Mel#8217;s hard at work for the Association of Women#8217;s Rights in Development (AWID) during the day and Crisis Commons the rest of the time. She is also one half of the utterly fabulous LadyAtelier.com duo.

I#8217;m deep in grad school at UBC, getting my Masters#8217; of Science in Epidemology. When I#8217;m not nose-deep in health books I#8217;m busy blogging for becauseiamagirl.ca and coordinating HealthyHousing.ca.

Thanks for reading, and stay in touch!

So Go Check it Out! Itrsquo;s a great website full of relevant information for HIV/AIDS patients, workers and anyone interested in learning more information on the subject.

The Haiti Talk: How to Discuss Disasters with your Kids

So You Want to Help Haitihellip;

I decided to support Partners in Health, a health and social justice charity that has been working in Haiti for years, and is one of the largest non-governmental providers of health there.  Irsquo;ve written about their founder (Paul Farmer) here before.  When I donated this morning, I made sure to donate with ldquo;unrestricted fundsrdquo; (ie, the money goes where its needed most, not necessarily for Haiti.  If they get enough for Haiti, my donation will be used well elsewhere).

The Future of the Internet: Networking in a Spontaneous Age. 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM 108N, North House. Munk Centre, University of Toronto. http://webapp.mcis.utoronto.ca/EventDetails.aspx?eventid=8352

Wednesday, December 16

Green Drinks Toronto Holiday Party Celebrate the season with other green-minded folks. 5:45 pm. Free. Grace Orsquo;Malleyrsquo;s, 14 Duncan. greendrinks@gmail.com.

Ajay Puri, aka @masalapuri has the jackpot google calendar of awesome social justice and global issues events in Vancouver, hosted on his blog East of Main.  Hersquo;ll also tell you what the difference between shwarma and donair is, if you ask.

Check out some of his awesome initiatives here as well:

Grassroots Organizers for a Progressive Canada

Canadians for Obama

Bridge to a Cool Planet

Mercer was here in Vancouver this week to promote Spread the Netrsquo;s Student Challenge, pitting high schools and universities against each other in the quest to raise the most money for the charity.  The winners will receive a visit from Mercer, who will tape a show of The Rick Mercer Report on that campus.

Apart from the weirdness of the message from Mercer and Stronach in the header of the website, I think that the effort to rally students nationally is pretty cool.  Of course, the site and project doesnrsquo;t go in to the complexities of solving the problem of malariahellip;read here for a critique of the bed net approach.

Though the generic drug trade is legalized through the agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), there is some confusion about their legal status, says Makombe. There is a perception that generic drugs are pirated or counterfeit, while in actual fact international agreements create certain provisions related generic medicines.

Makombe cites the example of a recent seizure of a shipment of Amoxicillin in Germany because the shipment - destined for the Pacific Island of Vanuatu - was suspected of violating trademarks. It wasnrsquo;t until GlaxoSmithKlein, the former patent holder of the drug, verified that there was no conflict that the drugs were released. They had been held for four weeks.

But, as Makombe points out, this is by no means an isolated incident. Ron Labonte from the University of Ottawa goes further to state explicitly that it is ldquo;fairly clear that there is a deliberate block against generic medicines by the European Commission.rdquo;

Some of the issues:

• Seizures are allowed based on ldquo;suspicionrdquo; that they could be counterfeit rather than real legal issues.


• Slowing down the transit of essential medicines has real implications for public health in the destination countries.


• Seizures block the legitimate growth of the generic industry.


• The European argument is that they are ldquo;saving livesrdquo; by verifying that the drugs are not counterfeit or pirated.

For more info:

• European Commission Regulation 1383/2003 (22 July 2003)


• June 2009 TRIPS Council Meeting; more


• Additional media coverage; more

(photo credit: aussiegall)

In the discussion, Birn focused on how the textbook is different from those that have come before it, emphasizing that it approaches the subject of international health from a critical political economic perspective.  In other words, the textbook not only provides information, but tries to situate that information in a broad context of global neoliberalism.  Written by a historian, epidemiologist and policy maker who all met at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health as students, it sounds like the book does a good job of looking at the issues from a variety of angles.

