up with Ms. King and Sir Beckles to ask them what the International Day of Remembrance meant to them.
Yolanda Renee King, youth activist and granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, addresses the General Assembly Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
UN News: The transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was abolished centuries ago. Why is it still important for the world to remember it?
Sir Hilary Beckles: When we say centuries ago, yes, maybe just under 200 years, but slavery and the slave trading enterprises were the greatest commercial enterprises in the world at that time and had an impact on the structure of the world economy, politics, race relations and cultural relations and how civilizations have interacted with each other. The impact was so profound and deep seated and sustained over several generations.
Yolanda Renee King: It’s so important for there to be some sort of acknowledgment. It is a day of reflection. I think that we have to acknowledge our history, our mistakes and the pain. We haven’t reached the full potential of our world because of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people.
The Memory of Slavery exhibit at UNESCO’s Slave Route Project in Paris. (file) Photo: UNESCO/P. Chiang-Joo
UN News: What legacies of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans are still with us today?
Yolanda Renee King: There are still remnants of that racism, of that discrimination. We must acknowledge the origin in order to solve the problem and to solve the issues. Clearly there’s a lot of discrimination and racism everywhere. While we have, each century, made strides, I think there are still issues very much present.
In order to solve the issue, we have to first acknowledge it.
Especially now more than ever, we’re seeing a big push back. We’re seeing a rise of racism and not just racism, but discrimination against all marginalised groups in general.
Sir Hilary Beckles: The consequences have been very significant. We see the evidence of those legacies everywhere, not only in the places where it was practiced, like in the entire Americas, but in Africa and to some extent in Asia.
We see it not only in the obvious issues of race relations and the development of racism as a philosophy for social organization, where most societies where it has touched are now structured in such a way that people of African descent are considered the most marginalised people, and the descendants of the enslaved people still continue to suffer racism.
If you look at countries with the greatest incidence of chronic diseases, Black people have the highest proportions of diabetic adult patients in the world.
The island where I’m from, Barbados, is considered the home of chattel slavery where the slave code in 1616 became the slave code for all of America in which African people were defined as non-human chattel property. Now, Barbados has the world’s highest incidence of diabetes and the highest percentage of amputations.
It cannot be a coincidence that the small island that was the first island to have an African majority and an enslaved population is now linked to the greatest amputations of patients with diabetes in the world.
The Island of Gorée off the coast of Senegal is a UNESCO heritage site and a symbol of the suffering, pain and death of the transatlantic slave trade. Photo: Unsplash
UN News: How should those legacies be addressed?
Yolanda Renee King: If you want to have a world with discrimination and prejudice and all this and you want hardship for the future, then go ahead and just leave things the way they are today.
But, if you want change, if you want to really do something, I think the best way to do that is really holding our leaders accountable and bringing these issues up to them. They’re the ones that are going to determine not only your future, but your child’s future, your family’s future and those after you, the future for them.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, addresses the General Assembly.
Sir Hilary Beckles: We are still dealing with clearing up the fundamental issues of colonisation, massive illiteracy, extreme malnutrition and chronic disease, and addressing these matters required tremendous amount of capital investment. So, when we speak of justice, basically what we are saying to the colonisers and the enslavers who have left us legacy behind: “This is your legacy, and reparatory justice says you must come back to the site of the crime and facilitate the clean up operation.”
Thirty or forty years ago, reparatory justice was a concept that attracted very little support. By redefining the concept of reparations, we said they are about repairing the damage done to a people, communities and nations. These issues must be repaired if these countries have a chance of having development.
We have found that African governments now equipped with the historical knowledge are able to say “we want to have a conversation around reparations; we want to talk about it.” That was one of the major seismic achievements. When the African Union met at the end of last year and declared that 2025 is going to be the year of African reparations, that was a huge historic achievement.
UN News: Ms. King, your grandfather’s iconic I Have a Dream speech in Washington in 1963 continues to inspire generations to forge ahead in the struggle for rights. His dreams were for a day when people would be judged on their character, not their skin colour. Has his dream been realized in 2024, and have you ever felt judged by the colour of your skin?
Yolanda Renee King: I don’t think we’ve reached that dream yet. I think that there has been some progress. I think that there have been some strides since the speech was made. But, we shouldn’t be where we are now. I think we should be more ahead. And if he and my grandmother were still alive, I think that we as a society would be much farther along than we are now.
