Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi / UNDP

The Legion of Good Will and its President, José de Paiva Netto, sympathize with all the victims and family members of the powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale that hit Nepal and India just before noon, local time, on Saturday, April 25. The death toll from the earthquake and aftershocks surged past 3,700 on Monday, April 27, according to local authorities. It is the worst earthquake to strike Nepal since 1934.

An estimated 6.6 million people living in 30 districts were affected, the United Nations Office in Kathmandu said in a statement on Sunday morning, April 26.

Local authorities also informed that deaths have been reported from all regions of the country, including the Mount Everest base camp, where an avalanche was triggered by the earthquake. The worst affected area was the capital city of Kathmandu, where the historic nine-story Dharahara Tower was reduced to rubble.

Ecumenical Chain of Prayers
The Good Will Portal invites all Internet users to take part in the Ecumenical Chain of Prayers. Ever since its origin in the 1940s, the LBV has incorporated the Powerful Ecumenical Chain of Prayers into its activities. People from all religions, nationalities, and traditions can participate in this chain by including the names of their loved ones, family members, and friends in order to receive the good energies that come from prayer.

We invite you, our internet friends, to also take part in this ecumenical chain of prayers, wherever you may be.

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come. 
Thy Will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom,
and the Power, and the Glory
for ever and ever.
Amen!
 

Divulgação

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was unanimously approved by the United Nations in 2007, reaffirmed the right of people with disabilities to participate in the cultural life of their community. It also indicated the measures to be taken so that they have access to cultural, educational, and leisure activities and services.

However, this right is far from being fully achieved. Places like museums, parks, cinemas, and theaters worldwide still fail to offer the means by which these people can enjoy such services. This is what Amanda Fonseca Tojal, a Brazilian museologist and accessibility consultant, points out in an interview with the Sociedade Solidária [Solidarity Society] program* of Boa Vontade TV.

Ms. Tojal believes that people with disabilities have great potential, but that they often end up being ignored: “They have a lot to teach all other people, since generally those who have some type of disability end up developing other abilities, which are also very important for guiding those who are not disabled.”

But for decades they have been at the forefront in the fight for accessibility and still face many problems, since the progress has been slow. “The difficulties begin right at the entrance. People in wheelchairs, for example, report that they have to enter through the back door. Another problem lies in communication. There are wonderful exhibitions, but people who are visually impaired have no contact whatsoever with these works, since they need touch to understand them; they’re not even allowed to touch replicas. It’s not enough to tell them what’s going on there,” she said.

The specialist explains that making culture accessible is much more than just changing the physical environment. It must be understood that people are different and have different needs. For this reason, these institutions should train all their professionals to deal with this public.

 “Museums or any other cultural place must receive these people with dignity and respect, and provide them with all the conditions they need to be able to enjoy them. . . . Everybody in those institutions needs to be involved: educators, security staff, and receptionists, in the pavilions and in the exhibitions, so they know how to treat a person who can’t see, a person who’s in a wheelchair, or who is hearing impaired,” she reiterates.

Edu Cesar/livestard.blogspot.com.br

Even with so many difficulties, Amanda Tojal sees a bright future for persons with disabilities having access to cultural and educational environments. “Museums weren’t prepared to receive them, but they began tonotice that it’s important. They taught museums how to be more humane.”

 “People with disabilities end up humanizing these places. Because if you think of putting a ramp, for example, it’s not only going to be good for people in wheelchairs, but also for mothers with babies in their strollers, for an elderly person who needs to walk more slowly, and for someone with a broken leg. So the place begins to become more humane when you start thinking about others,” she adds.
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* The Solidarity Society program is broadcast by Boa Vontade TV (channel 20 on SKY cable TV) from Monday through Friday at 3:30 a.m., 6:30 p.m., and 10:30 p.m.; and on Sundays at 7:30 a.m. and 10:00p.m. (BRT). You can watch it online via the Good Will Portal by accessing www.boavontade.com/english.

Who has never been surprised by a child’s simple and sincere statement? They have the capacity to awaken important feelings in us like happiness, hope, and renewal, which we end up losing over the years because of the difficulties we experience in our day-to-day lives. With their simplicity of Soul in the way in which they see the problems of the world they set us a good example of how we can deal with them and transform our lives. An argument between children, for example, does not last long, because a few minutes later they forget the reason for the fight and start playing again. Without reducing the complexity of adult human relationships, is it possible to imagine what mankind would be like if in the world of older people it was also like it is with children?

