People in Need

People in Need provides humanitarian aid to people affected by war or natural disasters. In recent years they have been involved in the armed conflict in the East of Ukraine and the largest humanitarian crisis in contemporary society, the civil war in Syria. They provide food, shelter, water, or crisis psychosocial help to those most in need in these countries, whilst also helping to repair damaged homes and provide material and equipment for the winter. They also focus on food distribution, restoration of livelihoods, housing provision (at least one warm room in the house, home repair, rent grants, distribution of fuel and water).[15] In Syria, People in Need also provides local farmers with a number of inaccessible seeds and tools to support their farming activity or, in safer places, provide food vouchers instead of food packages.

As part of their development projects, assistance has been provided in more than 50 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. Including, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Angola, Mongolia, Cambodia and Romania. They address long-term problems such as the unavailability of quality education, health care or environmental degradation. Focusing on securing basic living needs (water, health, education, nutrition) and promoting social programs, local business development, and supporting civil society and good governance. In Afghanistan, the organization began operating in 2001 after the fall of the Taliban, focusing on addressing long-term problems of livelihood, education and local community development.

Social integration Program in the Czech Republic

Since 1999 PIN has regularly worked to reduce poverty and social exclusion in the Czech Republic. It especially helps in poorer areas by providing social outreach projects, namely housing advice, advisory service for debtors, and limiting unemployment. In the past years, PIN has expanded to offer job and legal counseling, tutoring, social service assistance, police apparatus, and encourages meaningful leisure activities for children.

In summer 2006 the organization established a separate social integration department (in Czech: Programů sociální integrace, PSI). The aim of this department is to provide a comprehensive range of services for socially excluded individuals and families. Additionally, advises local councils in towns and municipalities where most socially excluded populations are located. Their approach attempts to address the issue on both the individual and local levels.

Currently, the program employs over 200 people, including 130 social workers, job counselors, lawyers, and educators who are further supported by over 300 volunteers. It operates in more than 60 cities and municipalities across the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Social exclusion is closely linked to the problems of debt and the debt trap, which is associated with illegal loan-sharks and so-called quick loans offered by non-banking companies and even legitimate banking establishments. Hence, People in Need began negotiations with the Czech Banking Association in 2010, and reached an agreement regarding the elimination of unfair terms for credit agreements at all Czech banks. In 2011, PIN completed a nearly three-year campaign of indexing predatory lending to the Roma in Slovakia. Thanks to the campaign, the vast majority of companies modified the provision of loans.[16]

A major part of the work of PIN is to advocate for dissidents, opposition activists, and the development of a civil society in countries controlled by authoritarian regimes. In regard to its experience with communist and former communist regimes, PIN works in Cuba,[11] Moldova,[12] Russia,[17] and Ukraine.[13] Burma[18] continues to be a country of concern. People in Need has been working on the country since 1997 when the organization began to support members of civil society groups.

PIN's primary focus is to support political prisoners (and their families), human rights defenders, and independent journalists. Therefore, the organization encourages civil society initiatives. Families of political prisoners, from harshly repressive regimes such as Burma and Cuba, are provided with financial and humanitarian assistance as well as moral endorsement. A substantial part of the financial aid is provided from the "Friends of People in Need Fund".[19]

The organization actively forwards its views on development in areas affected by war or human rights violations.

Educational programs are focused on students and teachers of Czech primary and secondary schools, universities and other professional groups (such as employees at employment centers or the police). Educational programs are implemented through presentation of documentary films accompanied by conversations (e.g. One World at schools),[20] an information service about intercultural education and global development (variations program) for teachers, as well as the promotion of ties between institutions and NGOs working in the field of social exclusion (Social Integration Programs).

People in Need focuses on appropriate information to the Czech public, the government and the media. Long and short-term campaigns are implemented in film screenings, discursive evenings, creative competitions, and trips for journalists who address specific issues such as development cooperation (Rozvojovka, Stop child labor). Campaigns include public actions or projects involving the gathering of information and materials on migration and foreigners living in the Czech Republic.

The organization publishes what calls the 'Predator Index',[21] a ranking of companies that provide unguaranteed loans, with inappropriate terms and conditions for the debtor. The index is compiled on the basis of clarity of contract and conditions, the presence of default interest in excess of statutory regulations, the cost of a delayed payment in the form of penalties, the cost of the loan in the case of timely payment and the proper use of the arbitration clause.

One World Film Festival

People in Need organizes the biggest human rights film festival in Europe, held in the Czech Republic, called One World (Czech: Jeden Svět),[22] which received honorable reference for its work on education of human rights by UNESCO in 2007.[23] During the festival People in Need further presents the Homo Homini Award to a person who conduced a significant contribution towards the protection of human rights and non-violent promotion of democracy.

Past winners of the award include the following:[24]

One World Festival/Jeden Svět 2011

• 1994: Sergei Kovalev
• 1997: Szeto Wah
• 1998: Ibrahim Rugova
• 1999: Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas
• 2000: Min Ko Naing
• 2001: Zackie Achmat
• 2002: Thích Huyền Quang, Thích Quảng Độ and Nguyen Van Ly
• 2003: Nataša Kandić
• 2004: Gheorghe Briceag
• 2005: Ales Bialatski and the Belarusian organisation Viasna
• 2006: Svetlana Gannushkina
• 2007: Su Su Nway, Phyu Phyu Thin, and Nilar Thein
• 2008: Liu Xiaobo
• 2009: Majid Tavakoli and Abdollah Momeni
• 2010: Azimzhan Askarov
• 2011: Doctors Coordinate of Damascus
• 2012: Intiqam Aliyev
• 2013: Sapiyat Magomedova
• 2014: Su’ad Nawfal
• 2015: Black Spring (Cuba): Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, Jorge Olivera Castillo, Ángel Juan Moya Acosta, José Daniel Ferrer García, Félix Navarro Rodríguez, Iván Hernández Carrillo, Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez, Óscar Elías Biscet González, Eduardo Díaz Fleitas, Librado Ricardo Linares García, Arnaldo Ramos Lauzurique
• 2016: Committee for the Prevention of Torture (Russia)
• 2017: Pham Doan Trang
• 2018: Francisca Ramírez[25]