The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has awarded seven travel grants to a total of £5,050 to help representatives of its Member Organizations to attend the General Assembly in Auckland, New Zealand, next 3-5 August.
There are just over three months until the 2018 IHEU General Assembly, bringing together representatives of IHEU Member Organizations from all over the world to form the democratic governing body of the IHEU.
This year for the first time the IHEU surpassed the symbolic number of 150 Member Organizations.
A weekend of humanist events in Auckland
The 2018 IHEU General Assembly (GA) will take place on Sunday 5 August 2018 in Auckland, New Zealand, as part of several events hosted by the Humanist Society of New Zealand over the same weekend.
A conference will be held over Friday 3 and Saturday 4 August. All information about the events in New Zealand can be found on the conference website, including information about conference programme, tickets and venue, accommodation in Auckland, how to apply for a visa to New Zealand where necessary, and many other useful tips.
The 7 travel grants awardees
The IHEU awarded travel grants to representatives of seven Member Organizations, mostly from the three priority regions of the IHEU Growth and Development Plan: Africa, Asia and Latin America.
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“Being awarded with the travel grant is a great honour. All I can say is that I am so happy to be among the selected few, I am so humbled. Thanks a lot IHEU for the great chance forwarded to me, I am very hopeful that I will meet a number of humanists from across the world that will inspire me to continue serving humanism.” Viola Namyalo |
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“The magnitude of our gratitude cannot be put into words. The grant offers me and us, as a nascent organisation, a chance to network and share best practices with other like minded individuals and organisations. It gives us an unparalleled access into the treasure trove of knowledge that other participants bring. The best way to thank IHEU is by spreading and mainstreaming the values of humanism to sensitise and in the process empower the communities in which we live.” Dean DeAndre Gower
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“By attending the IHEU conference I hope I will learn new things and make new like minded friends. I thank the IHEU for this but also for the contribution in the topic of Caste Discrimination, on which I have a good knowledge.”
Shymal Sagar Kumar
Organiser of the Pacific Islands Secular Association
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“This coming GA in New Zealand is another great opportunity for HAPI to work on expanding our network around the world. The Humanist Alliance of the Philippines, International is very much into building alliances around the world; to advance secularism, rational thinking, and feast on the humanist ideals that we aim to promote in our different localities. It means a lot to me to represent my organisation in this grand event. The financial aid would definitely lessen the cost of the travel, as my organisation could only afford the amount not covered by the grant. A million thanks to IHEU.“ Alvin John C. Ballares |
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“The travel grant will give me the opportunity to meet humanists from everywhere in the world and make friends with them. I will be able to learn how big events are organized and decisions are made by the world’s main humanist organization. A travel grant will give me also the opportunity to visit a part of Earth that I would not have visited otherwise.” Iaroslav Golovin
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“I’ll give my best in bringing the humanist philosophy to my country and by raising awareness of its values and principles, starting from my city, all the way up to become a nation wide organization that offers support to those that identify themselves as humanists.” Alvaro Alday Montañez
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“Thanks a lot for giving this golden opportunity. Our organization will remain grateful to IHEU.” Ramdeo Vishwabandhu |