Meliora members visit Mer Doon orphanage. They have a very good time with girls who live there and try to  prepare   very good Christmas  Party together.

Toleration

Minerva as a symbol of enlightened wisdom protects the believers of all religions (Daniel Chodowiecki, 1791)

In general usage, tolerance is a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose beliefs or personal characteristics (race, religion, nationality, etc.), differ from one’s own.

In social, cultural and religious contexts, tolerance and toleration are terms used to describe attitudes which are “tolerant” (or moderately respectful) of practices or group memberships that may be disapproved of by those in the majority.

In practice, “tolerance” indicates support for practices that prohibit ethnic and religious discrimination. Conversely, ‘intolerance’ may be used to refer to the discriminatory practices sought to be prohibited. Though developed to refer to the religious toleration of minority religious sects following the Protestant Reformation, these terms are increasingly used to refer to a wider range of tolerated practices and groups, or of political parties or ideas widely considered objectionable.

As a practical matter, governments have always had to consider the question of which groups and practices to tolerate and which to persecute. The Edicts of Ashoka issued by Ashoka the Great (269 – 231 BCE) during the Maurya EmpireBuddhism was tolerant, referring to many other religions, especially monotheist. The later expanding Roman Empire faced the question of whether or to what extent practices or beliefs could be tolerated or vigorously persecuted. Practically, for Romans, were tolerated all religions not conflicting with Roman laws. Likewise, during the Middle Ages, the rulers of Christian Europe or the Muslim Middle East sometimes extended toleration to minority religious groups, and sometimes did not. Jews in particular suffered under anti-Semitic persecutions in medieval Europe. A notable exception was Poland, which served as a haven for European Judaism because of its relative tolerance – by the mid-sixteenth century, 80% of the world’s Jews lived in Poland. declared ethnic and religious tolerance. This fact, being Ashoka Buddhist, means also how the

An early champion of toleration in Europe was Pawel Wlodkowic, who at the Council of Constance advocated the pagan However, the development of a body of theory on the subject of toleration didn’t begin until the 16th and 17th centuries, in response to the Protestant Reformation and the Wars of Religion and persecutions that followed the breaks with the Catholic Church instigated by Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli and others. In response to the theory of persecution that was used to justify wars of religion and the execution of persons convicted of heresy and witchcraft, writers such as Sebastian Castellio and Michel de Montaigne questioned the morality of religious persecution, and offered arguments for toleration. By contrast, Poland, which had been uniquely tolerant and ethnically as well as religiously diverse, officially confirmed its status as “a place of shelter for heretics” in the Confederation of Warsaw of 1573, the first toleration act in Europe. nations’ rights.

A detailed and influential body of writing on the question of toleration was produced in Britain in the 17th century, during and after the destructive English Civil Wars. John Milton and radical Parliamentarians such as Gerrard Winstanley argued that Christian and Jewish worship should be protected, and it was during the period that Oliver Cromwell allowed the return of Jews to England. These early theories of toleration were limited however, and did not extend toleration to Roman Catholics (who were perceived as disloyal to their country) or atheists (who were held to lack any moral basis for action). John Locke, in his Letter Concerning Toleration and Two Treatises of Governmentseparation of church and state that formed the basis for future constitutional democracies, but also did not extend toleration to Roman Catholics or atheists. The British Toleration Act of 1689 was the political result of seventeenth century theorists and political exigency, which despite the limited scope of the toleration it granted was nevertheless a key development in the history of toleration, which helped produce greater political stability in the British Isles. proposed a more detailed and systematic theory of toleration, which included a principle of

The philosophers and writers of the Enlightenment, especially Voltaire and Lessing, promoted and further developed the notion of religious tolerance, which however was not sufficient to prevent the atrocities of the Reign of Terror. The incorporation by Thomas Jefferson and others of Locke’s theories of toleration into the U.S. Constitution was arguably more successful.

