“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This week, we find ourselves reflecting on the tumultuous context we all are operating in. The world grieves the 444,000 lives lost due to COVID-19 and faces a global recession unknown to many in our generation, and we are simultaneously called to action by racial injustice here in the US. As protesters across the United States, and indeed, the rest of the world, move into weeks of protesting the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, and countless other Black Americans whose names we don’t know, we stand in solidarity with the fight for equity, peace, and life, and join the chorus of voices proclaiming “Black Lives Matter.”
READ Global has always believed in building a more equitable society as a core value – by empowering the most vulnerable with the skills and resources they need to create a better future. With distinct connections to our work with rural South Asia, we stand opposed to racism in all its forms, in the United States, and across the world.
Through our COVID-19 pandemic response, we have remained committed to this guiding principle. Across rural communities in Bhutan, India, and Nepal, our work continues to serve the most at-risk and most marginalized, as we partner with communities to develop the best responses to the ongoing crises they’re facing today. We hope you will find our updates from the field to be informative, powerful displays of humanity’s grace, and will be called to action to support our ongoing work in South Asia or anti-racist work in your own community. Our teams continue to press forward as they find tangible solutions through the COVID-19 crisis, continue to fight inequality locally and remain hopeful about the future. Please join us in this renewed mission to fight for justice and to continue to serve through crises.
In Solidarity,
Tina Sciabica
READ Global Executive Director
Sanjana Shrestha
Incoming READ Global Executive Director & Current READ Nepal CEO
