Marathon for Malaria No More

Calling all you caring runners: here's a chance to support Clotilde Gimond, another caring runner who is running a marathon to support the charity Malaria No More, which is aiming to end malaria deaths by 2015.

Did you know that every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria in Africa? Yet malaria is a totally preventable and treatable disease. Clitolde should know; she contracted malaria in Madagascar. You can read all about that story in her guest post on the Malaria No More website here.

To sponsor Clotilde, please visit her donation page. Every little helps.

Malaria No More website.

Loretta Napoleoni: The intricate economics of terrorism

What would you do if you found out that one of your best friends was a terrorist? Loretta Napoleoni details her rare opportunity to talk to the secretive Italian Red Brigades - an experience that sparked a lifelong interest in terrorism. She gives a behind-the-scenes look at its complex economics, revealing a surprising connection between money laundering and the US Patriot Act. Interesting, although I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

World's Biggest Flash Animation for Juvenile Diabetes Research

JDRF (Junior Diabetes Research Foundation) have launched an online animation tool enabling people to create between 1 and 5 seconds of animation with a tool box of assets, background and uploaded photo’s, which they can then send to a friend who can then carry on the story, like an online animated game of consequences! The new tool is aimed at raising awareness or type 1 Diabetes and JDRF.

JDRF is a global charity that funds research into finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. New research reveals that less than a third of UK residents (30 per cent) know of type 1 diabetes with a further 59 per cent confusing the autoimmune condition with type 2 diabetes – which can be related to obesity and lack of exercise.

Type 1 diabetes can strike at any age and there is currently no cure.  Currently approximately 350,000 people in the UK have it including over 25,000 children.

Men are the most uneducated about the condition, with only 28 per cent correctly identifying it compared with 32 per cent of women.  Nearly one in ten men think that type 1 diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar whilst nearly six in ten men and women believe that it is related to obesity.  Those aged under 25 have the least awareness with 78 per cent incorrectly identifying the condition whereas those aged 45 to 54 have the highest levels of awareness of type 1 characteristics (36 per cent).

Find out more, and tell your story, at:

http://www.jdrfaware.com/default.aspx

Craig Bellamy Foundation

Now that I'm fully hooked-up to cable TV –  which is to give my son increased exposure to English, you understand, and nothing at all with my desire to watch more sport – I'm able to watch most Premier League matches, including many live ones. This is especially nice for me as my home team, Stoke City, are now in the Premier League.

But I digress. Last weekend I was watching Manchester City playing and was once again impressed by Craig Bellamy, especially as he scored a couple of glorious goals. My image of him until recently was pretty much the same as how he tends to be portrayed in the media – a gifted, but hot-headed footballer who was as prone to violent outbursts as he was to moments of footballing genius. Then I read this article in the Guardian and it reminded me that there are always two sides to every story. Bellamy has put a great deal of his own money and time into creating a football academy in Sierra Leone, which is a wonderful thing. A striking difference between his academy and others is that it is not geared at producing footballers to be farmed off to rich clubs; instead it aims to ensure that the kids "receive a proper education, become involved in their communities and absorb the foundation's insistent messages on sexual health and the perils of HIV/Aids."

I think that this is brilliant and I know that Craig Bellamy is not the only footballer who is involved in charity work, but wouldn't it be nice if the media focused on this side of their characters a little more? And wouldn't it be nice if more sports personalities (and other personalities, for that matter) put a little more of the amazing opportunities and salaries they receive into helping the kids who look up to them? I recommend reading the Guardian article, which you can find here and you can find out more about the Craig Bellamy Foundation here: http://craigbellamyfoundation.org/

Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole

To be honest, I'm not sure what draws me to people like this - people who push themselves to extremes - but drawn to them I certainly am. I find the whole thing wonderful (call me mad).

Here, Lewis Pugh talks about his record-breaking swim across the North Pole. He braved the icy waters (in a Speedo) to highlight the melting icecap. Watch for astonishing footage - and some blunt commentary on the realities of supercold-water swims.

Michael Pritchard's Water Filter turns Filthy Water Drinkable

This is a wonderful invention. Too much of the world lacks access to clean drinking water. Engineer Michael Pritchard did something about it - inventing the portable Lifesaver filter, which can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds. An amazing demo from TEDGlobal 2009.

Nominations Sought for UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication

UNESCO has launched a call for nominations for the 2009 UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication. Potential submitters are invited to propose nominations in consultation with the National Commissions for UNESCO or with relevant non-governmental organizations maintaining consultative relations with UNESCO. The deadline for submitting nominations is 30 October 2009.

