Noticias

By Julienne Munyaneza

Toronto, 30 March (WACC) -- There is now a special funding track for faith-based organizations and non-governmental organizations applying for financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculoses and Malaria (GFTATM).
Dr. Christoph Benn, Director of External Relations for GFTATM, made the announcement at the February meeting of the HIV/AIDS Strategy Group of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance in Geneva. Benn told the group, to which WACC belongs, that the GFATM has revised its funding mechanisms in order to facilitate the access to funds for faith-based and non-governmental organizations. A review had shown that the current Country Coordinating Mechanisms were so complicated and government-driven that many groups could not complete the process satisfactorily and so were excluded from funding. For more information, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.Globalfund.org"www.Globalfund.org

In recent weeks there has been sporadic media coverage of the Bush Administration’s alleged preparations to attack Iran. It seems that the U.S. may be intent on invading a second Middle Eastern nation under a camouflage of disinformation and WMD – weapons of mass deception – to use independent journalist Danny Schechter’s vivid description of media manipulation before the current disastrous war on Iraq.

Leading media outlets have been reporting these covert preparations and some are beginning to question the “evidence”. Others are not. “War Drums on Iran”, an editorial in The Nation (February 15, 2007) laments that:

“Day after day, major media repeat pronouncements from the White House or unsourced leaks from the field with only the barest hint of scepticism. As one example, the New York Times’s nearly 2,000-word lead story on February 10 on Iran’s alleged support of Shiite militias contained the sole caveat that US officials ‘acknowledge that the picture is not entirely complete.’ Scepticism, when it is voiced, comes only later, after the headlines and television news stories have had their impact, and usually only because someone of national standing has spoken up. It is as if journalists had learned nothing over the past six years about the dangers of relying on official sources and of failing to question and challenge a spin-driven Administration.”

WACC believes that the media have a crucial role to play in issues of political, eco-nomic, social and cultural justice. If the mass media do not publicly monitor, question, and call to account the actions of governments and corporate interests, they become complicit in a conspiracy of silence that serves to undermine democracy and peaceful coexistence.

By monitoring, questioning and confronting, by presenting alternative opinions and balanced evidence, the media become impartial advocates of the truth and enable people to act and speak as better informed citizens. The best journalism does not just repeat what is seen, heard or told by official sources. It digs beneath the surface. It strives to get the other side or sides of the story and relies on diverse sources.

WACC urges mass and community media to question and challenge the pronounce-ments and actions of the Bush Administration with regard to Iran. By doing so, they will help avoid the deliberate confusions that led to the present war. Only by doing so is there a chance of averting the possibility of a catastrophe for the people of Iran and their neighbours.

Randy Naylor
General Secretary

by Gisèle Langendries

Nepali media rights advocates learn how news stories are produced.

Despite a growing commitment to the promotion of gender equality in Nepal since the 1980's, women's access to media remains severely limited and representation of women in the media continues to perpetuate negative and degrading stereotypes. But Nepalese editors, producers, and journalists are now feeling the impact of a 2005 campaign organized by a Nepali women's media advocacy group. Women's access to the media has improved and media content better reflects the complex realities of Nepalese women's lives, says a report recently submitted to the project's funder, the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC).

Media literacy workshops organized in October 2005 in the eastern district of Morang and in western Rupandehi by Asmita - a Nepali women's organization using media to advocate for women's rights – trained women in media awareness and media monitoring, based on a specially-developed media literacy package for monitoring from a gender perspective. Campaign objectives were to raise awareness among women about their potential to bring changes in their lives, to develop a good rapport between women and the media, and to encourage women to establish their own media.

The campaign was successful in creating a critical mass of Nepalese women who have an understanding of gender and media issues and have the skills to monitor the media. Following the workshop, the women monitored the media and prepared monthly reports of the results. Subsequent interaction programmes with media producers and women participants resulted in the formation of women's media clubs. Major changes were noted in some media when critical letters sent to various media groups by women participants were published in newspapers. The changes included an increase in the number of editorials and opinion articles on women's issues written by women appearing in the print media.

