CELEBRATING OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
In 2012, Asia
Catalyst is celebrating five years of partnering with grassroots groups in East
and Southeast Asia. In a challenging environment, this new generation of
leaders is developing innovative ways to meet the needs of marginalized
communities. Most of our partners are small start-up groups in Asia and as part
of our 5th Anniversary Campaign, we are asking for donations to help Chinese
health rights advocates to make their voices heard at the International AIDS
Conference in Washington D.C. this July. Please make a tax-deductible
contribution here.
Stay tuned
for more details on our upcoming fifth anniversary events, and visit our homepage to learn more.
OUR WORK WITH GRASSROOTS CHINESE GROUPS
NGO
Leadership Cohort Kick-off: In December, the China Program team traveled to
Kunming, Yunnan to host the first of four training workshops for the 2012 NGO
Leadership Cohort. Out of thirty applicants, we selected ten health-rights,
grassroots NGOs from across China to join the first cohort. They will
participate in four workshops on nonprofit management skills, with coaching
support and peer support in between each workshop. The December workshop
introduced meeting facilitation skills and strategic planning. Participants are
currently doing their “homework”–they are practicing these techniques and
developing strategic plans within their own organizations. We are especially
excited about this project because it will train Chinese NGOs to train other
groups in the future, so it offers great potential to scale up our
capacity-building work.
Coaching:
In December, Asia
Catalyst invited applications from three Chinese NGOs that successfully
participated in the 2011 coaching
cycle for a second round of management coaching in 2012. Two organizations
submitted applications: a new organization of drug users in Guangxi Province
and an organization that provides services to male sex workers in Beijing. The
China team is discussing what kinds of help we can provide to these two groups.
International
AIDS Conference 2012: We are preparing for the International AIDS Conference! It
will take place in Washington, D.C., in July 2012. Asia Catalyst issued a call
for abstracts from our partners in China. We’ll work with applicants to
translate and revise their abstracts in advance of the conference, and will
help with conference scholarship applications. We are planning workshops,
roundtable discussions, and other activities for the AIDS conference.
Look us up if you’re planning to be there!
Chinese
NGO Research Project: Following up on a training held by consultant Ariel
Herrera in September using methods from AC’s manual, Prove It: Documenting Rights Abuses,
Asia Catalyst continued providing one-on-one coaching to a Yunnan NGO run
by former drug users as they conducted
research on employer discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and
drug users. Throughout the fall, staff and volunteers of the group interviewed
members of their community. The interviews showed that many small companies,
such as supermarkets, auto repair shops and tobacco stores, are firing people
on the basis of their HIV status and their status as former drug users. Asia
Catalyst worked with the group to analyze and sort the data, as well as to
write the report and recommendations. The group will share the final report
with local government officials and discuss ways of addressing the issue with
them.
ON THEADVOCACY FRONT
Compensation to Victims of China’s Blood Disaster: In December, Asia Catalyst and its
partners submitted a report to the Red Ribbon Forum on compensation for victims
of China’s HIV/AIDS blood disaster. Working with Dongjen Center for Human
Rights Education and Action, UNAIDS, and Professor Qiu Renzong, we completed a
report on efforts by victims of China’s blood disaster to obtain compensation.
The report drew on thirty-seven interviews with victims and dossiers compiled
on ninety-seven additional cases, including powerful testimonies. Prof. Qiu has
convened a working group on the issue, and the group will submit a proposal to
the National People’s Congress.
Op-ed on
HIV/AIDS Discrimination: In December, Asia Catalyst’s director, Sara L.M.
Davis, published a joint
op-ed with South African AIDS activist Mark Heywood on discrimination
against people living with HIV/AIDS in China. The op-ed drew on our work with Chinese
groups on this issue.
We were
also pleased to showcase an essay by Chinese lawyer Yu Fangqiang on our blog
about his efforts to file the first lawsuits on HIV/AIDS-related discrimination
in China.
PUBLICATIONS
On December
1, 2011, World AIDS Day, Asia Catalyst, Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group, and
Dongjen jointly published the first volume in our human rights curriculum, Know It, Prove It,
Change It: A Rights Curriculum for Grassroots Groups. This volume, Know It: The Rights
Framework looks at real-life cases and analyzes them in the context of international
standards. The manual and lesson plans are written in simple, accessible language and
can be used by grassroots groups to train their communities in human rights principles.
The Chinese and Thai editions will be published in March 2012. We are very grateful to Andrew Fields,
who provided a pro bono legal review of Know It.
In 2013, we will also create the third volume of the series, on human rights advocacy.
5TH ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN
Many thanks to board member Ann Hotung, who hosted a wonderful dinner party to inaugurate
our 5th Anniversary Campaign.
In January, we also launched the Catalyzers–a group of early/mid-career New York
professionals with an interest in rule of law and social justice issues in
China and Southeast Asia. They are planning a series of networking, social and
educational events to bring together people with similar interests, and to
connect with visiting lawyers and civil society leaders from the region. Get in
touch if you’re interested in becoming part of this smart and energetic group.
Save the date! Our 5th Anniversary Campaign launch and celebration is coming up on March
21: a chance for us to mark how far we’ve come in the past five years,
celebrate all our partners have accomplished, and to prepare for the future.
IN THE OFFICE…
We have gone through rapid growth in the past quarter, moving to a new office in
Manhattan and adding several new staff! A big welcome to our recent additions: Brian Bonci,
administrative coordinator; Shalena Krumm, outreach coordinator; and Lizzy
Berryman, a volunteer with our communications team.
A big thank you to John Emerson, long time supporter of Asia Catalyst and former board
member, for his help in setting up our new online presence.
We also said farewell to Ariel Herrera, consultant, who was instrumental in developing
the Rights Training Program, as well as Bella Mordeno, administrative assistant.
We wish them both the best of luck in their future careers.
We are currently accepting applications for summer internships in New York from
graduate and undergraduate students with Chinese or Burmese language competence
and great organizational skills. To apply, please email us with a resume, cover
letter, and the names of three references at info@asiacatalyst.org.
SUPPORT ASIA CATALYST: Please join us in supporting a new
generation of leaders through a tax-deductible donation online.
