All VIKES projects 2004-2009
International
Why democracy?: From 2005-2007 VIKES supported the project of the South African organization Steps for Democracy and television companies around the world, the main result of which was 10 feature and 18 short documentary films on different aspects of democracy. The feature films were broadcast on television in October 2007 in over 100 countries, including on the channels of the Finnish Broadcasting Company. VIKES provided support for networking among film-makers and training in India, South Africa, and for the project’s website whydemocracy.net, which has attracted several million visitors.
IFEX-free expression training: During 2007-2008 VIKES supported the training and campaigning work of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), the work of freedom of speech organizations in Nepal and Tunisia and regional networking in Africa. The follow-up application for 2009-2011 was not supported by the Finnish foreign ministry.
INSI – safety training: During 2007-2008 VIKES supported the training work carried out by the International News Safety Institute for local journalists in Afghanistan, Somalia and Haiti. The follow-up application for 2008-2010 was not supported by the Finnish foreign ministry.
Central Asian trade unions: During 2008-2010 VIKES has provided support for organizations of journalists and freedom of expression in Kazakhstan, Tadzhikstan and Kyrgyzstan. A conference on freedom of expression for journalists from Central Asia was held in Helsinki in October 2008 as part of the Finnish Chairmanship of the OSCE. The project will continue in 2010.
Single country projects
Russia: From the start of its activity VIKES has continued the Union of Journalists’ traditional professional and language training courses for Finnish language journalists in Karelia, held in Petrozavodsk and Finland. In 2009 this training will continue on the basis of cooperation between the universities of Tampere and Petrozavodsk. A new application for 2010-2012 has been made.
Palestine: VIKES provided support for the re-equipping of the radio studio at the media center of Birzeit University and for radio work, as well as the teaching journalistic ethics in the West Bank and Gaza. During 2008, VIKES was involved with Diak’s Turku Campus and the University of Bethlehem in a media expertise development project in Palestine. This will receive further funding until 2010.
Egypt: A conference was held in 2007 on women and the media, in collaboration with the syndicate of Egyptian journalists and the Finnish embassy in Cairo.
India: During 2007-2008 VIKES supported networking among NGOs and documentary film professionals with the ‘Telling it Better’ project. Though the project was a success and received much local gratitude it has not received further funding from the foreign ministry.
Burma/Myanmar: Since 2005 VIKES has supported the country’s first independent training of documentary film-makers, which amidst the country’s troubles has organized individual, occasional courses as a permanent activity. The project has funding until 2010.
Namibia: VIKES has provided support for work to strengthen journalistic ethics and increasing collaboration among journalists. The foreign ministry has granted funding for 2008-2010.
Tanzania: During 2006-2008 VIKES organized internet and digital training for journalists. This was held in Iring, continuing in Dar es Salaam from 2008-2010. Courses are given in internet information retrieval and blog publishing. Blogs created can be assessed at http://misaeditorsworkshop.blogspot.com/
Nigeria: In 2009 VIKES started the country’s first courses on environmental journalism for local journalists together with Nigerian Environmental Rights Action orgaisation.
Nicaragua: Training has been organized for freelance journalists from the Caribbean Autonomous Region on professional and journalistic ethics, and to create better contacts with local and national media to ensure better coverage of the region’s problems.
