KaSaMa 2011 Search for Innovative Human Rights Projects Launched
Karapatan Sa Malikahing Paraan (KaSaMa) 2011 was formally launched on Thursday, August 25, 2011 at the Instituto Cervantes in Manila. KaSaMa is an initiative by international partners to support innovative human rights projects in the Philippines. It invites human rights advocates nationwide to craft and submit innovative project proposals, which would respond to a wide range of human rights issues, preferably using creative and non-conventional methods of addressing human rights issues. This is the second time KaSaMa is being conducted; the first one having taken place in 2009.
The launch presented to the attendees what KaSaMa is all about, as well as showcased presentations from some of the winning projects from KaSaMa 2009. The launch opened up the call for proposals for this year’s KaSaMa. The deadline for submitting proposals is on October 28, 2011. The awarding ceremony for the selected proposals will be held on December 7, 2011.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima addressed the launch participants in behalf of President Benigno S. Aquino III. Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales also spoke about the human rights situation and the initiatives of the CHR. The launch was attended by representatives of civil society organizations operating in the Philippines as well as the ambassadors of Spain, Australia and the Netherlands, the deputy ambassador of the United Kingdom and representatives from New Zealand and the European Union.
The launch was organized by the Ateneo School of Government (ASoG), the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) and the Caucus of Development Networks (CODE-NGO). These organizations collectively form the KaSaMa Secretariat which coordinates the entire KaSaMa program. KaSaMa is supported by the Australian Embassy, the British Embassy, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, the New Zealand Embassy and the Spanish Embassy through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.
To further promote KaSaMa and to spread awareness on relevant human rights issues within the Philippines, there is an ongoing KaSaMa Roadshow in September to October 2011. The Roadshow will consist of several regional forums that touch upon particular human rights issues relevant to the country.
The Roadshow forums took place on September 9, 2011 at Ateneo de Davao University, on September 15 at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo, and on September 23 at the Western Mindanao University in Zamboanga City. Regional forums will also be held at the Ateneo de Naga University (September 29), and Notre Dame University in Cotabato (September 30) as well as in other cities. Visit www.kasama.ph for further details about the project. – by Erick Javier, CODE-NGO Project Officer for KaSaMa.