•“Equality is a right as well as an expectation for every individual; we are all born equal and should create a society which reflects that inclusive mindset. We hope this campaign is something that resonates with all our audiences.” - Sara Hassan, Head of Campaigns at Lighthouse, shares from Lahore, Pakistan.
•This month Lighthouse Storytelling went global with its Pen Pals initiative, first featured in the Beyond the Borders campaign.
Ashitha Nayak, the founder of new media startup ‘Lighthouse’, began the organisation in 2020 with a vision to share intercultural stories and bring the world closer together. On her journey, she has unified over a hundred storytellers from 20-plus countries, via storytelling campaigns, workshops, and other media projects that provide a platform to amplify the world’s most pressing issues via ‘regional chapters’: Pan-Africa, South Asia and Espanol (Chile and surrounding regions), with new avenues to work on a US branch. Today, we take you through Lighthouse’s newest campaign: A storytelling campaign around Justice, Liberty, and Equality in Africa.
“Since our childhood, we’ve heard about ‘Equality of Opportunity’ as a must-have for global communities to thrive. But what happens when that equality is not a given, as a function of where we are born, our background, race, or gender? Or any other factor that is beyond our control? Equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also is a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. With our campaign, we travel across the majestic African subcontinent - one story at a time, we unravel the dire realities of socio-economic, gender, political, social, and other forms of inequality in the lives of the everyday people of Africa. Those of us at Lighthouse might not be experts on the matter, but we are allies in this movement, and we want to add our voice to the larger conversation around improving access and leveling the playing field across the globe,” shares Ashitha, 26.
Unravel Lighthouse’s campaign: Equality for All at: bit.ly/LighthouseEqualityForAll
ABOUT LIGHTHOUSE
Lighthouse storytelling is a non-profit media organisation aimed to provide a platform for narratives to grow. Their global community of authors, artists and filmmakers all work towards the goal of promoting inclusivity through storytelling. Through these stories, Lighthouse aims to create diverse, intercultural perspectives which connect the dots across global boundaries. The Melton Foundation, a 501-3C non-profit, is the parent organisation of Lighthouse, promoting change in global communities.
Find more about Lighthouse and its campaigns here: https://www.lighthousestories.org
Equality should no doubt be an integral part of the community; whether it is in the social, economic or political sector, each individual should be given the chance to stand on a level playing field and be tested on the basis of their merit. Lighthouse Africa’s new campaign ‘Equality for All’ aims to help raise the voice for a more inclusive and facilitating environment for all people.
With the help of written narratives, podcasts and videos, Lighthouse was able to gather the views and perspectives of the rising youth on the topic of equality. Why is it important? What message do they have for the community and the next generation? Engage with the campaign and find out!
“Equality is a right as well as an expectation for every individual; we are all born equal and should create a society which reflects that inclusive mindset. We hope this campaign is something that resonates with all our audiences.” - Sara Hassan, Head of Campaigns at Lighthouse, shares from Lahore, Pakistan.
Excerpts from the campaign: Get a sneak peek!
Image: THE STAR
Scaling up women’s empowerment
By Patrick Mbugua
“Young women in Kenya face several forms of gender-based discrimination and inequality. For Example, Gender gaps in educational enrolment are quite prominent, dropout rates, early marriage, and persistence of unmet needs in reproductive health and family planning services, gender-based violence, food insecurity, unemployment, low standards of living, and lack of market-ready skills, inter alia, shape the life options and well-being of women in both rural and informal urban setups. Yet, the potential contribution of vulnerable and marginalised women to dynamic and inclusive growth and jobs and further our economy, remains one of Kenya’s greatest but untapped resources. This has resulted in a depressed, discouraged lot of women, who are easily exploited through poor wages, prostitution, and trafficking.”
Patrick talks about discrimination and inequality of gender in his short essay, noting the main causes and results of these circumstances on the more vulnerable groups. It presents a thought provoking argument to include the issues of social and economic inequality when tackling women empowerment.
Read more: https://lighthousestories.org/2022/06/04/scaling-up-womens-empowerment/
Image: FILE
Title: Equality for All
By Raymond Kigai
“In the spirit of our motherland, Africa
Has taught us to always embrace others
As it has always embraced each one of us,
No matter who we are,
Before our beloved motherland we are
All equal!”
This poem expresses the idea and understanding of the word ‘equality’, its importance in society and how we are all equal only by virtue of our humanness. A powerful message to rally and support equality for all.
Read more: https://lighthousestories.org/2022/06/04/equality-for-all/
Lighthouse’s ‘Equality for All’ campaign is proud to feature such inspiring voices, united for the cause of advocating for justice, liberty and freedom to one day be more than a hopeful dream. Narratives have the power to shape change and in the fight for a fairer world, ‘Equality for All’ should be our common goal to strive towards.
From the pilot project of Stories of Kisumu based on true stories from the survivors of gender-based violence, to initiatives like Beyond the Borders: Indo-Pak to bridge communities across borders, join Lighthouse in its continued endevour to share impactful stories that matter.
More news from Lighthouse: Global Pen Pals Programme
This month Lighthouse Storytelling went global with its Pen Pals initiative, first featured in the Beyond the Borders campaign. This project was particularly well received over the course of the campaign and led to it taking a new start independently.
View this profile on InstagramLighthouse (@lighthouse.storytelling) • Instagram photos and videos
Pen Pals is a free online letter exchange conducted by team Lighthouse and is open to anyone wishing to participate worldwide, with no restrictions on age or location. The program works by pairing individuals from global regions to complete an exchange that can include introductions, giving experiences and recommendations, sending messages of hope and friendships, and sharing culture across boundaries.
Registrations have recently opened with exchanges expected to begin in the coming months.
The Global Pen Pals program is an exciting opportunity to get to know new people and broaden your network. It’s an easy and interactive way to get connected to a wider world.
Connect with the organization, join their cause, and learn more at https://www.instagram.com/lighthouse.storytelling/