Creating Social Change

There is change in the air hear at Rutgers. Spring is here, and everything is lovely. The Coats have been but away. Everybody is proudly showing off their pride by wearing the red Rutgers T-shirts and sweaters.  But there is something that Most Rutgers students do not know. The shirts they are wearing were made in a Sweat shops. That is right Rutgers apparels are made in a sweat shop.  The Oxfam student group on Campus petitioned against this issue.  The Oxfam student group is made up of hard working ambitious youth who will not take no for an answer. They worked hard with the student body to bring awareness to the issue. They also went to the university’s administration to voice their opinion on the Rutgers’ apparels being made by sweatshops.

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The Campus newspaper The Daily Targum broke out the news that the University’s apparels will be 100% sweatshop free in the next few years. That is because the process will be gradual. But for the Oxfam students that is a step in the right direction. They feel that they have made a tremendous accomplishment and make Rutgers University the 44^th university to stand against the inhuman conditions in the Sweatshops.

Parisa Kharazi, the president of the Oxfam chapter explained “We’re a humanitarian group. We fight for human rights and [sweatshops are] a human rights violation.” She went on to say “We gave a letter to President McCormick and on it, it said, ‘Will you show support for sweatshop workers this Valentine’s Day?” Then every Wednesday a group of students went again with the same letter to the President to illustrate their determination. “I think if we really want something to happen, it’s important to be persistent and to push to reach our goal,” Parisa Kharazi said.

Eventually the President of the university said to Parisa “You and your fellow students have my admiration and my thanks for your efforts to promote worker rights and fair labor standards.” A meeting was set with Assistant Director of Trademark Licensing Marybeth Schmutz and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Delia Pitts and the Oxfam Students. According to The Daily Targum article, “I guess the DSP was a little bit off our radar,” Schmutz said. “To be honest, it sometimes takes students to step up and say, ‘You need to be paying attention to this,’ and we did.”

Schmutz said, “When a school signs on to the DSP, there is a six-month grace period…In the first year, 25 percent of the apparel has to be from factories under the DSP conditions. The second year is 50 percent and the third is 75 percent.” “It’s a gradual process but Rutgers signing onto this agreement is just one step further to making our campus sweatshop free,” Parisa Kharazi said.

A victory email was sent to all Oxfam Students to break the good news. I was indeed a glorious day when the President McCormick sent an email to Parisa Kharazi, informing her that he signed the agreement.

As you can see student groups can create change on step at a time. Parisa said, “And I think it’s a great way for students to know that if they believe strongly in something, it’s possible for it to be done. If you really believe in something, it can be possible as long as you never give up.” So, if you have a cause, come up with a plan, get organized, work with the people in your group, be persistent, and then you will go far. 

Since Mothers day is closing in on us this month, at least in the Untied States, I thought of an organization named Women for Women. This organization is aimed to help women in nations effected by war, poverty, and governmental corruption. Powerful women around the world and other simple everyday women help their global sisters in need. In 2005 over 30,000 women survivors of war where given the help they needed in order to get their lives back on track. Women for Women is not about giving these needy women handouts, but Women for Women aims to make these women independent and economically sufficient. . According to their site, “Since 1993, Women for Women International has mobilized more than 125,000 women and men in 105 countries worldwide to reach out and support women survivors of war - one woman at a time.”

The organization does this in hope of changing the status of these women from victim, to survivor, to an active citizen. Women for Women gives them the economic assistance they need. The women also are given Job skills training. They also go though programs to teach them about leadership, rights awareness, how to be active in their society, start their own business, train other women to become active citizens as well.

Women for Women sponsors different women around the world. Each woman get about $27 per month to help them feed their families, books for their children, medicine, and help them with their projects. You can sponsor women in Sudan, Rwanda, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and the Republic of Congo. Once you are matched with a woman from these inflected areas, you will get information about her, and updates of how your contribution is making her life better. You can also write to her, as read for yourself how you have changed her life.

This month Women for Women launched a card feature for Mother’s day. Once you make your donation, you can send an Mother days card to someone the special woman you honor. In her honor your donation will change the lives of these needy women in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Your card can be sent via email or Postal Mail as well. So, this Mother’s Day, show your love, and support these women to survive.

In the previous posts, we focused on people creating social change around the world. We also focused on how you can create a student group, or a non-profit organization. If you look around you, you will see that there are things in your community which needs attention. The United States is thought to be one of the most influential nations in the world. However, citizens of this great nation are starving, homeless, and are struggling to make ends meet. We need to work a little harder and try to make a difference. You do not have to start an organization on your own, but you can search and look for an established organization that address the issues that you care about.

I have come across a lot of sites, calling for Americans help Americans. The Ad Council had created ads to mobilize Americans in the spirit of giving. On the site there is a list of things that you may want to consider to create change around you. The Advertising Council is a non-profit organization which “produces, distributes and promotes thousands of public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas such as improving the quality of life for children, preventative health, education, community well being, environmental preservation and strengthening families.” The Ad Council launched the “Don’t Almost Give. Give.” campaign in 2006.