As someone who is a Black person, I think that unfortunately we’ve all faced some sort of discrimination and judgment. Unfortunately, yes, there have been times when I’ve been judged based on my race. I think that we need to find a way to move on, and we need to begin to strategise.
I think a lot of people, rather than talking about the dream and glorifying it and celebrating it and putting a tweet acknowledging it on [Martin Luther King] MLK Day, we actually need to start taking some action in order to move forward as a society, in order to improve and in order to be in the world in which he described in that speech.
The UN hosted a series of special events to highlight the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination, from 21 to 27 March, and to mark the final months of the International Decade for People of African Descent.
Two exhibits opened, telling stories of epic bravery of those who fought slavery, from South Africa to the state of Georgia in the United States.
“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” according to the 54-page final report, Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.
Instead of being filled with children learning, UNRWA schools have been turned into shelters in Gaza Strip for displaced families during the ongoing war.
An independent panel released its much-awaited report on Monday about the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), providing 50 recommendations and noting that Israeli authorities have yet to provide proof of their claims that U.N. staff are involved with terrorist organizations.
“Israel made public claims that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. However, Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this,” according to the 54-page final report, Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.
The U.N. Secretary-General, who received the final report at the weekend, had appointed the independent review group days after Israel announced the allegations against UNRWA, which employees 30,000 people and serves 5.9 million Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and war-torn Gaza.
The much-awaited final report found that UNRWA, established by the General Assembly in 1949, has extensive tools in place to ensure it remains unbiased in its work and routinely provides Israel with employee lists and “the Israeli Government has not informed UNRWA of any concerns relating to any UNRWA staff based on these staff lists since 2011.”
UNRWA has ‘most elaborate’ rules within U.N. system
“The set of rules and the mechanisms and procedures in place [at UNRWA] are the most elaborate within the UN system, precisely because it is such a difficult issue to work in such a complex and sensitive environment,” Catherine Colonna, former French foreign minister and head of the review group, told journalists at UN Headquarters following the report’s launch. “What needs to be improved will be improved. I’m confident that implementing these measures will help UNRWA deliver on its mandate.”
Strongly encouraging “the international community to work side by side with the agency so it can perform its mission and overcome the challenges when they are there”, she said “this is the purpose of the review.”
In its nine-week-long review of existing mechanisms, the group conducted more than 200 interviews, met with Israeli and Palestinian authorities and directly contacted 47 countries and organisations, presenting a set of 50 recommendations on issues ranging from education to fresh vetting processes for recruiting staff.
The report’s recommendations include creating a centralized “neutrality investigations unit”, rolling out an updated Code of Ethics and associated training to all staff, and identifying and implementing additional ways to screen UNRWA applicants at an early stage of the recruitment process.
The report also suggested exploring the possibility of third-party monitoring for sensitive projects and establishing a framework with interested donors to ensure transparency.
In a statement on Monday, the UN Secretary-General’s Spokesperson said the UN chief accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna’s report. He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA, with the Secretary-General’s support, will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the final report.”
Claims financially hobbled UNRWA
According to the review group’s final report, Israel’s claims against UNRWA triggered the suspension of funding amounting to around $450 million.
The direct impact of Israel’s allegations swiftly hobbled UNRWA’s ability to continue its work. Operating solely on voluntary donations, UNRWA saw major donors, including the United States, cancelling or suspending funds for the agency.
In April, Washington banned funding for UNRWA until at least 2025, but other donors have pledged additional funding or restored their donations.
The new report recommended increasing the frequency and strengthening the transparency of UNRWA’s communication with donors on its financial situation and on neutrality allegations and breaches. The review group suggested regular updates and “integrity briefings” for donors interested in supporting UNRWA on integrity and related issues.
Findings on UNRWA schools
The UN agency delivers on its obligation to ensure neutrality of its 1,000 installations, including schools, healthcare centres and warehouses, according to the report, which also stated that “security and capacity challenges may hamper” existing due diligence mechanisms.
The review group said UNRWA “has consistently worked on ensuring neutrality in education” as it provides elementary and preparatory education for 500,000 pupils in 706 schools with 20,000 educational staff, including in Gaza, where right now all children are out of school following attacks destroying the enclave’s education system amid the ongoing conflict.