The authors divide the book up into three general sections:

Basic Tools (Chapters 1-6)

• including history, actors, the political economy of health and development, data on health, and epidemiological profiles of health and disease

Key Lenses and Priority Areas (Chapters 7-12)

• including social determinants of health, health under crisis, globalization/trade/work/health, health economics, health care systems, and health amp; environment

Change through Action (Chapter 13-14)

• including a ldquo;hopeful realist approachrdquo; to where do we go from here, and an appendix of organizations that work on global health issues

Unfortunately, they sold out all their copies of the book before I could get a hold of one, so Irsquo;ll have to wait until it arrives from Amazon.

(photo credit: Diego Cupolo)

Wersquo;ve often been skeptical of what Celebrity endorsement does to aid in terms of international economic sustainability. Optimistically, I sometimes cheered when I found out that a celebrity was taking the initiative to promote an organization but I also worried about what would happen if they lost interest. There has been a surge in popularity for African Aid in the last 20 years but, what have the actual results been? Not very successful if you look at the figures. We arenrsquo;t going to achieve our goals for the Millenium Development Goals. The 2010 deadline for the Group of 8rsquo;s promise to double their contribution to aid in Africa is looming and will fall short, having only raised $22 Billion of the $80 Billion dollar promise so far.

If you look only at the figures then the media attention that Africa has received from a host of celebrities and notorious politicos hasnrsquo;t really done the continent much good. Recently Ben Affleck and The Rolling Stones have jumped on a new bandwagon with the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHCR) to create a short film directed by Affleck to the tune of ldquo;Gimme Shelterrdquo; by the Rolling Stones. The ad campaign/documentary has been created as a part of the Gimme Shelter campaign hoping to raise funds and awareness help raise funds and awareness about the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Affleck is quoted as saying that ldquo;we made this film in order to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in the DRC at a time when too much of the world is indifferent or looking the other wayrdquo;. You donrsquo;t have to look very hard to find a book, film or documentary that is trying to spread awareness on the humanitarian crisis in any number of African countries. But if I learned anything from Renzo Martens itrsquo;s that our awareness of the plight of many impoverished Africans isnrsquo;t really helping them anyways.

If you look at how funding is spread across Africa there is disparity between countries. Canadarsquo;s explanation for this are key words like ldquo;effectivenessrdquo; and ldquo;established needrdquo;. Itrsquo;s not a strategy that is unique to Canadians, the idea that aid should go to countries only if they are economically and politically stable enough to use the money effectively is a fundamental key to many global financing programmes including the World Bank. There have been good and bad examples of this.

In some countries foreign aid is making a significant improvement to living standards. The United Nationsrsquo; Millennium Villages Project is described as approaching development by empowering impoverished villages to transform themselves by investing in infrastructure and the basic needs like food, health, education and access to clean water for community led interventions and has had marked success in Uganda. The flagship project in Uganda was initiated by Jeffrey Sachs who has the idea that the Millenium Development Goals can be achieved on a modest budget, hoping to defy those failed promises from the G-8.

The Globe and Mail Article highlights several critics of International Development Aid who have put out new books recently. So, should we scrap aid programs and find new solutions? Or do we still have a responsibility as rich nations to help bridge the gap. I am still of the mind that we have a responsibility to fund aid programs but there must be a more realistic and effective way. On June 1st The Munk Debate on Foreign Aid focused on whether aid was doing more harm than good. Representing the No side was Stephen Lewis, former United Nations special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, and Paul Collier, director of Oxford Universityrsquo;s Centre for the Study of African Economies. For the Yes was Dambisa Moyo, a young economist who was born and raised in Zambia and Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist.

