Human Rights Cities
momentum became the real challenge. Kati is divided into distinct neighborhoods, which became the organizing base for human rights learning. A diverse corps of facilitators, many of whom had worked as trainers in popular education at the Institute for Popular Education in Kati, carried out evening sessions on human rights in each of the neighborhoods. By focusing on issues identified by the local population discussions led to planning direct community action based on human rights. The community radio picked up on the human rights ideas that resonated throughout the community. A weekly program had reporters gather and record questions about human rights from neighborhoods residents. During the live broadcast, invited specialists would respond to these questions. The personalization of human rights issues in the community raised awareness as it underscored the relevance of human rights. This weekly radio program has continued to have a permanent place in the life of Kati. In December 2006, the radio held a contest to highlight knowledge of human rights. The shows were interactive with listeners winning prizes. The programs were a big success and motivated the community audience to gain specific knowledge about their human rights. Of course, human rights learning involves more than learning facts in order to respond to questions but the radio shows were effective in generating interest in the human rights needs of the community. Mapping Human Rights Issues in Kati In 2002 a team consisting of members of the Kati Steering Committee, a UNDP observer, a professor of human rights from Harvard and a member of the education project team from PDHRE came to Kati for a two-day seminar. The purpose was to launch popular human rights learning in the neighborhoods and with the citizens of Kati develop a model for identifying the urgent issues in the community. After a briefing and discussion on the implications of social, economic and cultural human rights, approximately
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