Casa Alianza, in partnership with ADEM, presents the Cabaret Latino from March 7 to 22
This year, Casa Alianza is partnering with the Geneva Ethnomusicology Workshops (ADEM) to organize their Cabaret Latino, which will take place over three weekends, from March 7 to 22. The program features a dozen concerts centered on the theme of nueva trova—contemporary Latin American music—as well as a play titled “Les larmes des hommes.” Musical films about Latin America are also scheduled at Cinélux, and you can wrap up your evenings dancing to wild rhythms on the dance floor at La Gravière.
You can find the excellent lineup for this event—which we highly recommend—at
http://www.adem-geneve.com/fr/cabaret-latino-programme.
Have a great time, everyone!!!
If you could make three wishes, what would they be?
Last summer, two volunteers, Aline Bovard and Mahaud Faas, traveled to the La Alianza Guatemala residential center, which offers a comprehensive rehabilitation program for girls and teenage girls who are victims of human trafficking and sexual violence. Upon their return, deeply moved by this experience, Aline and Mahaud decided in December 2013 to share their story through an exhibition at Villa Dutoit in Petit Saconnex. Alongside beautiful photographs that never fully revealed the victims’ faces, Aline and Mahaud chose to present, without embellishment, the victims’ answers to two simple questions: “Why, in your opinion, is life worth living?” and “If you were allowed to make three wishes, what would they be?” The concept behind this exhibition was simple. However, the sometimes surprising answers from these young victims, as well as the stories of some of them, were not only deeply moving but also prompted reflection on our own desires and the needs of our society.
Congratulations to Aline and Mahaud for your support of Guatemala and for this wonderful account!
Casa Alianza at Balexert with Citizen of Our World
On Saturday, January 11, Casa Alianza joined the booth of the Citizen of Our World (COOW) association, held in the lobby of the Balexert shopping center. COOW gives its members the opportunity to strengthen their role as active citizens by voting and tracking how funds raised are used to support specific projects proposed by other partners selected by COOW. This year, Casa Alianza, selected as a COOW partner, was able to present its multimedia library project to the public—a project designed to support the education and rehabilitation of girls who are victims of sexual exploitation and violence in Guatemala. This project will very soon be put to a vote by COOW members to decide how the latest funds raised by the association will be used.
Casa Alianza congratulates Cherry Checkout: winner of the 3rd prize at Lift’s Venture Night!
In late 2013, Casa Alianza signed a partnership agreement with Cherry Checkout. This startup encourages consumers to support nonprofit organizations by donating an additional 1 to 2 francs when making online purchases, which not only allows them to do a good deed, but also to enter a raffle giving them a 1 in 250 chance of getting the price of their purchase back in cash.
On February 6, 2014, as part of the Lift conference, the Venture Night awards took place, connecting emerging startups with successful entrepreneurs while offering them significant visibility and substantial media exposure. Casa Alianza was proud to be featured as a partner of Cherry Checkout, which was named a finalist.
Thank you to Cherry Checkout, and good luck in the future!!!
Human Rights Advocacy Activities
The year got off to a strong start for Casa Alianza Switzerland’s human rights advocacy efforts, as the organization co-signed the declaration calling for a global study on justice for children (“The Global Study on Justice for Children”), which urges the UN Secretary-General to allocate funding to carry out such a study. Casa Alianza Switzerland also co-signed the letter sent by the NGO coalition to the Government of Mexico, urging it to effectively take into account the recommendations made during Mexico’s Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights last October. These recommendations focus primarily on respect for and the defense of life, the protection of the marital union based on the mutual consent of a man and a woman, and the fight against drug trafficking.
Fanny Bauer’s Mission
In January 2014, Fanny Bauer, who is responsible for issues related to the defense of human rights, traveled to Nicaragua and Honduras to assess the situation of children’s rights in both countries. Another key objective of her mission was to work with Casa Alianza Nicaragua to prepare for the country’s participation in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on the human rights situation in Nicaragua by reviewing the recommendations made to the government and meeting with various NGOs and institutions working on the ground.
Casa Alianza Nicaragua
The Nicaraguan government appears to have made significant efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in tourist areas. On the other hand, drug trafficking and organized crime do not seem to have reached the same scale as in the rest of Central America. However, the testimonies collected by Fanny indicated that much work still needs to be done. One of Casa Alianza Nicaragua’s main concerns, noted by Fanny, regarding respect for human rights, is the restriction of access to education for young people who do not share the government’s ideology, as well as the government’s tendency to enlist students to perform street-cleaning duties during school hours while wearing the colors of the ruling party.
Regarding Casa Alianza Nicaragua’s collaboration with national authorities, Fanny specifically highlighted the organization’s significant awareness-raising efforts with the National Juvenile Police on the issue of human trafficking and the risks associated with drug use. However, it appears that these efforts are diminishing due to a lack of funding caused by the crisis and declining support from certain countries that view the Nicaraguan government’s approach as too closely aligned with the ideologies of General Ortega’s party.
Casa Alianza Honduras
While the political situation in Honduras is still taking shape due to the change in government following the election of Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been in office since late January, it is difficult for Fanny to draw conclusions about the political consequences, as Honduran society appears to her to be deeply polarized. The team at Casa Alianza Honduras also expressed concern not only because the new policies in effect fail to respect human rights, but also because they are seeing poverty levels rise, further exacerbating the situation of street children. However, on a slightly positive note, it should be noted that in 2013, Honduras became the 34th country in the world and the 4th in Latin America to ban all corporal punishment of children. Finally, Fanny observed that, just like Casa Alianza Nicaragua, Casa Alianza Honduras works closely with various NGOs and government institutions, including the U.S. Embassy, which considers the organization a highly reliable and important source of information regarding the situation of children’s rights in the country.