(The debate starts at 44.45)

A conversation has begun and hopefully we can continue to find better solutions to the aid conundrum and I canrsquo;t wait to see what Dambisa Moyo and Hernando de Soto had to say while pitted against Stephen Lewis and Paul Collier!

On May 31^st, a team of Toronto’s social media geniuses will be participating in the World Partnership Walk-A Social Movement to raise money for the fight against global poverty.  Check out Ms. RedWire and the Dynamic Duo, Mr. Daily Challenge, Super Blogger, and others.  Or to see who’s winning the race to raise the most, visit the HeroMeter.

About the Charity:

The controversial film has been reviewed all over the internet, but I thought Irsquo;d share my thoughts as well.  As you watch this movie, there are moments when you cringe at the upfront and sometimes exploitative way the director, Renzo Martens, interacts with the filmrsquo;s subjects.  But after watching several films in a row, Martenrsquo;s style is also refreshingly different from the other docs dealing with development issues in this yearrsquo;s festival.

He interacts with each of the subjects as a human first and a victim of structural violence second.  In my last post, I talked about how each of the three films I saw before this one focused on some international hero, rather than a particular cause itself.  In doing so, the people that the heroes were trying to help tended to come across as objects, rather than active subjects in the filmrsquo;s plot line.   In Enjoy Poverty, Martens films himself in a purposefully narcisitic way, which somehow made his interactions with people less glossy, and certainly less heroic.  In the question and answer period after the show, he explained that he wanted to be in the film himself, as an exploiter, because to try and remain neutral in telling this story is to deny the role of the West in creating poverty.

Obviously, not every person should be as exploitative as Martens, but I think his vision and his voice is VERY important because it challenges the ldquo;solutionrdquo; as well as bringing attention to the problem of extreme poverty.  During the debate after the screening, one development worker piped up, ldquo;Yoursquo;ve done a very good job of highlighting the problems of poverty and the NGOs working in the Congo, but very little to offer constructive solutions.rdquo;

Martens didnrsquo;t hesitate: ldquo;No, I think I was very clear about the solution.  We have to be willing to pay a fair price for what wersquo;re getting from places like the Congo.rdquo;  Plain and simple.

If you havenrsquo;t already, watch this movie.

The avant garde Fig Trees (itrsquo;s all done in opera) tells the stories of AIDS activists Zackie Achmat (South Africa) and Tim McCaskell (Toronto).  Inspired by Samantha Powerrsquo;s book Chasing The Flame, Sergio weaves the story of UN hot shot Sergio Vieira De Mello leading to his death in Iraq in 2003.  Reporter follows Nick Kristof as he travels to the Congo to find the story that will help us beyond our complacency about the Great Lakes conflict.

This focus on a single actor, or hero, dealing with each of the issues is approached differently in each film.  Fig Trees questions it by positioning the activists as saints. In the question and answer period the director noted explicitly that the change that has happened as a result of AIDS activism is the result of an army of activists rather than individual activist-heroes.  At the start of Reporter, Nick Kristof cites a study that shows that we feel the most compassion for one person, but as the group who we should feel compassion for grows that caring declines even after two people.  In the movie, he finds a woman so sick from starvation and injury that she canrsquo;t lift herself who becomes his ldquo;storyrdquo;.  It seems that the directors have used a similar technique to bring attention to each issue addressed in these three films.  Beyond getting our attention, how does this focus on heroes affect how we view global issues in general?

Another interesting parallel in both Sergio and Reporter is the value De Mello and Kristof place on talking to the lsquo;bad guysrsquo;.  After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, De Mello saught out a meeting with the former ministers to arrange safe transit for thousands of refugees.  According to the film, this meeting was one of the first times that Western representatives were in contact with Khmer Rouge leaders.  Reporter ends with the cast sitting down to dinner with General Laurent Nkunda, leader of a rebel faction in Congorsquo;s Kivu province.  They had come for an interview, but couldnrsquo;t turn down the hospitality of a warlord when he offered.

