Zarganar Blog, Human rights in Burma - Tag - DevelopmentZarganar is the most famous artist of Burma, and a former political prisoner.2013-04-22T12:08:22+02:00Amnesty International Paris Jauresurn:md5:445c2f22c3bee8330477b1515ec480c1DotclearLa société de consommation s’installe en Birmanieurn:md5:ea26715de16f71d63fa80da96bbf76692013-03-17T11:40:00+01:00..EN FRANCAISDevelopment
<p>Depuis la levée - ou suspension - des sanctions internationales, le pays asiatique est la coqueluche des fabricants de dentifrice et de jus de fruits, de cosmétiques et de télévisions.</p>
<p>Et l’amour est réciproque, avec une population - riche comme pauvre - épuisée de trouver les mêmes produits depuis un demi-siècle dans les devantures. Cette frustration est une mine d’or pour les distributeurs et les grandes marques, qui veulent saisir l’instant pour s’imposer dans les habitudes de consommation d’une population en éveil. Les jeunes veulent se connecter avec le monde. Ca donne une chance aux marques de se tailler des parts de marché,</p>
<p>Les panneaux publicitaires fleurissent à Rangoun, l’ancienne capitale demeurée le poumon économique du pays où Coca et Pepsi ont déplacé leur rivalité planétaire. Quant aux fabricants de portables, ils s’appuient sur l’estimation selon laquelle 96% des Birmans n’ont pas de téléphone.
Bientôt, estiment les analystes, arriveront en masse les tablettes et écrans plats de grande marque pour remplacer les versions bon marché que proposent les négociants chinois.
«La demande existe pour toutes sortes de produits de consommation», assure David Webb, directeur du Bureau britannique pour le commerce et l’investissement à Rangoun.</p>
<p>L’industrie manufacturière de Birmanie a été quasiment anéantie par les sanctions. Les sociétés étrangères ont l’argent et l’accès à l’expérience, aux marchés, aux réseaux d’approvisionnements (...). Ca leur donne une longueur d’avance.</p>
<p>Et le profit potentiel est énorme. La richesse ne se répand pas partout mais il y a beaucoup d’argent (...) assurément à Rangoun,
L’attraction pour la Birmanie n’est pas sans risque. Le système bancaire est embryonnaire, les infrastructures en ruine et la main d’oeuvre mal formée, en particulier dans les métiers du marketing, de l’informatique ou de la vente. Le système légal et fiscal est lui aussi en pleine reconstruction, avec son lot d’incertitudes et d’étrangetés. Mais nul ne doute du potentiel birman.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.liberation.fr/economie/2013/03/15/la-societe-de-consommation-s-installe-en-birmanie_888761">2013.03.15 Liberation</a>
<a href="http://www.lepoint.fr/monde/birmanie-2-ans-apres-la-fin-de-la-junte-la-societe-de-consommation-s-installe-15-03-2013-1640326_24.php">201303.15 Le Point</a></p> 'Give us compensation for our lands or return them'urn:md5:bc69fee7eed1f89beeaf0ff0c25d37402013-03-16T17:26:00+01:00..Conflicts & refugeesDevelopment
<p>Almost 250 farmers in Pathein Township said the project to turn their farmlands into a luxury hotel complex abutting the picturesque Ngwe Saung beach was a “land grab.”</p>
<p>The State Peace and Development Council seized the 101-hectare plot of land in 2000, but the farmers said the former regime’s land records department only paid them enough compensation to buy new plants and they got nothing for the land lost.</p>
<p>“We were forced from our lands, they said that everything—earth, water, air—belongs to the state so we have to move out,” Tin Htoo, one of the farmers, told The Irrawaddy. “When the incident took place, the authorities said they would provide us with replacement land, a place to live and also compensation for our plants. We haven’t received any thing for our lands; that’s why we have asked the president to address our grievances.”</p>
<p>Tin Htoo said even though their lands were taken more than 12 years ago they are still paying tax on the appropriated land.</p>
<p>“Give us compensation for our lands or return them,”</p>
<p>Land confiscation victims also pointed out that although their lands were taken for a development project, they have become poorer. Many of their children also had to drop out of school before graduating as their parents could no longer afford to pay for their education, they said.</p>
<pre>“Some even have to work on daily wages at the hotels built on their lands. Some also have to go to the sea for fishing while some others have to sell barbecue frogs and fishes along the beach to survive.” He added that their current living conditions are very poor. The authorities relocated them to housing in a flood zone where there is no electricity.</pre>
<p>There are 17 hotels by the beach and another five are under construction. Many are thought to be owned by cronies of the military junta that ruled Burma since 1962 until elections in 2010.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/29544">2013.03.15 The Irrawaddy Farmers Call on President to Resolve Land Dispute</a></p> 100,000 hectares confiscated by militaryurn:md5:0bee8e16c9e9404689f4a0de2d06a30a2013-03-05T16:22:00+01:00..POLITICAL & social life in BurmaDevelopment
<p>As parliamentary commission began investigating land-grabbing in Burma, it has received complaints that the military has forcibly seized about 250,000 acres of farmland from villagers.</p>
