Born Free, Born Equal: Celebrating Human Rights - World YWCA

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CONTENTSPresidents’ Message …………………………………………………... 4Day 1: Why engage in Human Rights work? ……………………… 6Day 2: Women’s Rights are Human Rights ………………………... 9Day 3: HIV and AIDS and the right to quality life …………………. 12Day 4: Right to decent work ………………………………………….. 15Day 5: Peace with Justice ……………………………………………. 18Day 6: A biblical foundation for climate change action …………. 21Order of Worship: Celebrating Human Rights ……………………. 25Human Rights Resources …………………………………………….. 28Bible reading plan 2008- 2009 ……………………………………… 312
PRESIDENTS’ MESSAGEDear sisters and brothers,On December 10, 2008 the world will celebrate 60 years of the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights. The international community adopted thisDeclaration in 1948 in order to protect human dignity and to preventdiscrimination and oppression.Human rights are universal and all the major religions advocate for them.Throughout history, all societies have practiced some kind of discriminationand assigned different degrees of rights, or lack thereof, to different groupsof people. Discrimination can take the form of US versus THEM. Thisdiscrimination may include male versus female, old versus young, richversus poor, differences of class, caste, race, ethnicity and otherdistinctions that diminish human dignity and personhood.The Scriptures show a commitment to protect freedom and justice throughlaw. Freedom and dignity given by God are to be ensured by law, asdemonstrated in the Exodus story where Yahweh liberated the people ofIsrael from the bondage of slavery in Egypt and on the way to the PromisedLand gave them the Law. Protecting the rights of foreigners, widows andorphans was especially emphasised. The specific and unique contributionof Jesus, the Christ, was his categorical rejection of any and all of the limitsplaced by human societies on human dignity, and any and all basis fordiscrimination between human beings.Founded on Christian faith the World YWCA and the World Alliance ofYMCAs believe that every human being is created in the image of God andthat God loves every human being without condition. Thus, the dignity ofevery human being is a gift from God.We should not forget that through Henry Dunant, a founding member of theYMCA, our Movements contributed to the early formulation of the GenevaConvention, embodying the principles of respect, dignity and care for allpersons without discrimination. Speaking of his work with the YMCA,Dunant said: “I was taking care of the wounded in times of peace longbefore taking care of the wounded in times of war.”3
Page 1: World YWCA and YMCAWeek of Prayer a
Page 5 and 6: Everyone is entitled to all the rig
Page 7 and 8: Acknowledgement: Excerpts from Kare
Page 9 and 10: They anointed him when he was alive
Page 11 and 12: Everyone has the right to a standar
Page 13 and 14: For Group DiscussionThe widow repre
Page 15 and 16: very drastically. The denarius they
Page 17 and 18: Everyone is entitled to a social an
Page 19 and 20: (Exodus. 3:7). The cry of the poor
Page 21 and 22: Since environmental degradation is
Page 23 and 24: “We are hoping to make a contribu
Page 25 and 26: As the wind moves and dances around
Page 27 and 28: HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCESAbout the Uni
Page 29 and 30: determined by law solely for the pu
Page 31 and 32: February 20091. Psm 92. Lk 8,4-153.
Page 33 and 34: 21. Acts 28,1-1622. Acts 28,17-3123

Born Free, Born Equal: Celebrating Human Rights - World YWCA

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