Global Voices has done it again.  (Going global that is). It’s something they do extremely well, especially nearing World AIDS Day, tomorrow, December 1st. Check out their mapping project-  they have updated and added HIV/AIDS positive bloggers across the globe who are blogging about the disease and work/write tirelessly to eliminate the stigma.

November 30, 2009 by crissy spivey | Tags: Add new tag, gadgets for good, global voices, HIV/AIDS, mapping project, Rising Voices, World AIDS Day | 1 Comment »

We are very excited that Breakthrough’s Executive Director, Mallika Dutt, is one of the women that has been selected to be a part of Peace is Loud‘s “Many Voices, One Story.” Some of the other women in the group are Hibaaq Osman, Abigail E. Disney, Terry McGovern (she is featured today!), L. Mutoni Wanyeki, Aset [...]

November 30, 2009 by ishita | Tags: 16 days of activism, breakthrough, Domestic Violence, gender violence, Mallika Dutt, Many Voices One Story, Peace is Loud, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Zainab Salbi | Comments Off

This Thanksgiving, let’s try to truly appreciate and understand the diverse world we live in. In a TED talk she gave at the University of Oxford in England, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about the importance of stories, illustrating the danger of a world in which people only have a ‘single story’ about those [...]

November 25, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Chimamanda Adichie, Chinua Achebe, colonial literature, cultural dignity, Half of a Yellow Sun, literature, multiculturalism, Nigeria, Purple Hibiscus, TED, TED video, The Thing Around Your Neck, University of Nigeria | Comments Off

We think when young people have access to cameras, pretty powerful stories unfold. We’re announcing a new program with that in mind for our Rights Advocates, called “Rights Reporters.” They are producing short videos on domestic violence and women’s rights that will be posted on the Bell Bajao blog. Check out the first, “Muslim Women [...]

November 24, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Ashish, Bell Bajao, Bell Bajao blog, breakthrough, Breakthrough Leadership Program, Domestic Violence, lucknow, Muslim Women in Lucknow, rights advocates, Rights Reporters, video, women's education | 1 Comment »

It’s time. From November 25 – December 10, take part in “16 days,” the international campaign of activism against gender based violence. This year’s campaign runs under the theme “Commit. Act. Demand: We can end violence against women.” Each year, the campaign begins on November 25th, which is International Day Against Violence Against Women, and ends on [...]

November 23, 2009 by ishita | Tags: 16 days of activism, Baobab Women, CEDAW, Center for Women's Global Leadership, human rights, International Human Rights Day, Lagos, Rudger's University, Sarah Jones, street theater, United Nations, violence against women, women's rights, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters | Comments Off

Born: November 20, 1923 Claim to fame: Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. Her short stories and novels (The Lying Days- 1953, The Conservationist-1974)  have received world-wide acclaim, and almost always deal with political issues. From very early on, she was strongly involved in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and [...]

November 20, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Anti-apartheid movement, apartheid, HIV, Nadine Gordimer, Nelson Mandela, Nobel Prize for Literature, South Africa, The Conservationist, The Lying Days, writer | Comments Off

What with all the creative energy that’s already being channeled towards December 1st, we have a feeling that this year’s World Aids Day is going to be very exciting. On December 1st, MTV will be releasing a song entitled ‘One More Time’, written especially for the cause by Travis McCoy, and all proceeds from the [...]

November 19, 2009 by ishita | Tags: celebrity ambassador, charity, European Video Music Awards, Gym Class Heroes, hip-hop, HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS prevention, Indie music, One More Time, The Staying Alive Campaign, The Staying Alive Foundation, Travis McCoy, Travis McCoy’s Unbeaten Track, World AIDS Day | Comments Off

Kick off the holiday season with “Mix it Up With Breakthrough” on Monday, December 7th, at Therapy Lounge in NYC. Back by popular demand, come and see our hilarious emcee, Brad Loekle, along with other entertainers, all in support of human rights. To see just how much fun these events are, check out past events [...]

November 18, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Absolut Vodka, Brad Loekle, event, fundraiser, Mix it Up, Mix it Up with Breakthrough, Therapy Lounge | Comments Off

India is a country of complex and multiple gender identities and sexualities and it seems like the decisions of the authorities are finally attempting to come to terms with this diversity. Last week, the Election Commission of India announced that voter ballots would provide an additional option for gender identification entitled ‘other’. This means that [...]

November 17, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Anjali Gopalan, Aravaani, Delhi High Court, Election Commission, Eunuch, gender, genderqueer, human rights, identity, india, Intersex, Kothi, lgbt, LGBTQ, queer, Ration card, sexuality, South Asia, The NAZ Foudation, The Times of India, Third gender, trans, transgender, voters | 1 Comment »

Along with being a renowned actor in film and television (I’m sure there are some West Wing buffs reading this), Martin Sheen has become known for his activism, be it anti-war efforts, his support of the rights of Latinos in the US, or his non-profit environmental organization. For his newest endeavor he provided the narration [...]

November 16, 2009 by ishita | Tags: Activism, Africa, barrios, Cinema Libre Studio, documentary, Latin America, Martin Sheen, Philippe Diaz, poverty, Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, slums, solution, The End of Povery, The West Wing | Comments Off