May 16 – May 20 2007 in Kristiansand, Norway.

This unique Festival is organized by WACC – the World Association for Christian Communication and SIGNIS - the World Catholic Association for Communication. It is being hosted by the Gimlekollen School of Journalism and Communication in Kristiansand, Norway in collaboration with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK).

The Festival will provide opportunities to:

• Present and reward the very best of television programmes that express, explore and examine values in relation to religion, faith and ethics;
• Encourage networking & co production between producers and broadcasters of these programmes, particularly in Europe;
• Encourage the development of innovative and popular religious broadcasting.

The Festival will also incorporate a high-level Seminar on the theme of:
The Challenge for Religious Broadcasters in a Culturally Diverse Europe

The Festival will offer a unique space for you and your colleagues concerned with the broadcasting of religion to reflect on the questions around it. Please click on the link below to discover more about the Festival and Seminar and how to participate:

European Television Festival of Religious Programmes

You will find on the website:

General information on the festival. The programme of the festival and seminar. The rules and regulations of the competition, available as a PDF document (programmes to be sent by March 9 2007) and the Accreditation form for the festival and seminar (to be returned by March 31 2007). Information on the social events during the festival. Programme entry form for your best religious programmes to be considered for inclusion in the final competition).

For further information please contact waccsignis@mediehogskolen.no

We look forward to meeting you in Kristiansand!
On behalf of the organizing committee
Piet Halma (WACC Europe) Jim McDonnell (SIGNIS Europe)

by Kristine Greenaway

Toronto, 15 February (WACC)-- Canada's young people are increasingly indiferent to religion according to statistics presented to an interfaith seminar on religion and public policy. Speaking earlier this week at a forum hosted by Massey College at the University of Toronto, researchers presented graphs showing an increase of 15.5% between 1961 and 2001 in people reporting they have “no religion”. Most are in the 25 to 44 age group and 25 per cent are under 14.

Basing their study on data gathered in the 2001 Canadian census, Dr. Brian Clarke of the Centre for Research in Religion at Emmanuel College and his colleague, Dr. Stuart Macdonald of of Knox College, report that 85% of those reporting “no religion” are White of European origin and 12% of Chinese origin.

Statistics show significant shifts in the category “non-Christian”since 1981 when 1.4% of the total population was non-Christian. In 2001, the category had increased to 5% due to an increase through immigration in the numbers of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs.

Clarke and Macdonald also note an increase in the number of Christians no longer claiming a denominational affiliation. Increasingly, people choose the category “Christian” or “Protestant” rather than declaring affiliation with a denomination. Clarke told seminar participants that the numbers probably overstate active religious affiliation and that the “no religion” category is likely understated and will grow. Results of the most recent Canadian census, conducted in 2005, are expected to show an accelerating rate of change in these figures, based on analysis of trends between 1961 and 2001.

University of Toronto doctoral law student, Bryan Thomas, told participants it is possible for Canadians to find common ground for public debate between secularists and members of religious communities on contentious social issues such as same-sex marriage. Thomas argues that acceptable policy formulations protecting basic rights and freedoms can be found if people agree to base their arguments on commonly shared beliefs such as those enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights rather than on religious or secular beliefs such as passivism or anti-nuclear activism.

In response, Jeff Nowers, a doctoral student at the Toronto School of Theology argued that participation in a public policy debate is a matter of indifference to him. Citing the teachings of Jesus Christ as the ultimate determinant of right and wrong, he said that as a Christian he could not submit to state law when it runs counter to what Jesus teaches.

Debate among seminar participants focussed on the public policy implications of Canadians drifting from organized religion and adopting a secular outlook. “Will secularism lead to Canadians having more in common?”, one participant asked. Others argued secularists also have strong beliefs and that the challenge of finding acceptable common ground for contentious policy will remain.

Fifty people attended the seminar, the fourth in a series on religion and public policy organized by the Rev. Dr. Lois Wilson, Ecumenist-in-Residence at the Toronto School of Theology. The series will resume in September.

