THANAM WORKS WITH YOUTH IN MALAYSIA!

I am still using SEAPCP's CO principles in my work. My role is mainly supporting communities in their CO processes and I am currently working with PGT group (Kindergarten Teachers Association) now. I'm start travel to many places together with them and give awareness about CO and FOI (Freedom of Information) through radio and journalism training.

I am presently focusing on women and young people in different areas like Taiping, Batu Arang, Jinjang and Johor. I'm try to educate them about their basic human rights (especially women's right); freedom of information(the importance of community media in Malaysia and how media is controlled by corporate companies, advertisement companies and politicians) and how they can be involved through CO processes to solve their problems.

We (CIJ and PGT) are organizing a youth Camp in February 2010 to educate them about their basic rights and encourage them to support their CO processes through producing radio programmes and writing articles to newspaper or create own newsletter. Although am not directly involve in the CO processes but I still use the principles in all my activities.

Currently I am busy with "16 days activism - end violence against women project" together with the JAGs (Joint Action Group for Gender Equality). In this project, we encourage women and young girls to use ICTs to create awareness about their rights. For example we encourage them to produce:

Audio programmes - script writing, recording and editing;

Make simple video - using photos, audacity and Windows movie maker software. At the same time we also organize a workshop - where we'll play simple video on how media portrayed women, then ask them to do discussion and produce audio programmes based on that ( what I have learned in the advance SEAPCP CO Course!);

Blogging - we'll launch a blog in Tamil on 24th November where we encourage women to write in blog about their rights and problems.

SMS campaign

Quotes campign

At the same time, I am also trying hard to develop jinjang youth as community trainers and try to involve them in internships and become model for upcoming youth.

My work is totally different from all my CO friends where they are directly involved with communities but I'm not. I'm doing it slowly. I've put my youth training pictures in my Facebook (feel free to see it).

S. Thanam
Community Training Officer
Centre for Independent Journalism

Zola's CO stories from wintery Mongolia!

Greetings from Wintery Mongolia! The weather here is getting colder day by day, right now it's -25 celsius!!! I am hardly surviving... hehehe... in the afternoon -15 celsias...soon it's going to be -25 day time, -30-35 at night...........sooo cooooolllld....

Yes I am still working with the communities (we have communities in different parts of Mongolia). I am utilising the CO skills everyday. It is part of what we do. There is one video I shot during the flooding at the urban poor area where I work. I am not sure whether I sent you all this video, but anyway, this flood happened last July and many people lost the lives and homes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwrOKX96z3U If this link does not work please search on youtube "anukazola floud" the video will appear. If you all interested i can send you the copy of documentary video which we've just produced (of course, not produced by us, we requested professional people).

I've also taught the communities how to use their mobile phones for basic video/snap shot in a disaster period. I run a CO workshop every other month. i am renewing the workshop module using the books which Johann gave us. Tomorrow i will send you the recent narrative report of the communities...

The Star Publications Monday November 9, 2009

Fuad (Kuala Lumpur Mayor) apologises to Jinjang residents for miscommunication

By BAVANI M

KUALA LUMPUR mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail has apologised to Jinjang Utara Longhouse Sector D residents for the fiasco that took place last week at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters. “I am sorry. This is a miscommunication with my officers and it should never have happened and could have been avoided. But we made a mistake and we are truly sorry for it,’’ said Ahmad Fuad.

Angry lot: File pic shows PERMAS president Tan Jo Hann tearing up the DBKL letter at the DBKL headquarters after officers failed to turn up for the meeting.

The mayor was responding to the incident last week where 12 residents from the longhouse were kept waiting for two hours despite being told to come at 11am for a meeting with the officers.

After waiting for so long, the residents, who had taken time off from work to attend the meeting, lost their temper and staged a walkout. They had requested a meeting with the DBKL to discuss their living conditions as their 16-year-old transit homes were falling apart. Fuad also said he would go down and meet the residents next week to see for himself their living condition.

In 2002, about 200 families from Sector D were given notices to move to another longhouse about 500m away. They were informed that low- cost units were being built for them to rent and buy. Developer Mega Legacy was supposed to build low-cost units at RM42,000 each in 2006, but nothing has materialised.

“We will give an ultimatum to the developer to submit the development plans for the units and if they fail to do so we will terminate their contract. We cannot be helping developers who fail to deliver,’’ Fuad said.

For now, Fuad said the developer must carry out rectification work on the units which were falling apart. “I realise that something must be done and quick as safety is also a concern. The developers must take responsibility for this.

“If they fail to do so we will take back the land. We regret that enforcement was not done sooner.

This issue is long overdue and I will personally look into the matter,’’ he said.

The Jinjang Utara Longhouse was built to house squatters relocated from various areas in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. There some 2,000 residents living in the longhouse. Out of that number, 276 residents are from Sector D.

CO SUCCESS IN INDIA!

Report from Paul Biblap, INDIA

In continuation of my effort on SEAPCP Echo workshop- I took the matter to the Community and put effort with various groups (stakeholders) such that CO trained people are given platform to test their skill. Community Care Centers agreed and I took up gradual follow up process one to one basis with the trained HIV positive women and ultimately 7 HIV positive women members took part in peace process organised by all Faith programme. All these people were ecstatic and they felt it was a great day in their life (even though it was very hot day).

Then these women were further trained on how to take up the organiser roles and now they have promised me to use it at their local areas for other HIV+ people. I will come back with further info. Meanwhile, I have tried to link these trained HIV+ women with formal system of Government run centers but I failed. I will start further endeavor in that direction once again.

The best part is that news of our CO session with HIV+ people is getting disseminated in various quarters through their own verbal channel. And results are pouring in! I got invited by HIV+ people from Mahesana district whether I will be interested to organize a CO session for them. I immediately agreed and had series of meetings before the session. Each meeting was eye opener for me and unfolding a good no of issues which needs serious attention.

I found that compared to Ahmadabad echo workshop Mahesan echo workshop is quite different from many accounts- Ahmadabad was urban slum and people knowledge were comparatively better but Mehsana people are from rural areas and they are coming from different background where abject poverty is very common and medical services are of very poor quality. In other words a HIV+ person can access better logistic for health care in Ahmedabad compared to that of Mahesana rural areas. I will try to link echo workshop in that direction also.

I guaranteed of my full-fledged support to Mehsana team but asked for their commitment to implement the learning at ground. I will need to follow it up further and then come back to you after completing the task.

I will develop a small case study and send it to SEAPCP for putting in blog on one of the HIV+ woman who has been doing very good work after getting trained in CO.

regards
Paul