Horizons of Friendship works for long-term change by confronting the root causes of poverty and injustice in Central America and Southern Mexico. We build horizontal relationships with partner organizations in the South, which recognizes the need to empower communities to be agents of social change in the short and long term. Horizons and its partners have defined an integral approach to development that includes community organization, resolution of basic necessities in the areas of health, education, production, and human rights, and citizen participation at all levels. Horizons currently supports the community development and human rights advocacy projects of over 20 Mesoamerican organizations. We also support regional initiatives as part of our Learning Network, which provides partner organizations from across the region an opportunity for dialogue, debate, peer-learning and capacity-building. All Learning Network initiatives are borne out of concerns raised by our Southern partners.
To Horizons and its partners, sustainable human development is building alternative socio-economic structures that permit people to build decent lives, and supporting their efforts to achieve positive cultural, economic, and societal change. Essential to this approach is an understanding of environmental sustainability, a gender perspective and a bottom-up economic vision. The strengthening of civil society, where human rights are respected and social justice is promoted, is an important objective underlying Horizon’s programming.
We also promote social justice and global education through our Community Outreach program here in Canada. The criteria for our community outreach programming is consistent with those identified for the Mesoamerican program, including a focus on women’s and human rights, environment, strengthening of leadership and increasing networks, and building knowledge and leadership skills around issues of global justice.
2005 Regional Gender Equity Workshop, Nicaragua
