Will going digital expand mechanisms to engage young HIV key populations?

Bobby Ramakant, CNS Special Correspondent

Joe Rich, Midnight P, Kent Klindera

With increasing use of and access to internet in developing countries, digital tools provide another added way to engage HIV key populations, particularly young people. Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) is managing an initiative in few South East Asian cities such as Bangkok (Thailand), Chengdu (China), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (Philippines), and Yangon (Myanmar) to use digital tools to encourage young men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people to test, and opt for repeated HIV testing regularly. Initial pilot is being done in Bangkok (TestBKK) since April 2014.

See Green And Not Red!!!

A female doctor working at a reputed Medical College in Vellore in India, is reportedly berated by the Head of Institute (and slapped by her parent when the complaint reached her home) for indulging in the immoral (?) activity of being active on the ‘Facebook’. She is told that this is not expected of a woman coming from a good family. Read more

"Foundation of commercial RFID industry is credited to Sanjay Sarma"

One can't believe my sense of joy and pride when during a Management Information System presentation on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, one of the groups told us that the foundation of commercial RFID industry is credited to Sri Sanjay Sarma from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), when in 1999 Auto-ID center at MIT developed it. This is because I am privileged to have been a batch-mate of Sri Sanjay Sarma at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. Read more

Submissions to the 3rd Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2010-11 (India) open

Population First and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have invited entries for the third UNFPA – Laadli Media awards for Gender Sensitivity (ULMAGS) across various regions in India for 2010-2011.

The award has been instituted to acknowledge, highlight and celebrate the commendable efforts undertaken by various media to support gender-just perspectives. The media pieces include advertising, print media, television, radio, documentary, internet and blog, that challenge dominant social stereotypes, analyse social, economic and political development from the viewpoint of gender.

Entries are accepted from journalists contributing news features, investigative stories, editorials, op-eds and columns in individual category and media houses on gender issues in English and many Indian languages. Articles/reports should have been published / displayed / broadcast or televised between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. The deadline for receipt of submissions is 1st November, 2010 for southern and western regions and 1st January, 2011 for northern and eastern regions.

For the e-brochure, entry form and contacts, click here.

Indian Prevention Advocates Publish India Microbicide Monitor

Indian Prevention Advocates Publish India Microbicide Monitor

Microbicides advocacy in India has come a long way over the past decade and a new publication, the MSI Microbicide Monitor, is the latest fruit of this progress. Providing a weekly snapshot of major microbicides-related news from around the world, the Monitor includes news highlights from countries where clinical trials are taking place, links to major microbicides-related events and advocacy opportunities and documents India-specific developments on microbicides research and advocacy. Produced and distributed by the Microbicides Society of India (MSI), the publication goes out to about 1,000 Indian microbicides advocates using a listserv (http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/microbicide/) created in 2005 at a South Indian advocacy workshop convened by the Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM) and Indian Network of NGOs on HIV/AIDS (INN).

Collaborations initiated years ago and well nurtured by determined advocates, and have grown into what is now the Microbicides Society of India. "GCM's history of working with advocates, policy-makers and researchers in India makes the formation of the Microbicides Society of India and publication of its Monitor especially momentous to us," said GCM Director Yasmin Halima. "We began working in India in 2000 and co-hosted the 2003 National Policy Meeting on Microbicides and HIV Prevention Options for Women in New Delhi. That led to the formation of a multi-sectoral Microbicides [National] Working Group, coordinated for several years by GCM and PATH India. The Campaign has worked closely over the years with MSI President Dr [Badri N] Saxena and several MSI officers and Executive Committee members including Drs Sanjay Mehendale, Suniti Solomon, Nomita Chandhiok, SK Gupta [among others]," she continued, "and we congratulate them on their decision to establish this initiative," she concluded.

She added that GCM looks forward to ongoing synergies, including information sharing between the Monitor and F-SPOT (Female STI/HIV Prevention Options Today), an e-forum moderated by GCM. Created in 2007, F-SPOT provides a forum for Indian advocates and researchers to exchange information, ideas, strategies, and lessons learned on female initiated prevention. GCM looks forward to promoting the MSI Microbicides Monitor to its participants and is confident that this new resource will further inform and stimulate discussion across advocacy, research and policy sectors.