UNRWA’s office in Gaza. Photo: Ziad Abu Khousa
Claims of anti-Semitic textbooks
Investigating “sustained criticism, mainly from Israel”, about the alleged presence of hate speech, incitement to violence and anti-Semitism in Palestinian Authority educational material, the review group examined three major international assessments and studies.
The new report showed that two identified bias and non-compliant content, but did not provide evidence of anti-Semitic reference. A third, the Eckert report, identified two examples that displayed anti-Semitic content, but noted that one had already been removed and the other significantly altered.
As such, the report recommended several actions, including the review of the content of all textbooks with host countries, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
UNRWA remains a pivotal ‘lifeline’ for Palestine
The report stated that “in the absence of a political solution between Israel and the Palestinians, UNRWA remains pivotal in providing lifesaving humanitarian aid and essential social services, particularly in health and education, to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank” and is “irreplaceable and indispensable to Palestinians’ human and economic development”.
“In addition, many view UNRWA as a humanitarian lifeline,” according to the report.
The UN chief on Monday said he counted on the cooperation of the donor community, the host countries and the staff to fully cooperate in the implementation of the new report’s final recommendations, the UN Spokesperson said.
“Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support UNRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region,” he said.
Other top UN officials have voiced strong support for the agency, calling on donors to reverse funding cuts and allow UNRWA to perform its work, especially in Gaza.
UNRWA chief Lazzarini welcomed the report’s findings and recommendations.
“UNRWA is developing an action plan, with a timeline and budget to take forward the report’s recommendations,” he said in a statement on Monday.
He said implementing some of the recommendations will require extensive engagement with staff and partners, including Member States, host nations and donor countries, adding that the UN agency looks forward to cooperating with all concerned stakeholders to implement the recommendations.
“UNRWA is firmly dedicated to applying UN values and humanitarian principles,” he said. “The recommendations in this report will further strengthen our efforts and response during one of the most difficult moments in the history of the Palestinian people.”
First of two investigations
Following Israel’s allegations against UNRWA in late January, the UN agency immediately fired the staff members in question and requested a swift, impartial investigation. The UN chief ordered two.
Days later, the Secretary-General appointed an independent review team, led by Ms. Colonna and researched by Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Michelsen Institute in Norway and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, to investigate the UNRWA’s process of ensuring neutrality in its work.
At the same time, the UN chief ordered the UN’s top watchdog, the Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS), to investigate the veracity of Israel’s claims against the 12 UNRWA staff members.
At the outset, OIOS investigators reached out to Member States concerned, visited UNRWA headquarters in Jordan and reviewed initial information received by the agency from Israeli authorities and from a variety of sources, including that released through the media and other public outlets.
Against the backdrop of a humanitarian crisis and gang violence in Haiti, U.N. agencies are warning that children are suffering not just from a lack of schooling but also through witnessing violence.
Port-au-Prince. Students in the capital Port-au-Prince have missed hundreds of hours of class time over the past year and now, now, more than one million Haitians are facing emergency levels of acute food insecurity, according to a new U.N.-backed report.
As deadly threats to school security continue in Port-au-Prince, and northern parts of the Artibonite department, U.N. News examined the situation on the ground and how the U.N. is responding to the worsening educational crisis.
By the end of January, a total of 900 schools had temporarily closed mainly in Port-au-Prince, depriving around 200,000 children of their right to education, according to U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Many other schools abruptly shut in Port-au-Prince in late February, when armed gangs coordinated breakouts in jails, freeing around 4,500 prisoners.
Gangs reportedly now control 80 to 90 per cent of the capital, and in the ensuing chaos, U.N. agencies on the ground reported cases of armed groups recruiting children, spiraling violence, looting and destruction.
“The Haitian population is caught in the crossfire,” said Catherine Russell, head of UNICEF. “Spaces for children have been transformed into battlegrounds. Each passing day brings new deprivations and horrors to the people of Haiti.”
Basic security is urgently needed for the lifesaving services and for aid workers to reach those in desperate need, she said, calling for the protection of schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure children rely on and for safeguarding humanitarian spaces.
As of late March, violence had displaced at least 362,000 people, with many trapped in the besieged capital and thousands finding temporary shelter in public buildings, including schools.
Each classroom turned into a temporary home for multiple families. Playgrounds became tented shelters. Gymnasiums were transformed into open dormitories for those seeking safety.
