U.S. leaders are speaking out on the growing crisis in Zimbabwe, but nothing I’ve read in recent weeks expresses the searing pain of that once-prosperous country as starkly as a recent letter to America.gov. Here’s a portion of it:

… We need you, please, to get the news OUT that we are all in a fearfully dangerous situation here. Too many people turn their backs and say – oh well, that’s what happens in Africa

This Government has GONE MAD and you need to help us publicize our plight—or how can we be rescued? It’s a reality! The petrol queues are a reality, the pall of smoke all around our city is a reality, the thousands of homeless people sleeping outside in 0 Celsius with no food, water, shelter and bedding are a reality. Today a family approached me, brother of the gardener’s wife with two small children. Their home was trashed and they will have to sleep outside. We already support [many people] on this property, and electricity is going up next month by 250% as is water.

How can I take on another family of 4 —– and yet how can I turn them away to sleep out in the open?

I am not asking you for money or a ticket out of here - I am asking you to FACE the fact that we are in deep and terrible danger and want you please to pass on our news and pictures. So PLEASE don’t just press the delete button! Help best in the way that you know how.

Do face the reality of what is going on here and help us SEND OUT THE WORD. The more people who know about it, the more chance we have of the United Nations coming to our aid. Please don’t ignore or deny what’s happening. Some would like to be protected from the truth BUT then, if we are eliminated, how would you feel? ‘If only we knew how bad it really was we could have helped in some way’.”

We’re getting the word out. Are you listening?

Even though the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is 60 years old, the rights it enumerates remain out of reach in many nations. When the declaration was adopted, the world was still reeling from the magnitude of the Nazi atrocities, the full scope of which did not come to light until after World War II.

Hiding has been an effective strategy for other abusers. Despite widespread support for the declaration, violations continue around the world in repressive regimes that, until recently, were able to hide the true extent of their crimes. But in the age of new media, hiding is getting a lot more difficult.

The YouTube blog “Broadcasting Ourselves” cites how organizations are using video to document human rights abuses, raise awareness and promote change.

“Video continues to serve as a powerful tool to expose incidents that threaten the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And while it may be impossible to end human rights abuses everywhere, we can be grateful that there are citizens armed with cameras who help bring these abuses to light,” blogs Ramya R. of YouTube Nonprofits & Activism group.

But it’s not all about video. A question posted today on WITNESS underscores the power of pictures by asking the question “What Image Opened Your Eyes to Human Rights.?”

Other new media giving voice to the previously voiceless include cell phones, blogging and social networking.

Ultimately, 21st-century technology might be the key to realizing a promise six decades old and making the Universal Declaration truly universal. Your thoughts?