The Drum Beat 112 - Communication and Change News and Issues

PROGRAMMES

1. Telefilm on Arsenic - Bangladesh - a TV film to raise awareness about arsenic poisoning, its symptoms and how it can be prevented. Includes production of 5 25-minute story-episodes entitled, "Water is Life, Water is Death." The film, which is in Bangla, with plans for English subtitles, will be broadcast on TV and disseminated to community groups and NGOs. Some channels in India have also shown interest, as some areas of India are also affected by arsenic. Contact Nargis Akhter [email protected] OR Ferdousi Sultana [email protected].

2. fem'LINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women - Suva, Figi Islands - a women's NGO committed to bringing the stories of Suva women and their communities to the forefront and to share these stories with the rest of Fiji, with the hope that through this community-centered initiative they will not only increase awareness of critical social, political and economic issues, but also serve as a means to promote reconciliation and peace in Fiji. They have recently completed distribution of their pilot community video, "fem'TALK," to over 50 women's groups, their civil society partners and political parties. Contact [email protected]

3. The Gacaca Democracy and Governance Project - Rwanda - Following the 4 yr Rwandan genocide, which began in 1990, more than 120,000 people have yet to stand trial. The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) helped Rwandan officials to set up a traditional court system called 'Gacacas' to address "all but the most serious" crimes and help to diminish the backlog of cases and prison over-crowding. Due to the fear and distrust of the Gacaca system felt by Rwandans, the JHU/CCP and the Ministry of Justice are designing a communication programme to increase awareness and understanding. Contact [email protected]

4. TARAhaat - India - will provide access for villagers to a variety of information resources and market-based opportunities through the Internet. The pilot phase concentrates on the villages of Madhya Pradesh and the rural belt of Uttar Pradesh. A house-to-house survey, covering 20,000 households in 131 villages, is providing information on rural life and livelihood practices. E-mail, on-line connection and chat rooms will be the major components, connecting local users to each other, and to their friends and family in the cities. TARAhaat will provide access to low income users by setting up local TARAdhabas (TARAkiosks - the rural version of cybercafes) where they can get connected to the Internet for a small fee. Contact TARAhaat Website

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CALL FOR OPINIONS - Competencies

Please complete a brief survey on defining the competencies needed by those who practice communication for development and communication for social change.

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5. Institute for Media and Society (IMS) - Nigeria - an NGO that emerged from the collective ideas and efforts of professionals in journalism, broadcasting, arts & culture, development communication, agricultural extension, educational technology, information and communication technology, conflict prevention and resolution and community development - all with a commitment to communication, democracy and development. Strategies include: research, documentation and dissemination of media/communication issues and trends of contemporary relevance; training; publishing; and, networking of individuals or groups and governance institutions to forge the synergies of collective initiatives. Contact [email protected]

6. Young Media Partners - Global - an international membership association of young journalists (ages 15-25) in broadcast, print and electronic media, who are committed to using their skills to "build a world of peace, social justice and equality". YMP offers media internships to young journalists at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and at its 10 regional bureaus (Kenya, Philippines, Turkey, Slovenia, Russia, Portugal, USA, Costa Rica and Brazil). Contact Debra Kreuter Grant [email protected]

7. Center for Women's Policy Studies - USA - a multiethnic and multicultural feminist policy research, analysis, and advocacy organisation. Communication strategies include: publishing reports, newsletters, policy papers, research papers, action alerts, press releases and op-eds to bring research findings and policy analyses to wide and diverse audiences. For more information or to receive their quarterly newsletter contact [email protected]


EVALUATION

8. Impact Data - Radio Communication Project - Nepal - In 1997, 52% of women surveyed had heard at least 1 component of the RCP, which increased to 60% in 1999. Increased spousal communication about family planning was evident in addition to an increase in communication between peers. The number of women who had not discussed family planning with another woman in their village decreased from 37% in 1997 to 20 % in 1999. The evaluation indicated strong evidence that exposure to the RCP was associated with contraceptive use by previous non-users & the continuation of contraceptive use among prior users. Contact Marc Boulay [email protected]

AWARDS

9. Gates Award for Global Health - $1 million (US) is awarded to recognise an organisation that has made a major and lasting contribution to the field of global health. Contact Terry Fisher [email protected]

10. 2002 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize - $1 million (US) is awarded annually to a nonprofit or charitable organisation making extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering anywhere in the world. Contact Melissa Whalen [email protected]


EVENTS

11. Promoting Community Radios in the Horn of Africa - Addis Ababa - Dec 11-13, 2001 - aims to introduce and discuss the concepts and practices of community radios and their relevance to the Horn of Africa.

12. Domestic Violence Awareness Month - Oct 2001 - JHU/CCP kicks off Domestic Violence Awareness month on Oct 1 in Baltimore, USA, with the launch of a web site dedicated to ending violence against women. http://www.endvaw.org/ will include journal articles, reports, training materials, brochures, posters, and links to other organisations. Contact Patricia Poppe [email protected]

WEB SITES

13. The Loka Institute - a nonprofit organisation dedicated to making research, science and technology more responsive to democratically-decided social and environmental concerns. Focus is on critical assessments, education, dissemination and advocacy.

14. NewsDirectory.com - a guide to online English-language media. Includes newspapers, magasines, television stations, colleges, visitor bureaus, and governmental agencies.

MATERIALS

15. A Media Handbook for HIV Vaccine Trials for Africa by Yinka Adeyemi - from the back cover - "This practical handbook has been written to enhance the capacity of scientists involved with HIV vaccine trials to develop useful collaborations with the media, and through them, other relevant groups and members of the public."

16. Raising Women's Voice for Peacebuilding: Vision, Impact & Limitations of Media Technologies by Susan McKay & Dyan Mazurana - explores how women have used communication technologies in their quest for peace, documents their experience from their own perspectives and provides an analytical framework to understand the challenges they face in realising their vision and using these tools.

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The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

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