Discussions of toleration therefore often divided between those who view the term as a minimal and perhaps even historical virtue (perhaps today to be replaced by a more positive and robust appreciation of pluralism or diversity), and those who view it as a concept with an important continuing vitality, and who are more likely to use the term in considering contemporary issues regarding discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, gender, sexuality, disability, and other reasons.

There are also debates with regard to the historical factors that produced the principle of toleration, as well as to the proper reasons toleration should be exercised, with some arguing that the growth of skepticism was an important or necessary factor in the development of toleration, and others arguing that religious belief or an evolving notion of respect for individual persons was or is the basis on which toleration was or should be practiced.

Tolerance and monotheism

One theory of the origins of religious intolerance, propounded by Sigmund Freud in Moses and Monotheism, links intolerance to monotheism. More recently, Bernard Lewis and Mark Cohen have argued that the modern understanding of tolerance, involving concepts of national identity and equal citizenship for persons of different religions, was not considered a value by pre-modern Muslims or Christians, due to the implications of monotheism.G.R. Elton explains that in pre-modern times, monotheists viewed such toleration as a sign of weakness or even wickedness towards God. The usual definition of tolerance in pre-modern times as Bernard Lewis puts it was that: The historian

Mark Cohen states that it seems that all the monotheistic religions in power throughout the history have felt it proper, if not obligatory, to persecute nonconforming religions. Therefore, Cohen concludes, Medieval Islam and Medieval Christianity in power should have persecuted non-believers in their lands and “Judaism, briefly in power during the Hasmonean period (second century BCE) should have persecuted pagan Idumeans”.Cohen continues: “When all is said and done, however, the historical evidence indicates that the Jews of Islam, especially during the formative and classical centuries (up to thirteenth century), experienced much less persecution than did the Jews of Christendom. This begs a more thorough and nuanced explanation than has hitherto been given.”

Tolerating the intolerant

Philosopher Karl Popper asserted, in The Open Society and Its Enemies Vol. 1, that we are warranted in refusing to tolerate intolerance; illustrating that there are limits to tolerance.

Philosopher John Rawls devotes a section of his influential and controversial book A Theory of Justice to this problem; whether a just society should or should not tolerate the intolerant. He also addresses the related issue of whether or not the intolerant have any right to complain when they are not tolerated, within their society.

Rawls concludes that a just society must be tolerant; therefore, the intolerant must be tolerated, for otherwise, the society would then itself be intolerant, and thus unjust. However, Rawls qualifies this conclusion by insisting, like Popper, that society and its social institutions have a reasonable right of self-preservation that supersedes the principle of tolerance. In his words:

McNair (2009) describes the notion of tolerantism in his novel The Orchard. He states,

From Wikipedia

While some dictionaries define the word right as “a privilege,” when used in the context of “human rights,” we are talking about something more basic.*

Every person is entitled to certain fundamental rights, simply by the fact of being human. These are called “human rights” rather than a privilege (which can be taken away at someone’s whim).

They are “rights” because they are things you are allowed to be, to do or to have. These rights are there for your protection against people who might want to harm or hurt you. They are also there to help us get along with each other and live in peace.

Many people know something about their rights. Generally they know they have the right to food and a safe place to stay. They know they have a right to be paid for the work they do. But there are many other rights.

When human rights are not well known by people, abuses such as discrimination, intolerance, injustice, oppression and slavery can arise.

Born out of the atrocities and enormous loss of life during World War II, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948 to provide a common understanding of what everyone’s rights are. It forms the basis for a world built on freedom, justice and peace.

Simplified Version
This simplified version of the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been created especially for young people.

1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.

2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.

3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.

6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!

7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.

8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.

9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country.

10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do.

11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.

12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.

13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish.

14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.

15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.