Established in 1985, the UNESCO-IPDC Prize for Rural Communication aims to reward a pioneering activity which contributes to improving communication in rural communities, in particular in developing countries. Awarded on a biennial basis, it consists of a sum of US$ 20,000 and a diploma.

The last recipient of the Prize was the Indian daily newspaper Malayala Manorama, which was selected for its imaginative communication campaign aimed at raising awareness among the people of Kerala on the importance of water conservation as a solution to the problem of droughts in the region.

The Prize will be awarded for the eleventh time during the 27th session of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), which will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 24 to 26 March 2010.

Nominations should include a description of the candidate’s background and achievements, a summary of the work, publications and other supporting documents of major importance; a description of the candidate’s contribution to the Prize’s objectives; and recommendations from the National Commissions for UNESCO or the NGOs enjoying a consultative status with UNESCO.

For further details on how to submit a nomination, please click here (PDF).

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NGO having consultative status with UNESCO.pdf

Katherine Fulton: You are the Future of Philanthropy

In this uplifting talk, Katherine Fulton sketches the new future of philanthropy -- one where collaboration and innovation allow regular people to do big things, even when money is scarce. Giving five practical examples of crowd-driven philanthropy, she calls for a new generation of citizen leaders.

As small-scale philanthropy is one of the founding aims of k creative, this was very interesting as some of the things suggested we are already trying to put into practice (for example providing private education for free).

UNESCO ICT Training for Teachers in the Msinga District in Kwa Zulu Natal (South Africa)

Within the framework of UNESCO's contribution towards strengthening practices for ICT in support of knowledge creation, acquisition and sharing in the field of education a training session for School teachers will be held at the Lobethal School in the Msinga District in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, from 29 June to 12 July 2009.

Elements of the ICT competency standards for teachers will be used in the training as communications access and connectivity for ICT services and applications in remote rural areas are in need of support.

For more information on UNESCO and ICT:

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2929&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNESCO Second Global Forum on the Power of Peace

The Second Global Forum on the Power of Peace will be held in Bangkok from 28-30 October 2009. The Forum will be a working conference designed for the further development of the Power of Peace Network (PPN). Included in the programme will be a review of an innovative 2.0 online platform and an effort to engage youth and students from university campuses around the world in peace building endeavour.

From the website of the Second Global Forum on the Power of Peace:

During this forum, we will explore practical options to harnessing media and ICTs in a changing world and how to bring youth to the forefront of leadership, empower civil society and make the power of peace an agent of change.

The Power of Peace Network (PPN) is an interactive platform that seeks to harness innovative mechanisms to promote peace through media and ICTs.

PPN fosters global collaboration in the use of the tools of information and communication for cultural self-expression, mutual understanding, the reduction of conflict incidents, and the support of sustainable living. PPN endeavors to bring young people to the forefront of this effort, drawing on their energy and often groundbreaking approaches to the challenges that lie ahead.

Our goals and objectives include the following:

• To lead the continuing debate on how to effectively promote mutual understanding by harnessing the world of media and ICTs, including TV, newspapers and magazines, and how to bring youth to the vanguard of leadership, empower civil society and make the power of peace an agent of change.




• To provide an online community for the sharing of ideas and content, including blogs, audio-visual and written materials that are educational, informative and support the PPN mission.




• To create a strong network and to convene stakeholders in the Power of Peace Network initiative (including NGOs, youth organizations, media and ICT specialists, government and international agencies, private sector interests, religious and cultural institutions, universities and other educational institutions) in order to respond to the new social and economic challenges in communities around the world.




• To contribute to sustainable development through knowledge sharing and by finding practical ways to use technologies at our disposal in order to encourage self-expression, achieve better understanding of ourselves, and ultimately enhance the human condition.




• To support and endorse a global coalition of universities and other educational institutions in developing a collaborative program that incorporates media in peace and conflict studies for broad public education, and for reaching out to young people on university campuses around the world;




• To facilitate a network of those engaged in media and peace building and  identify possible partnerships between those working on the ground (NGOs and other civil society organizations) and ICTs and media outlets, experts and trainers, supporters of content development, educators, researchers, business advisors, and managers.

PPN activities include the following:

• To serve as an inter-disciplinary platform for a dialogue among civilizations.




• To serve as a clearing house for audiovisual content in the context of promoting peace.




• To provide support to educational institutions through curriculum development, training, and a focus on peace and conflict studies.




• To support opportunities for life-long learning among media professionals, especially in conflict-sensitive reporting.