People in Need facts for kids
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| Formation | 1992 |
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| Type | Non-profit NGO |
| Purpose | Protecting human rights and providing human relief, development assistance, and social integration projects. |
| Headquarters | Prague, Czech Republic |
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CEO
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Šimon Pánek |
| Jan Pergler (Chairperson) | |
People in Need (often called PIN) is a non-profit group from the Czech Republic. It is based in Prague. PIN helps people in many ways. They provide aid when disasters happen and work on long-term projects to improve lives. They also teach people about human rights and support education.
PIN works in over 33 countries around the world. In the Czech Republic, they help people join society better and offer educational activities. The group wants to spread ideas of freedom and kindness. Since it started in 1992, PIN has worked in almost 50 countries. Today, it is one of the biggest non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Central and Eastern Europe.
People in Need gets most of its money from different projects. Donors include the Czech government, the European Commission, and UN agencies. People in the Czech Republic also donate money to help.
Contents
How People in Need Started
People in Need was started in 1992. Its founders were Šimon Pánek and Jaromír Štětina. Šimon Pánek was a student leader during the Velvet Revolution. This was a peaceful change in Czechoslovakia. Jaromír Štětina was a reporter who covered wars.
The group first called itself Nadace Lidových novin. Two years later, it changed its name to Nadace Člověk v tísni při České televizi. In 1999, it became known as People in Need. Šimon Pánek has been the director since 2009.
PIN helps people during big crises. For example, they helped during the floods in the Czech Republic in 2002. They also helped after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Czech people and companies gave a lot of money to help then. PIN also provided aid after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
PIN works in Africa and Asia. They help with basic needs like food and water. They also support education. In some countries, like Belarus and Cuba, PIN helps people who want more freedom. In the Czech Republic, PIN helps Romani people. They also organize cultural events, like the One World Film Festival.
PIN has done big projects in many places. This includes Afghanistan (helping with water and schools) and Sri Lanka (after the 2004 earthquake). They also helped in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake. In Angola and Ethiopia, they built schools. In Namibia, they helped people with HIV/AIDS. They also supported groups of Czech people living in Romania and Serbia.
In 2008, PIN helped in Myanmar after a big storm. They also worked in the DR Congo. In 2009, PIN helped people in the Czech Republic after floods. Since 2014, People in Need has been working in Venezuela. They support local groups and individuals who are trying to improve their country.
In 2019, the Russian government said People in Need was an "undesirable" group. The Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs said this was wrong.
What People in Need Does
Helping People in Need Around the World
People in Need gives help to people affected by wars or natural disasters. Recently, PIN has helped people in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. They also helped people in the civil war in Syria. PIN provides food, safe places to stay, water, and emotional support. They also help fix damaged homes. They give out warm clothes and fuel for winter. In Syria, PIN also gives farmers seeds and tools. In safer areas, they give food vouchers instead of food packages.
PIN has helped people in over 50 countries. These include places in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some of these are DR Congo, Ethiopia, Angola, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Romania. PIN also works on long-term problems. These include poor education, lack of healthcare, and harm to the environment. They focus on making sure people have basic needs like water, health, and food. They also support local businesses and good ways of governing. In Afghanistan, PIN started helping in 2001. They focused on improving lives, education, and local communities.
Helping During the Ukraine War
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians faced a crisis. Cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv saw heavy fighting. People in Need had been working in Ukraine since 2003. They quickly started sending aid on the first day of the war. They launched an appeal called "SOS Ukraine." This became their most successful fundraising effort ever.
PIN worked with partners to set up a train route between Ukraine and Prague. This helped move aid. In the first days of the war, PIN trucks full of aid went to affected areas in Ukraine. The war forced millions of people to leave their homes. Many parts of Ukrainian cities were destroyed. Water and electricity were cut off for many. People in Need helped by getting water supplies to eastern Ukraine. They also gave money to local groups to help distribute food, water, and hygiene products.
Millions of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, fled to nearby countries. People in Need worked at the border between Ukraine and Poland. They helped refugees who waited for days to get to safety. They also offered help to refugees in the Czech Republic, Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia. PIN built warm tents at the Ukrainian border. They gave important information to people who were fleeing. People in Need also created a website called Pomáhej Ukrajině (Help Ukraine). This site connected people who needed help with groups that could offer it.
Helping People in the Czech Republic
Since 1999, PIN has worked to reduce poverty in the Czech Republic. They help in poorer areas. They offer advice on housing and how to manage debts. They also help people find jobs. In the past, PIN has helped with jobs, legal advice, and tutoring for children.
In 2006, PIN created a special department for social integration. This department helps individuals and families who are struggling. PIN also advises city councils on how to help people in their areas. They try to solve problems for both individuals and whole communities.
This program has over 200 staff members. This includes social workers, job counselors, lawyers, and teachers. Over 300 volunteers also help. The program works in more than 60 cities and towns in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Many people face problems with debt. People in Need started talking with Czech banks in 2010. They wanted to stop unfair loan terms. In 2011, PIN finished a campaign about unfair loans to Romani people in Slovakia. Because of this, most companies changed how they gave out loans.
Promoting Human Rights
The Center for Human Rights and Democracy (HRD) is a part of PIN. It works in other countries. It mainly supports people and groups who are treated badly or put in jail for their beliefs. This often happens in countries where the government controls everything.
PIN has been working on human rights since the late 1990s. They mainly help political prisoners and their families. They also support groups that work for civil society. Families of political prisoners in countries like Myanmar and Cuba get money and other help. PIN also works to raise awareness about human rights problems around the world. They try to get public and political support to protect these rights.
HRD works in many countries with strict governments. A big part of their work is speaking up for people who disagree with the government. They also help develop civil society in these countries. Because of their experience with past communist governments, HRD has programs in Eastern Europe (like Armenia and Belarus). They also work in Latin America (like Cuba and Venezuela). PIN is also involved in parts of Asia, like Myanmar.
Education and Public Awareness
PIN has educational programs for students and teachers in Czech schools. They also work with universities and other groups, like police. These programs use documentary films and discussions. They also provide information about different cultures and global issues for teachers.
People in Need also shares information with the public, the government, and the media. They run campaigns with film screenings, discussions, and competitions. They also organize trips for journalists to learn about topics like development aid. PIN publishes a "Predator Index." This ranks companies that give out loans. It helps people see which companies have unfair terms.
One World Film Festival
Every year, People in Need organizes the One World Film Festival. This is the biggest human rights film festival in Europe. It takes place in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2007, UNESCO praised the festival for its work on human rights education. It is the largest documentary film festival about human rights in the world. Over one hundred films from many countries are shown. The festival covers many human rights topics. This includes political, social, and environmental issues.
The films are shown in Prague in March. Then, they travel to over thirty other cities in the Czech Republic and to Brussels. The most popular documentaries can be watched for free online at www.promitejity.cz. The festival also has evening discussions with film directors and human rights experts.
People in Need also gives out the Homo Homini Award. This award goes to a person who has done a lot to protect human rights and promote democracy peacefully. The award was first given in 1994. Since 1997, it has been given out every year. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the festival. Many screenings were moved online.
Winners of the Homo Homini Award
Past winners of the award include:
- 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 group 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
- 2019: Buzurgmehr Yorov
- 2020: Marfa Rabkova, Andrei Chapiuk, Leanid Sudalenka, and Tatsiana Lasitsa
- 2021: Mahienour El-Massry (an Egyptian lawyer who helped political prisoners)
See also
In Spanish: People in Need para niños
