Rethos.com - advocacyproject's News Feed

Environmental Activists Expose Dangers of E-Waste

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:48:26 -0500

November 14, 2008, Delhi, India: In the streets of Mustaffabad, a poor quarter of Delhi, children in sandals sit on top of piles of broken glass and twisted metal, smashing computer monitors. Men with blowtorches melt circuit boards, while nearby, women sort and scrub other boards with diluted acid. Charred fiberglass and copper dust litter the ground.

This is the world of the electronic waste (e-waste) recyclers, who make a living by tearing apart the toxic remains of old home computers, cell phones and printer cartridges from the United States and other coun...

Environmentalist Preaches Conservation as Chaos Engulfs Eastern Congo

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:46:25 -0500

Environmentalist Preaches Conservation as Chaos Engulfs Eastern Congo

November 4, 2008, Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo: With little more than a motorbike and a mission, Clement Kitambala has been spreading news about environmental issues in remote communities of the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo.

Amid renewed fighting that has displaced more than 130,000, ongoing food crises and rampant sexual violence, his newsletter, Tunza Mazingira ("Conserve the Environment" in Swahili), has provided a steady voice for conserva...

Former UN Representative and Nepal Specialists Join Advocacy Project Board

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:15:24 -0400

October 27, 2008, Washington, DC: Soren Jessen-Petersen, who served as the United Nation's Special Representative in Kosovo during the run-up to the country's independence, has joined the Board of The Advocacy Project (AP). Suvash Darnal, a prominent advocate for Dalit rights in Nepal and Devin Greenleaf, a former AP Peace Fellow in Nepal, have also joined.

The selection of three new members, each of whom represents an important AP constituency, signals an increased role for the Board as the organization prepares for 2009. Mr Jessen-Petersen will explore synergies wi...

Blogging Connects Women Across the World

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:56:54 -0400

Advocacy Project (AP) have launched a blog group to connect professional women in the Washington area with young American women volunteering for human rights overseas.

This innovative use of information technology was developed during the summer, when eight Zonta members in Washington decided to follow the blogs of graduate students serving as AP Peace Fellows in Serbia, Kosovo, Uganda, Jordan, El Salvador, Nepal and Kenya.

"This is a fantastic program," said Heather Dolstra, a Zonta member and Washington travel agen...

Nicaraguan President Ortega Not Welcome at Salvador Summit, Women Activists Say

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:21:36 -0400

Advocates for women's rights in El Salvador are calling on their government to bar the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, from attending an upcoming presidential summit because of his attempts to repress and intimidate women in his country.

In an Oct. 5 press conference, advocates from CEMUJER, a leading Salvadoran women's group, joined other human rights groups in expressing solidarity with Nicaraguan women. They urged Salvadoran President Antonio Saca to tell Mr Ortega he is unwelcome at the XVII Presidential Summit, a meeting of Central American leaders tha...

Traveller Community Center Faces Demolition as Eviction Threat Looms in the UK

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:27:12 -0400

September 26, 2008, Basildon, UK: Local authorities are threatening to demolish a community center built by the Dale Farm Travellers, creating new tensions as the long-running eviction battle over Dale Farm heads back to court.

The Saint Christopher's Centre, which opened in May, has become the latest target of the Basildon Council as it seeks to remove about 90 Traveller families from their homes in Southeastern England.

"They're turning up the terror to make us leave," said Richard Sheridan, president of the Dale Far...

Disabled Refugees Face Inaccessible Services and Food Shortages in Ugandan Camps

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:35:26 -0400

September 23, 2008, Gulu District, Uganda: Refugees who have been disabled by the war in Northern Uganda are confronting food shortages and inaccessible public services in government-run camps. At the same time they are under growing pressure to return home, even though they lack the resources to resume a normal life.

This warning was issued recently by the Gulu Disabled Persons Union (GDPU), an advocacy group. It comes at a time when the Ugandan government is stepping up efforts to empty the camps, which still house more than half a million internally displaced pers...

Disabled Villagers Become Savvy Investors in Rural Bangladesh

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:55:04 -0400

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AdvocacyNet
News Bulletin 154
August 28, 2008
*****

Disabled Villagers Become Savvy Investors in Rural Bangladesh

August 28, 2008, Jagua, Bangladesh: Three years ago, Mohammad Aslam had a good job as a bus supervisor, family property, and 12 cows. As an educated man, he also enjoyed considerable respect in his small village in southern Bangladesh.

Then, at age 23, a stroke took it all away. Mr Aslam lost his job and his family was for...