<p>The report said farmlands were confiscated for six different reasons: the expansion of urban areas; expansion of industrial zones; expansion of army battalions and military units; construction of state-owned factories; implementation of state-run agricultural and animal husbandry projects; and land allocation to private companies with links the military.</p>
<p>The commission recommends that undeveloped lands are returned to their owners or handed over to the state. In cases where land has been developed, affected farmers should receive adequate compensation from the military, the report said.</p>
<p>Further parliamentary reports on other forms of land-grabbing are due to follow.</p>
<p>Lower House member Thein Nyunt said parliamentarians would discuss land-grabbing issues and possible amendments for the existing land laws in coming weeks. “Compensation for confiscated land will be on the agenda, too,” said the opposition MP.</p>
<p>Burma’s military junta ruled the country for decades and land seizures by the army were widespread and local dissent was brutally crushed. After a nominally civilian government took over 2011, the military let it be known that it would end such practices, but whether it will do so remains to be seen. Land-grabbing by powerful private companies meanwhile, has increased rapidly in the wake of Burma’s socio-economic reforms.</p>
<p>Land rights activist Han Shi Win said Burmese law states that the military should return unused farmlands and compensate for seized land. “Article 31 of the Farmland Law states that if no work is done on a confiscated land within six months, the land shall be returned to its owner. That’s why we are trying to bring back land to farmers,” he said. “But the army does not follow the law.”</p>
<p>The activist warned that if the long-festering land grabbing complaints were not dealt soon angry farmers might resort to violent protests, such as in Maubin Township, where dozens were injured and a policeman killed when villagers clashed with security forces on Feb. 26. During a government ceremony to mark Peasants Day on Saturday, about 700 hundred villagers from Shwepyitha Township, located on the northern outskirts of Rangoon, came to demand that authorities resolve their complaints. Supported by the local Diversity Party, they handed out pamphlets stating that 1,742 farmers lost about 11,000 acres (4,422 hectares) since 1986 to private companies, such as Zay Ka Bar, Yuzana Group and Htoo Group—the latter firm is owned by Tay Za, a business crony of the former junta.</p>
<p>“We will only have 800 kyats (US $0.93) per acre under the existing law for my land that was grabbed,” he said. “It is not fair for us to get such low compensation.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/28506">2013.03.05 The Irrawaddy Military Involved in Massive Land Grabs</a></p> 2013-2015 : la transition birmane se joue vraimenturn:md5:4714bf2553491a46e3c2f012ce3d9b4f2013-01-20T19:14:00+01:00..EN FRANCAISDevelopmentEthnics
<p>En termes de libertés publiques, la Birmanie a fait un bon gigantesque. De plus mauvais élève de l’ASEAN (l’Association des Nations de l’Asie du sud-est), la Birmanie est en passe de devenir un modèle pour ses voisins.</p>
<p>Malheureusement, le changement ne bénéficie pour l’instant, il faut bien le dire, qu’à une minorité, les plus riches et la classe moyenne, dans les plus grandes villes du pays. Pour l’immense majorité des Birmans, pauvres des villes et les 70% de paysans que compte le pays, la vie reste toujours aussi difficile. Malgré tout, on voit bien que l’économie se développe assez vite : les rues de Yangon et de Mandalay se congestionnent de voitures, les magasins regorgent de téléviseurs, frigos, fours micro-ondes qui s’écoulent visiblement très bien, et les supermarchés fleurissent à vue d’œil, où l’on trouve jusqu’à notre chère vache qui rit. Comme dans les autres pays en voie de développement, les inégalités se creusent.</p>
<p>Pour ce qui est de l’Arakan (ou Etat Rakhine), la réalité est que les membres de la NLD sont des Birmans comme les autres et que, comme les autres, ils font montre, à l’égard des Rohingyas, d’un racisme sans nom. Il était d’ailleurs intéressant, même si fort triste, de constater le décalage entre les Birmans, journalistes, membres de l’opposition, membres d’ONG, salariés des Nations unies, même, et leurs interlocuteurs étrangers. Pour autant, de nouvelles forces sont apparues. La société civile a pris une place importante dans un système où les ponts entre le gouvernement et les autres composantes de la société sont nombreux. De façon directe, certains des membres de la troisième force sont devenus des conseillers très influents, qui entourent le président Thein Sein et ses plus proches ministres. Et n’oublions pas tout de même qu’une douzaine de partis démocrates sont apparus en 2010, et qu’ils sont présents, et actifs, dans les différents parlements.</p>
<p>L'armée restera encore longtemps une institution-clé dans la politique birmane, comme elle l’est dans toutes les démocraties de la région, en Thaïlande, en Indonésie ou aux Philippines par exemple.