Top Hot Docs Picks (so far)

1. Fig Trees


2. Sergio


3. Reporter

Tonight Irsquo;m on my way to Enjoy Poverty, and I really donrsquo;t know what to expect.  Stay tuned!

Encirclement-Neoliberalism Ensnares Democracy

Neo-liberalismrsquo;s battle cry is famous: deregulate, privatize and let markets rule. Thirteen renowned intellectuals, including Noam Chomsky, rigorously analyze the mechanisms that enforce this ideology and deliver our democracies into the hands of multinational financiers. Moregt;gt;

Enjoy Poverty

Starting with the compelling thesis that poverty is Africarsquo;s most significant export, artist provocateur Renzo Martens journeys through the Congo, attempting to make its citizens aware of their primary resource. A blunt, biting satire. Moregt;gt;

Fig Trees

Opera, documentary, and surrealist fantasy converge in this heartrending, joyous, outrageous and outraged tribute to the activist-hero-saints of the HIV/AIDS movement who fought billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies and apathetic governments for access to life-saving drugs. Moregt;gt;

Reporter

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof delves into the horrific humanitarian atrocities in the Congo, searching for the story that will galvanize an increasingly jaded and detached Western reader. Moregt;gt;

Rough Aunties

Fearless and feisty, a resolute group of remarkable women protect and care for abused, neglected and forgotten children in Durban, South Africa, confronting their nationrsquo;s social strife while battling their own personal tragedies.  Moregt;gt;

Sergio

A dashing James Bond figure, Brazilian diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello was known in the UN as ldquo;Mr. Fix Itrdquo; for his ability to diffuse the most dangerous of crises. A riveting account of his remarkable life and tragic final mission. Moregt;gt;

Which Way Home

Award-winning filmmaker Rebecca Cammisa wistfully captures the determination, innocence and longing of child migrants travelling alone through Mexico to the United States, where they hope to be reunited with their parents.  Moregt;gt;

For the dates and times of these films and more events, check out the Unpacking Development Events Calender

Tomorrow night, Wednesday April 29th, 2009 there are ton of great restaurants across the city participating in A Taste for Life. Proceeds of your dinner will go to Fife House, a great organization delivering services to people who suffer from HIV/AIDS. Their range of services help to ensure the well being and a healthy standard of life to people living with HIV/AIDS in the city of Toronto.

The concept is easy! Call and book a table at any of the participating restaurants, go enjoy a dinner out and 25% of your tablersquo;s dinner will go to benefit this worthy cause.

Rick Mercer is supporting it and so should you!

Here is a list of participating restaurants:

7 Numbers, Allenrsquo;s Restaurant, Barrio Lounge, Big Mommarsquo;s Boy, Boho, Byzantium, Café California Restaurant, Caju Restaurant, Churchmouse amp; Firkin, Clafouti Patisserie et Café, Crush Wine Bar Restaurant, Dangerous Danrsquo;s Diner, Fire on the East Side, Forte Bistro and Lounge, Fresh on Spadina, Globe Bistro, Il Fornello, Ki Restaurant, Legends Bar and Eatery, Lettieri Espresso + Bar, Lolitarsquo;s Lust, Magic Oven (four locations), Mambo Lounge, Mercatto, Milagro Restaurant Y Cantina, Mitzirsquo;s Sister, One Up Restaurant amp; Lounge, Panorama, Peartree Restaurant, Prerna, Queen Mother Cafe, Sambucas on Church, Sassafraz, Sit in Bangkok, Slackrsquo;s Restaurant amp; Bar, Southern Accent Restaurant, Starfish Oyster Bed amp; Grill, Tappo Wine Bar amp; Restaurant, Thai To-Go, The Boiler House, The Indian Hut, The Lakeview, The Red Lion, Toba, Toni Bulloni Tratoria Americana, Vdara, Veda-Healthy Indian Eatery amp; Takeout, Village Rainbow Restaurant, Woodyrsquo;s, Zeldarsquo;s Restaurant amp; Bar.

