In this Letter to Friends around the World, we are pleased to share more true stories from people making a difference. They allow us once again to marvel at what each of us, starting from our own reality and sensitivity, can do to build a world free of extreme poverty.
Dear friends,
Some words are written in stone, such as those engraved by Franck Jalleau in 1987 on the Plaza of Human Rights and Liberties in Paris, honouring the victims of extreme poverty. There are other words, more fragile yet strong, that rise up in the dust of an emergency housing camp for displaced families, in a child’s dreams of peace, in the voice of a woman who was silenced, or in the gathering of a group in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire, calling for justice.
The texts you will read in this Letter are not passing cries. They are thoughtful words, testimonies of struggle, courage, and remembrance. They tell stories of lives that are often unseen, yet never without hope.
Today, wherever we are in the world, we are overwhelmed by the violence that is spreading – from lawless wars to climate catastrophes, from homelessness to famine. Our world seems to be plagued by instability and inhumanity.
We risk becoming desensitised by all the violence, but acts of courage, resistance, and reconciliation – though they may be small – do exist. Advocates work tirelessly to overcome poverty everywhere around the world, taking risks to free themselves from the power exerted by others and to seek freedom and peace in impossible circumstances. In the midst of the suffering, the acts of courage may go unseen and the voices of the advocates, unheard.
This letter to you, friends around the world, is an act of remembrance and presence. It reminds us that people around the world refuse to be forgotten. Joseph Wresinski said that our goal:
“more than denouncing, is to encourage all of humanity to rethink itself, to rethink all of its ideals in relation to those who, by right, should be part of the community and who, in fact, are excluded from it. ”
This editorial invites you to view these texts as a call to connect and reconnect with one another, to demonstrate our commitment to overcoming extreme poverty, to give us strength, to make the most silenced voices heard, and to carry them everywhere together.
International Leadership Team, International Movement ATD Fourth World