Le seul échec du gouvernement, c’est le conflit Kachin. Là, de puissants intérêts financiers des leaders kachins, des Chinois et des chefs militaires birmans locaux s’affrontent, auxquels s’ajoutent un réel sentiment de ne plus être maîtres chez soi que ressentent les Kachins, qui rendent la résolution du conflit difficile. Mais aucune des trois parties, Birmans, Kachins et Chinois, ne peut se permettre que ce conflit dure. La Birmanie pourrait elle aussi voir son centre se développer pendant que les zones les plus reculées ne cesseraient de prendre du retard.</p>
<p>Je ne crois pas que les réformes vont marquer le pas. Mais on rentre incontestablement dans une nouvelle phase. Maintenant que le processus est sur la bonne voie, et en attendant les élections de 2015, nous devrions assister à trois années peut-être moins spectaculaires, où un travail long, difficile et souvent frustrant se fait, au sein du gouvernement, dans les Parlements, parmi les hauts-fonctionnaires, dans les appareils des partis politiques, dans les salles de rédaction des médias nouvellement libres, parmi ceux des militants qui vont créer les premiers syndicats, dans un secteur privé qui a beaucoup à apprendre, etc., le tout avec l’aide des voisins plus développés, de l’Occident, des Nations unies, des institutions financières internationales, et des experts auxquels le gouvernement fait appel. Rien de tout ceci ne donne lieu à une grande couverture médiatique, mais de bien des façons, c’est là que la transition se joue vraiment.</p>
<p><a href="http://asie-info.fr/2013/01/18/le-nouveau-visage-de-la-birmanie-1-516391.html">2013.01 Asie Info le-nouveau-visage-de-la-birmanie 1</a><br /></p>
<p><a href="http://asie-info.fr/2013/01/19/le-nouveau-visage-de-la-birmanie-2-516399.html">2013.01 Asie Info le-nouveau-visage-de-la-birmanie 2</a><br /></p>
<p><a href="http://asie-info.fr/2013/01/20/le-nouveau-visage-de-la-birmanie-3-516401.html">2013.01 Asie Info le-nouveau-visage-de-la-birmanie 3</a></p> Local burmese NGOs want to go forward.urn:md5:11304db46abac45e2c910968f8f197c32013-01-20T18:42:00+01:00..POLITICAL & social life in BurmaCycloneDevelopmentEthnicsNGOs
<p>The challenge of development is complex, but for director of the Karen Women’s Action Group (KWAG), the focus should start at a local level, with efforts to educate and empower women in the southeastern state.</p>
<p>“Women play an important role in development,” she said. “If a woman is educated, she can improve her family’s well-being. We believe we can promote development by empowering women, who can then better help their families, which will improve the community, and then the city, the whole region and even the country.”</p>
<p>“Karen people, especially in remote areas of Karen State, have fallen behind in every sector, including education, health and the economy, due to the civil wars here and longtime oppression,” she said. “That’s why we’ve decided to focus on educating women about health and training them for job opportunities, so they can actively participate in civil society.”</p>
<p>When Cyclone Nargis hit the Irrawaddy Delta region in 2008, Susanna led an emergency relief team to resettle displaced families, helping to rebuild their homes and devastated schools.</p>
<p>During those efforts, she learned about the human trafficking of local girls to other cities and countries, including China and Thailand. With help from Burmese and Chinese authorities, she started following some of the human traffickers, eventually bringing three girls back to Burma who had been taken across the Chinese border. This experience inspired her to start an anti-human trafficking project with the government. After Cyclone Nargis she tried to register as an emergency relief group, but years went by with no result. Now she is trying to register again as a local NGO for development projects, though recent changes in registration rules have complicated the process.
“For us, it’s about more than registration; we want approval and acknowledgement from the government.” As the country opens up to the world after decades of military rule, she said she hopes local social workers can better help the Karen people.</p>
<p>“I hope we can continue working to develop our society and our country more freely, and effectively, going forward.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/24603">2013.01.19 The Irrawaddy Karen Woman Takes a Stand</a></p> Children at workurn:md5:168b8f323c4d9b193e00bbea356413202012-12-22T18:22:00+01:00..POLITICAL & social life in BurmaDevelopment
<p>9-year-old Nu Nu Wai would like to go to school full time and become a painter. But, as a child of migrant workers from Burma her parents cannot make enough money so she only attends 10 days a month. She spends the rest of her time peeling shrimp in a factory that employs five other children. Her teacher says she works there with her parents up to 13 hours per day.</p>
<p>The Labor Rights Promotion Network says less than a third of Samutsakhon's 8,000 children of migrants go to school.</p>
<p>Head of School says about a quarter of the school's 300 migrant students are illegal and most who enroll end up dropping out to go to work. He says about 20 % end up returning to their home countries to try to become documented through a nationality verification process, but most do not return. "Teachers followed up but were informed that they went back to their home country] or other provinces. The students did not come back into the school system again. Only 5 % came back after nationality verification," he said.