For more information on the restaurants and contact information check out A Taste for Lifersquo;s website.

Having recently joined twitter, the organization that I support, CAPAIDS, is going to try its had at selling itself in 140 characters or less.  Irsquo;m still working on my perfect pitch on their behalf, but Irsquo;ve only got until Friday so I better get on it.

Still so excited about how people are using twitter, a site that dedicates itself to a rather self absorbed question, to mobilize people for good.

It asks “If a 5 year old were to design a refugee camp, what would it look like?”

One of archiTEXT’s most recent projects, the Toronto Idea Exchange, highlights their approach.  More than 100 people, including designers, teenagers, and bureaucrats, got together to generate ideas to tackle poverty in Ontario.  Participants went on to make physical models of what the architecture of equality (as opposed to poverty) might look like.  From there, archiTEXT is helping to write policy for the Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy, answering questions about how architecture can be used to address poverty issues in Ontario.

In the WHADFYL exhibit, Ebrahim will be asking some similar questions about architecture’s role in global issues like health, economics, and the environment.  Maybe in the future we’ll see archiTEXT in somewhere like Iraq, getting kids, soldiers and government together to lighten the load of rebuilding, and making sure that the people who have a vested interest in architecture (ie: people inhabiting the spaces) are involved.

The exhibit opens tomorrow, April 15 at the Design Exchange and runs until May 31.  Come for opening night, starting at 6pm on April 15.  Wear hot pink.

If you can’t make it, check out the live Twitter feed from the exhibit here.

On another note, Irsquo;ve changed my homepage from the BBC World News Page for OneWorld.net, a website devoted to international issues and has a lot of popping headlines on development, and aims to ldquo;provide the news and views of over 1600 organizations that are promoting human rights awareness and fighting poverty worldwiderdquo;.

From April 21st to the 24th, 2009 there is a nightly theme: Home, Planet, Gutter and Beyond. The first night and the last night look at where fashion has come from and where it is going to go and how it will adapt to get there. The other two nights, Planet and Gutter look at the intersection of fashion, environment and society.

As the website describes, ldquo;Planet on April 22nd looks at the current state of the globe, and showcases work which deals with fashion and art in relationship to the environment and sustainability. Gutter on April 23rd explores the nature of survival and the ways in which clothing negotiates a state of being which involves limitations. This theme looks at the social, political, cultural and economical aspects of a place which is in transition, on the edge, marginalized, raw, uncomfortable, unsettling, unresolved, shifting and extremeldquo;.

When it comes to development, I am always trying to combine my interests and hopefully this four night event which promises to explore how art and fashion are effected by the state of being of the people and places it comes from, will do just that. With a growing trend in consumers seeking out ethical and sustainable food and goods, fashion is no exception. The way our clothing is made and where it comes from is not often something that we put a lot of thought to. In doing a google search, there are more companies then ever selling organic cotton, fair trade cloth, sustainable shoes, etc.

This year, the 2009 London Fashion Week in february kicked off with a show by the ethical label Noir and an exhibition called Esthetica which featured thirteen fair trade designers and generated a lot of buzz.  This is definitely a subject I would like to explore further! Until then, I hope to see you at the Alternative Fashion Show in April!

From April 21st to the 24th, 2009 there is a nightly theme: Home, Planet, Gutter and Beyond. The first night and the last night look at where fashion has come from and where it is going to go and how it will adapt to get there. The other two nights, Planet and Gutter look at the intersection of fashion, environment and society.

As the website describes, ldquo;Planet on April 22nd looks at the current state of the globe, and showcases work which deals with fashion and art in relationship to the environment and sustainability. Gutter on April 23rd explores the nature of survival and the ways in which clothing negotiates a state of being which involves limitations. This theme looks at the social, political, cultural and economical aspects of a place which is in transition, on the edge, marginalized, raw, uncomfortable, unsettling, unresolved, shifting and extremeldquo;.

