Back from Senegal!
West Coast Director, Annie Goeke, returns from her trip to Senegal! She visited the Living and Learning Center in Yoff where the UCLA Travel Study students are participating in the one-of-a-kind program to learn about sustainable development. (More photos from Senegal can be found in to photo reel!)



September Fundraiser
will be held on September 21st at the Talking Stick in Venice, CA. Check out our new Events page for more details: www.earthrightsinstitute.org/events


Water filters being used in Haiti ERI intern, Allison DePasquale, has been doing water filter training in Fondwa to ensure safe drinking water to those in rural Haiti. These water filters have been distributed by Safe Water Today. PICTURE TO THE RIGHT: A woman in Fondwa learning how to use a water filter.




West Coast Director Annie Goeke leaving to Senegal!
Annie will be visiting the UCLA Travel Study students at the EREV Institute at the end of July 2010.


Summer 2010 Fundraising time!
Earth Rights Institute is working on raising funds this summer by hosting a small fundraising event at the Talking Stick in Venice (see our Events page for more information) and sending out letters to our previous donors. Anything you can do to help us keep this organization going would be really appreciated. Remember to get your friends to join our facebook cause and would love it if you would consider us as a birthday wish.. Every little bit counts! Thank you!!!

Kechie's Project
Kechie's Project, brought about with some help from ERI, is an organization that works to inspire, empower, and help develop the future leaders of Nigeria. They have a vision where all Nigerian girls can attain self actualization and contribute to meaningful development of their respective families and communitiesFind out more about Kechie's Project by checking out their website!

Trees for a Sustainable Africa Program - Tree planting in CA
On Saturday, June 5, 2010, a team of ERI members participated in a tree planting of our 10 'jatropha' trees that have been adopted by the Quail Springs Permaculture Institute, California. This beautiful ceremony took place at their site Quail Springs located in the backcountry of Santa Barbara. Quail Springs demonstrates the concept of permaculture, which involves the reassessment of the role human communities play in the context of the natural world. Warren Brush, co-founder of Quail Springs, planted the first tree to demonstrate to the class from the College of Santa Barbara how it was done. ERI team that participated in this event included Annie Goeke - Director of ERI, Barry Leneman - Necessity Housing Inc., Adriano Gonzalez - ERI Director of Technologies, and Harry and Alysa Poliak from Safe Water Today. ERI is so very proud and honored to have Quail Springs part of our initiative to support our Trees for Sustainable Africa campaign.


ERI Democratic Republic of the Congo Update

GO Campaign gives one-time grant to ERI and the Jatukik Providence Foundation Partnership! This project will target orphans and abandoned children in Kinshasa, Congo and train them to earn a living through poultry raising. Much thanks to the GO Campaign for their support!

Photo taken by ERI Volunteer Gabriel Linden

ERI Senegal Update
Earth Rights Eco-Village Institute Senegal are glad to announce that they have received funding from the Jewish Community Endowment Fund for the PALETTE Project 2010.

PALETTE (Preservation a l’Ecole de la Tradition par moyen des Technologies Emergentes) project involves elementary schools, teams of young griots and school system officials in taping, reenacting, and transcribing oral stories and traditional games in elementary school textbooks.



ERI Ivory Coast Update

Earth Rights Institute West Africa Office, Abidjan with ERI Director Dr. Dramane Toure Nable is working closely with the efforts of "Trees for Sustainable Africa".
Earth Rights Institute is a founding member organization working with CSAfrica as the first coalition of non-profits to collectively work towards building a local economy based on combating climate change through jatropha tree planting, forest protection and reforestation programs that will participate in carbon credit trading markets. Giving support for Africans to grow jatropha trees elevates these villages out of poverty while also combating the many detrimental effects of global warming in both the developing and developed worlds. Spread the word. Raise awareness about how jatropha can help Africa and the world reduce carbon emissions.

Earth Rights Institute West Africa Office has the honor and the great pleasure to inform us that after two years of struggle, patience and perseverance, the Ivorian government has signed an agreement to support and endorse our "Trees for Sustainable Africa" Program signed on Tuesday, April 6, 2010. Moreover, they received endorsements for the project by the Director General of the Environment, Professor Ochuo Delphin, the Technical Board of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Ernest Yaoble and the Director for Energy at Ministry of Mines and Energy, Mr. Kouame Kouakou Augustine. They have consented for the project to be sent to the World Bank on behalf of the Ivorian governement and their support.


ERI Haiti Update
Earth Rights Institute's Haiti Emergency Disaster Relief Fund
Help Us Get Immediate Relief to Haiti!

For $20 at least 5 people can have access to clean safe drinking water. Donate Now to Support the delivery of siphon filters to prevent the spread of waterborne disease. The good thing about these filters is that the use of one filter, over a 24 hr period could provide enough clean water to service up to 40 people. You can help by contributing to Earth Rights Institute - Water Filters for Haiti Earthquake.

With our partner Safe Water Today, we are mobilizing to provide emergency supplies of the Tulip Siphon Water Filters, a high quality, low cost unit home water treatment system suitable as a system for water purification in emergency situations. For $20, we can ensure that one family will be provided with the filter to allow them to have access to clean water.

First water filter shipment arrived in Haiti.
Allison DePasquale (shown left), ERI intern is currently working with the Fondwa community in Haiti, and helped distribute water filters and other aid items to the local families that have been affected by the Earthquake. Father Jean Claude Atusameso, ERI partner from Jatukik Providence Foundation was able to deliver our water filters to Haiti. He also distributed a portion of the water filters to the local community of Petit Goave, where they are in the process of building an eco-village. Earth Rights Institute is also working closely with the efforts of Give Them a Hand.

ERI is also teaming up with Give Them a Hand and United African Congress (UAC) to mobilize resources and assist Haiti to cope with present circumstances and eventually to rebuild the peoples lives and country. GTAH provided volunteers to the Consulate of Haiti in the first days of the crisis and continues to do so in order to assist with moving volunteer Health Care professionals into Haiti.

ERI would like to thank all who have supported our efforts so far. A special thanks goes to Cocktail for a Cause and its organizers Samantha Lee and Tameka Porte. Contact us if you would like to get more involved!

ERI UCLA Students off to Senegal for the Summer Update

Earth Rights Institute's UCLA Travel Study Program Earn 11 University Units for Senegal Sustainable Community Development from June 28, 2010 to August 22, 2010!

Offered by the UCLA African Studies Center and the Institute of the Environment, this eight-week research and training program is focused on sustainable community development in Senegal, West Africa.

The program will build on existing projects developed by the Earth Rights Eco-Village Institute (EREVI) based in Dakar, with affiliates around the world. Students will commit to a rigorous program combining academic coursework and language training with fieldwork in selected Senegalese eco-villages.

Appropriate for students working in international development studies, African studies, environmental science, global studies, public policy, public health, or others in the social and human sciences committed to a greener and more equitable future.