The Rhoda Karpatkin Advocate Programme

Last updated: 25 January 2010

A joint initiative - building the global consumer movement

'Effective consumer advocacy today must involve engaging in global lobbying'.
Rhoda Karpatkin speaking at CI's World Congress in 1997. 

The Rhoda Karpatkin (RK) Advocate Programme is a joint initiative between Consumers International (CI) and Consumers Union (CU)  to provide training and experience to campaigning advocates from CI member organisations in developing countries.

Aims

The aim of the programme, funded by CU, is to support the emergence of new activist leaders equipped to fight for social justice and so provide advocates with exposure to:

• strategic planning
• management, and
• communications.

The programme contributes directly to CI’s strategic objective of ‘building strong consumer organisations around the world that can campaign effectively for consumers nationally and through CI globally’.

Rhoda Karpatkin

Rhoda Karpatkin served as President of CI from 1984 to 1991.

Under her leadership, CI greatly expanded its commitment to building consumer organisations in the Global South. She was instrumental in mobilising CI member organisations to campaign effectively for consumer rights and social justice.

Read more about Rhoda Karpatkin...

The advocates

To date the CI London Office has hosted seven advocates from different countries:

Late 2009

• Cameroon - (RACE - Réseau Associatif des Consommateurs de l'Energie) 
• Lebanon - (Consumers Lebanon)

Mid 2009

• Kenya  - Emma Wanyonyi (Consumer Information Network)
• South Africa - Pelisa Manqoyi (National Consumer Forum) 

Early 2008

• Fiji - Praneeta Singh (Consumer Council of Fiji)