The Resurgence of Fascism

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:26:14 -0400

Enter Message / description of files attached:

The Resurgence of Fascism

By Colby Pacheco

(Prague, CZ)- This summer, a rash of anti-Romani legislation and proposels have swept Europe, most notably in Italy and the Czech Republic. This wave began as a ripple, gain...

Young Kenyans at Risk Speak Out Through Blogs and Photos

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:53:50 -0400

The Advocacy Project develops partnerships with advocates on the frontline and with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In so doing, we take our cue from partners and tailor any support to their needs.

Enter Title:Patient Advocacy Frees 96 Slaves in Democratic Republic of Congo

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:56:42 -0400

Enter Message / description of files attached:The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Israelis and Palestinians Condemn Israeli Crackdown in Ni'lin

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:44:47 -0400

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AdvocacyNet
News Bulletin 151
August 6, 2008
*****

Israelis and Palestinians Condemn Israeli Crackdown in Ni'lin

August 6, 2008, Ni'lin, West Bank: Human rights advocates in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are calling for a stop to the violence in Ni'lin village in the West Bank, after two Palestinian boys were killed within a week by Israeli forces.

Ten-year-old Ahmad Husam Yousif Musa (above) was shot in the head at close range by a soldier July...

Olney, Maryland Resident Journeys to India to Help Wastepickers

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:50:04 -0400

I am spending the summer in the slums of New Delhi. It's as far removed from the residential suburbs of my Olney, my hometown, as any place on Earth. Here families squat in bamboo huts surrounded by piles of stinking garbage. Flies swarm everywhere and on everyone. But the slum inhabitants are not forced to live with the garbage: they choose to. They are wastepickers, and the garbage represents their only source of income.

The slums don't shock me, because it's not my first time in India. I spent three years teaching English in Japan and China after graduating from th...

Rural Radio Program Celebrates One Year on the Air in Nepal

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:18:53 -0400

program that has provided a voice for disadvantaged groups in the remote regions of Western Nepal recently completed its first full year on the air.

The program, “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights,” was launched in 2007 by the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), a grassroots human rights organization in Nepal, with support from The Advocacy Project (AP) in Washington. It aired its 52nd episode July 27.

Initially, the radio program helped marginalized groups in Nepal – such as women and lower-caste Dalit – understand the count...

Women Advocates Place Gender and Guns on UN Agenda

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:10:21 -0400

violence against women included in a major United Nations initiative to regulate the global small arms trade.

The UN Programme of Action on small arms (PoA) was launched in 2001, and reviewed last week at the Third Biennial Meeting of States (BMS), held at UN headquarters in New York. After intense lobbying by advocates, gender was mentioned by several governments at the meeting. In addition, the final outcome document refers to both gender and civilian possession of weapons.

Advocates hope that this will open the door to the inclusion of other concerns,...

Muted Reaction to Karadzic Arrest

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:23:08 -0400

The arrest of Radovan Karadzic was greeted by Edmonton Muslims yesterday with a mixture of sadness and hope for justice.

Women in Bosnia and Serbia Hail the Arrest of Radovan Karadzic, July 22, 2008

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:21:15 -0400

July 22, 2008, Tuzla, Bosnia and Belgrade, Serbia: Advocates for women's rights in Bosnia and Serbia have greeted Monday's arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, with jubilation and relief.

Grieving Relatives Seek Closure as University Massacre Victims are Reburied in Peru, July 18, 2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:31:34 -0400

July 18, 2008, Lima, Peru: The remains of nine students and a professor who were murdered in 1992 at La Cantuta University were reunited with their families in Lima this week, bringing a symbolic conclusion to one of the most notorious incidents in Peru's long and violent civil conflict.

Family members of the victims gathered at the office of the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) Thursday to bid farewell to the remains, which were then placed in coffins for burial this weekend.

The relatives hope that the burial will provide some measure of closu...

Srebrenica Memorial Quilt Visits US Capitol as Massacre Victims are Reburied in Bosnia, July 14, 2008

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:33:33 -0400

July 14, 2008, Washington, DC: A memorial quilt to those who were murdered at Srebrenica, Bosnia, thirteen years ago took center stage at the U.S. Capitol Friday as congressional staffers remembered the genocide in Bosnia.

The quilt was woven by members of the women's group BOSFAM, and each of its 65 panels carries the name of an individual massacre victim. The Advocacy Project (AP) is promoting the quilt in North America at the request of BOSFAM, an AP partner since 2002.

Those who attended the event at the Capitol Friday signed a book of remembrance, wh...

