Masha Medvedkov's Content

Community Testimonies: Hilda Lainez Velasquez from Honduras

Masha Medvedkov — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:33:01 -0800

Hilda Lainez Velasquez talks about the impacts on agriculture and health of mining activities by Canadian corporation Goldcorp Inc.

Original source: FriendsoftheEarthInt on YouTube

Witness Benefit Dinner

Masha Medvedkov — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:39:28 -0800

Peter Gabriel, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, and Susan Sarandon co-hosted the 5th annual benefit dinner and concert for WITNESS. The event included performances by Cyndi Lauper and Citizen Cope, among others.
Anne Craig was at the red carpet outside the Roseland Ballroom, where she interviewed Gabriel and Amanpour.

Video Spotlight: In Silence, Maternal Mortality in India

Masha Medvedkov — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:59:06 -0800

**This post is part of an ongoing series that showcases users and videos from the Hub**

"Pregnancy is not a disease or illness. Yet more than half a million women and girls die every year because of pregnancy, childbirth, and unsafe abortions. Health experts determine that about 75% of these maternal deaths are preventable."

— No Tally of the Anguish: HRW Report 2009

One woman dies every minute as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth - that's a half million women every year. Around 20% of these deaths happen in India.

In this video, Human Rights Watch documents the story of Kiran Yaddav, a 25-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh who died a preventable death after giving birth to a baby boy. Kiran is one of the many women of Uttar Pradesh - a northern province with the second highest maternal mortality rate in India - who has died in a health facilities that are under equipped to handle complications and often operating without a surgeon or a blood bank. Watch Kiran's story and learn about the realities that many pregnant women face across India:

Many health facilities in India lack electricity, space, proper equipment, and enough qualified doctors - deficiencies that too often result in fatalities. Additionally, problems with transportation for women living in rural India are a contributing factor to the high death toll. The health system in India is not only failing to save women from preventable deaths but also neglecting to properly document exactly how many are dying, how, and why. While countless others have died in silence, Kiran's husband has gone to the media and government authorities to demand justice and accountability. According to a comprehensive Human Rights Watch report, the Indian government has acknowledged the dismal circumstance of maternal mortality in Uttar Pradesh as well as other parts of the country. The report addresses failures and gaps in India's health care system and pushes for vital steps towards improvement. What is your reaction to this video? Share your thoughts in the comment field below.

Resources:

HRW Press Release: Too Many Women Dying in Childbirth

HRW Report: No Tally of the Anguish

Magnum Photos: In Silence, Maternal Mortality in India

Center for Reproductive Rights: Maternal Mortality in India

Bah Sisters - IRC Voices

Masha Medvedkov — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:44:13 -0700

With their courageous mother, the Bah sisters traveled from their native Guinea to Senegal and ultimately to the US seeking safety. Now living in New York, they explain just how the IRC came to represent home to both of them.
About IRC Voices:
For over 75 years, the International Rescue Committee has been responding to the world's worst crises. Meet some of our extended family: dedicated IRC staff members who tackle enormous challenges to change lives; courageous refugees we've led through their journeys from harm to home; and committed leaders, thinkers and supporters who help us protect human freedom and dignity.
Original source: IRC on Youtube

Turning Information into Action: 10 Tactics Coming Up

Masha Medvedkov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:09:28 -0700

COMING SOON: A project from Tactical Tech, which includes 35 interviews
with human rights advocates from around the world and features 10
tactics for turning information into action.

10 tactics for turning information into action shows how rights advocates around the world have used the internet and digital technologies to create positive change. The 50 minute film will be launched at the Front Line Club in London, in December 2009 with a series of screenings worldwide. It is accompanied with a deck of cards featuring tools, tips and advice to help you plan your Info-activism action. The 10 Tactics project website will be launched in November.

Original source: Tactical Tech on Vimeo

AYM '09: Panel Discussion on Using Viral Video To Effect Change: Part 1

Masha Medvedkov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:48:30 -0700

Panel Discussion on Using Viral Video to Effect Change with Kelly Niknejad, Tehran Bureau (United Kingdom); Ari Wallach, Creator, The Great Schlep; Jason Liebman, Co-founder, Alliance of Youth Movements & CEO, Howcast; Levi Felix, Vice President, Causecast; moderated by Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics, YouTube.

Original source: Howcast

Video Spotlight: Stories That Kill

Masha Medvedkov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:48:30 -0700

**This post is part of an ongoing series that showcases users and videos from the Hub**

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"In Colombia, there is freedom of expression. You can say whatever you want, but after that they kill you or they mark you and kill you." - Manuel Rosental, Journalist in exile

Rebel groups, drug trafficking, and government corruption make independent journalism in Colombia an extremely dangerous profession. As the media is often subject to government censorship, journalists reporting on controversial issues like the armed conflict are frequently victims of threats, persecution, and sometimes death. In this video, Pulso Latino (Latin Pulse), an independent Latin American news program, talks to various independent journalists as they divulge their personal stories. Amongst them is Hollman Morris, Director of Contravia ("wrong-way" in Spanish), a television series that works to uncover Colombia's armed conflict. As Morris works to expose human rights atrocities to the international community, he has been labeled a terrorist by the government, his phones have been tapped, and he and his family have been constantly monitored. Morris and others want to show the injustices that are occurring in Colombia to create awareness and a movement towards change. Watch his story and others here:

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists' 2009 statistics, there have been 16 unsolved murders of media workers in Colombia with confirmed motives and a total of 42 murders since 1992. With journalists at risk, democratic values are also at risk. Independent media workers are also human rights defenders, breaking silences and opening the doors for democratic forums of discussion and opportunities for change. Since 1992, closed to 500 journalists have been killed worldwide with impunity. The Committee to Protect Journalists is pushing for accountability through a Global Campaign Against Impunity; they've launched a video explaining the campaign and the need for justice to be served. Get involved with this campaign and become more informed about violence against journalists in Colombia by checking out the resources below.

Resources:

Colombian Independent Journalism: The Case of 'Contravia'

Center for Investigative Reporting

CPJ: A Memorial for Killed Journalists, A Call to Action

CPJ: A Global Campaign Against Impunity

CPJ: Killed in 2009

Video: Christiane Amanpour on Impunity

Human Rights Watch: Colombia

AYM '09: Panel Discussion on Using Viral Video To Effect Change: Part 2

Masha Medvedkov — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:37:50 -0700

Original source: Howcast

South Africa - Living near an oil refinery

Masha Medvedkov — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:22:02 -0700

I'm living here in South Africa near the oil refinery with my husband. And for sixteen years I had no problem. But since I came here to Merebank, David my husband fell sick. Used with permission from raisedvoices.net

Original source: FriendsoftheEarthInt

Community Testimony: Nigeria - Gas Flaring

Masha Medvedkov — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:07:45 -0700

Meet Tina and Ifie from Bayelsa. "The oil you are using comes from our area. it should be making Nigeria rich but if you come to the Niger Delta you cannot see any of that."
Tina and Ifie have been busy collecting testimonies about the devastating effects of the oil business on their community - hear what the community thinks.

Original source: FriendsoftheEarthInt on YouTube