When it comes to development, I am always trying to combine my interests and hopefully this four night event which promises to explore how art and fashion are effected by the state of being of the people and places it comes from, will do just that. With a growing trend in consumers seeking out ethical and sustainable food and goods, fashion is no exception. The way our clothing is made and where it comes from is not often something that we put a lot of thought to. In doing a google search, there are more companies then ever selling organic cotton, fair trade cloth, sustainable shoes, etc.

This year, the 2009 London Fashion Week in february kicked off with a show by the ethical label Noir and an exhibition called Esthetica which featured thirteen fair trade designers and generated a lot of buzz.  This is definitely a subject I would like to explore further! Until then, I hope to see you at the Alternative Fashion Show in April!

Reality television gives you an intimate window into the lives of the subjects that you wouldnrsquo;t normally have access to as an outsider. You can follow life of a Celebutant as she searches for a new best friend, watch a celebrity as they embark on a life changing journey, or you can see what living in a household of 18+ people is like. I was watching the reality show ldquo;18 Kids and Countingrdquo; on TLC the other day. I donrsquo;t really follow it, but the basic premise of the show is following the Dugger family with (now) 18 kids in their daily routine. The episode I caught had some members of the family going on a trip to El Salvador, in which they visited orphanages, schools and other projects being run by a missionary organization. What struck me was that the Dugger kids made comments about the plight of the poverty stricken children they met. One of the girls said ldquo;People in America must not know what is going on down here, otherwise they would be doing something about itrdquo; (Not an exact quote). While we arenrsquo;t all exposed to development issues at the same degree, it would be hard to find a person in the Western world who has no idea about Third World Poverty. I do agree that the issues that confront people daily in developing countries are not publicized nearly enough on the world scale. Sometimes it is frustrating that an issue has to be come tragic before the media takes note.

There are some great examples out there of reality television that is being used to explore development issues in a different light then news outlets. 4REAL, which airs in Canada on MTV both on television and episodes online. The show is broadcast internationally on the National Geographic Channel. The show takes a celebrity guest to a different location each episode to ldquo;connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are effecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our timerdquo;. The host Sol Guy takes these celebrity guests to remote parts of the world, and they are challenged to take a real world look at how change is made by people from within. I was first introduced to the show when I attended a youth conference a few years ago in Vancouver where the pilot was shown. 4REAL has come a long way since then and now has become an online global community.

In the sixth and seventh seasons of the popular reality show American Idol the show dedicated two episodes to Idol Gives Back, in which special guests come on the show for a special concert and to raise funds for charities supporting underprivileged children around the world.

It is apparent, not only as a student of development, but as someone who has worked in fundraising for non-profits that traditional forms of promotions and campaigning are being mixed with social networking sites, text-message campaigns and a plethora of other innovative uses of the Internet and technology. Organizations that will succeed in a recessed market are those that can use innovation to their advantage and reality television (while controversial in terms of privacy laws) might just be one of those ways to get the message across.

Reality television gives you an intimate window into the lives of the subjects that you wouldnrsquo;t normally have access to as an outsider. You can follow life of a Celebutant as she searches for a new best friend, watch a celebrity as they embark on a life changing journey, or you can see what living in a household of 18+ people is like. I was watching the reality show ldquo;18 Kids and Countingrdquo; on TLC the other day. I donrsquo;t really follow it, but the basic premise of the show is following the Dugger family with (now) 18 kids in their daily routine. The episode I caught had some members of the family going on a trip to El Salvador, in which they visited orphanages, schools and other projects being run by a missionary organization. What struck me was that the Dugger kids made comments about the plight of the poverty stricken children they met. One of the girls said ldquo;People in America must not know what is going on down here, otherwise they would be doing something about itrdquo; (Not an exact quote). While we arenrsquo;t all exposed to development issues at the same degree, it would be hard to find a person in the Western world who has no idea about Third World Poverty. I do agree that the issues that confront people daily in developing countries are not publicized nearly enough on the world scale. Sometimes it is frustrating that an issue has to be come tragic before the media takes note.