True Love Collides With Caste Discrimination in Nepal's Villages

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:12:21 -0400

July 9, 2008, Siraha District, Nepal: Satyanarayan Mandal and Hemlata Chaudhary had been in love for six years. The only problem was that Satyanarayan was a Dalit, while Hemlata came from an upper caste.

AFRICA: Too small to be fighting in anyone's war

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:06:01 -0400

(December 2003) - His comrades in the transit camp run by Save the Children-UK in Bunia, a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), called him 'Kadogo', which means "small" in Kiswahili. The name suited him for he was tiny, much too tiny, in fact, to be involved in anyone's war.

But at 12, Kadogo was already a veteran of a vicious bush war between ethnic militias in eastern DRC. So were his comrades at the transit camp, victims like him of a practice that has drawn widespread condemnation, including from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Dubbed "an illegal and...

Heroism of Conflict Survivors Inspires New Program in Central Africa, June 30, 2008

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:01:48 -0400

Ricky Richard was fourteen when he was abducted from his home in Uganda and drafted into the Lord's Resistance Army, a violent rebel militia that has forced almost two million Ugandans from their homes.

Mr Richard escaped after two years. But instead of turning his back on his past, Mr Richard confronted it directly. After leaving college, he formed Friends of Orphans, an organization that supports former child soldiers with education and technical training, and even helps them return to the villages they once terrorized.

Mr Ric...

Cleaning Up Our Big Mess

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:57:29 -0400

Ignored and reviled, ragpickers play a big part in cleaning up our cities. Avijit Ghosh spoke to these unsung environmental heroes who daily work where we fear to tread

It's hard to describe the stench that rises like smoke from the garbage dump at Ghazipur. It cuts through the cloth wrapped over the face, forms a fetid coat over the tongue and scrapes the lungs dry. And immediately an unstoppable ripple of here.

Save Dale Farm

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:16:48 -0400

This video is about the possible eviction of Travellers at the Dale Farm site in Basildon, England.

Thanks to past AP Peace Fellow Zach Scott for pictures used at the beginning of the video. To read more about Dale Farm and the Travellers, click here.

Gambling in Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:09:27 -0400

Gambling in Nepal

Nepalese holy man

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:08:07 -0400

Nepalese holy man.

Nepalese basket-weaving

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:06:38 -0400

Woman weaving a basket in Nepal.

Women and children at a Nepalese temple

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:04:48 -0400

Heavy lifting in rural Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:02:29 -0400

Heavy lifting in rural Nepal

Soldier and civilians side-by-side in Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:01:19 -0400

Woman at a fruit stand in Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:50:08 -0400

Woman at a nepalese fruit stand

Priest in Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:48:58 -0400

Priest in Nepal

Nepalese children at school

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:47:49 -0400

Nepalese children at a private school

Soldiers and civilians in Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:46:21 -0400

Soldiers and civilians living side-by-side in Nepal

Nepalese women carrying stones

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:44:55 -0400

Nepalese women carrying stones.

Three balligaray in Nepal

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:43:41 -0400

Three balligaray

Nepalese woman making a stone bowl

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:41:30 -0400

Nepalese woman making a stone bowl

Ramallah Protester

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:33:43 -0400

Citizens at a Bethlehem checkpoint

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:29:44 -0400

Citizens waiting at a Bethlehem security checkpoint.

Checkpoint in Bethlehem

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:24:58 -0400

The checkpoint at Bethlehem, along the Israel/Palestine divide

Family of the Gaza strip

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:19:15 -0400

A family in the Gaza strip

Residents of the Gaza strip

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:12:42 -0400

A woman and her daughter in Gaza.

Inside the Damascus gate

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:10:22 -0400

A marketplace inside the gate at Damascus

Palestinian Ibdaa dance troupe

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:04:28 -0400

The Ibdaa dance troupe remembers 1948

Salaam Wanita: Empowering Women in Malaysia

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:53:30 -0400

This video highlights the Salaam Wanita project of eHomemakers, which aims to provide work for disadvantaged women in Malaysia.

To read more about Salaam Wanita and the eHomewakers click here.

EPAF team members with a detection dog

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:53:22 -0400

Members of the EPAF (Equipo Peruano de Antropologia Forense), the Peruvian forensic team in charge of the exhumation of a mass grave in Putis, Peru, with a forensic detection dog.

Weavers for Hope

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:51:29 -0400

A film about Bosnia's Weavers for Hope. Many lost relatives at the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

To read more about BOSFAM and the Srebrenica masssacre click here.

