[REPORT] The Evolution of Education

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By Marcus Swanepoel

Marcus and his wife, Amina Evangelista Swanepoel, are in the
early stages of founding a new reproductive health NGO in the rural
Philippines, Roots of Health. This is one in an occasional series of blogs
about their experiences.

“Who can tell me the answer….
Marcus?” I hear the voice of my second grade teacher calling on me to answer a
question to which I have no answer. The feeling of humiliation that I’d feel
still haunts me today. In class I would always sink into my seat when my
teacher uttered those dreaded words. At that point of my life, school was
stressful for me, and I didn’t like going. My negative experiences regarding
school however, pale in comparison to those of the children at Pulang Lupa [in
the Philippines].

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[RESOURCE] 10 Mistakes to Avoid in a Conference Talk

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By Meg Davis

Next month, Asia Catalyst is supporting a delegation of Chinese AIDS activists to go to Vienna for the International AIDS Conference. Like (no doubt) many of you, we’ve spent a fair amount of time sitting through boring conference presentations around the world. But making a conference presentation valuable and memorable is possible. Here are ten tips we came up with:

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[RESOURCE] 5 Tips for Grassroots AIDS Advocacy

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By Loretta Wong

When it comes to grassroots AIDS advocacy at the local level, I used to be a fierce lion and fearless tiger in the old days. But I rarely got what I wanted from others, and government stakeholders tried their best to avoid me.

Now that I am getting old(er), I realize that elements of advocacy such as inter-personal relationship, trust and communication are important, too. These may be Chinese, but I do not think these elements exist solely in Chinese culture. I am pragmatic – I really want to see change and improvement as soon as possible. Here are five things I try to keep in mind about grassroots AIDS advocacy.

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