Maria Teresa Aguirre (WACC)

Activists and representatives of social movements, coalitions and networks from across the world gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, January 20-25, to make their voices heard at theWorld Social Forum.

This annual gathering of members of the anti-globalization movement offers a forum to coordinate campaigns, refine organizing strategies, and share information about movements from around the world. Traditionally meetings are held in January to capture some of the media spotlight of the annual World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.

This year in Nairobi, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) joined forces with Panos, Femnet, Komnent and the news service IPS to highlight successful experiences from around the world in addressing human rights and communication rights. This included assessing a recent evaluation of the impact of community radio and social movements. Gender sensitive programming was also on the agenda with opportunities to share news of projects where gender sensitive programming is practised.

AMARC is part of a worldwide network of media rights organizations linked with the World Association for Christian Communication. Concern for media and gender justice and for building communication rights are among nine programme priorities for WACC in the period 2007-2009.

Musimbi Kanyoro

Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, President of the Board of the World Association for Christian Communication has been appointed the Director of the Population Program of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Kanyoro will leave her current position as General Secretary of the World YWCA to take up her new responsibilities in September of this year.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation announced that Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro will join the Foundation as director of the Population Program in September 2007.

“Musimbi is an established leader and brings to the Foundation a deep commitment to reproductive health issues, particularly the impact that HIV/AIDS has on the lives of women, girls, and families,” said Carol S. Larson, president and chief executive officer of the Foundation. “She is a natural fit to advance the goals of our Population Program and contribute to the broader effectiveness of our work.”

Kanyoro currently serves as general secretary of the World YWCA, the largest women’s membership organization that operates in 122 countries and reaches more than 25 million women and girls annually. During her ten-year tenure at the World YWCA, Kanyoro has steered the organization to develop and adopt a global strategic plan; to strengthen relationships with other international nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, U.N. agencies, the World Bank, and faith-based organizations to leverage resources to improve outreach for in-country and global work; and to prioritize women’s reproductive health and rights and HIV/AIDS, resulting in extensive work in 70 countries.

Kanyoro is widely traveled and has extensive international program experience in all regions of the world. She has lived in Africa, the United States, and Europe. She has written and published extensively on matters affecting the lives of women and children.

Kanyoro received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and her D.min. from San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including the Women, Leadership, and Human Dignity Award (2006) from Birmingham Southern College for significant contribution to the advancement of human dignity, the Kenya Government Presidential Award (2005) in recognition of international leadership, and the Global Leadership Award on HIV and AIDS (2005) from the World Vision and International AIDS Trust. In addition, Kanyoro is a founding member of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS and serves on its leadership council. She is currently the President and Board Chair of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and also serves on the board of the
African Population & Health Research Centre.

In accepting her appointment, Kanyoro said, “The vision and values of the Packard Foundation resonate with me and I am delighted to join the Foundation staff and Trustees as they continue to sustain and expand impact through grantmaking to better the lives of women, children, and families through improved access to family planning and reproductive health services.”

Until Kanyoro joins the Foundation in September, Sono Aibe, will continue in the role of acting director of the program, a position she has held since June 2006.
The Population Program of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation invests in pioneering organizations and individuals that strive to give women and their families the ability to decide how many children to have and when to have them, and to receive proper medical attention when they do. The Foundation focuses its population grantmaking in Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Nigeria, and the United States. For more information about the Population Program or the Foundation’s work in other areas, please visit www.packard.org.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private family foundation created in 1964 by David Packard (1912–1996), cofounder of the Hewlett-Packard Company, and Lucile Salter Packard (1914–1987). The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the following program areas: Conservation and Science; Population; and Children, Families, and Communities. The Foundation makes national and international grants and also has a special focus on the Northern California Counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. Foundation grantmaking includes support for a wide variety of activities including direct services, research and policy development, and public information and education. The Foundation does not make grants intended to influence
legislation or support candidates for political office. The Foundation’s endowment was approximately $6.2 billion as of December 31, 2006. General program grant awards totaled approximately $224 million in 2006. The Foundation has a grantmaking budget of approximately $248 million in 2007.