At Frères des Hommes, fraternity is our name. For over 40 years, our work has shown us that the words liberty, equality and fraternity are neither unreachable Utopias, nor meaningless concepts.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity are the principles which guide our actions against poverty
These principles are all around us, in daily life, yet we sometimes fail to see them. Representatives of Frères des Hommes’ partner associations from the Congo, Rwanda, Bolivia, Haiti, India and the Philippines attended our general assembly on May 31st 2008. Working with the inhabitants of the slums of Bangalore in India, in the women’s training sessions of Bukavu in the Congo, or in the rural communities of Davao and Cebu in the Philippines, they came to describe how those three words, liberty, equality and fraternity, are at the heart of our fight for the abolition of poverty.
Liberty is first and foremost about human rights. “The right to express oneself freely, the right to education, healthcare, work, food, land, natural resources; the right to make decisions” (Haiti peasants). These rights “must be guaranteed by laws and constitutions. This is far from being the case, as in India where the constitutional right of liberty has been flouted for 60 years; even today most of the population still lives in poverty” (inhabitants of Bangalore). “When people’s liberty is restricted by poverty, associations and other community organizations that seek to increase the opportunities and social skills of women, young and poor people, are agents of liberty at local and national levels. And when those organizations build an international network, as with the relationship between Frères des Hommes and its partners, they become strong links in the international chain of liberty that is so dear to France and its town councils.” (Nunu of the APEF- Congo, read the whole text).
Equality: “democracy must be deeply rooted in genuine equality. We know, from our experience, that the most destitute community organizations are able to build on community commitment. Government policies should invest in the promotion of community commitment and volunteer service, to develop rather than destroy the link between citizenship and social commitment. Inequality in the distribution of wealth is acceptable only if it helps first those with the greatest need!” (Reuel of Philnet – the Philippines, read the whole text).
Fraternity: “is the link between equality and liberty. Fraternity, or solidarity, is not sharing what you have in excess, but rather sharing what you have.” (Sandro of Kampesino - Bolivia) “You have solidarity in your country too: I see people, donors, who go without; it’s hard for them at the end of the month but they keep €50 for us” (Gabriel of the Adenya - Rwanda).
At Frères des Hommes, fraternity is our name. For over 40 years, our work has shown us that the words liberty, equality and fraternity are neither unreachable Utopias, nor meaningless concepts.
Liberty and equality are the principles which guide our fight against poverty and, as Sandro Saravía of Bolivia concluded at our general assembly: « When liberty and equality are about to drown, the boat of fraternity is there to rescue them ».
Please post the message "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity throughout the world "in your town or village, in your workplace, in community houses or in associations: download the low definition (146 Ko) poster, order a high definition by clicking here.
It’s just like the beautiful things we have right in front of our eyes all the time and take for granted. Out of habit, we may not see them anymore, or marvel at how good they are for us. And yet! Coming from the Congo, Rwanda, Bolivia, Haiti, India and the Philippines, representatives of Frères des Hommes’ partner associations attended our general assembly on May 31st 2008. They came to tell us how they understand those three words: liberty, equality, fraternity. Working with the inhabitants of the slums of Bangalore in India, in the women’s training sessions of Bukavu in the Congo or in the rural communities of Davao and Cebu in the Philippines, they came to tell us that those three words are at the heart of our fight for the abolition of poverty.
Liberty is human rights first! “The right to express oneself freely, the right to get education, health, work, food, land, natural resources, to have a say in the decisions” (Haiti peasants). And these rights “must be guaranteed by laws and constitutions. And it is far from being the case, as in India where the constitutional right of liberty has been flouted for 60 years; indeed even today most of the population still lives in poverty” (inhabitants of Bangalore). So “when people’s liberty is restricted by poverty, the associations and other community organizations that seek to increase the opportunities and social skills of women, young and poor people are important contributors to liberty at the local and national levels. And when those organizations build an international network as they do in the relationship between Frères des Hommes and its partners, they become strong links in the building of the international chain of liberty that is so dear to France and its town halls.” (Nunu of the APEF- Congo).
Equality: “democracy must be deeply rooted in genuine equality. We know, from our experience, that the most destitute community organizations are able to spawn citizen commitment. And government policies should invest in the promotion of citizen commitment and voluntary service to develop rather than destroy the link between citizenship and social commitment. Inequality in the allotment of riches is only acceptable if it helps first those who are lacking in them!” (Reuel of Philnet – the Philippines, read the whole text).
Fraternity: “is the link between equality and liberty. Fraternity, or solidarity, is not sharing what you have in excess, but sharing what you have.” (Sandro of Kampesino - Bolivia) “You have solidarity in your country too: I can see people, donors, who go without; it’s hard for them at the end of the month but they will keep €50 for us.” (Gabriel of the Adenya - Rwanda).
At Frères des Hommes, we have fraternity in our name; For over 40 years, we have experienced, on a daily basis, how the words liberty, equality and fraternity are neither unreachable Utopias, nor meaningless concepts. Liberty and equality are the ferment of our fight against poverty and, as Sandro Saravía of Bolivia put it in the conclusion of our general assembly: “When liberty and equality are about to drown, the boat of fraternity is there to rescue them.”
