I am eating my words.  Just about two years ago a friend, mentor, professor, colleague of mine at Duke suggested that I would at some point during my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer ask my family and friends for money.  I said nah, I would never do that.  And yet I find myself doing just that.

Farqani returned to my site in September after spending a year in the States studying Educational Leadership in Fargo, ND and interning in DC through a US government sponsored Muskie Fellowship.  Since returning he has been invaluable to me as a translator and counterpart as we work on different projects in our city and in Baku.  When he told me that he was accepted to attend this conference but he couldn’t go because he didn’t have the money get to the US, I decided to help.

The Details:

What: International Leadership Training Programme: A Global Intergenerational Forum.

Objectives:

1. involve young leaders in finding solutions to emerging human rights problems;
   

2. nurture individuals to be effective leaders in the field of human rights;
   

3. promote the sharing of experiences and understanding;
   

4. provide an impetus for, and the empowerment of, youth leaders that will enable them to play a crucial and constructive role in the development of human rights in their communities;
   

5. build a network of solidarity among future leaders in the field of human rights;
   

6. hone the skills and expand the knowledge relevant to human rights practice;
   

7. provide tools and a platform for open debates about policies, programmes, activities and processes necessary for human rights leadership.
   

More information about the Forum can be found at:

http://www.unescochair.uconn.edu/upspecialevents.htm

Need: Airfare from Baku to Bradley International Airport, Hartford, CT (code: BDL), my current research suggest that he needs approximately $1600 to buy a ticket. 

Why:  I feel this experience will further enhance Farqani’s ability to give back to his community while also connecting him with like minded individuals from around the world.  I chose a few excerpts from his essay to highlight:

“It is impossible to speak about democracy in a country where people as human beings lack their basic civil rights. As great Azerbaijani son Babek, the leader of liberal movement against the Arabic invasion of the 9th century mentioned, it is better to live one day free as a human being than 40 years as a pitiful creature and slave.”

“Through my volunteer experience for this center, I came to realize that the lack of quality education on human rights among people and especially youth is one of the most key reasons of why their rights are being violated. How can they stand for their rights if they do not know what their rights are? ... It is my understanding that education is key to developing capacities latent in our human nature and only through quality education it is possible to develop those latent capacities for the progress of human beings and societies.

“Today, as a growing educational leader and with firsthand knowledge of human rights problems in my country and community, which resonate deeply with me, I want to dedicate my time and energy to educating people and especially youth about human rights through various small-scale project implementations.”

If you would like to help Farqani get to the US and attend this conference, please contact me at jesspcaz@gmail.com

Thanks for reading....

Jessica