Podcast
"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.
Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
The Great Question
10 Year Anniversary: Declaration of Human Rights
-
INSPIRED BY THE BOOK
In the Small Places: Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human AgencyMEET CHANGEMAKERS
…who have shown up, despite the oddsYOU CAN SHOW UP, TOO
If you have valuable information to share, you can show up to make a differenceTEACHERS WITHOUT BORDERS
Connecting teachers to information and each other since 2000Description text goes here
-
A Nigerian math teacher whose projects in his small place earns him the Champion of African Education award
An Iranian seismologist and educator creates an earthquake science and safety program now known worldwide
A former Minister of Education and Foreign Secretary of Suriname sets a standard for educational reform known through
A Pakistani educator forges an alliance with men to ensure girls’ education and livelihoods flourish in her village
A Zimbabwean education grad. student walks from Brussels to Poland to raise awareness and support Ukrainian refugees
An Indian scholar and activist develops a free-to-low-cost literacy program for the underserved, then scales it worldwide.
… all this and more
Episodes
-
Sameena Nazir is not only powerful as an activist and champion of women's rights and the poor, she is humble, charismatic, candid, compassionate , and absolutely tireless. "What choice have I got?," she says. "If people are in need, we must be of service."
Sameena's organization, Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) also comes from an Urdu word meaning "sapling," which she has grown into a powerful tree with branches of women and men throughout Pakistan and beyond who are devoted to human rights, sustainable livelihoods, service to refugees, disaster response, economic justice, health, and overall human welfare. It's a long list.
TWB's founder, Fred Mednick, devotes two chapters to Sameena in his book: "n the Small Places: Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human Agency. One is titled: "No Fear," and the other - referring to Pakistan's menacing floods - is titled: "A Country Under Water."
Sameena Nazir is a change-maker the world needs to celebrate.
-
Dr. Solmaz Mohadjer is a geoscientist who has created the Teachers Without Borders (TWB) earthquake science and safety program.
Solmaz was a long-time member of TWB and made herself available in a critical time of need - when our science-inquiry work in Dujiangyan, China was disrupted by the devastating quake on May 12, 2008. We lost teachers, students, and classrooms.
Solmaz's work in earthquake science and safety began with her observation that families in Pakistan felt helpless. Working with local myths and beliefs and speaking the local language, Dr. Mohadjer introduced the scientific method and earthquake science and safety.
The impact has been extraordinary. Today, students in several countries know about earthquakes, structural and non-structural hazards, and how to advocate for safety. Solmaz's work has been acknowledged by the White House, major scientific organizations, and Ministries of Education.
Earthquakes don't kill people. Buildings and their content do!
-
Raphael Oko's “The Voice of Teachers" radio show has attracted up to 1.7 million listeners per week in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
After having come upon the aftermath of a brutal ethnic rivalry in the north, he decided to air the voice of teachers: their pain, their anguish, and their commitment to peace. He also wished to honor one of his mentors, Joseph Hungwa—a peacemaker in his own right—with the development of a peace education program for teachers available to anyone…without cost.
For these efforts and so much more, Raphael received the Champion of African Education award, which came with a cash gift. Raphael, of course, used those funds to advance his syndicated “Voice of Teacher show.” That’s what kind of guy he is.
Raphael Oko recognized Teachers Without Borders early on and has walked his talk ever since: to support teachers as global agents of change. Teachers Without Borders has received two major peace prizes. We attribute our recognition, in large part, to Raphael Oko.
-
Just as TWB's founder teach a graduate course on global education and development, Russia attacked Ukraine. In a course revolving around the critical role of teachers in emergency education, global education policy, girls’ education, peace and human rights, everything changed.
These international students were traumatized. Many spoke of challenges in their own countries. A week later, one of those students, Simbarashe Manyike (He likes to be called Simba, for short.), announced: “I want to walk from Brussels to the Polish border to raise awareness about the role of teachers in emergencies and raise money for Ukrainian refugees and the teachers who serve them.
He told the Founder, “I am a teacher. I am thinking about my students back home in Zimbabwe. They look to me as a role model. If people are suffering, it's impossible to concentrate on my students. I need to show an example of a proud African transcending stereotypes to ensure all families are safe.”