Activists say the nationality verification program, while well intentioned, is cumbersome, too expensive, and opens migrants and their children to abuse.</p>
<p>Head of School says if the children were simply made legal they would not have to leave, could attend class more, and better avoid exploitation.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.voanews.com/content/thai_schools_for_migrants_aim_to_prevent_child_labor/1570126.html">2012.12.21 Voice of America child_labor</a></p> Nous faisons ce que le gouvernement devrait faireurn:md5:147ae3aebf417bfdff2de8e3ad536f442012-12-22T18:06:00+01:00..EN FRANCAISArtistsDevelopmentNGOs
<p>Lancée il y a douze ans pour aider les familles les plus démunies à enterrer leurs morts, la « Free Funeral Service Society » (FFSS), co-fondée par l'acteur Kyaw Thu, s’est vite développée pour pallier les ratés du régime.</p>
<p>Malgré la censure, les donations ont permis de construire une clinique et des salles de classe. Soins et enseignements sont gratuits. « Nous faisons ce que le gouvernement devrait faire », soupire celui que ses amis ont surnommé « l’homme le plus occupé de Birmanie ». La clinique tourne à plein régime et, l’année dernière, l’association a financé l’enterrement de plus de 15.000 personnes.</p>
<p>Mais Kyaw Thu veut maintenant mettre le paquet sur l’éducation. « J’ai honte de mon faible niveau d’anglais », explique-t-il. Alors pour rectifier le tir, il travaille à faire émerger une nouvelle élite birmane, loin des treillis et de la « tea money ».</p>
<p>Pour l’instant, le régime a laissé la FFSS tranquille. Mais les Birmans ont appris à se méfier. Kyaw Thu a connu arrestation et brimades après avoir soutenu les étudiants en 1988 et les moines en 2007. Son interdiction de jouer n’a été levée qu’il y a quelques mois. « L’idée que nous avançons vers la démocratie va mettre du temps à être assimilée. C’est toute une mentalité qu’il faut changer », explique l’ex-acteur qui déplore que beaucoup de Birmans croient encore dans les vertus d’un billet glissé sous la table. En 2012, l’ONG Transparency International place la Birmanie parmi les cinq pays les plus corrompus de la planète.</p>
<p>« On nous répète que la Birmanie est pleine de ressources naturelles et que l’on peut se reposer sur elles, mais ce dont nous avons vraiment besoin, c’est d’infrastructures, de technologies, d’innovations et surtout, d’un changement de mentalité. ». Dans les librairies de Rangoon, on trouve des rayons entiers d’exercices pour s’entraîner à l’IELTS et au TOEFL, des tests de langue anglaise. Le gouvernement donne aussi des signes encourageants. Il a récemment annoncé être en discussion avec l’université John Hopkins aux Etats-Unis et l’Université de Montpellier en France pour ouvrir des partenariats. Plus de 1.500 nouveaux professeurs auraient été recrutés et une partie d’entre eux doit être formée par le British Council. Mais de l’avis de tous, le niveau du système éducatif birman reste déplorable. Surtout, il n’est accessible qu’aux plus aisés. Les jeunes Birmans préfèrent donc imprimer les paroles des chansons de Justin Bieber et harponner les touristes, cahier à la main, pour parfaire leur anglais.</p>
<p>Kyaw Thu espère bien qu’un jour son association n’aura plus lieu d’être. Quand un gouvernement élu et compétent prendra les choses en main. Quand « ses » étudiants auront grandi.</p> Cambodia : Human rights monitoring with online mapsurn:md5:52e21d5426b869665c4da163f19071402012-12-03T23:07:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>Human rights advocates in Cambodia have been using online maps to document, monitor, and expose human rights violations across the country. Sithi or the Cambodia Human Rights Portal has a Violation Map which provides an overview of the extent of rights violations in Cambodia.</p>
<p>The map below shows different human rights violations occurring throughout Cambodia. The map on the page when you first enter this section shows the most recently recorded human rights violations on Sithi, represented by the red icons. You can search the violation section by human right, victim, alleged perpetrator, case status, location and date</p>
<p>Land conflicts have been rising in the past years and many of them are related to development projects which have displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.</p>
<p>Global Voices has already featured the prison mapping of Licadho, also a human rights group. Below is the group’s freedom of expression mapping.</p>
<p>Last month, a map of the power cut schedule in Phnom Penh was also made public.</p>
<p><a href="http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/03/31/human-rights-mapping-in-cambodia/">2012.03.31 Global Voices</a></p>
<p><a href="http://sithi.org/tem.php?url=violation.php&">2012 Sithi.org violations map</a></p> Complaints Choirs : Moaners of all nations, unite in song !urn:md5:ea33686bbf25825e7233bbee1fb45ed12012-12-01T17:54:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingArtistsDevelopment
<p><em>Your neighbor is learning to play drums? Her boss decided to pick on her clothes? And politicians, what do you think ?</em></p>
<p>Moaners of all nations, unite in song !