The MSI Microbicides Monitor is available at http://microbicide.blogspot.com

Published in:
Modern Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Citizen News Service, India/Thailand
Bihar And Jharkhand News, Bihar And Jharkhand, India

Youth against cross-border tobacco advertising in films

Youth against cross-border tobacco advertising in films

Youth from 27 countries that met at the 2nd Global Youth Meet (GYM) in the lead up to the 14th World Conference on Tobacco Or Health (WCTOH) in Mumbai, India, expressed their common ire against cross-border tobacco advertising in films.

Satellite televisions, cinema theatres, CDs, DVDs are some of the ways movies made in any part of the world and dubbed in local languages, reach the youth. Despite of ban on smoking in films at the country level, there is no effective way to curb this channel of films made elsewhere portraying tobacco use in them.

Internet was another medium that was identified by the youth that is difficult to control by country level laws against tobacco advertising on internet.

In January 2009, the Delhi High Court had overturned a government ban on showing smoking scenes in films. The court said that the ban violated the fundamental right of film-makers to freedom of speech and expression. "The director of films should not have multifarious authorities breathing down their necks when indulging in creative art," had said Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

Tobacco is reported to kill more than a million people in India alone every year.

"One of the easiest ways to significantly bring down number of children and youth who get initiated to tobacco use in India, without any budgetary allocation for this public health exercise, is to remove depiction of tobacco use in films and TV", had rightly said Dr Ramadoss at the last World Conference on Tobacco or Health in USA.

One of the major influences on the uptake of teen tobacco use is the glamourisation of tobacco use in movies and on television. This has been well documented by comprehensive research studies in India and US. On-screen or smoking in public view by bollywood film-stars will influence young minds to smoke.

In an earlier study done by World Health Organization and Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2003 it was revealed that 76% of Indian movies had tobacco use shown in them. In 1991, where 22% of top box office movie hits had lead characters using tobacco on-screen, in 2002, this escalated to 53% tobacco use depiction by lead characters in Indian movies. This study also demonstrated that 52.2% of children in India who had their first smoke were influenced by tobacco use depicted in movies.

A repeat follow-up study conducted by WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India on top box office movie hits during 2004-2005 demonstrated that tobacco use depiction in movies has become more aggressive as compared to previous years. During 2004-2005, 89% of all movies analyzed contained tobacco use on screen and 75.5% movies depicted leading stars using tobacco on screen. Moreover 41% of movies screened had clear and distinct tobacco brand placement.

Dr Ramadoss says categorically that stopping depiction of tobacco use in films is an evidence based public health measure.

India, says Dr Ramadoss, has the world's largest film industry rolling out over 900 films per year. Through cinema theatres, these movies reach 60 million people and through cable television network, they further reach another 70 million people in India. "Influence of cinema is paramount in India" says Dr Ramadoss.

Exposure to tobacco use in movies is clearly linked to youth tobacco use. Simply put, more must be done to ensure that tobacco use in movies is removed from films seen by our nation's youth. We have within our power one simple and effective way to jump start the decline in youth tobacco use - delete tobacco use in films from the list of influences that rob our youth of longer and healthier lives by removing tobacco use from movies, unless they clearly depict the negative health effects.

The influence of film-stars on the youth is paramount and let us hope the currently ongoing 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), shall give an impetus to authorities to re-impose the ban on portrayal of smoking in films.

Bobby Ramakant

Right-to-Information (RTI) movement brewing in UP

Right-to-Information (RTI) movement brewing in UP

-RTI Service centres will be set up in UP.

-200 computer cells will be constituted aswell in various districts to provide assistance to people wanting to get information online.

-Govt staff will be trained to update and feed the websites providing information of various departments.


The Right to Information Act (RTI) may be in place but is it actually translating into answers for those seeking them under it? Most who have used the act respond with a resounding NO. But then all hope is not lost as a movement in UP is now brewing amongst the people in the state capital which plans to ask for information under the RTI Act and get it too.

People like Urvashi Sharma who is a house wife and a mother of two but she displays an amazing awareness of her rights as a citizen of India. Better still she prefers to call herself a social worker and RTI activist.

"I have seen my husband being harassed for no fault of his and being accussed of harbouring and instructing his dalit students to speard communalism. A a mountain of paper work to terminate him from his post of a lecturer has been initiated by the departments he was posted to and if it wasn't for the RTI Act he would have been forced to live with such grave accusations. We demanded transparency provided to citizens under the act and were able to counter all charges. But this would not have been possible had we not joined the people's movement for the right to information," she says as she prepares to attend a dharna being organised by a group of citizens she has joined up to campaingn for issues under the RTI Act.

