HDI Brings International Film Exchange workshop to Iraq

The Humpty Dumpty Institute recently partnered with the Iraqi Independent Film Centre to host a workshop in Baghdad for young Iraqi filmmakers. The event was funded by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad with additional help from Human Film UK/NL and Iraq Al-Rafdin. The Baghdad training was part of the International Film Exchange, an HDI program that trains promising filmmakers from around the world and encourages them to use the power of film and television to highlight important social issues.

The theme of the workshop, which took place May 1-10, was “Telling the Story.” The workshop’s instructor was California-based filmmaker Bill Megalos, who has been producing and directing feature films and documentaries for more than 30 years.

“This is my first trip to Iraq,” Megalos said. “I am moved by the dedication and enthusiasm displayed by these young filmmakers who work under difficult circumstances and with limited resources. I’d like to see more organizations like the Iraqi Independent Film Center and more programs like HDI’s International Film Exchange so Iraqis can tell their stores to the world as they rebuild their country.”

HDI’s President Ralph Cwerman was also pleased with the success of the training program.

“When we first proposed an International Film Exchange program for Iraq, there were concerns that Iraqi filmmakers might not be ready for a program of this type. Based on the results of this workshop, they clearly are," he said. "We look forward to expanding the International Film Exchange to more countries in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.”

Connie Milstein is a one of the founders of the Humpty Dumpty Institute and continues to work with the non-profit as Chairman Emeritus.

Singer Mary McBride Tours Asia as HDI Spokesperson

This month, singer-songwriter and HDI spokesperson Mary McBride will travel to Vietnam, Laos, Taiwan and Iraq to perform with the support of the American Institute in Taiwan and the U.S. Embassies in Vientiane and Hanoi. The tour itself is hosted by the Humpty Dumpty Institute and Project RENEW. Prior to this tour, McBride shared her unique blend of R&B, American Country, and old-school Rock ‘n Roll to audiences in Pakistan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

One of McBride’s concerts in Vietnam was held at the Quang Tri Mine Action Visitor Center in Dong Ha Town. The center serves as a place where local residents and students can come to learn how to avoid bombs and mines. It is also frequented by international tour groups visiting the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Connie Milstein is a co-founder of the Humpty Dumpty Institute, which is working alongside Project RENEW to reduce the impact of Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) by providing income-earning opportunities to the families of landmine victims. HDI also works more broadly to promote public diplomacy and create dialogue between the United Nations and the United States Congress. The New York-based NGO’s other humanitarian efforts include feeding school children in Laos and teaching landmine awareness in Myanmar.

Humpty Dumpty Institute Hosts 39th Congressional Delegation to U.N.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute was established in 1988 by Connie Milstein and four other business entrepreneurs whose goal was to solve international problems through public-private partnerships. In January, the HDI held its 39^th Congressional Delegation to the United Nations. The day began with a breakfast hosted by The United States Mission to the United Nations, where Rosemary DiCarlo, U.S. Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, talked about the importance of the U.N. Security Council to U.S. policy, especially in times of conflict resolution and maintaining human rights abroad.

The delegates then heard Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning of the Executive Office of the Secretary General, Robert Orr, discuss the United Nations varied interests; the delegates were especially interested in hearing the U.N.’s sustainable energy initiative and promotion of green economic growth. Later, Dr. Mari Ortega, Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of Join United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, briefed participants on the current state of the AIDS epidemic and what the U.N. is doing in response to this crisis.

Following a private tour of the United National Capital Master Plan (a plan that details upcoming renovations to the U.N. campus), the participants met with Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. His remarks highlighted the importance of cooperation between the United States and United Nations and he discussed his plan of action for his second term as Secretary-General, during which he hopes to achieve fiscal and structural reform.

Finally, the group moved to the U.N. Millennium Hotel for a working lunch. Edmund Mulet, the Assistant Secretary-General Department of Peacekeeping Operations, spoke during the lunch hour about the importance of U.N. peacekeeping operations throughout the world and how member states can contribute to the program. Bill Rouhana, HDI Chairman, closed the day by sharing the history of the Humpty Dumpty Institute with the delegates and encouraged the members of Congress to become more involved with HDI’s international mine action activities and HDI’s Higher Education Alliance in the U.S.

Humpty Dumpty Institute Announces Higher Education Alliance

The Humpty Dumpty Institute and co-founder Connie Milstein recently announced a new program that will provide schools across the United States with an in-depth introduction to the United Nations. The program, known as the Higher Education Alliance, aims to build bridges between the U.N. and college students by bringing speakers from United Nations Specialized Agencies and U.N.-affiliated Non-Governmental Organizations to American college and university campuses.

On-campus alliance members will organize and run U.N.-related conferences on their campuses and have the opportunity to visit the U.N. headquarters in New York for intensive orientations further explaining the inner workings of the United Nations. Students who stand out for their work with the Higher Education Alliance may be invited to serve as interns in international organizations around the world. Alliance members also convene U.N.-related conferences at their campuses and are invited to U.N. Headquarters in New York for intensive orientations to learn how the U.N. actually works. And finally, select students at Alliance Universities/Colleges have the opportunity to serve as interns in international organizations around the world.