If you have something to complain about, join a Complain Choir ! Send your complaints by e-mail or regular mail, any topic is allowed. Participation is free and no need for prior knowledge about singing.</p>
<p>A complaints choir is doing exactly what the name suggests - it is a choir that sings complaints. What is special about the complaints choir, that anybody can take part - the only criteria is that people need to have something to complain about.</p>
<p>The political complaint is only representing a small margin of the wonderful world of complaints. Why should such important issues as broken underpants, boring dreams or spying neighbors be excluded? On the other hand the private, the personal, can be very political at the same time.</p>
<p>At the first meeting the freshly formed choir decides democratically on the content of the song. A local musician composes a tune for the text which is then rehearsed in 4 or 5 meetings. In the end the choir performs their collective grumbles at different locations in the city</p>
<p>The project started in Birmingham in 2005. The concept is "open source" and encourage people to organize their own choirs. Today there are Complaints Choirs in 70 cities from Alaska to Tasmania, in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong. You can follow the "9 Easy Steps Method" from our website www.complaintschoir.org or find your own interpretation of the idea.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.complaintschoir.org/">complaintschoir.org</a></p>
<p><em>THE COMPLAINTS CHOIR OF SINGAPORE - LYRICS</em></p>
<p>We get fined for almost everything / Drivers won’t ‘give chance’ when you want to ‘change lane’/
The indoors are cold, the outdoors are hot;/
And the humid air, it wrecks my hair /
Those answering machines always make you hold /
Only to hang up on you /</p>
<p>When a pregnant lady gets on the train /
Everyone pretends to be asleep /
I’m stuck with my parents till I’m 35 /
Cause I can’t apply for HDB /
We don’t recycle any plastic bags /
But we purify our pee /</p>
<p>What’s wrong with Singapore? /
Losing always makes me feel so sore /
Cause if you’re not the best /
Then you’re just one of the rest /</p>
<p>My oh my Singapore /
What exactly are we voting for? /
What’s not expressly permitted /
is prohibited /</p>
<p>When I’m hungry at the food court, I see /
People ‘chope’ seats with their tissue paper /
To the aunty staying upstairs: /
Your laundry’s dripping on my bed sheets /
Please don’t squat on the toilet seats /
And don’t clip your nails on MRT /</p>
<p>Stray cats get into noisy affairs /
At night my neighbor makes weird animal sounds /
People put on fake accents to sound posh /
And queue up 3 hours for donuts /
Will I ever live till eighty five /
to collect my CPF? /</p>
<p>Singaporeans too kiasu! (so scared to lose) /
Singaporeans too kiasi! (so scared o die) /
Singaporeans too kiabor!(scared of their wives) /
Maybe we’re just too stressed out! (even the kids) /</p>
<p>Old National Library was replaced by an ugly tunnel /
Singaporean men can’t take independent women /
People blow their nose into the swimming pool /
And fall asleep on my shoulder in the train /</p>
<p>Singapore’s national bird is the crane (the one with yellow steel girders) /
Real estate agents’ leaflets clogging up my mailbox /
Why can’t we be buried when we die? /
No one wants to climb Bukit Timah with me /</p>
<p>There are not enough public holidays /
My neighbor sings KTV all night /
Wedding dinners never start on time /
My hair is always cut shorter than I want /
Channel 5 commercials are way too long /
Why do men turn bad? /</p>
<p>At first it was to speak more mandarin /
Then it was to speak proper English /
What’s wrong with my powderful Singlish? /</p>
<p>People sit down during rock concerts /
We have to pay for tap water at restaurants /
ERP gantries are everywhere /
But I can still see traffic jams on the road /
All the bus stops have tilted benches to keep you off balance /</p>
<p><a href="http://www.complaintschoir.org/singapore/complaintschoir_about_sing.html">complaintschoir.org/singapore</a></p> Good Vibrations for prisonersurn:md5:3faaa8b9a4a4f5714d6bc67d12150a7e2012-12-01T17:54:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>Good Vibrations is a UK registered charity that helps prisoners, patients in secure hospitals, ex-prisoners and others in the community to develop crucial life and work skills through participating in intensive Gamelan (Indonesian bronze percussion) courses.
The focus of the project was on assessing gamelan's effectiveness in helping prisoners develop key skills such as team-working, communication and concentration.</p>
<p>Creative activities provide a vital bridge to learning more conventional skills like numeracy and literacy that help inmates cope when they get out of prison and also persuaded many prisoners to engage with further learning and education.</p>
<p>The Good Vibrations workshops were successful in attracting prisoners with low levels of educational achievement, who had never done anything musical before and who had not previously taken part in prison education. Prison education staff judged the workshops to be extremely effective at developing participants' team-working, communication and listening skills. They also judged them to be more effective in building participants' self-confidence and self-esteem than other types of arts project.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.good-vibrations.org.uk/">good-vibrations.org</a></p> Time is money : participate on an equal footingurn:md5:68a19b0e2b5a8e7a0e89f9a64147723a2012-12-01T17:04:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>In the villages of Bali (Indonesia), there are two currencies: the official national currency (rupiah), and a second currency, based on time and exclusively created by the community. It is about 3 hours.
When the community needs to organize a festival or to build a school for example, two budgets are planned: one in national currency and the other in "money time."
The poorest people in the village can invest more time into the project and less money, while the more rich members of the group will inject more cash.
This form of cooperation between individuals and the dual system of currency is the cement of Balinese society. It allows people to participate on an equal footing in the financing of joint projects and may, within the limits of do no harm to their community, to participate in the financing of other projects in other communities.</p>
<p><a href="http://imaginationforpeople.org/fr/project/monnaie-temps-balinaise/">imaginationforpeople.org</a></p> Music as an agent of social development,urn:md5:aa499b3645fbb327b4208d37489449512012-12-01T16:53:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>"Music has to be recognized as an agent of social development, in the highest sense because it transmits the highest values - solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. And it has the ability to unite an entire community, and to express sublime feelings"</p>
<p>The program is known for rescuing young people in extremely impoverished circumstances from the environment of drug abuse and crime into which they would likely otherwise be drawn.
