Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Udihiya project: Suggestions and voting for 2009

We are in the process of voting for this year's project. Please send in your votes! We have a good list of diverse choices this year. As you reflect about what you want to vote for, please ask yourselves, "what will really empower people on the ground in the long-term?".

From the list of suggestions below I see that this year we are moving away from distributing materials to things such as trainings (i.e., the workshop and training of journalists) and insuring access to free and independent information (radio Dabanga, training journalists from the camps as well as local theater groups and expression through art and culture). Please remember that giving people life-long skills and knowledge is a much more powerful tool than a one-time act of charity. Knowledge and training will take people very far.

We are voting for the following projects:
  1. Arts theater group: There are two groups that could use some support and focus on popular education theater, music, dance etc...called Tawasil Arts Group and Astigha Al Tufula. Both develop and perform great theater pieces on issues such as domestic violence, public health, relationships between elders and youth. They are led by young people some of whom are displaced and live in the camps. They perform these pieces all over Darfur, the Sudan really and also in the camps. They also write and perform songs about what is happening in Darfur. 
  2. Radio station: Radio Dabanga needs support with training more people inside the displacement camps to become radio journalists. This is the only source of independent news from Darfur and covered by Darfurians. Check out Radio Dabanga's website at: http://www.radiodabanga.org/
  3. Youth workshop: Supporting a youth workshop where youth are being trained to make furniture, sew and given skills for income generating activities.
  4. Visual artists: The support would be to buy art equipment and materials such as, canvas, paint, brushes, etc and to support a workshop for artists from around Sudan based in Khartoum. 
  5. Speech therapy institute: Support a Speech therapy outreach project in one of the camps in Khartoum. Collaborating with AL Anees institute for speech and Language services.

5 comments:

  1. I vote for #4 (Youth Workshop)

    ReplyDelete
  2. My vote in order of preference:

    1. Radio station;
    2. Youth workshop; and
    3. Art and theater group.

    dalia

    ReplyDelete
  3. I vote to the following proposals according to the same prioritization:

    1. Arts theater group
    2. Youth workshop
    3. Visual artists

    mohamed elgadi

    ReplyDelete
  4. I vote for:
    1/ Radio station
    2/ Youth work shop
    3/ Speech therapy
    4/ Visual art
    4/ Theatre group
    Hugues.

    ReplyDelete