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Famous Humanitarians

March 2, 2011 By admin

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

 

Agnes GonxhaBojaxhiu, more commonly known as Mother Teresa, was born 26th August 1910 and died 5th September 1997. Mother Teresa was an Albanian Catholic nun with Indian citizenship. She was a famous humanitarian, establishing the Missionaries of Charity in early 1950s Calcutta. Mother Theresa led the growth of the Missionaries of Charity throughout India and later in other countries around the world.

When Mother Teresa first arrived in India in the 1940s, she was appalled by the living conditions that people in Calcutta were suffering under. In response, she helped to improve their living conditions whilst living with them. The Missionaries of Charity organisation that Mother Teresa founded and worked with for over 40 years worked to improve the lives of the sick, poor, orphaned, blind, crippled and dying. She cared for the needy who had nowhere else to go.In 1955, she was the first woman to found a home for lepers and through showing no restraint in touching them, she drew awareness to the fact that leprosy did not spread by touching people who had the disease.

Mother Teresa was recognised for her humanitarian work when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. One year later, she was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Mother Theresa received many awards for her humanitarian efforts throughout her life and her work was even recognised after her death when Pope John Paul II beatified her and the title ‘Blessed Theresa of Calcutta’ was also given to her.

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, 2nd October 1869 to 30th January 1948 is commonly referred to as Mahtma, or ‘Great Soul’, Gandhi. He is also known as Bapu which means ‘Father’ in India. He is regarded as one of India’s greatest leaders and is well-respected by Indian citizens. He achieved freedom from British rule through non-violent methods but was eventually assassinated by the Hindu Nationalist NathuramGodse. 

After working as a lawyer in South Africa, Gandhi returned to India in 1915. The Indian people were struggling for civil rights at this time and Gandhi organised protests involving farmers, peasants and labourers in order to campaign against discrimination and high levels of land tax. From 1921, Gandhi became the leader of the Indian National Congress and used this position to campaign for issues such as womens’ rights, increased economic self-reliance and an end to untouchability.

Although Gandhi was wealthy, he would travel in third-class train compartments to see how the poor travelled and to experience the nation as they did. Gandhi’s peaceful methods would later be a major influence on other human rights campaigners such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.

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Common Causes of Homelessness in England

February 23, 2011 By admin

 

There are many misconceptions associated with the causes of homelessness. A lack of understanding of the subject means that many people believe that a person becomes homeless due to personal failure and find it particularly difficult to comprehend how a person can become homeless in a thriving economy.

The truth is that many of the reasons for a person becoming homeless are complex and often beyond their control, culminating in homelessness after many years of the problem building up. According to the charity Shelter, the main causes of homelessness in England fall under the two main categories of personal reasons and structural reasons.

The personal and social factors that can lead to homelessness include individual factors such as problems with the misuse of alcohol or drugs, excessive debt, poor mental or physical health, the breakdown of a relationship and a history of involvement which began at an early age. Many people who find themselves homeless also come from an institutional background such as the armed forces or prison. Another contributing factor to homelessness is family background, including suffering physical or sexual abuse as a child, witnessing parents’ drug or alcohol problems and ahistory of homelessness in a family.

The structural factors that contribute to situations of homelessness are usually beyond a person’s controls and involve social or economic problems. Poverty and unemployment are a leading cause of homelessness along with social issues such as housing policies, housing benefit structure and administration and a lack of affordable housing. Other contributing factors which are beyond the control of the individual include situations such as the closure of psychiatric hospitals which people has previously relied upon.

The most common causes of homelessness that homeless people give when questioned on the streets are the breakdown of personal relationships (accounting for over 40% of cases), followed by family members asking them to leave the home (over one quarter of cases) and drug or alcohol misuse (over one quarter of cases). When applying to the council for homelessness support, the three main reasons that people give for being in their situation are the unwillingness of family and friends to accommodate them, the loss of an assured short hold tenancy and the breakdown of a relationship.

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What is Social Justice?

December 23, 2010 By admin

 

Social justice usually alludes to the notion of making an egalitarian society or establishment that is based upon the rules of equality and fellowship, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the grace of each human being.

The term and modern idea of “social justice” was coined by the Jesuit Luigi Taparelli in 1840 based on the guidance of St. Thomas Aquinas and given further exposure in 1848 by Antonio Rosmini-Serbati.The idea was elaborated by the moral clergyman John A. Ryan, who instituted the idea of a living wage. Pop Coughlin also exploited the term in his publications in the 1930s and the 1940s. It’s a part of Catholic social teaching, Social Gospel from Episcopalians and is among the 4 Pillars of the Green Party defended by green parties globally.

Social justice as a mundane idea, distinct from non secular teachings, appeared generally in the latter 20th century, influenced essentially by thinker John Rawls. Some beliefs of social justice have been adopted by those on the left of the political range.

Social justice is reliant on the ideas of human rights and equality and involves a larger degree of industrial egalitarianism thru progressive taxation, revenue re-allotment, or property redistribution.

These policies attempt to achieve what development financial consultants refer to as more equality of opportunity than may now exist in some societies, and to turn out equality of result in circumstances where immaterial inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.

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