There are some great examples out there of reality television that is being used to explore development issues in a different light then news outlets. 4REAL, which airs in Canada on MTV both on television and episodes online. The show is broadcast internationally on the National Geographic Channel. The show takes a celebrity guest to a different location each episode to ldquo;connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are effecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our timerdquo;. The host Sol Guy takes these celebrity guests to remote parts of the world, and they are challenged to take a real world look at how change is made by people from within. I was first introduced to the show when I attended a youth conference a few years ago in Vancouver where the pilot was shown. 4REAL has come a long way since then and now has become an online global community.

In the sixth and seventh seasons of the popular reality show American Idol the show dedicated two episodes to Idol Gives Back, in which special guests come on the show for a special concert and to raise funds for charities supporting underprivileged children around the world.

It is apparent, not only as a student of development, but as someone who has worked in fundraising for non-profits that traditional forms of promotions and campaigning are being mixed with social networking sites, text-message campaigns and a plethora of other innovative uses of the Internet and technology. Organizations that will succeed in a recessed market are those that can use innovation to their advantage and reality television (while controversial in terms of privacy laws) might just be one of those ways to get the message across.

Volunteer Toronto is hosting a film evening on Thursday with a new British film that asks questions about how Web 2.0 technology can change democracy and civic participation.  Us Now is about “the power of mass collaboration, government and the internet.”   I’ll see you there.

Film: Us Now (internet and volunteerism)

Thursday, February 26 - 7:00pm

Bloor Cinema - 506 Bloor Street West at Bathurst

On Friday, I’m headed to two events about AIDS.  In the morning, Global Voices and Rising Voices will be hosting a live online Blogging Positively chat for bloggers and activists, facilitated by Kenyan bloggers Serina Kalande and Daudi Were.  If you haven’t seen it already, the Global Voices team has put together a great google map with AIDS bloggers around the world.

Online: Blogging Positively

Friday, February 27 - 9:00am

http://www.worknets.org/chat/

In the afternoon, as part of the Canadian Art Reel Artists Film Festival there is a screening of Art, AIDS and the Fin de Siecle. According to the website,

“In 1969, three young artists living in Toronto formed General Idea, a media-based collective, and quickly became international “art stars” challenging and transforming conventional ideas about art. Their enormous body of work explores pop culture, consumerism, media and celebrity. They also focused strongly on the AIDS epidemic and AIDS activism at a time when the virus was first being identified. The members—who changed their names to Jorge Zontal, Felix Partz and AA Bronson—lived and worked together until 1994, when Felix and Jorge died of AIDS. Narrated by AA Bronson, this film charts the life of one of Canada’s most internationally celebrated artist collectives.”

Film: Art, AIDS and the Fin de Siecle

Friday, February 27 - 3:15pm

Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina Avenue

Check out other events this week on the Unpacking Development Events Calendar.  These include a speaker about global health in Sudan, a weekend conference about children’s rights, a workshop on media and social change, a symposium on the business perspective of water as a human right, and a photography fundraiser for the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

All proceeds went to Charity:Water.  It’s a glossy charity, started in 2006 by Scott Harrison, a New York club promoter who was inspired to start an NGO after traveling to West Africa with Mercy Ships (check out Alannarsquo;s take on hospital ships over at Change.org).  Charity:Water has had amazing successes in its short life and has funded over 1,200 projects in 2 years.  In the same time, they have gotten more than 60 press mentions – an NGO publicist’s dream.  And Charity:Water claims to use 100 percent of its fundraising dollars on projects (most organizations also need to use some of it to run their organization).

So here’s the trade off: rather than being run by development experts and local staff, the organization is dominated by business executives and communications people.  A friend pointed out the charity’s Vice President boasts Coca-Cola among his client list (a client that has gotten in trouble for water issues in the past).

