Bridging the Gap on Human Rights and Social Justice

Communities grapple with human rights injustices since time immemorial, for those lucky enough to fight back , to defend and demand their rights are better positioned than those who are either ignorant or lack the information .

Human rights violations do not respect age, neither does violations respect gender or social class. The degree of impact of rights violations differs from place to place and person to person.

Haki Nawiri Afrika https://hakinawiriafrika.org/  as an idea was formed out of existing problems affecting specific sections of the community namely youth , women, and smallholder farmers. This was  borne out of accumulated interactions with young people in school and out of school. The challenges of lack of access to basic necessities, the inability to speak out because of fear and the lack of capacity to demand rights as well as lack of updated information .For women, the main identified problem was the fear , the fear of being heard, the fear of being victimized , the fear of being “too loud”, the disruption of family when women are excluded from decisions or evicted from their homes. For farmers , the identified problems were the lack of updated information, the poor yields, the  depleting soil fertility and the lack of voice among farmers ,mostly smallholder farmers and the disconnect with policy processes.

Haki means justice in Kiswahili, Nawiri means to flourish. Haki Nawiri Afrika was thus formed to create an enabling environment for justice to thrive in marginalised communities. To enhance effective community engagement  the organisation is divided into 4 main pillars ; Gender Justice, Food Justice, Climate Justice and Youth Engagement, each pillar responds to a distinct issue.

The solutions to challenges affecting farmers, men and women, climate change and youth can be addressed through strategic activities .For example through capacity building trainings, the lack of information among women, youth , farmers and communities affected by climate change can be addressed. Legal rights awareness in the community enables communities access justice , enables families understand basic legal terms and brings up a culture of reporting cases  of injustice. Creating safe spaces for women and youth to discuss issues affecting them enhances healing process and reduces anxiety. Paralegal training  gives community members the power to understand the law , to defend own rights and that of others. When farmers are sensitised to save their own seeds , they reclaim the power on food .

When children are trained on child rights and the dangers of bullying , they protect each other. When farmers get practical skills on how to  plant their crops , they take better care of the soil .When communities are trained on environmental protection, including the importance of tree planting , cover crops and proper land use and management , biodiversity is enhanced. Haki Nawiri continues to strive day in day out ,  providing capacity and support  to communities as they advance towards realisation of social justice.

Solutions exist when we strategically  address  them and engage diverse stakeholders.