“Many schools are not accessible as violence is ramping up around them,” said UNICEF’s representative in Haiti, Bruno Maes. “Some are occupied by gangs, others by displaced people and still more have been looted or destroyed.”
SoundCloud
On the afternoon of 25 March, heavily armed groups entered a downtown Port-au-Prince school and set fire to 23 classrooms. Aid agencies condemned the incident.
In another incident in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of La Saline, 3,500 children were trapped in two schools as gangs fought around them. UNICEFN.ICEF engaged with the armed groups for four days before they could secure the safe release of the children.
UNICEF has urged all parties to safeguard students, educators, parents and educational infrastructure in line with the Safe Schools Declaration, a global political commitment endorsed by 119 countries, including Haiti, for better protection measures and support for continuing education during armed conflicts.
“The situation is desperate for children,” said UNICEF’s Mr. Maes. “Children are killed, wounded, raped, displaced and denied access to basic services, including school,” adding that they are “terrorized and traumatized,” some after witnessing burnt bodies on the streets.
Amid the very clear dangers, parents “still want to send their children to school”, he said. “Education is at the heart of every Haitian family; people put a very high value on it.”
As gangs continue to expand their control of vital roads and ports, their grip is extending outside the capital and the threat to school safety is mounting.
Despite this, the majority of schools outside the troubled gang-controlled areas of Port-au-Prince and Artibonite are still functioning. Many have admitted children who have fled because of violence and insecurity, although some parents are unable to pay school fees due to increasing poverty.
Multipronged Response
U.N. agencies have been working together to provide lifesaving essentials, like food, water and shelter, to thousands of Haitians in need and helping to get children back to school using new approaches.
Efforts include an International Organization for Migration (IOM) initiative currently providing psychosocial support to students forced out of school by the violence, and the World Food Program (WFP) supports hot meals for 250,000 children across the country.
Part of UNICEF’s work is assisting families affected by violence and displacement to reintegrate children into formal education. Where this is not feasible, the agency works with partners to establish alternative, safe and temporary learning environments.
The goal is to get children back to learning and into school meal programs, according to a UNICEF report, published in French in late March.
If schools remain shuttered, distance learning can be deployed via radio, television and e-learning platforms. UNICEF is collaborating with the Haitian Ministry of Education to find a way to deliver this via Radio Télé Éducative (RTE) broadcasts on Haiti’s national radio station.
Other opportunities for engaging students during the crisis include boosting capacities at schools currently accommodating displaced pupils.
Learn more about what the U.N. is doing to help Haiti in their explainer here.
TAGS: Armed gangs, Artibonite, Artibonite department, Bruno Maes, Catherine Russell, Children, Delmas, Education, French, gang-controlled, Gang-Ravaged Haiti, Gangs, Giles Clarke, Gonaïves, Gymnasium Vincent, Haiti, Humanitarian aid, International Organization for Migration, Jonathan Dumont, La Saline, Migration, Pedro Rodrigues, Port-au-Prince, prisoners, Radio Télé Éducative, RTE, Safe Schools Declaration, Schools, SoundCloud, Students, U.N., U.N. News, UNICEF, violence, Volunteers, WFP, World Food Program
Jim Luce has established himself as a dedicated chronicler of India and its global diaspora over the past two decades. His writings span a remarkable range of topics—from cultural celebrations and contemporary art to social issues, religious traditions, and political developments. Through articles published in major outlets like The Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and other platforms, Luce has documented everything from his personal spiritual journeys following Buddhist pilgrimage routes to his hands-on humanitarian work supporting orphanages and educational initiatives in Bihar. His coverage encompasses both the profound—encounters with the Dalai Lama and explorations of ancient Buddhist sites—and the contemporary, including reviews of Indian cinema, profiles of diaspora leaders, and analysis of current political developments. This diverse portfolio reflects not just journalistic observation but active engagement, as evidenced by his ongoing support for educational and orphan care projects in India.
Museums play a crucial role in preserving and interpreting the history of thought and expression. They house and display artifacts, artworks, and documents that offer tangible connections to past cultures, ideas, and innovations. By providing access to these historical treasures, museums allow us to explore the evolution of human creativity, beliefs, and knowledge. They serve as educational spaces where visitors can engage with diverse perspectives and gain insights into the social, political, and cultural contexts that shaped different eras. Museums not only protect our shared heritage but also inspire reflection on our collective journey, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities and continuities in human expression and intellectual development.