We know that armed conflict, poverty, social exclusion and the forces of globalization have marginalized youth. When combined with the lack of productive work, these factors can lead to youth involvement in armed groups and social unrest. We also know that governments are concerned over the financial capital that is required to re-integrate youth into the formal economy. However, expenditures on youth employment must be seen as an investment in human and social capital, rather than as a cost. Such investment provides a means of realizing the potential of youth, enabling them to be active participants in their families and in their communities. Our aim is :

1) Bridge the gap between education, training, and the labour market, using a sustainable & integrated approach as interventions are often ad hoc, and limited in scope and time. Training and education alone are notsufficient to help youth access work opportunities. State must promote policies that will better bridge the job market & education system, including programs to facilitate transition to work, with a combination of skills development, apprenticeships, and job placement. Such efforts should be facilitated by partnerships between public, private and civil society sectors, and include youth and youth-led organizations. In this regard, we recommend the institutionalization of vocationally relevant education, including the integration of vocational training in secondary/tertiary education.

2) Establish mechanisms to ensure that young people are active agents in decisionmaking processes, making particular effort to include those who are most marginalized.Many actors attempt to consider the effect of their decisions on youth, but often lack input, particularly from those who are poorest and most excluded. Employment policies and programs, rather than simply targeting the most employable youth, should ensure the sustained participation of the most marginalized youth in the design and implementation of policies, and should support them in ways that are tailored to their specific needs. Training and education alone are not sufficient to help them access work opportunities.

3) Create an environment that supports youth entrepreneurship. As highlighted by the draft resolution, there is a need for the creation of an enabling environment t hat supports the flourishing of youth entrepreneurship. This can be fostered by promoting formal and non-formal education on entrepreneurship for young people, facilitating their participation in cooperatives and other forms of social, economic or financial enterprises.

Importantly, the lack of access to capital for entrepreneurial projects have played a contributing factor to the poor labour market participation of youth, which underscores the need to increase young entrepreneurs’ access to micro-financing and capital to overcome liquidity constraints. 4) Need for the further implementation and strengthening of review mechanisms. As our research outlines, the proposed goals and targets for monitoring the progress of youth in the global economy must include the topic areas of globalization; poverty and hunger; education; and employment. Our research outlines a clear timeline for goal achievement, for example, by 2015, develop and implement national employment policies and legislation that include components addressing the needs of specific vulnerable groups of young people. This timeline must be adhered to and emphasized. As the report states, in order to achieve these ambitious goals “business as usual” will not suffice. We must translate commitment into action. Undeniably, young people are key resources in the local and global community. To avoid the frustration and apathy that can grow out of desperation, youth all over the world must be able to find a productive channel to put their energies to use. It is crucial to provide them with possibilities to fulfill their inherent potential.

Our mission is to give hope to poverty stricken children through improved education, health, and living conditions. Your donation will ensure that we can maintain and expand our educational, psychological and medical service to impoverished communities in Armenia.

H.O.P.E
Helping Overcome Poverty Everyday

A “Children’s Day”, as an event, is celebrated on various days in many places around the world. Major global variants include an International Children’s Day on June 1 as adopted in the former Communist bloc, and a Universal Children’s Day on November 20, by UN  recommendation. Many nations declare days for children on other dates.

Easter Day is a very special day for everyone.Meliora NGO in cooperation with its good friend composer Karen Grigoryan, Arevik Alaverdyan, Anahit Shahbazyan and other artists organize Easter Day celebration in one of the Armenian orphanages. “CITY” supermarket sponsored the event and children received gifts and Easter accessories. Artists give charity concert and children really enjoyed it. The pastor told the story about Easter t and children and theirs guests pray together for the peace in the world. At the end, all tried Easter meals.Easter Day is one of the important days, when every one wants human warmth, kindness and smiles.We all are big family and every one in this day should feel that he or she is a part of big big family.

Welcome to

Meliora NGO

Our mission is to serve as a uniting bridge between Armenians around the world and combine their efforts to reconstruct and strengthen our country. Our mission takes the Fund to where it is needed most – whether it is infrastructure or economic development, job creation or humanitarian relief, the Fund, with the support of Armenian communities worldwide, is always there to extend a helping hand to ensure a better life for our compatriots in Armenia and Artsakh. This is OUR MISSION and this is our dream; a dream that every Armenian can be part of.