Stories from May, 2009
A New Era of Human Rights Advocacy
Representatives from several Rising Voices projects took part in this month's "Soul of the New Machine" conference convened by the University of California at Berkeley's Human Rights Center. Their comments and their projects are indicative of a new era of human rights advocacy.
Drop-In Center: Will Controlling Meds Cause More Harm?
Drop-In Center continues to discuss the issues of people living with drug addictions. Recently, the organization's leader Pavel Kutsev reacted to the Ukrainian government's decision to tighten rules around the sale of medications that can be used by drug users to mitigate withdrawal.
EWAMT-Yemen: First Workshop On Blogging Completed
Last month we introduced Ghaida'a Al Absi's project Empowerment of Yemeni Women Activists in New Media Techniques which will train a number of women activists of Yemen in collaboration with the Hand in Hand Initiative. It is one of the latest grantees of Rising Voices. We are delighted to report that the first round of training workshops has been completed recently.
Voces Bolivianas: Cristina Quisbert Won The BlogHer International Activist Scholarship
Cristina Quisbert, a member of the Voces Bolivianas community, has won the BlogHer '09 International Activist BlogHer Scholarship. She was selected as one of the 5 bloggers around the world who will be attending the Blog Her international women blogging conference in Chicago this summer.
Blogging the Dream: Strategies and Challenges
The Orizonturi Foundation’s “Blogging the Dream” project has completed its practicum period and continues to develop and expand its Blogging Club, despite facing challenges.
FOKO: Doing More For The Community
Although many FOKO members were starting classes at University, April was a busy month with activities for FOKO Blog Club. FOKO bloggers participated in a number of events like get together of bloggers, new media training for community members and they blogged about them besides reporting about the recent political unrest.
Drop-In Center: Addressing the Health Needs of Drug Users
The organization Drop-In Center raises the issue of the specific health needs of people living with a drug addiction. With the existing system, it is difficult for people on substitution therapy programs to receive medical care associated with a hospital stay.
[Video] Ceasefire Liberia in Staten Island
We have already heard from Prince Tolkpah and Titus Algaba about their implementation of Ceasefire Liberia in Monrovia. In this video we head to the other side of the Atlantic to see how members of the diaspora blogging project in Staten Island, New York will use participatory media to encourage more dialog between Liberians living in New York and Liberia.
Ceasefire Liberia: Project Website Launched
The website of the Rising Voices grantee Ceasefire Liberia project has been launched with a lot of promise. Here the Liberian local and diaspora bloggers will discuss issues that affects them to better their communication and understanding. In this feature we highlight some posts from the website.
Abidjan Blog Camps: Bringing Ivorians To Blogosphere
Théophile Kouamouo, one of Francophone Africa's leading bloggers, is arranging a series of blogcamps in Abidjan, Ivory Coast with the help of a community of experienced bloggers and supported by a Rising Voices Micro Grant. The workshops on blogging, podcasting, video-blogging etc. will bring more and more Ivorians to the blogosphere to voice their opinions on different issues that affect their lives.
The Ukrainian TB Epidemic: Who Is At Fault?
Ukraine could significantly ease its tuberculosis epidemic if it better cooperated with international health aid organizations, according to posts on the Drop-In Center's site. Today, the Ukrainian government doesn't use all available opportunities to receive support from the international community to fight the TB epidemic.
