Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Mon, 22 Dec 1997 11:56:29 -0800 (PST)
CCSI presents excerpts from the Agency for Social Information (ASI)
e-mail information bulletin. Translated from Russian by CCSI volunteer
Alyssa Deutschler. For more information on how to receive ASI's
bulletin regularly, contact:
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AGENTSTVO SOTSIALNOI INFORMATSII
Kutuzovskyi pr. 22 pod. 14a,
Moscow, 121151
Tel./fax: (095) 249-3989
E-mail: [email protected]
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ASI Bulletin No. 48
28 November - 4 December, 1997
I. International AIDS Awareness Day
II. Weekly Environmental Program to be Broadcast on
the "Kultura" Channel
III. Disabled Children Get a Chance to Try Karaoke
IV. Program for the Disabled in St. Petersburg Fails
to be Realized
V. Volunteers in Tomsk to Meet with Representatives
from Local Government and Business
VI. Young People Picket the Local Government Office
in Rostov-On-Don
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International AIDS Awareness Day
This year Russia rose to first place in the world for the rate of HIV
infection. According to data from the Russian Center for the Prevention
and Fight Against AIDS, from January 1, 1997 to November 27, 1997, 6,448
cases of HIV infection were registered in the Russian Federation.
Specialists at the Russian Center for the Prevention and Fight Against
AIDS predict that the number of reported cases of HIV infection will grow
by the end of the year, possibly up to 8,000. But that figure doesn't
include the number of unreported carriers of the virus, which experts fear
could be four to five times greater. The greatest incidence of infection
is in Kaliningrad oblast (1639 cases), Krasnodar Krai (1059), and Rostov
oblast (651), followed by Moscow, Tver, Nizhegorod and Saratov oblasts.
The primary cause of HIV infection in Russia is intravenous drug use-- 93%
of all reported cases connected to drug use. HIV is a youth disease;
today 2.4 million children across the globe are infected with HIV.
Accordingly, the theme for this year's International AIDS Awareness Day
was "Children Living in a World with AIDS." Organizations in Russia
observed the Day in a variety of ways-- UNICEF and the Russian Federation
Ministry of Health organized a charity concert in Moscow on December 1 and
teamed up with the international organizations "Doctors Without Borders"
to start a safe sex campaign. A music video promoting safe sex practices
was broadcast more than 250 times on commercial and government television
channels. Additionally, copies of an AIDS prevention booklet were
included in the December issue of "Cosmopolitan" magazine as well as being
distributed to schools, clinics, bars, and composed short "jingles" on the
topics of AIDS prevention and safe sex that were broadcast on radio
stations throughout the Russian Federation and CIS countries. Radio
stations also hosted informational programs where callers could ask
experts questions about AIDS and HIV. Three groups-- "AIDS
Info-Connection," "Women for the Health of the Nation" and the Red Cross
Youth Center-- distributed condoms and AIDS prevention booklets to young
people at night clubs and movie theaters in Moscow.
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Weekly Environmental Program to Be Broadcast on the "Kultura" Channel
Ecological association "Nakanune" will soon host a half-hour weekly
program on the "Kultura" television channel. The president of "Nakanune"
is Dilbar Klado, a professional television journalist. For the past 10
years, she has specialized in stories on the environment and the
ecological movement. Several years ago, Klado began producing her own
short films on environmental issues that she now plans to show on the new
program. The films include "The Area of Chernobyl" (which won the first
prize at the Minsk Film Festival) and "When the Ice Opens," a film about
hunting and trapping. Klado also recently finished a series of short
films on the subject of urban ecology.
"Nakanune" was formed by a group of television journalists who wanted to
present ecologically-themed films and televisions programs to a wider
audience. The association is non-commercial and exists on donations from
sponsors. In the future, "Nakanune" plans to launch a project producing
nature films for educational purposes. Videocassettes containing nature
films and television programs would be distributed to schools as a
teaching aid. However, because the organization is relatively new, it has
yet to obtain the tools for such a project and is soliciting help.
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Disabled Children Get a Chance to Try Karaoke
Residents of a southeastern Moscow neighborhood had the opportunity to
hear their favorite tunes from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s performed by
members of the "Maria Plus" association, and organization for disabled
children. The high level of vocal and artistic preparation made the
audience forget that the performers were afflicted with diabetes, autism,
cerebral palsy, and leukemia. Aleksandr Srapyan, director of the
"Children's Karaoke Club" (organized by "Maria Plus" earlier this year),
believes that it is possible to circumvent the psychological barrier that
exists between the disabled and the non-handicapped. It is necessary to
draw the attention of the public to the artistic talents of children,
rather than dwelling on their handicap.