Making the Connection

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:48:42 -0400

The pilot phase of the Roma Information Project (RIP) was launched in January 2002. The Advocacy Project trained six Roma "eRiders" who would be able to provide ICT support to over 100 Roma.

Recovering the Disappeared in Peru

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:57:39 -0400

RELATIVES SEEK JUSTICE AS PERU’S LARGEST MASS GRAVE IS EXHUMED

*****
AdvocacyNet
News Bulletin 141
*****
June 4, 2008, Putis, Peru: The exhumation of Peru's largest mass grave has opened a window on Peru's shadowy war against terrorism in the Andes, and encouraged indigenous families who lost relatives to demand justice and reparations. ...
...

Relatives Seek Justice as Peruâ€™s Largest Mass Grave is Exhumed

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:42:48 -0400

AdvocacyNet
News Bulletin 141
*****

June 4, 2008, Putis, Peru: The exhumation of Peru's largest mass grave has opened a window on Peru's shadowy war against terrorism in the Andes, and encouraged indigenous families who lost relatives to demand justice and reparations.

The exhumation was completed last Thursday at the remote village of Putis, high in the Peruvian Andes. Braving freezing conditions and drug traffickers, a team from the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) spent two weeks extracting almost 60 skeletons and the remains...

Rethos.com - advocacyproject's News Feed

Environmental Activists Expose Dangers of E-Waste

Environmentalist Preaches Conservation as Chaos Engulfs Eastern Congo

Former UN Representative and Nepal Specialists Join Advocacy Project Board

Blogging Connects Women Across the World

Nicaraguan President Ortega Not Welcome at Salvador Summit, Women Activists Say

Traveller Community Center Faces Demolition as Eviction Threat Looms in the UK

Disabled Refugees Face Inaccessible Services and Food Shortages in Ugandan Camps

Disabled Villagers Become Savvy Investors in Rural Bangladesh

The Resurgence of Fascism

Young Kenyans at Risk Speak Out Through Blogs and Photos

Enter Title:Patient Advocacy Frees 96 Slaves in Democratic Republic of Congo

Israelis and Palestinians Condemn Israeli Crackdown in Ni'lin

Olney, Maryland Resident Journeys to India to Help Wastepickers

Rural Radio Program Celebrates One Year on the Air in Nepal

Women Advocates Place Gender and Guns on UN Agenda

Muted Reaction to Karadzic Arrest

Women in Bosnia and Serbia Hail the Arrest of Radovan Karadzic, July 22, 2008

Grieving Relatives Seek Closure as University Massacre Victims are Reburied in Peru, July 18, 2008

Srebrenica Memorial Quilt Visits US Capitol as Massacre Victims are Reburied in Bosnia, July 14, 2008

True Love Collides With Caste Discrimination in Nepal's Villages

AFRICA: Too small to be fighting in anyone's war

Heroism of Conflict Survivors Inspires New Program in Central Africa, June 30, 2008

Cleaning Up Our Big Mess

Save Dale Farm

This video is about the possible eviction of Travellers at the Dale Farm site in Basildon, England.

Thanks to past AP Peace Fellow Zach Scott for pictures used at the beginning of the video. To read more about Dale Farm and the Travellers, click here.

Gambling in Nepal

Nepalese holy man

Nepalese basket-weaving

Women and children at a Nepalese temple

Heavy lifting in rural Nepal

Soldier and civilians side-by-side in Nepal

Woman at a fruit stand in Nepal

Priest in Nepal

Nepalese children at school

Soldiers and civilians in Nepal

Nepalese women carrying stones

Three balligaray in Nepal

Nepalese woman making a stone bowl

Ramallah Protester

Citizens at a Bethlehem checkpoint

Checkpoint in Bethlehem

Family of the Gaza strip

Residents of the Gaza strip

Inside the Damascus gate

Palestinian Ibdaa dance troupe

Salaam Wanita: Empowering Women in Malaysia

This video highlights the Salaam Wanita project of eHomemakers, which aims to provide work for disadvantaged women in Malaysia.

To read more about Salaam Wanita and the eHomewakers click here.

EPAF team members with a detection dog

Weavers for Hope

A film about Bosnia's Weavers for Hope. Many lost relatives at the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

To read more about BOSFAM and the Srebrenica masssacre click here.

Making the Connection

The pilot phase of the Roma Information Project (RIP) was launched in January 2002. The Advocacy Project trained six Roma "eRiders" who would be able to provide ICT support to over 100 Roma.

Read more about RIP here.

Recovering the Disappeared in Peru

Relatives Seek Justice as Peruâ€™s Largest Mass Grave is Exhumed