Jesus, one of the most widely recognized figures and one of the first to understand the social and spiritual importance of children, gave voice to the little ones. In His Gospel He warned: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). With this consideration, Jesus turned the attention of his disciples, and of all of us, to the contributions and values of these very important social players, children. If we adopt this view it will even enable us to live better in a Kingdom of Peace, which we can build every day in our home, in our workplace, or within ourselves. In other words, bring this joy into our minds and Souls, since Jesus also said the following: "The kingdom of God is within you" (The Gospel according to Luke, 17:21). Here we can see the attention and care we must have with all the little ones we know, whether they are our own children, a brother or a sister, a nephew or a niece.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2011 alone, it was estimated that 19,000 children died per day; 40% being babies in their first month of life and most with preventable causes. These are significant numbers that lead us to reflect upon what we have done to ensure them an ever fairer and dignified life, regardless of our field of work. With nearly six decades of work on behalf of the education of generations and the future of Mankind,  educator and President of the Legion of Good Will (LBV), Paiva Netto, when speaking about the due attention children deserve, put it in this manner: "Children only give back what society gives them. If society offers them garbage, they will usually give back garbage to society. But, if you give them Love, which means Brotherhood, Solidarity, and Compassion, they will become more beautiful in appearance and spirit.”

These words were spoken on March 2, 1996, during one of the most important inaugurations of the Organization in favor of the education of the very young: the Educational Center of the Legion of Good Will in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), a demonstration of respect and love for the future of all the children of Rio and their families.

Incidentally, the LBV has had this zeal since its inauguration, in 1950, seeing children as important agents of transformation. One of the recent and significant actions created on behalf of children is the International Forum of the Little Soldiers of God*, which has been developed and devised by children since 2003, when it was first launched by Paiva Netto.

Consolidating 12 years of child protagonism, the Forum maintains its objective, as defined by its creator: "We have to show that a child’s thought is a thought that gives us the prospect of a better world (...). Children will have the opportunity to manifest themselves (...) because they need to learn to defend themselves (with Love and intelligence).” Children come together to discuss topics that are of interest to them and to their communities, and at the same time, they ensure that families pay attention to the opinion of these young protagonists.

Children themselves plan the program with professionals from the LBV and organize workshops, plays, exhibitions, competitions, and group dynamics exercises. The event was held simultaneously at the schools and Community and Educational Centers of the LBV and at the Ecumenical Churches of the Religion of God, the ecumenical religion of Brazil and the world. The conclusion of the event, one of the moments to which the little ones themselves paid close attention to, came in the form of a word from the creator of the Forum of the Little Soldiers of God, Paiva Netto, who greeted and talked to all the families present via the internet.

You can learn more about this ecumenical proposal of children protagonism by contacting the Good Will Portal. Click here to contact us.
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* Little Soldiers of God – A caring name created by radio broadcaster Alziro Zarur, the late founder of the LBV, right at the beginning of the Organization in the 1950s. It refers to ecumenical and spiritualized children who received, through the Institutions of Good Will (IGWs), complete development, of the body and the spirit, in the assertion of having formed their brains and hearts, as the President of the IGWs, Paiva Netto, argues. The aim is to help children live in a balanced way, by establishing their development on solid and eternal bases, in order to form the Society of the future, a truly Solidarity-based Society. To do so, the bases are supported on the New Commandment of Jesus, the Ecumenical Christ, the Divine Statesman: “Love one another as I have loved you. Only by this shall all of you be recognized as my disciples, if you have the same Love for one another. (...) There is no greater Love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (The Gospel of Jesus according to John, 13:34 and 35; 15:13).

Vivian R. Ferreira

Asurvey carried out by the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), presented during the Global Forum on Media and Gender organized in 2013 by the Thailand National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and by the Thammasat University, showed that among the goals established in the Declaration and Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, in 1995, the ones relating to women’s participation in the media had made the least progress. According to the report, only 13 percent of all stories in the press, on the radio, and on television focused on women, while 46 percent of the stories published and aired reinforced gender stereotypes.

The Legion of Good Will, which is ever alert to this issue, has for decades been working to spread the values of solidary citizenship on the Super Good Will Communications Network (comprised of radio and TV stations, websites, and publications in Brazil, other countries in Latin America, in the United States, and Portugal). The LBV’s Superintendent of Marketing and Communications, Gizelle de Almeida, says that the unique approach of the Organization lies in the fact that it “promotes Education and Culture with Ecumenical Spirituality.” She also adds: “The Good Will media transmit ethical, moral, and spiritual values that will enable human behavior to be transformed for the better and help people become aware of the true role of women in society. Through education, women learn to reject an atavistic heritage and they find a path based on ethics and competence, which offers them new horizons as journalist Paiva Netto, creator of the Super Good Will Communications Network, always states.”

