Report Progress
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Report on Progress Inform. Educate. Inspire Dear Friends and Colleagues, As 2008 draws to a close, we are most aware of the positive changes required by each of us in order to bring forth a more harmonious and equitable world. By nature, every major challenge offers an opportunity for the emergence of something more benefi cent and true. Over the past seven years, working in rural and Our Mission underserved regions across Afghanistan, Nepal, India, Cambodia and Laos, and most recently expanding to Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Chad and Niger, we are more inspired than ever that our unique approach of To create positive social providing information, education and leadership training creates positive social change for millions— helping to restore dignity, equity and opportunity for those who need it most. change for millions of “Inform. Educate. Inspire” It’s more than our new tagline; it refl ects the essential services we deliver, underserved people in the continuum of change our benefi ciaries sustain and the heart of our mission. the developing world By combining the power of innovative media, such as serial dramas, chat shows and mobile theatre, with interactive technology and direct community mobilization activities, people receive life changing by delivering critically information and education and are inspired to work together to overcome daunting challenges and improve their lives. needed information In Nepal and Cambodia, over ten million otherwise isolated young people learn life skills, HIV and education through prevention, livelihoods training and community development for several cents per person per year. In rural innovative media, Afghanistan, empowered with the knowledge of their inherent Islamic rights, women negotiate the right to work outside the home, send their daughters to school and resist child marriage. In India, we expanded appropriate technology our efforts to educate migrants on HIV prevention, while continuing to protect hundreds of Cambodian girls from being traffi cked into sexual slavery though safe migration education. and direct community This year, we are most pleased to announce the expansion of our services to a second continent—Africa. engagement. While increasing the impact of our programs across Asia, we have begun implementation of comprehensive youth lifeskills and livelihoods programs in Niger and Chad, poised for offi cial launch in early 2009. We hope you take new inspiration from the testimonials and stories shared by our beneficiaries and local staff in this report. None of this would be possible without the dedication and generosity of our distinguished supporters, extraordinary worldwide staff, Board of Directors, Advisory Council, partners and most importantly, not without the courage and unshakable belief in positive change demonstrated every day by our benefi ciaries. We invite you to join us as we continue to address new challenges and reach new countries. By reducing inequity together, we can bridge the gap between poverty and opportunity, empowering millions with the tools they need to improve their lives. Sincerely, Mark Gunther Ronni Goldfarb Chair, Board of Directors President & CEO Inform. Educate. Inspire Inform Bridging the Gap between Poverty and Opportunity The simple act of receiving vital information at just the right time can profoundly impact the course of one’s life. Information is portable, relatively inexpensive and yet one of the most powerful tools available to create positive social change. However, for millions across the developing world, illiteracy, poor infrastructure and a severe lack of practical, local information leave individuals and whole communities without this most essential resource. For example, a young Cambodian woman seeking to migrate abroad for work often does not know how to distinguish between a real offer of employment and a false lure resulting in bondage and sexual slavery. However, a trusted radio chat show host can provide this young woman and her family with the specific information she needs to protect herself from such dangers or with news about livelihood I have seen many organizations working for the development of Cambodia, opportunities closer to home. For this young woman and for most but few have focused so closely on building knowledge and spirit as Equal people, the information source must be trusted, reliable and inspiring. ‘‘Access. I think it is more serious to be knowledge poor than materially Whether through radio/TV, chat shows, serial dramas, street theatre, poor. When we provide people with accurate information and a vision, I mobile text messaging, print, community-based leadership trainings have seen that they improve their lives. This is the value of Equal Access. or other creative formats, Equal Access establishes trust with millions by reaching people with the information they need most. By providing —Village listening and dialogue group facilitator, Batambang Province, Cambodia ’’ critical information Equal Access helps people help themselves. WOMEN AND GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT Millions of women and girls live in abject poverty and suffer daily attacks against their basic human rights, simply because they are women. In societies where gender inequality is deeply rooted, women and girls may endure forced marriage or domestic violence and are often denied access to education, health services and the right to fully participate in their communities and societies. For many who lack access to information and education about their basic rights, listening to a trusted voice from a media program and participating in a community-based discussion group provides a safe space to learn about these rights and realize new dreams. Whether through a drama with familiar hosts, an interactive radio call in show, or through the intimacy of a village listening group, our programs reach marginalized women and girls with the information and tools they need to claim their inherent power and dignity and transform their lives. For instance, across Afghanistan, hundreds of rural women gather weekly to listen to and discuss Equal Access’ radio serial drama, My Rights, Your Rights, Our Rights in the Light of Islam. Along with millions of loyal home-based listeners and over 5,000 female and male community-based leaders trained by Equal Access, these women are learning that human rights and women’s rights are values enshrined in Islam and the Koran. And now within their villages, more girls attend school, less are forced into early marriage and more woman are able to work outside the home. Women, if given the opportunity, can achieve anything that men would be able to achieve. Attention is seldom given to the struggle that women undertake in life. Women are not selfi sh ‘‘ and they sacrifi ce a lot. They should be respected and rewarded. Women are one wheel of the chariot and without them the world would not exist. It is necessary to respect the spirit of women. This is the view of our listening group. This is the first radio program to talk about women’s rights. After listening, women in our community are more informed and confi dent. —Listening group member, Yogendra Chaulagai, Sindhuli, Nepal ’’ Often radio is the most effective way to reach the vast majority of people in remote areas as well as in urban centers while at home or at work. By networking radio stations together across each country to participate in the creation and broadcast of different radio series, Equal Access ensures that information is delivered at national scale and that even the most marginalized and isolated areas are included. To ensure that all people have equal access to information, we work to build the capacity of radio stations, set up micro-FM radios; or provide satellite receivers, so these remote communities can access radio in some cases for the very fi rst time. Broadcast Audience Reach 50 million Project Manager, 45 millionillion Equal Access Nepal Pawan Prakash Upreti 40 millionillion With so much to learn and share, I have been engaged with Equal Access since September 2005. 35 millionillion I’m responsible for research and implementation of the emerging modern technologies, audio- 30 millionillion visual broadcasting and managing technical training programs and projects for Equal Access 25 millionillion Nepal. In terms of capacity building and technical support to the radio stations in Nepal, Equal Access has been a pioneer in some of the outstanding activities such as satellite broadcasting, 20 millionillion radio signal mapping for FM radio broadcasters and the implementation of a comprehensive 15 millionillion Broadcast Listening Audience Survey for the past three years. 10 millionillion Recently, I was able to apply my knowledge and experience in a collective effort of producers and 5 millionillion broadcasters to develop and support Nepal’s landmark Broadcasters Code of Conduct at a critical 0 time in my country’s reconciliation efforts. Equal Access has given me a platform where I can share my expertise, as well as solve new challenges. Knowing that my work helps millions of Nepalese in a very real way by providing the information they need to improve their lives inspires me daily. Educate Fostering Human Development and Personal Empowerment With a reach to 40 million listeners in Asia, and new projects launching in the African Sahel, Equal Access provides education where it is needed most through media–based teacher training, early childhood development programming for teachers, parents and children, and life-skills and livelihoods training for young people ages 14–30. Without education that develops essential life skills and a belief in one’s personal power to effect change, an individual may struggle to apply new information in a way that yields positive results. While some of our projects provide education in formal settings through interactive media instruction in the classroom or distance teacher training, just as importantly we reach people of all ages where they spend most of their time, at home, in the fields farming, at work, on a bus, at community listening groups or other social settings.