Haitian-Americans are becoming increasingly vital to the reconstruction of Haiti. I accompanied several back to their native land last week to work with orphans in the epicenter of the earthquake, Léogâne. I traveled with Evens Anozine, Deborah Pierre, and Handal Murat on behalf of Orphans International Worldwide (OIW). Our mission was multifold, including assessing progress with OIW’s three primary programs: orphan care, educational support for orphans, and leadership training for orphan mentors.
Haitian-American Evens Anozine of New York City is originally from Léogâne.
I have been aware of the tremendous role the Haitian Diaspora plays in keeping the people of Haiti alive, and the large number of bright and dedicated Haitian-American leaders. I met Katleen Felix years ago, and have witnessed her great work with the largest micro-finance institution in Haiti Fonkoze, as well as the relatively new Zafen. I turned to Katleen for her introduction to this topic. She told me from Port-au-Prince, by way of Montreal and Miami:
“The Haitian Diaspora has been sending remittances to support families and friends since the late 80’s when migration was more linked to economic reason. The money support is often for food, lodging, health, and school tuitions of the one left behind. There is no social security in Haiti – the Diaspora is the safety net of so many.
“After the earthquake, the first responders were Haitians from the Diaspora. In one month Fonkoze paid $7 million in transfers, helping people on the ground to get cash to eat, relocate, find lodging, etc… this was the Diaspora in full action.
“The danger is to get in a cycle of dependency where recipients who cannot find a job depend on the next transfer to get some food and take care of their basic needs. Some senders realized that if they don’t find a way to create a job or an opportunity for their loved ones, it will not be sustainable.”
Katleen Felix presenting at Seminaire CENAREF in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
“The resources are limited in the Diaspora. Even with all the good intentions, some might not have the capacity to keep up with the increasing demand of cash without weakening their own finances. There is a need to create small businesses that can create livelihood. Some members of the Diaspora have decided to invest and come to Haiti to provide technical assistance to their family and friends in very informal ways.
“We have also collective remittances through Haitian Hometown Associations which are started by supporting humanitarian work such as helping an orphanage, a school, or at church. These associations are now investing in productive projects that are generating revenues for the communities. These efforts are a little bit more organized, but yet need training and support to grow the businesses.
“This is why we created Zafen – to showcase those types of effort, help them find funding, and have a bigger impact in their community. This is not only a fundraising tool but a program where business analysts will give them training and be an agent of change for those communities. We work closely with the Haitian Hometown Associations Resource Group to identify joint projects and communities that are trying to get out of the cycle of dependency and poverty.”
Katleen Felix of Fonkoze and Zafen frequently speaks to audiences around the world.
The reality is that 80% of Haitian professionals have left Haiti over the years, leaving a hole in their hometown. Mechanisms to give back are needed for those professionals. It is not a donation from the host country – who benefit from those resources – to help the Diaspora organize, it is due to a Haiti that has been an international donor of brain for decades.
Unfortunately, we don’t see a lot of international donors recruiting from the Haitian Diaspora or facilitating experts from the Diaspora to come back to help. The Ministry of Haitians Abroad is trying to put together a program to support the return or the contribution of Haitian experts from abroad. If this program happens, we will see a more organize contribution of the Diaspora in to the country.
“At the level of organizations like Fonkoze we need try to find resources within the Diaspora, sometimes we get lucky but not everybody is ready to move back or have enough country experience to take the job. The reverse migration is a nice concept but we need mechanisms to support the migrant it that journey.”
Haitian-AmericanEvens Anozine of New York City wears several hats, representing Orphans International Worldwide, We Can’t Have That Foundation, and NYU Polytechnic’s GreenLight Innovations. Evens says:
“As a Haitian-American it is imperative that we find ways to give back to Haiti. However, we must ensure that our effort is not in vain. All Haitian-Americans, whether they were born in the U.S. or having been born in Haiti, have an affinity for our beloved island. The culture, the music, the people and the food – especially food like Duri ak Sauce Pwa , Lambi avek Griots!
“We now have to find ways to participate with the “development” of Haiti. All of us can make a difference. The Diaspora is a community that has yet to be tapped properly, approximately about four million Haitians are living outside of Haiti. Collectively, we send home over a billion dollars annually.