The High Education Alliance currently boasts a combined student enrollment of approximately 300,000 students from 18 universities and colleges in nine states. The Humpty Dumpty Institute is working especially hard to recruit institutions belonging to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and the Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCU) as well as community colleges nationwide, according to HDI Chairman William Rouhana, Jr.

“These centers of higher education are often underserved when it comes to global and international exposure. We are making a special effort to give these students in particular the opportunity to connect with the United Nations and to gain a better perspective about the global marketplace,” he said.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute is a unique non-profit organization widely-recognized for its work with the United Nations. Over the past four years, the HDI has become well known for its specialized outreach programs between the U.N. and various constituencies across the United States, which work to strengthen the United Nations as an international institution. The Humpty Dumpty Institute also implements large-scale humanitarian projects throughout the developing world. In the past four years, the HDI has begun major development projects in Lebanon, Angola, Eritrea, Laos and Vietnam, among others.

'Mushrooms with a Mission'

A few months ago, the Humpty Dumpty Institute, co-founded by Connie Milstein, began its new program, titled Mushrooms with a Mission. This project focuses on vulnerable families in central Vietnam, teaching them how to become mushroom farmers. The institute chose mushrooms because they are an easy, cheap, and low tech product to grow. The program is intended for landmine and UXO (unexploded ordinances) victims only, and so HDI chose a crop that even amputees could manage easily.

HDI is providing an automatic market for their mushroom farmers, having promised to buy as many mushrooms as they can grow. The mushrooms will be dried, packed and sold to many markets in Vietnam, and hopefully to neighboring countries, and, in the future, even worldwide.

All proceeds from the sales made by HDI will be donated towards removing landmines and UXOs in Vietnam and its surrounding areas.

HDI Brings Food Security to International Community

Empowerment is the modus operandi with which Connie Milstein practices her philanthropy, and the food security program of HDI is just another example of how this is accomplished. Satisfying their interest in feeding the hungry and helping those who are disenfranchised has always been an important goal of the directors of Humpty Dumpty Institute, including Connie Milstein. HDI’s projects in Africa and Asia combine the clearance of mines with the development of agriculture which increases the local food supply.

As just one example, HDI cleared landmines from important roads and thoroughfares so that over 20,000 individual farmers could bring their farm produce to the marketplace for the first time in more than ten years.

In another case landmine removal was removed from the areas around schools in Laos in exchange for getting a daily, healthy snack for each one of 10,000 students. In Sri Lanka the HDI clearance program is combined with teaching more than 1,200 farmers modern and new techniques for agriculture and bringing a renaissance to the now dormant, but once thriving, dairy industry.

Empowerment, self-sufficiency, human dignity are the goals the HDI, with Connie Milstein at the helm, strive towards.

Mine Action Programs of HDI Supported by Connie Milstein

Connie Milstein is a co-founder and board member of the Humpty Dumpty Institute, which is on the forefront of the battle against the international landmine epidemic. In order to remove the mines HDI has created innovative partnerships to raise money and awareness.

One of its more pioneering projects was begun in 2004, which monetized surplus food commodities in the U.S. and using the proceeding monies for reinforcing the symbiotic goals of demining and development of agriculture on the newly cleared lands. In this way the HDI was able to directly contribute almost $10 million towards the landmine clearance programs of Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Laos, Armenia and several others.

HDI, with the support of Connie Milstein has also created a program called “Adopt-A-Minefield.” Begun in 1998, Adopt-A-Minefield has raised more than $20 million for its many projects. The goal of these projects is the same everywhere: to support and help the direct and indirect victims of landmines so that they can either return home, find jobs, support families, be productive members of their societies and in general lead normal, fulfilling lives.

Connie Milstein Promoting UN-US Relations at HDI

As Chairman, Co-Founder and Board Member of the Humpty Dumpty Institute, Connie Milstein promotes improved dialogue between the U.S. government, the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. This improved relationship is accomplished through several means and on a variety of levels.

At the moment HDI is the only U.S. organization that brings congressmen and women and other senior government staff to United Nations Headquarters for private and off-the-record talks on issues of critical importance to the U.S. and U.N.

Based on the belief that sharing information improves policy decisions, the Humpty Dumpty Institute offers several programs for policy makers to get informed.

1. Congressional Delegations are brought to the headquarters of the United Nations in NY: This is the flagship program of HDI, which brings congressmen, senators, and their senior staff members to New York to meet in private and off-the-record with senior Secretariat officials and U.N. diplomats at the U.N. headquarters. More than 300 offices of congressional leaders have participated so far in the HDI sponsored delegations since this programs founding.

2. U.N. Across America: This latest HDI program takes members of the U.N. diplomatic corps to meet the people of America, from all backgrounds and with all their concerns and issues. This program has so far concentrated on reaching out to U.S. citizens outside the Northeastern corridor of the U.S. and has taken 50 U.N. diplomats to 10 different American cities. The U.N. diplomats have also met with city and state level policy makers in Detroit, Boston, and Phoenix, Portland (Maine and Oregon), Houston and more.

3. U.N. to D.C.: HDI also brings the U.N. diplomats down to Washington to meet law-makers in their own headquarters for more closed door, off-the-record policy discussions.