As "El Sistema", its goal is to use music for the protection of childhood through training, rehabilitation and prevention of criminal behaviour.</p>
<p>On 6 June 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank announced the granting of a US$150 million loan for the construction of seven regional centers of El Sistema throughout Venezuela. Many bankers within the IDB originally objected to the loan on the grounds that classical music is for the elite. In fact, the bank has conducted studies on the more than two million young people who have been educated in El Sistema which link participation in the program to improvements in school attendance and declines in juvenile delinquency. Weighing such benefits as a falloff in school drop-out rates and a decline in crime, the bank calculated that every dollar invested in El Sistema was reaping about $1.68 in social dividends.</p>
<p>Supported by the government, El Sistema has started to introduce its music program into the public-school curriculum, aiming to be in every school and to support 500,000 children by 2015.</p>
<p>The project has been extended to the penal system. The plan to humanize jails through music began eleven months ago under the tutelage of the Ministry of the Interior and Justice.</p>
<p>El Sistema is now a state foundation which watches over Venezuela's 125 youth orchestras and the instrumental training programmes which make them possible. The organization has 31 symphony orchestras, and between 310,000 to 370,000 children attend its music schools around the country.70 to 90 percent of the students come from poor socio-economic backgrounds.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Sistema">Wikipedia</a></p> WTO for a clean, affordable and sustainable sanitation.urn:md5:51dfa179657cf450fe61db1210eebfc22012-12-01T16:31:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>World Toilet Organization (WTO) is a global non-profit organization committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide. WTO is also one of the few organizations to focus on toilets instead of water, which receives more attention and resources under the common subject of sanitation.</p>
<p>The lack of adequate sanitation facilities account for much of the world’s social and health problems. WTO’s vision is to attain clean, safe, affordable, ecologically sound, and sustainable sanitation for everyone. Sanitation brings benefits of health and dignity to humanity especially to the slums, and rural areas. Promotion of ecological sanitation through recycling of excreta helps prevent environmental pollution into water ways.</p>
<p>Launched in Singapore, it now has 235 member organizations in 58 countries working towards eliminating the toilet taboo and delivering sustainable sanitation. WTO was created as a global network and service platform wherein all sanitation organizations can learn from one another and leverage on media and global support that in turn can influence governments to promote sound sanitation and public health policies.</p>
<p>WTO values :</p>
<ul>
<li>We don’t believe in charity or handouts, instead we strongly believe in self help, social entrepreneurship and private market solutions. SaniShop provides marketing and sales training courses to local suppliers focusing on improving their businesses. Our practical training sessions train suppliers on how to provide services as well as build, maintain and repair facilities.</li>
<li>WTC’s courses professionalize the sanitation and restroom industry by providing relevant courses in a comprehensive manner</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://worldtoilet.org/wto/">worldtoilet.org</a></p> Bamboo Bikes: high quality, good priceurn:md5:83981c0d173614ec02e2c9c512cb1cba2012-12-01T16:16:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>Bicycle remains an affordable transport, allowing people to travel with a high degree of autonomy. Bicyle allows patients to go to hospital, transporting women in labor for deliveries in remote medical centers, giving youth access to education when school is not in their village,</p>
<p>Since 2008, Zambikes has been producing high quality bamboo bicycle frames. The bamboo bike building techniques and technology has been in development for over a decade, and Zambikes has been able to harness that development, add value to it, and produce some of the best bamboo frames in the world. Zambikes has sent over 300 frames to more than 20 different countries worldwide.</p>
<p>Zambikes is a social business that manufactures, assembles and distributes high quality bicycles, bicycle ambulances and cargo bicycle trailers to the underprivileged, empowering individuals to fight the mindset of poverty and address the economic and social needs of Zambia (Africa).</p>
<p>Zambikes values :</p>
<ul>
<li>Building grassroots relationships that lead to the empowerment of Zambians through job creation, skills training, and providing bicycles and bicycle accessories as tools.</li>
<li>Aiding in sustainable economic development throughout Zambia by providing high quality bicycles and bicycle trailers that are manufactured, assembled and serviced by Zambians.</li>
<li>Improving the quality of products imported into and products being exported from Zambia.</li>
</ul>
<p>Zambulances had transported more than 40 mothers to rural health clinics to give birth. They have a great system where the women get a prenatal check up and get assigned a delivery week. The Zambulance will then pick them up on the desired week. Then they will stay at the clinic until they deliver the baby.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.zambikes.org/testimonials/">zambikes.org</a></p> Prevent child mortality at low costurn:md5:44c9101128c06ed2df2663f506f373d22012-12-01T15:36:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>Pesinet's mission is to reduce sustainabily child mortality by facilitating access to existing healthcare systems through the design and deployment of community-based health services for mothers and their children.</p>
<p>Pesinet provides a prevention and early care system for children under 5 in Mali, a country where one child out of five does not reach this age. Once a week Pesinet agents visit children and collect medical data they enter into their mobile phones via a customized Java applet, and which are sent to a central server. Doctors of the local healthcare centers can access these data through a web interface, and when one of them detects a potentially ill child, he can call his mother in for an examination. First necessity medications for the most current pathologies are given to subscribers for half of their normal price.</p>
<p>Pesinet is a paying service designed to be financially viable. It costs 500 CFA francs per child per month. This fee allows to cover a great part of the operational costs (weighing agents wages, monthly fee reimbursed to the partnering centers, operating expenses, 50 % of the cost of the medication provided) when the project reaches 1,500 subscribers. However, this monthly fee does not exceed one day of salary which make it affordable even for the poor families.It costs the equivalent of a kilo of onions or tomatoes.</p>
<p>It is estimated that Pesinet can prevent 80% of mortality causes from benign diseases, hence a reduction of more than half of child mortality in the populations covered by the service. Moreover, because of its focus on prevention, Pesinet contributes to reducing the health spending on benign illnesses.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pesinet.org/wp/">Pesinet.org</a></p>
<p><a href="http://imaginationforpeople.org/en/project/pesinet/">Imaginationforpeople.org - project Pesinet</a></p> 1 minute + 1 mobile = 1 filmurn:md5:eef66b8e91ec76e876ac84a367f9234a2012-11-24T15:22:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingArtistsDevelopment
<p>The competition awards the best short film shot with a mobile phone.</p>
<p>The contest offers everyone to show its talents as a filmmaker, without any financial need. "The idea has always been to give a voice to filmmakers from all over the country" said organizers.</p>
<p>The film must have a maximum duration of one minute, be shot by using a mobile phone. Using a software is allowed.