“I can remember, my Mom and Dad working two jobs not only take care of my two sisters and I but also to help family members back home. With no education, my parents sacrificed their lives to make sure that ours would be better. For many years, I only saw my father on Sundays. This is something you will find in every Haitian household. I believe parents have to encourage their children to find ways to help Haiti.
“Unfortunately there are many parents who discourage their young adults to travel to Haiti prior to the earthquake and even now. As a matter of fact, on our most recent trip to Haiti, we were supposed to be accompanied by a young Haitian doctor, but her family actively discouraged her from traveling, pointing out security reasons among many.
“With Wyclef Jean possibly running for president, I believe there will be renewed hope among Haitian-Americans to travel home to help. I hope he has a clear concept as to how he will contribute to the country and help propel the Haitian people to a new way of life. His “TEAM” of leaders will also make a big difference. The people of Haiti need our help now, the work that all of us are doing across Haiti is of utmost need. What we do today, will resonate a thousand years from now. I truly believe that the future of Haiti is in our hands.”
Deborah Pierre assisted OIW in Leogane match orphans with mentors for OIW.
Deborah Pierre, a Haitian-American artist representative also living in New York but originally from Port-au-Prince, told me on the trip and expounded on at the Gramercy Park Hotel‘s roof-top Rose Bar a week later:
“Haiti has always been close to my heart. It is where I grew up, spent my childhood. Our culture, our history, education, and our way of life were deeply installed in me. Haiti is my country.
“I have been interested in helping kids in Haiti for many years. I adopted a little girl 12 years ago who is now 16 years old and extremely smart, then I adopted another little girl 6 years ago when my aunt told me her mom was about to commit suicide with her. She is now 7 years old and lovely.
“The people and the children of Haiti have always needed our help. The earthquake of January 12, 2010 brought an awareness worldwide — but we have been a suffering nation for many, many years.
“When I think about what it is to go to Haiti to give back, I feel it is my duty. When I look at these kids I see me — It could have been in their place but chance gave me a different path to life. It’s only chance!
“I don’t know much about politics and government, but I do know that education plays a major role if not the most important one in a child’s upbringing. During my recent trip to Haiti while interviewing those kids I saw a thirst for knowledge in their eyes, a need for love, a sense of belonging and many of them wondered if there would be a future for them.
“These children need a voice — and if I can be one fraction of that voice to help them, it is the least I can do. Because what I care about most is Haiti’s kids – they are our future. I feel that if we can help them as Haitian-Americans we are ensuring that we will have a better nation down the road. I love Haiti and her children and want to play a role in the creation of a New Haiti.”
Like most Haitian-Americans, Handal Murat is bi-cultural and tri-lingual – and loves kids.
Handal Murat, a medical supplies specialist from Connecticut, grew up in Petionville outside Port-au-Prince. He explained why he went on the trip:
“Having witnessed the international community‘s immediate and overwhelming response to our country in its desperate time of need; I felt as a native Haitian living abroad the obligation to roll up my sleeves and also help. Not going to volunteer was never an option for me. It was more a matter of when. While I know that many Haitians living abroad can’t physically make the trip, I encourage them to help by supporting local fundraisings, supply drives, and even sponsoring an orphaned child.
The news media has left Haiti and the rest of the world will inevitably go back to their lives. Haitians in the Diaspora play a vital role in rebuilding Haiti because of our deep and lasting ties to our beloved country. Many of us still have cousins, aunts and other extended family members living there.
I gained more from the trip than I gave. The resilience and hope of the people is contagious. After touring the destruction in Port-au-Prince and Léogâne, walking through the tent cities and interviewing many of the orphans, I returned home with a totally new perspective of what’s really important.
For Haitian-Americans, just like it is for all of us, the motivation comes from seeing the results.
The programs Orphans International Worldwide runs in Léogâne include family care for orphaned children, academic scholarships for orphaned students not in family care, and a college leadership mentoring program. There are approximately 100 students in each program.
It seems obvious to this non-Haitian writer that the New Haiti, rising from the ashes of the earthquake, will succeed only with the full support of the Diaspora. Haitian-Americans are called to embrace their moral and social obligations. And they are doing so.
Peter Buffett and Angelique Kidjo recording single to support girls in Africa.
Emmy Award-winning composer/philanthropist Peter Buffett in Liberia with the IRC.
