Br. Tino with the participants

The Presentation Brothers, the Christian Brothers and their coworkers recently attended a three-day training workshop on the theme, Human Rights and Advocacy.  The workshop was organized by the Edmund Rice International -ERI, Geneva, at the Tieloms Institute of Intercultural and languages Studies in the Tamale Archdiocese.  It was attended by 56 participants who came from Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya and was facilitated by Rev. Br. Constantine D’abreu Tino CFC who came from Geneva, a senior member of the Blessed Edmund RICE International -ERI network.

The ERI mission projects the voice of the underprivileged at the international level, that is to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations that has the power to challenge and hold duty bearers responsible for unjust regimes and ensure that human rights are respected in society.

Br. Tino entreated participants to always engage with their local communities for positive transformation and respect the persons they work with.

He charged them not to remain silent on issues of abuse of human rights in society but be more proactive in advocating and supporting vulnerable persons in society to become aware, know and understand their inalienable Human Rights and take their rightful place in society,

He took participants through the 30 Basic Universal Declaration of Human rights and stressed that ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and are endowed with reason and conscience to act with respect toward one another in the spirit of Brotherhood and Sisterhood’.

As missionaries working in rural communities, Br. Tino encouraged to make their schools accessible to all with zero discrimination of any kind such as religion, political affiliation gender and social status.

He touched on the Papal Encyclical Laudato Si and told the missionaries to focus on raising awareness on the care of the earth in the schools and communities by educating the people to become more responsible for the environment and to avoid acts that degraded the environment.

From Br. Godfrey Kuubagr