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Seventy years ago the world stood up for something profound that will forever remain critical in the daily interactions of humanity – human rights. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a historic document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948, we are reminded once more that we are stewards of each other’s existence.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights preamble stated that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”.

It recommended that human rights, which would assist in how people treated and regarded each other, be enforced by the rule of law in countries across the world.

This past week-end, the Valued Citizens Initiative participated in a two-day engagement, during which non-governmental organisations discussed human rights programmes and shared their experiences and practices.

The event, hosted by the Constitutional Rights Education Workshop Group at Constitutional Hill, is hosted with the objective of building and strengthening human rights organisations so that they can get the tools to be more effective ambassadors and conduits to help ordinary people access their human rights.

“This is a gathering of like-minded organisations seeking the same end results, to empower people and restore dignity,” says Carole Podetti-Ngono, Valued Citizens Initiative’s Founder and Managing Director.

Valued Citizens Initiative, founded in 2001, focuses on self-development, citizenship education and leadership of public school-going children in South Africa from grade 4 to grade 12. Their holistic approach to school communities enables the development of a new culture embracing a human rights methodology - working with learners; they also develop School Management Teams, educators, parents, and social workers as the pillars of society.

“Our presentation showcased our programmes on sexuality education, children’s rights, girl’s education, constitutional literacy and human rights education in partnership with various organisations and businesses,” says Podetti-Ngono.

Human rights education and awareness can happen anywhere and everywhere. All societal environments are opportunities to learn about human rights. These opportunities should be leveraged and engaging conversations with our children and youth in particular are essential to reduce their vulnerabilities in our South African society.

“An understanding of human rights and how to access them is at the core of how to become valued citizens,” says Podetti-Ngono.

“It is in knowing how to treat each other and to navigate the world as a responsible, cognitive and compassionate person that one can truly add value to their family, community, country, and inevitably the world. This is why we as Valued Citizens Initiative exists, to restore and enhance the character of citizens through life-skills programmes for people to become responsible Valued Citizens determined to lead their lives and engage with our democracy and contribute towards the economy.”

“All of this requires citizenship awareness where a people become literate on constitutional matters and stand for human rights to not just become a piece of paper to be dusted during specific celebrations but to engage with throughout their lives,” says Podetti-Ngono.

Issued by Carole Podetti-Ngono, Founder and Managing Director of Valued Citizens Initiative