Hivos news

World Aids Campaign and Hivos organise the first Asian-Pacific regional MSM and transgender & HIV Youth consultation in Bangkok. From 1-3 September 40 youths representatives from 14 counties are gathering in the Thai capital to discuss their issues in regard to HIV and Aids.

Because of the gigantic scale of the disaster, Alliance2015 members are now striving to unite their expertise. Members present in the affected regions of Pakistan - Concern, ACTED, Welthungerhilfe, Cesvi and People in Need - are regularly coming together for coordination meetings in Islamabad. Together, the five members are applying for funding of more than €5 million from ECHO, The European Commission’s humanitarian aid department.

The Hivos Knowledge Programme organizes an international conference on Knowledge and Change in The Hague (29 September - 1 October 2010). Activists, NGO practitioners and scholars from all continents are invited to reflect on theory and practice of development dilemmas as well as methodologies of knowledge development.

For over thirty years Pink Saturday has been celebrated in The Netherlands: a manifestation for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) organized by a different Dutch city on the last Saturday of June every year. This year Pink Saturday was held in Amersfoort on 26 June 2010. On Pink Saturday, Hivos draws attention to the violation of fundamental rights of gays and lesbians in developing countries and attracts sponsors for its LGBT programme.

A bright-painted taxi van is driving through the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam. The van (a daladala) turns out to be an actual television studio, in which its passengers are interviewed about their daily lives. This is an original way of Hivos partner Twaweza to offer ordinary citizens a platform to express themselves.

"My safe space called the women’s movement is going, or has gone even. It has been taken over by men. Give me back my movement!" Everjoice J. Win uses the JASS Blog to give vent to her anger. "It is time to reclaim women’s spaces and re-politicize our movements with feminist politics."

Global Dialogues is a non-profit organization promoting excellence in education and communication about HIV/aids. This Hivos partner from Burkina Faso has found an original and effective way to initiate dialogue about AIDS on the African continent; Scenarios from Africa.

In April 2010 the President of Kyrgyzstan was overthrown by a street-led revolution. Ethnic clashes between groups of young people erupted in May with violent riots in the South leaving hundreds dead, thousands injured and forcing half a million to flee their homes. Raya Kadyrova, Director of the Foundation for Tolerance International, talks about the role of her organization.

The lawyer defending Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani himself is hiding for arrest while his wife and brother-in-law are held by Iranian authorities. The authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the well known Iranian lawyer who is defending Ashtiani, a woman sentenced to death by stoning.

This month the first Alliance2015 Office in Nicaragua was inaugurated. Alliance members Welthungerhilfe, Acted, Ibis and Hivos expect reduced costs, a better coordination among themselves and an improved standing vis à vis the donors. With joint offices the Alliance wants to increases its aid effectiveness.