Mobile users have to upload their short film on the festival website or Dailymotion,</p>
<p>The pre-selection committee decides which movies are published online, and selects the 50 best for the official selection. These are submitted to a vote of the jury, which awards five awards: best film, best screenplay, best actress, best actor, best director.
Mobile users vote on Facebook for the Public Award. (voting is open from January 16 to February 6).</p>
<p>The best movie receives € 15,000 (funded by a sponsor).
The reputation of the director allows him to participate in other art projects, festivals ...Former winner Benjamin Busnel is currently completing a new short film, an urban comedy about the relationship of couples around a presidential election.</p>
<p>Press comment (in english) on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5k-BStBfOtE">Youtube</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5szOw_mhgwA">Best scenario Award</a> ;
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V0I6KjRZA9Y">Best public Award</a></p>
<p><a href="http://fr.mobilefilmfestival.com/videos/les-pieds-sur-terre-1764.html">Mobile Festival France</a> ; <a href="http://mobilefilmfestival.com/01-UK/Page_UK.html">Mobile Festival UK</a> ; <a href="http://www.yallahfilmfestival.com/ali-pyramids-guide.html">Mobile Festival Arabic</a>
Mobile Festival on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MobileFilmFestival?fref=ts">Facebook</a></p> Mee Mee : I want women who join politicsurn:md5:ec68a624c5f6f6e59aed02d71cc424752012-11-10T19:07:00+01:00..PRISONERS of conscienceDevelopment
<p>Mee Mee has made her mission to persuade Burmese women to set aside their fears and take a more active role in politics.</p>
<p>Mee Mee has been imprisoned three times for her role in Burmese politics—in 1988, 1996 and 2007—and has spent a total of 10 years behind bars in nearly half a dozen prisons. Since her release from prison, Mee Mee has joined the network-building efforts of the 88 Generation group, traveling around the country and learning how to use social media to develop what the group calls its “Discussion on Peace and Open Society”.</p>
<p>Her own role in this effort has been to draw women into the discussion. She said that despite meeting many women who participate in everyday political activities, most say they don’t know how to get more politically involved. The main obstacle for women, she said, is fear, something that most Burmese understand only too well after decades of oppression. But gender stereotypes are also a problem, as “Women tend to exclude themselves from political roles,” she said.</p>
<p>“I would not force them to accept any ideology without knowing the meaning of it themselves,” she said. “I want women who join politics to be able to think for themselves about what is right or wrong, using their own critical thinking.”