The movement she talks of is a group of local citizens for whom it all began as a personal battle for their rights and transformed into a community movement called the Action Group For Right To Information (AGRI). Not only does the group spearhead the cause of many who have sought for information under the RTI Act but also is now coercing the state governments to expedite measures to facilitate quick redressals of the cases that come to the State information commission.

But that is easier said than done claim most RTI activists in Lucknow.

Explains Afjal Ansari, the Chief Co-ordinator, AGRI, "Since the concept is based on what we call the participatory democracy in which the common man becomes a major part of the governance as well, asking for information is usually seen as accusations of corruption and not responded to. A right reserved only for the legislatures, politicians and bureaucrats until until now. But the RTI Act now provides a direct reach of a citizen to any part of the entire set up of the government system to ask for answers of actions taken, what can be more empowering than that. Anyone who has been in authority until now and has been conditioned to refuse permission to access files related to departmental issues, will resist all to attempts enhance accountabilty and transparency. So challenges do arise and we have to take them into our stride. As changing an age old system does not happen overnight and corruption is one such system."

Adds Azhar Ahmed Ansari Convenor, AGRI,"What is lacking is the training of the clerks and babus who are to function as per instruction of Public Information Officers (PIOs). Most are not even aware of the basics points mentioned in the act. Thus delays occur when they don't respond to the applicant within the stipulated 30 days. Making matters worse is the fact that these delays are costing the state government a whopping 2-5 lakhs in terms of TA/DA per hearing as no less that 250 cases come every month and deferred time and again. The concerned departments have to depute officers to represent their case on every new date given. Its not worth it as the penalty of Rs 25000 is usually paid by the PIO from his salary if delay is proved in responding. While the babu and the clerks get away completely. This must change and accountabilty must be for all."

But will things change?

"Of course, previously there were people woes related to the railways, passport office and even land alottments were many, but after RTI Act came into being things have really changed. It will take time but sustained efforts will usher in the change we desire atleast that's what we plan to ensure through AGRI," avers Ansari.

A fact which is seconded by most RTI Activists who also rue harassment of the applicant to discourage any queries.

Says Urvashi Sharma,"Seeking Information under the RTI Act is interpreted by the heads of the department against which an RTI has been filed as being directly accused of corruption. So no co-operation is extended to the applicant, and they are harassed with FIRs filed against them as trouble makers. Some even have to face a lot of humiliation at the hands of clerks and babus which discourages the applicants from filing RTIs. This is one major challenge we have to face when it comes to making optimum use of the RTI Act. But we started forming a base of all such cases and will address them under Section 19/1 or Section 19/3 under the RTI Act."

In addition AGRI has managed to address many more issues related to the act at a recent conference organised in Lucknow. Not only was the seminar attended by Chief Secretary, Atul Kumar Gupta, Chief Information Commissioner, Government of India, Wajahat Habbiullah, Retd Justice Kamaleshwar Nath, President of Transparency International but some, decisions were also taken to help iron out problems faced by the common man when making use of the act.

Among those were an initiatives like making all deparmental information available online. As per the Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission, Wajahat Habibullah the emphasis will be more on providing information over 20 years old online. With the World Bank pitching in a impressive Rs 23 crores for the project, the websites with all such public information will be ready by April 2009.

An added plus says Manish Sisodia, RTI Activist in the city, is that "people can phone in through phone booths and get information from any department. The system is based on the lines of phone booths in Bihar. If this works in UP a lot of backlog of files seeking information under the RTI and unnecessary harassment of people can be cut down."

Amen to that!


Anjali Singh

(The author is a senior journalist based in Lucknow, India. Email: saakshamforchildrights@gmail.com)

Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhatisgarh
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Pakistan Christian Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)

Engaging philanthropists: This time it's personal

Engaging philanthropists: This time it's personal

"…I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving my time, money and skills to worthwhile endeavours where I could make a difference. I didn’t know exactly what I would do, but I wanted to help save lives, solve important problems, and give more young people the chance to live their dreams" (1)

While personal philanthropy has always played a role in the non-profit and development world, the tide has been quietly turning in ways that have increased its relative importance to the fundraising efforts of many organizations:

* Institutional donors have come under increasing pressure to reduce their transaction costs – preferring to administer larger grants to fewer organizations.
* The current climate of economic decline and uncertainty in many countries is bringing into question the sustainability of overseas development assistance programmes of industrialized countries and undermining the capital reserves of established foundations.
* Recent foreign exchange rate fluctuations have made the spending value of some secured grants unpredictable.
* Corporate and personal fortunes, combined with an increasing awareness of widespread equity challenges in many nations and communities, are fuelling a new era in philanthropy.