I like glossy, high profile and mainstream (like Jeffery Sachs, Angelina and Bono) because it is so good at mobilizing money and hearts.  Though the numbers aren’t in, Twestival alone aimed to raise $1million for water issues.

On the other hand, the celebrity/tycoon approach tends not to question the structures that cause disparity in the first place (like trade relations, conditional loans, etc).  Case in point: Charity:Water receives support from Banana Republic, a brand which seems to celebrate colonial relationships.

In the age of public-private partnerships for charity, social entrepreneurship, and celebrity causes, this debate is one that will keep coming up.  I’m cautiously optimistic about having a new army of world changers from outside the traditional development set.  Best of both worlds, perhaps?

At TwestivalTO, party seemed to overtake charity.  After buying your ticket online, you could forget that you had ever donated to Charity:Water and focus on being in a social setting where it was totally appropriate to Tweet mid-conversation.

“Twestival was born out of the idea that if cities were able to collaborate on an international scale, but working from a local level, it could have a spectacular impact. By rallying together globally, under short timescales, for a single aim on the same day, the Twestival hopes to bring awareness to this global crisis.”

Party: Twestival Toronto for Charity:Water

Thursday, February 12 - 7:00pm

CIRCA, 126 John.

On Valentines Day this Saturday, Habitat for Humanity is hosting a Singles Build, getting Toronto singles out to help build low-income housing at Peddicord Building Site, and hopefully finding a soul mate in the process. Does combining volunteering+dating=true love? I’d certainly like to think so.

Volunteer: Habitat for Humanityrsquo;s Singles Build

Saturday, February 14 – All Day

Peddicord Build Site

Also on this week:

Symposium: Tibetan Medicine - Interactions with the West, Challenges and Contributions

Tuesday, February 10 – 5:30pm

Munk Centre for International Studies, 1 Devonshire Place

Speaker: Capacity building for primary care - The Brazilian Experience

Wednesday, February 11 - 12:00pm

7th floor conference room, 525 University Avenue (building just south of Sickkids)

Film: Darwinrsquo;s Nightmare

Thursday, February 12 - 7:00pm

U of T Health Sciences Building, 155 College St (at McCaul), Room 208

Fundraising Dinner: Fighting a Long and Lonely War Face to Face with AIDS

Thursday, February 12 - 7:00pm

Empire, 50 Cumberland

Coming Up Next Week:

Speakers: Urban Moods and Urban Myths: Do Neighborhoods Matter for Mental Health?

Tuesday, February 17 - 7:00pm

Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. West

Conference: De-Colonizing Our Minds, Creating a Space for Critical Thought

Saturday, February 21 - 10:00am

Wilson Hall Lounge, New College (40 Willcocks Street, 2nd Floor)

After a brief absence due to Unpacking Development getting hacked last week, we’re back up and ready to go again.  This week in Toronto there are a bunch of conferences and speakers around international development, health and politics:

Symposium: MEASURING THE IMPACT OF DOING GOOD

Wednesday, January 21

Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, 105 St. George St

Symposium: EXTREME POVERTY, HUMAN RIGHTS amp; HEALTH

Thursday, January 22 - 12:30pm – 4pm

Music Room, Hart House, University of Toronto

Speaker: Dealing with Dictators

Thursday, January 22 - 7pm – 9pm

Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto Debates Room (2nd floor)

I plan to attend the session on Extreme Poverty, Human Rights and Health so stay tuned for my impressions.

As well, there are some ongoing arts-based events related to conflict, design and African culture happening around the city.

Exhibit: Battleground - War Carpets from Afghanistan

Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Avenue

Exhibit: Design for the Other 90%

Ontario College of Art amp; Design Professional Gallery, 100 McCaul Street

Theatre: Ubuntu (The Cape Town Project)

Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Avenue, Bathurst Street and Dupont Street

Check the Unpacking Development Events Calender to find out more details about these events and more every week.