Emile is a fictional character of a book written by French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, “Emile, or On Education”. In the story of this author and his hero, we have found 5 principles guiding our work:
- Child-centred approach
- Ideal
- Depth
- Courage
- Vigilance
Child-centred approach
“Emile, or On Education” is one of the first philosophy books focused on children and their upbringing. It is a book that motivated revolutionary figures in education like Maria Montessori, and served as a blueprint for the education systems in France and many other countries. He also inspired thousands of scholars, both agreeing and strongly disagreeing with Rousseau. Thinking of children became part of being civilised. But not everywhere and not by everyone.
Our goal is to ensure applying of the basic human rights for children in armed conflicts and focus on helping these children to be safe, free and cared for. The interest of the child is our guiding principle, and we find ways to apply international law, human rights fundamental documents and obligations of various actors to manifest this interest. War puts the whole international order built on the rule of law at risk. We amplify all the obligations of all the parties involved and encourage that they will turn into tangible actions with sustainable results.
Ideal
“Without ideals, it is impossible to be a realist”, wrote Timothy Snyder in his book “On Freedom”. Emile is a perfect child, created by an imperfect man for an imperfect world. His story is an ideal people should look up to and follow, with a clear knowledge that it can never be fully achieved. But every moment we get closer, the world becomes a better place.
We, too, have an ideal. We imagine a world where every child is safe and in an environment where they are allowed to fully realise their potential in a pursuit of their individual happiness. We know that such a world will never exist. But there are ways to help individual children, families, communities. There are platforms that multiply this help. Guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we acknowledge that civil and political rights have to always be accompanied by economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to health, education, food and housing. Our work is to identify children whose rights are not being respected, help them and people around them. With an ambition of creating a stable platform for this help on a global scale.
Depth
Knowledge takes time and effort. Rousseau spent years thinking about the nature of humans and their societies and that allowed him to formulate principles and theories still valid today. The concepts of a social contract or natural human rights we all are born with inspired the French revolution and many modern theories of state. Deep, complex and detailed thinking are necessary for finding answers to difficult and complicated questions.
We are dealing with human suffering on a scale hard to imagine for people living outside of crisis zones. We listen to stories that break hearts. In order to help, we must assess all the situations we witness, taking international law, national law and human rights guiding principles into account. Only by considering all possible contexts are we able to find sustainable solutions. We are guided by deep knowledge of all necessary areas and this allows us to stay consistent, reliable and trustworthy.
Rebellion
Rousseau’s books were burnt on the streets of Paris and Geneva. Authorities of that time considered some of his thoughts dangerous, provocative and inappropriate. He chose to write what he believed in rather than just serve what people wanted to hear. He favoured personal faith and reason over institutionalised religion and dogma. By staying faithful to what he believed was right he was able to move the limits of what was possible.
We are vocal and loud, sometimes even disruptive. If we see institutional barriers and bureaucratic entanglements that don’t serve public interest, we identify and challenge them. We believe in public pressure for better performance of state and international bodies. We urge those in power to do the right thing. With deep respect to people handling great responsibilities, we ask them to move the limits of possible where we see it doable.
Vigilance
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a motherless child with a troubled life. Besides his fictional son Emile in his book, he had 5 children and raised none of them, not feeling up to the role of a father and dreading to raise them in the wrong environment. He is a clear example of a complex personality, contributing to human knowledge and progress on one end and not living by his words on the other. He gave no chances to his children to become the Emile of his literature.
We distinguish theory from practice. When we hear great speeches, receive promises, and witness urges to act, we closely monitor to see if actions follow the words. Noble causes often attract gestures, which can become the currency for building personal brands. Unfortunately, the topic of children is often used as a political tool or for personal interests, rather than prioritising the interests of the child first and foremost. We believe that a world where people receive attention and admiration for standing on the right side of history is only fair if they also contribute and take action.
Mariam Lambert
Co-founder & CEO
Emile Foundation