empowerment @en | Christina Felschen

empowerment @en | Christina Felschen

“We all want our ideas to be heard”

published by deutschland.de on the occasion of the Internet Governance Forum >> (German version >>) in November 2019

How can citizens be involved in governing by contributing their wishes, ideas and expertise? And how can leaders use big data to make their work more transparent and prevent corruption? Beth Simone Noveck, law professor and director of the GovLab research center in New York, advises governments worldwide on open governance – for example Barack Obama during his time in office and, since 2018, the German government. In this interview, she talks about this democracy of small steps and the chances and challenges of Germany’s Digital Council.

A long ride home

produced for New York Film Academy

Judi learnt to ride a bike as an adult – and the newfound freedom changed her life. She cycled all over the world, before she returned to her native New York with the mission to get her own community on wheels. But coming home is a shock: Her community criticizes her for doing “white people’s stuff” and her mother fears for her life. Will she convince them?

Undocumented – and indispensable

published in German by ZEIT ONLINE on February 28, 2017 >>

Harvest workers, nannies, craftspeople: Eleven million people live in the US without papers, nothing goes without them. Trump wants to deport them anyway. A life full of fear.

Invisible neighbors

Final report of my research on the situation of undocumented migrants in Arizona and California, supported by the American Council on Germany’s McCloy Fellowship in Journalism

A treasure in the forest

documentary published by the German NGO Welthungerhilfe >>

Until recently, the only people who came into Jomi Pacharin’s remote mountain village were vendors and debtors. Doctors, teachers and government officials never set their foot here, they find the trail too arduous; hence many Paharia die from malnutrition and preventable diseases. When local helpers of the German NGO Welthungerhilfe first came to their village, Jomi and her neighbors stayed inside, full of suspicion – until they realized that these strangers would not take their belongings but offer something.

The Greener Revolution

published by the German NGO Welthungerhilfe >>

Monocultures, fertilizers and hybrid seeds are not the best way the earth can feed several billion people – quite the contrary, Indian agronomists say. They propose a more sustainable alternative to the Green Revolution: integrated agriculture that imitates nature and regards every farm as an ecosystem.

Climate in turmoil

published by the NGO Welthungerhilfe, 4/2015, pp. 17-19 >>

Indian fishermen and Burundian farmers have one thing in common: As poorest among the poor they are not responsible for climate change; yet they are the first who live with its consequences. In both countries, the weather has been diverting from its usual pattern for a decade. Welthungerhilfe trains fishermen and farmers to take precautions.

Made in India – young entrepreneurs in the countryside

translation of an article published by the NGO Welthungerhilfe, 2/2016, pp. 17-19 >>

Despite its economic boom, India is leaving its rural youth behind. Less than one in ten young Indians had any professional training, unemployment is staggering. A Welthungerhilfe program tries to change this: It builds training centers for thousands of young people who want to start their own businesses – as rabbit breeders, vets or solar technicians.

Delhi/ Dhanwe, the right to be alive

Multimedia feature for the NGO Welthungerhilfe, published with the Global Hunger Index on October 11, 2016 >> or >> Ideally watch it on a large screen, Pageflow is very limited on mobile phones!

India has 84 dollar billionaires, but they don’t contribute much to reduce the country’s life-threatening poverty. India also has laws which guarantee the poorest the right to be alive, but they are not well implemented in the villages. However, in remote Jharkhand, 1,000 women stand up against this injustice. They search for 1 kg of rice per person that did not reach them. But they have more on their mind than just grains – they demand respect.

Cómo ser un colibrí

publicado por Peace Boat el 16 febrero 2013 >> y en inglés >>

Binka Le Breton, autora británica, ha encontrado a su “tierra de leche y miel” en la selva tropical de Brasil. Con su ONG Iracambi (colibrí), un pueblo entero y unos scientíficos voluntarios trata de investigar y restaurar la Selva Atlántica. Pero hay unos a quienes no les gusta que ellos ponen sus intereses económicos pata arriba.