In an interview with ASI, Marina Astashkina, co-director of the
"Children's Karaoke Club," noted: "We are not attempting to prepare these
children to be professional artists. Only a small portion of these
children, who come to us from all around Moscow, will be ale to appear on
a real stage. The goal of the club, rather, is to teach them how to move
more freely, pronounce words more clearly, and control their bodies and
moods, or even just learn a new song." In the opinion of Aleksandr
Srapyan, a singing person can improve not only their mood, but their
health also. "Vocal therapy" can't replace a medical course of treatment,
of course; however, singing is an easily accessible hobby that allows
children the chance to leave the limitations of their disability behind
and socialize with other kids. The idea for a children's karaoke club
came about after members of "Maria Plus" attended a taping of the
television program "Karaoke in Russian." They decided that disabled
children could perform songs just as well as the adults on the show--and
the "Children's Karaoke Club" was born.
Contact telephone: (095) 351-9491 (Aleksandr Srapyan and Marina Astashkina)
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Program for the Disabled in St. Petersburg Fails to be Realized
The celebration of the International Day of the Disabled (December 3) in
St. Petersburg continued until December 10. During this period, disabled
residents of St. Petersburg had the opportunity to attend theater
performances for free. The free tickets were distributed by 21 theaters
in St. Petersburg. And starting on January 1 of 1998, the handicapped
will receive another present-- free use of public transportation within
the city. However, the widely publicized program, "The City and the
Disabled," which would have made urban transport more accessible to the
disabled, has failed to get governmental support or sufficient financial
backing. Thus, buses, trams and trolleys in St. Petersburg lack the
equipment that could aid handicapped passengers. Currently the city is
conducting a trial use of two Italian-made buses with lower floors and
moveable platforms for wheelchair access. But the decision to buy more
such buses will be made only after it is proved that the buses can operate
in severe St. Petersburg winter conditions.
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Volunteers in Tomsk to Meet with Representatives
from Local Government and Business
On December 2 a round table discussion was held on the topic of the
non-profit sector and its relationships with other elements of society.
The goal of the round table was to help develop volunteer initiatives in
Tomsk and to encourage people working in different sectors to participate
in such projects. Representatives from 19 different NGOs took part in the
discussion. The meetings was lead by Galina Popova, director of the Tomsk
branch of the Russian Children's Foundation, and by Andrei Beloglazov,
director of the Tomsk oblast fund, "Siberia-AIDS-help." In the opinion of
the round table's participants, the main problem of he volunteer movement
is poor public relations. The media, as a rule, doesn't give much
coverage to events in the non-profit sector, while civic organizations
lack the professionalism and publicity tools of the media. However, those
gathered at the meeting agreed that many successful civic projects have
been carried out in Tomsk, including the establishment of youth centers in
the villages of Kislovok and Loskutii. Participants at the discussion
resolved to hold a seminar on volunteer initiatives, to which they will
invite representatives from the local government, and a seminar on
corporate support for the non-profit sector, aimed at local business
people.
Contact telephone: (3832) 46-4532 (Nikolai Slabzhanin)
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Young People Picket the Local Government Offices in Rostov-on-Don
The Rostov chapter of the Russian youth movement "New Course" plans to
picket the offices of the Rostov oblast government on December 5. The
protestors are demanding that "youth politics" be given an independent
allotment within the 1998 budget and that the Rostov government support
the draft legislation "On the foundations of youth politics in the Russian
Federation." The picket was part of a larger project carried out by youth
groups across Russia, entitled "We want to live by the law!" "New Course"
members sent letters to oblast government officials in conjunction with
the protest and met with Duma representatives Ishchenko, who is supporter
of youth initiatives.
Contact e-mail: [email protected] (Victoria Sablina)
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| CCSI presents excerpts from the ASI Bulletin. The |
| ASI Bulletin is a publication of the Agency for Social |
| Information (ASI) in Moscow. Originally published in |
| Russian, selected stories are translated and posted to |
| the CCSI listserv CivilSoc. Back issues are available |
| in both English and Russian language by following the |
| "Archives" link and choosing "ASI Bulletin Excerpts" |
| |
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