According to the superintendent, “productive female workforce cannot be ignored, because men and women have different viewpoints; but by combining both, we get an accurate and balanced view of the present situation. Both complete each other and there is no room for a spirit of competition between them.”

Listeners and viewers following our programs notice this emphasis on valuing women and promoting gender equality. Ana Lúcia Ribeiro Gonçalves, 24, Bachelors in Business Administration, lives in the city of Rio de Janeiro and is often tuned to the Super Good Will Communications Network. “The enlightening teachings of these programs, which extol the values of women, helped build my identity. . . . The Good Will media always have programs with extremely rich content for people of all ages and all backgrounds, and it is a benchmark when it comes to dignifying women and in terms of progress in society,” said Ana Lucia.

The Legion of Good Will of Portugal is present in Porto, Lisbon (the country’s capital), Coimbra, and Braga. In all these cities it provides a wide variety of social assistance services. Among the programs developed, the highlights are: Happy Smile, One Step Forward, Good Will Seed, Baby Citizen, Charity Round, and Live Longer!

The BEING Human—BEING Family project was recently implemented by the Organization, seeking an even closer relationship between the LBV and those who are benefited from its actions in order to better meet their needs. The first meeting took place with representatives from families participating in the One Step Forward program, which offers guidance and distributes food baskets to hundreds of people in social vulnerability.

Adelaide Salete Silva Ribeiro, 40, is assisted by the program and participated in the meeting. She talked about the challenges she had to face recently: “I was unemployed and I had no money to feed my daughter, my niece, and my sister, so I went to the LBV for help. When women in this country have children and reach the age of 35 or 40, they’re heavily discriminated against.” In the Organization she found the support she needed to move ahead. “This support from the LBV is very important; I admire the work they do for people. I hope that many other women are benefited from these meetings like I was . . . ,” she said.

Students from Lincoln Avenue School in Orange (New Jersey), recently participated in the Good Will Students for Peace program, during which they were encouraged to help save the environment and protect the planet’s biodiversity. The children were involved in a series of activities that taught them how to reuse everyday materials and make the community environments cleaner and more attractive. Aside from that, they were able to share with their family and friends what they learned.

Educator Yashmine Cooper had a first-hand experience with the work carried out by the Legion of Good Will. “The activity was great. The children were able to take what they learned from school with the proper use of materials and the importance of recycling, reusing, and reducing [consumption] to apply to their daily lives. It helped them grow,” she said. The LBV’s Good Will Students for Peace program has been developed in public schools in the USA since 2013 with the aim of instilling in students solidary leadership and fostering a violence-free school environment, in addition to promoting sustainable actions.

The United Nations and organizations dealing with social and environmental issues have been constantly calling upon society as well as public and private sectors to adopt sustainable development policies.

In the LBV of Argentina, these issues are discussed in its assistance units both through projects and actions carried out in its educational centers—such as the “We grow as we take care of Nature” project— and by the professional cooking course in the Education in Action program.

In addition to professional training, the participants finish the activity more conscious of how to use food and natural resources.

In the opinion of Sandra Strajch, a former student and currently teaching at the course, what is important in any task, and in this case the preparation of meals, whether in a professional or private context, is organizing the work so that there is no waste of any type. “For example, when we have to use the oven, we make sure that we don’t keep it lit for hours; we do the same with water. With regard to food, we’re also always thinking of different ways of using ingredients that are usually thrown away when cooking certain recipes, thus avoiding waste,” she said.

Actions for combating all types of violence against women are carried out in all the units of the Legion of Good Will. The LBV of Paraguay, for example, has been working on this issue through the Strengthening Lives group. In the Villa Angélica settlement, located in the city of Lambaré, metropolitan region of Asuncion, the activities undertaken show how education can considerably reduce acts of violence.

Raquel Morel, 34, one of the women benefited from the program, remembers the challenges she faced during her 16-year marriage: “In the beginning my relationship with my husband was good, but then he became violent, because I have a son from another relationship. He mistreated me and sometimes my son. . . . Since I came across the LBV I have recovered my self-esteem, started studying, and now I see that I have to stand up for myself so that other people can value me.”

In this way, she was finally able to put an end to that cycle of ill-treatment and started seeing new paths for herself and the community around her, which became more united because of the information and guidance received. “The Strengthening Lives group is very positive for the women here . . ., because we share our problems. We laugh, work, and express our ideas together. At the talks we learn about our rights as women and that no one should mistreat us. We need to wake up and move ahead and not abandon our children,” she said.

The positive effects are visible, as Raquel herself likes to mention: “The community improved in many aspects; we learned to ask for God’s protection, to pray, to value ourselves. The LBV has been there for us in both the good and bad moments. It always provides great help to women, children, young people, adults, and the elderly.”