When inviting 22 activists from all over the world (countries represented included Armenia, Austria, Belize, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Palestine, Republic of South Africa, Romania, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe) to the United States, it can already be expected to become a very special experience. I had the excellent opportunity of spending three weeks in such cumpany and to learn and experience a lot, while having meetings with various US NGOs. Simply beeing in contact with bright people from all those countries is priceless and we are already discussing plans of cooperation with several of them.
Although I have not been able to process everything yet, I would still like to give a brief overview of important lessons that may also benefit others. A common concern for all the NGOs is financing. Nearly all the representatives of the US NGOs whom we met, brought it up as their greatest challenge. On the other hand, they also use some gimmicks to secure better and more sustainable financing. Donor-wise they were not very satisfied with the financing from various foundations, as it tends to be erratic and the plans of the foundations are prone to change. The latter are quite often not interested in long-term support, but always seeking something new and innovative to finance. The best and most stable source of income is the small monthly donations from private persons. Once accumulated, those donations guarantee a stable basic income as well as the liberty to react swiftly and dynamically. For example nearly half of the 15 million dollar yearly budget of the Human Rights Campaign (www.hrc.org), defending the human rights of LGBT people, is covered that way.
The support system for involving volunteers is remarkably more advanced in the USA than in Estonia. Contributing to the society is a natural activity, which is exercised already in the kindergarten. For example when spending Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in his home town Atlanta, Georgia, we were able to take part in community garden clean-up organised by Hands on Atlanta (www.handsonatlanta.org). MLK Day is a public holiday, but it is promoted as a day for voluntary activity.
I was most looking forward to meetings with organisations that operate in similar fields with the Human Rights Centre and I was not disappointed. In addition to the aforementioned Human Rights Campaign headquarters in Washington, D.C., we had meetings in Saint Louis in the branch offices of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU www.aclu.org) and National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP www.naacp.org) as well as in Portland with the Disability Rights Oregon (www.disabilityrightsoregon.org). There were many other inspiring and excellent people and organisations.
When writing those lines, there is the portrait of President Jimmy Carter behind me with the quote: “America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense… human rights invented America.” It demonstrates vividly the commitment of the American people to human rights, although it doesn’t always reflect in the actions of their government. I hope that Estonia is also moving in that direction and more and more people appreciate human rights and do something on their behalf to defend and promote them.
Kari Käsper
Executive Director
Estonian Human Rights Centre
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