Engaging individual or corporate philanthropists is not simply a matter of sending the same fundraising proposal to a different contact. In many instances, new family foundations and corporate giving programmes reflect a personal motivation to make a difference in the world. In addition to being more ‘business-like’ than institutional donors (e.g. requiring higher levels of clarity and accountability), individual founders are often actively involved in their foundations. This means that understanding the underlying motivation of personal giving is vital to designing a sustainable philanthropy outreach and engagement programme.

Philanthropists are often driven by more personal needs and wants than other donors. They give, at least in part, based on an exchange of values that allows them to:

* enhance their own sense of self-worth
* see themselves in the beneficiaries being served
* do the ‘right’ thing
* create a return (or benefit) on their investment.

Loyalty and trust are key ingredients of philanthropist engagement. They are each commanded by organizations that:

* are seen as leaders in their field
* connect with supporters emotionally
* provide relevance and meaning
* help supporters to make a statement about what they value
* help supporters meet their own vision for the world
* provide them with a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves.

Engaging philanthropists should first be about building relationships based on the assumption that they are interested in the success of your organization, and as a means to mobilize resources second.

"Yesterday, the most successful non-profits were those that donors knew best. Today, the most successful non-profits are those that know their donors best" (2)

References:
1. Former US President Bill Clinton in his book Giving: How each of us can change the world.
2. From: Hart et al (2005): Nonprofit internet strategies: Best practices for marketing, communications and fundraising.

Dr Tim France
(The author is the Managing Director, Inís. Website: www.inis.ie)

Published in
The Gautemala Times, Guatemala
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
The Morung Express, Manipur, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
The Standard Times, Sierra Leone
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)

In the online world, non-profits are what they do

In the online world, non-profits are what they do

As we start the year of 'social aggregation and syndication' (as 2009 has already been dubbed) Web 2.0 gurus Seth Godin and Brian Solis are talking up how your ‘digital identity’ defines who you are in the online world.

Godin asserts that two major factors influence the way we perceive people through their online incarnations:

* On the web, people are judged almost entirely by their actions – usually by what they write.
* Online interactions are largely expected to be intentional. On purpose. Planned. People assume you did stuff for a reason.

I don’t doubt that both those points are true. What they make me wonder though is whether non-profit organizations and international development agencies are taking too long to see that these new accountability rules apply to them too. I am convinced they are.

If you are what you do online, then the option for organizations to just rely on the reputation their logo carries is disappearing fast. Under the new rules, only organizations that are truly impartial, transparent and that provide reliable information about their work will pass the accountability test – and that does not apply to many health- and development-focused organizations at present.

The sooner individual organizations recognize this reality, and enter the online space in a genuine and open way, the better. Quick start entry options include:

* Introduce some simple and clear organizational policies for staff at all levels participating in online discussions and social networks.
* Develop guidelines encouraging senior managers in particular to start writing their own blogs.
* Keep track of what is being said about you by setting up Google Alerts on your organization, on specific technical priorities and high-profile people in your team.
* Set up a news/RSS feed aggregator that tracks web site content from your closest partner organizations.
* Find out who in your team has a real interest in Web 2.0. Task them with updating the team on significant new trends/tools in social networking. If nobody fits the bill, ask for independent advice from outside. Now.

Some of the most important players are stalled on the start line. The political realities and bureaucratic control that are central to some international organizations – such as those of many UN agencies – are incompatible with the openness and freedom of the online world. The paralysis resulting from that oil-and-water practicality will, unfortunately, not stop them from being judged by their online actions along with everyone else.

The good news is that this may present a window of opportunity for some smaller organizations and their flexible, forward-looking leaders, who can make the health and development sector's online space their own before the sumos eventually arrive on the scene.

Dr Tim France

(The author is the Managing Director, Inís. Website: www.inis.ie)

Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states (India)
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Citizen News Service (CNS)
The Guatemala Times, Guatemala
Bangladesh News, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Darjeeling Times, Darjeeling, West Bengal (India)
In.Com
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam (India)
Northern Voices, Chandigarh/ Himachal Pradesh
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Hindi version on Northern Voices
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar (India)
Twitter
Reddit
Digg.com
YouNews
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS), India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
eCoComa web consultancy