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Rrommedia.net
The Network Media Program of the Open Society Institute (OSI-NMP), a private
foundation founded by George Soros, and Medienhilfe, a Swiss-based
non-government organization working on media development in South-Eastern Europe
for more than ten years, have agreed on a common program for Roma media
assistance and networking, co-financed by OSI-NMP and the Swiss Foreign
Ministry.
In order to strengthen Roma community outlets the program aims to assist key
Roma community broadcasters (Radio and TV) as well as news agencies and press
centers in Central and South-Eastern Europe. Assistance will include program
development, training and infrastructure, program exchange and co-operation
among Roma radio and TV stations, news agencies and press centers. The
assistance also strives to improve the relations and co-operation between Roma
and mainstream media.
OSI-NMP and Medienhilfe stress their commitment to support Roma media in
general, but focus their attention on those broadcasters and outlets that
provide Roma communities with local news, information and quality education
programs. Particular emphasis will be placed on media that actively involve the
Roma community in this process, strengthening their identity and civic
representation. Networking of strong local community broadcasters is seen as the
most sustainable and effective way to address the information needs of the Roma
communities.
For Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania,
Serbia and Montenegro/ Kosovo, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine, bilateral grants
with Roma media partners will be signed in the coming weeks. The first meeting
bringing all partners together is scheduled for September 24-27,2003, in Ohrid/
Macedonia.
With the program contract signed for the period May 2003 -April 2005,
OSI-NMP, thereby, hands over the handling of the management of Roma media
assistance to Medienhilfe, who will be in charge of operating the common
program. Together, the two organizations make available the sum of some US$
600,000 for the two years. The program, however, is open to new donors who
arc interested in joining the common efforts, and in expanding the countries and
the fields of assistance covered.
The Rrommedia. net-Project will be co-coordinated by Medienhilfe. The
Medienhilfe person in charge, Mr. Peter Kasser, has been working previously with
an OSI-financed Roma education
project in Slovakia. A special website will be made available at www. rrommedia.
net by autumn 2003, providing contacts and information for the Roma media
exchange.
source: medienhilfe
published by: Roland Brunner rbr@medienhilfe.ch
date of release on this site: 18/07/03 |
medienhilfe, P.O. Box, CH-8031
Zürich, Switzerland