Part of this process is teaching women that they are already actively engaged in politics. “If they are doing philanthropic work, we have to explain to them that this is also political work. Gradually, their thinking changes,” she said.</p>
<p>Although some now say that a quota should be set to make more room for women in politics, Mee Mee said the first priority should be to ensure that women are qualified to fill leadership roles, by giving them the skills they need to succeed in politics.</p>
<p>Courage is also needed to deal with issues to don’t have any easy answers. During a number of recent trips to Arakan State with Nilar Thein, Mee Mee saw first-hand that some attitudes die hard. There is a lot of work to be done there to develop people’s thinking about many things, she said about her encounters with local people in the strife-torn state.</p>
<p>Although sheer determination to do the right thing has been the driving force in her life, Mee Mee said she could not have come this far without the support of her family, especially her husband, who has been very understanding of her efforts.</p>
<p>Despite her obvious passion for politics, however, Mee Mee said she has no interest in becoming a politician and running in the 2015 election.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18485">2012.11.10 The Irrawaddy A Woman’s (Political) Work is Never Done</a></p> Min Ko Naing : the value of educationurn:md5:5d242b2f5df16ac0e119bb0212938cfa2012-11-09T19:09:00+01:00..PRISONERS of conscienceDevelopment
<p>“You all know more than us the value of education and how educated people manage their countries around the world,” said Min Ko Naing, who spent 24 years in prison for his role in peaceful democracy demonstrations.</p>
<p>The 88 Generation has so far visited 11 out of Burma’s 14 states and divisions in order to learn about the real situation on the ground from ordinary people. Various delegations found that there are many people who do not know how to react to authorities despite being aware that they were being exploited or had their rights abused.</p>
<p>Many Burmese children are only able to study at Buddhist monasteries, especially in areas of Upper Burma where government schools barely function and students must rely on classes taught by monks.</p>
<p>“I want you all to consider not just education but also civil rights as they are treated by the international community,” said Min Ko Naing. “All human beings need education and knowledge. There are workers who ask their employers to set a 12-hour working day at factories while the international community only allows eight hours. They must have poor education to work 12 hours a day. They all have a sad face and ask for foreign investment for help reducing work times. There are children aged 10 and 14 years old who cannot study as they have to work at factories and teashops. There are children as well who are affected by fighting in Kachin State and have had their houses burnt down in Arakan State.”</p>
<p>Min Ko Naing emphasized that Burma’s current political reform process was nowhere near complete and there will be many challenges during this frustrating period of transition. “We should not fight amongst ourselves and cooperate with other people to fight for our rights,” he said.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/18459">2012.11.09 The Irrawaddy Skilled Burmese Have Duty to Return</a></p> Intermediate education to avoid rural exodusurn:md5:bff5b14090afd4b67abdfd5fd8513b1a2012-11-05T19:43:00+01:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>One of the most cost effective and efficient ways the US creates a young, entry-level labor force is not found in the traditional universities that offer four-year degrees.
It is the ubiquitous community colleges or junior college systemlocated all over the country, in every county and in every state.
They produce an incredible work force of twenty to thirty year olds. It's a two-year diploma course with the opportunity to go on to a four-year college degree if the student makes the grades.</p>
<p>Burma should look at this intermediate US education system, because Burma already has a wide network of regional colleges across the nation and many of them are under used yet piling up expenses.</p>
<p>If some of the underused schools can be converted into a modified version of the community college system and add some vocational training components,Burma, in a short time,could soon have a viable young labor force all over the country.</p>
<p>Courses in these American community colleges run from basic education like English, math, science, biology, etc., but what is most effective is that the colleges have also offer excellent vocational training course such as carpentry, auto mechanics, small machinery and engine repair, agricultural, animal husbandry, forestry, plumbing, how to start a small business, book keeping, accounting and so on.</p>
<p>Many graduates can find entry-level jobs right away because they have already apprenticed with local businesses during the training.</p>
<p>The teachers are university graduates with teaching credentials. These are state-funded colleges and students can also apply for student loans in the US, which they repay with interest when they are employed. Grants from local businesses and scholarships also help students to stay in school.
Burma already has a many regional colleges, which should be able to accommodate two-year diploma courses and develop vocational training courses. The latter will be the most cost effective, as the colleges will serve the lower middle class and young rural population.</p>
<p>To encourage domestic small-scale industries, courses could offer weaving, sewing, food preserving and, homemaking courses for young women. And when the micro financing is in place in most districts these graduates can learn how to set up their own business. Micro financing in some countries also create cooperatives for women and young men to set up business. The Thai Girl Guides Association has projects in the rural areas helping women set up cooperatives in sewing, food preservations, etc. The same can be done for young people through NGOs in the rural areas. Linking NGOs and the community colleges could facilitate micro economic growth for the rural population.</p>
<p>The planning for such aventure should start now before the young rural population begins a massive exodus to the mega-industrial zones that are being planned in large cities, which can lead to massive overcrowding and major urbanization problems.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mizzima.com/edop/commentary/8332-intermediate-education-a-way-to-create-a-young-workforce-in-burma-.html">2012.11.01 Mizzima intermediate-education-a-way-to-create-a-young-workforce</a></p> The International Year of Cooperatives Short Film Festivalurn:md5:c0630188437401586f36f150de2b01582012-10-20T19:45:00+02:00..Development & capacity buildingDevelopment
<p>The International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) Short Film Festival will take place on 19 November 2012 at the United Nations Headquarters during the closing ceremony of the Year.</p>
<p>The theme is "Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World".</p>
<p>We are looking for films that raise awareness about cooperatives – what they are, and what they do – and encourage support and development of cooperative enterprises by individuals and their communities.</p>
<p>The films should also highlight at least one of the 10 key messages of the International Year of Cooperatives:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cooperative enterprises build a better world</li>
<li>Cooperative enterprises are member owned, member serving and member driven</li>
<li>Cooperatives empower people</li>
<li>Cooperatives improve livelihoods and strengthen the economy</li>
<li>Cooperatives enable sustainable development</li>
<li>Cooperatives promote rural development</li>
<li>Cooperatives balance both social and economic demands</li>
<li>Cooperatives promote democratic principles</li>
<li>Cooperatives and gender: a pathway out of poverty</li>
<li>Cooperatives: a sustainable business model for youth</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://social.un.org/coopsyear/film-festival.html">IYC Short Film Festival</a></p>