Not meant to live like this
United States of America
- It Takes a Child to Raise a Village
- "It Takes a Child to Raise a Village": an intergenerational assembly hosted in the United States
ATD (All Together in Dignity) Fourth World Movement has been present in the New Orleans area for the past 20 years. They are writing a book, “Not Meant To Live Like This”, which will be published in 2010, on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Forty people have been a part of writing this book: some live in dire poverty and have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina, or are back in the city after the hurricane, and others have seen people in poverty struggle every day, and admire their courage to keep going. All want to share their experiences, and their commitment, particularly in regard to accessing affordable housing and quality education for the children, and to what they do to overcome the violence they experience linked to poverty. These three themes are at the heart of this book.
On the occasion of the International Day to Eradicate Poverty, a seminar brought together approximately 75 people at Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans. This seminar was a time of sharing and reflection with people who struggle in their everyday life, as well as professionals, members of other NGO’s, politicians, and students. They were all together at the same table, with the support of researchers and academics. (Part of the fight against poverty is to reflect together on social policy and to influence policy reforms based on Human Rights, as Fr. Joseph Wresinski often pointed out.)
Maria Victoire, full time Volunteer of the Fourth World Movement in New Orleans, and organizer of this seminar, tells us what she has learned from it.
