Movement Building
The developing world has seen dramatic changes in how information is created, accessed, reviewed or used to drive change. The potential impact of these technologies for advocacy work has increased considerably as they become progressively more interlaced: mobile phones feed into websites; websites become radio stations; the offline world and the online world begin to interconnect. But of course, there is a downside too – just as each emerging technology can bring new opportunities and freedom, it can also present new challenges and introduce new forms of suppression, censorship and threats to privacy. Despite these changes in the information space, many advocates are yet to make the most of new technologies. Our movement building programme helps communities harness the power of these tools and use them to their advantage. We work to advance the skills, tools and techniques of advocates, so that they, in turn, can help marginalised communities understand and affect social, environmental and political change.
The movement building project has:
- Strengthened the information and communications skills of activists working under repressive regimes.
- Enhanced the information handling skills of human rights advocates in Russia
- Developed the technology skills of sex worker rights advocates, enabling them to better coordinate their constituencies and record human rights abuses against them
- Advised HIV/AIDS budgetary monitoring and access to treatment groups in Asia and Africa on e-advocacy
We target experienced rights advocates and technologists in the global south already working within marginalised communities. We conduct hands-on work with specific NGOs, drawing from our wide network and tailoring solutions to meet specific needs of their advocacy campaigns. With global networks and NGO leadership, we work to raise awareness and integration of digital technologies at a strategic planning level.
For more on our Movement Building work see: