 |
Česky | English | About festival | Previous years | Team | Auspices | Our partners | About organizer | |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
About organizer |
||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
People in Need |
|
|||||
|
|
|
 |
|
|
||
|
|
People in Need is a Czech nonprofit, non-governmental organization whose mission statement is to inspire a largeness of spirit in Czech society by helping others in need and by promoting democratic freedoms for all. People in Need is a major advocate of democratic inclusion both in the Czech Republic and abroad, and in its 12 years of existence, has administered over USD 55 million in 32 countries world wide. In recognition of its achievements, People in Need received the Czech Foreign Ministry's Gratias Agit Award in 1997 for outstanding contributions to the Czech Republic's image abroad. In 1998 the foundation was honored with the Democracy and Civil Society Award by the United States and European Union, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Marshall Plan. Former Czech President Vaclav Havel, a long-term partner of People in Need, has also recognized the foundation's work in the field of human rights.
Funding for its activities is provided by private and corporate donors via fundraising campaigns in the Czech Republic and supplemented by the Czech government's foreign aid program and a variety of European and U.S. institutions. People in Need is particularly grateful for the long-standing support of its co-founder, Czech Television, as well as the City of Prague, the Open Society Fund Prague, the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society (Phare), the Charles S. Mott Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for Democracy. Humanitarian Relief and Development AidIn 1992, People in Need began distributing goods and aiding reconstruction in some of the most dangerous and needy areas of the world. Over the past 12 years, People in Need has administered funds in many crisis areas including: USD 4.5 million to Bosnia-Herzegovina, USD 5 million to Kosovo, USD 10 million to Chechnya and Ingushetiya and USD 9 million to the Czech Republic following the summer floods of 2002. Current permanent missions are now operating in Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya, distributing food and medicine, rebuilding schools and medical facilities and providing support for the communities in these three war-torn regions. People in Need is a multi-year implementing partner with, among others, UNHCR, UNICEF, the World Food Program and the International Organization for Migration.Human Rights AbroadPeople in Need has a special commitment to supporting groups and people working against totalitarian regimes. The organization is convinced that it is obligated to assist people in need; that it must aid those abroad the way that dissidents in Czechoslovakia were helped during the reign of Communism. People in Need supports political prisoners and their family members and documents torture, execution and crimes against humanity in oppressed societies. To highlight its support for peace, democracy and human rights, People in Need established the annual Homo Homini Award given to individuals who display exceptional courage in defense of these values. Currently People in Need is working to support human rights movements in Cuba, Belarus, Burma and North Korea.Human Rights in the Czech RepublicPeople in Need established the annual One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in 1999, the first in Central Europe, open to filmmakers from around the world. In 2003 the festival was held in Prague and 14 other cities around the Czech Republic. Audience attendance in 2003 was phenomenal: 29 334 guests attended screenings in Prague, with an additional 22 642 viewers in 14 other festival cities. Through One World, People in Need is helping to inform the Czech public about human rights abuses around the world, and pushing serious issues to the forefront of public consciousness.Since 1998, People in Need has produced a regular series of special supplements on areas in crisis for leading Czech political journals, and more than 20 documentary films for Czech Public Television. People in Need also runs the InfoSevice project aimed at providing the Czech public with information concerning events in crisis regions, serious violations of human rights and current global issues. People in Need has also focused attention on the plight of Czech Romas through a nationwide project to improve social conditions in 21 localities. The project addresses the low school attendance of Roma children, drug addiction among Roma youths and other serious issues. Through this campaign, People in Need reached out the general public through a series of controversial advertisements and an open-air music festival that targeted the young and helped draw attention to racism and hate crimes in the Czech Republic.
People in Need Člověk v tísni Sokolská 18, 120 00 Praha 2 Czech Republic Tel.: (+420) 226 200 400 Fax: (+420) 226 200 401 Email: mail@pinf.cz www.pinf.cz | ||||||
