RAHA International

I just wanted to raise awareness of a non-profit organisation based in Kenya called RAHA International. This organisation is as grassroots as you can get and I'm hoping that people who read this post, take some time to visit RAHA's website and look at the case studies.

Background
RAHA was set up by three sisters Daksha, Nimi and Joshna Hirani a few years ago, but was officially registered in 2008. Nimi says that she was tired of seeing money being wasted by some charities and others providing aid in return for adherence to a particular faith; 'God for aid' she calls it. Instead, the Hirani sisters wanted RAHA to be simple, provide the basics,give people dignity and let people work it out themselves.

RAHA's main aim is to provide and facilitate access to education for young people who otherwise would not have been able to. Nimi who has a background in social medicine, drug, alcohol and HIV work says she benefited from the opportunities and choices having an education has given her. RAHA is raising funds not only for current students but what those who may come to them in the future for assistance.


Jeremiah's success
Jermiah Kangele will be an aeronautical Engineer in July. He was breaking stone at building sites when RAHA came accross him. RAHA helped his mum find a job and got him started on his course. He is a clever man who just needed a little support. He will feed his entire family once he finds employment.

For such a 'young' charity, RAHA is doing pretty amazing work and Nimi is adamant that administration costs will be kept to a minimum so that funds can go directly to those who most need the help.

For more information or to make a donation please contact info@rahainternational.com

Human Rights

Last week I went to a seminar on PR, Diversity and Public Engagement. Attending as speakers were people like Sue Caro, Senior Diversity Manager at the BBC and Afua Hirsch, The Guardian's legal affairs correspondent.

I didn't get to ask Sue my questions relating to the BBC's committment to diversity. It was pretty ironic that on her powerpoint she had the logo for BBC Asian Network, a radio station that is currently facing the axe. It's funny how anything 'ethnic' loses funding as soon as financial cuts are announced. I wanted to ask whether BBC Asian Network wasn't doing a good enough job and that was why it was going to go...

I also wanted to ask her why, on her diversity showreel, every single muslim person shown was talking about religion. Is that all muslim people do? Talk mosques, religion, ramadan and of course terrorism? (The Eastenders gay plot is just a blip in the system) My message to the beeb is "think out of the box because you're spending my money and not doing a good enough job of it"

I didn't get to ask my questions because there were loads of other people who had comments to make around media culture being white male dominated. Apparently it used to be a lot worse in the 80s...doh! really...that's not really an answer I want to hear as a yard stick for how things have improved. Is that what I should tell young black kids..."well you know back in the 50s black Americans had to sit at the back of a bus and used to get lynched in Alabama..look how lucky you have it now!"

Afua Hirsch spoke eloquently about the Human Rights Act and why it is there for us all. She highlighted how tabloids have misquoted and misrepresented the act and how it has sometimes been enforced incorrectly which have all led to it being perceived as protecting criminals and immigrants and all things 'other'. If you have a quick look on the link you'll find it hard pressed to disagree with what it covers.

Afua's presentation reaffirmed my committment to try and think past the headlines in both the tabloid and broadsheet press. Human rights are not just about moral relativism, or about protecting criminals; it is about having a base line for everyone regardless of who (this encompasses everything about a person's identity) they are.

Every now and then I come across people who challenge my beliefs, my thoughts and my opinions and the speakers at the seminar did plenty of that.