The Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week is human rights.
The campaign quotes former President Jimmy Carter: “Everyone has a right to peaceful coexistence, the basic personal freedoms, the alleviation of suffering and the opportunity to lead a productive life.”
Unfortunately, these rights are far from guaranteed, and their restriction can be catastrophic. One need only turn on the latest news to see the effects of their curtailment.
This may be one area, however, where the coronavirus pandemic has had a small and unintentional salutary effect.
Writing in Amnesty International’s “Report 2020/21: The State of the World’s Human Rights,” Secretary General Agnès Callamard argues that the pandemic “laid bare the devastating consequences of abuse of power, structurally and historically.”
She writes that in 2020, exceptional leadership did not come from the top, but from heroic medical personnel and support workers “from the bottom of the income scale.”
Callamard believes that respect for human rights is foundational to a worldwide recovery. “The innovation, creativity and inventiveness that we need to find our way to sustainable resilient recovery demand that our freedoms be upheld, defended and protected.”
If this is an area that resonates with you, but you are unsure of where to direct your donation, the website for the campaign, also known as the CFC, can help.
Under “Donors” on the homepage, choose “Online Charity Search” from the drop-down menu.
The second field is “Select a Specific Category.” While there is no specific human rights category, there are many that touch on it.
A few to try are “Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy,” “International, Foreign Affairs & National Security” and “Public & Societal Benefit.”
The CFC is the federal government’s workplace charity drive. The latest campaign began Sept. 1 and runs through Jan. 15.
Participation in the CFC is voluntary.
The GiveCFC.org website has more information.
This is the 12th in a series of articles spotlighting the Combined Federal Campaign’s cause of the week. Next week: environmental protection.
