My Nonprofit Reviews

I have been working on human rights for more than 35 years, most recently as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. At the end of 2011 I was asked to do an in-depth evaluation of the RFK Center's human rights program. What I found was a unique, powerful and highly efffective model of working in genuine partnership with individuals and organizations that are on the front lines of some of the most challenging human rights situations in the world. The RFK Center establishes a long term relationship with these couragenous human rights defenders by listening carefully to their needs and developing a mutally agreed on action plan to help them in winning concrete victories for advancing human rights in their countreis and regions. The RFK Center, based on years of experience and a rich set of contacts and skills is able to offer each of their partners traning opporuniteis, the capacity to bring their demands to the attention of the U.S. government and congress, media attention that offers then both protection and a tool for advancing their objectives, and the mobilization of peoole around the world on their behalf. Through these partnerships the RFK Center has helped to free and protect human rights defenders, bring the violatiors of human rights to justice, establish policies that fufill the rights and improve the lives of thousands of people, and strengthen organizatations and movements that will continue to advance human rights long after the RFK Center has moved on to other partnerships, creating the ripples of hope of which Bobby Kennedy spoke and for which he lived. I have seen first hand the power given to those struggling for their rights in knowing that they are united with a global organization that is using all its resources to help them win their fight for freedom and dignity. I can honestly say that in all my years I have not seen any orgnaization better at working with and contributing to groups on the front lines of the human rights battle. This expereince of working in depth with people who are giving their all for human rights informs every part of the RFK Center including their important efforts to educate the public and inspire young people to follow the example of human rights defenders around the world by becoming involved in their own communities. In this way the RFK Center's work is not only life changing for those who suffer directly from the violations of human rights but all who are in a postion to defend those rights. I can not rate thier work highly enough.

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