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Firelight Newsflash! 19 July 2010 Dear Friends, Please enjoy this week's episode of the Newsflash! In the coming months, the Firelight Team will be brainstorming ways that we can make this resource more helpful. We would appreciate any feedback (questions, comments, suggestions, etc) about the Newsflash! that you and your organization might have. In the near future, we will be asking for more specific feedback, but in the meantime please feel free to contact the Newsflash! with general feedback. Thanks and enjoy, Firelight Team -- Funding Opportunities -- Resources and Information -- (Article) Treat all under-twos with HIV immediately, says WHO -- Firelight's Annual Report is here -- HeroRat -- Fraudulent Conference Warning -- (Article) New Huairou Commission Study Reveals the Economic Value of Unpaid Female Care Labor in Six HIV/AIDS-Affected African Nations -- (Article) Making & Maintaining Relationships for Sustainability ******************************* Funding Opportunities Call for Proposals to fight Child Labour Deadline: 10 September 2010 Developing countries This new call for proposals seeks to eradicate child labour in developing countries by funding projects that undertake policy advocacy, integrate social protection and mobilize corporate social responsibility against this social problem. More here: http://www.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/call-for-proposals-to-fight-child-labour/ Grant Opportunity to support Human Rights Defenders
Deadline: 3 September 2010
All Countries
This is the EIDHR grant opportunity for the protection and and promotion of human rights defenders. More here: http://www.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/eidhr-call-for-proposals-to-provide-grants-to-support-human-rights-defenders-1/ IHEU-HIVOS Grant Opportunity for Humanist Organizations
Deadline: 1 September 2010
Developing Countries
Humanist organizations promoting humanism, human rights, secularism, scientific method…can apply for IHEU-HIVOS Humanist Network and Development programme funding opportunity. More here: http://www.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/iheu-hivos-grant-opportunity-for-humanist-organizations/ Synergos Fellowship for NGO leaders working against poverty and social injustice
Deadline: 31 August 2010
All Countries
The Synergos Senior Fellows Network is a fellowship opportunity for NGO leaders/managers to build their skills and capacities to address poverty and social injustice. More here: http://www.fundsforngos.org/latest-funds-for-ngos/synergos-senior-fellows-network-fellowship-opportunity-for-ngos-working-for-the-poor/ (Uganda) Disability Rights Fund Releases 2010 Round Two Request for Proposals 
The Disability Rights Fund (DRF), a grantmaking collaborative between donors and the global disability community which supports the human rights of persons with disabilities, has announced its second 2010 "Moving Rights Forward" grants round. Grantmaking in this round will be targeted to disabled persons' organizations (DPOs) in four regions and twenty countries: in Africa: Ghana and Uganda; in Asia: Bangladesh; in Latin America: Ecuador, Nicaragua and Peru; in the Pacific: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The broad objective of the Fund, which was officially launched in March 2008 and is a Project of Tides, is to empower DPOs in the developing world and Eastern Europe/former Soviet Union to participate in ratification, implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD). Deadline: August 19th. More athttp://www.disabilityrightsfund.org/grant.html. Applications sought from the Commonwealth Foundation 
The Commonwealth Foundation's Civil Society Responsive Grants facility provides funding to allow NGOs to convene regional or international workshops and for exchange visits with other NGOs or projects. Applications should be submitted by 30 June, 30 September, 31 December or 31 March. More at http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com. Applications sought for training in defending LGBTI individuals in court 
The International Committee of Jurists and INTERIGHTS has announced a call for applications to participate in a workshop titled "Defending LGBTI Individuals in Court". The workshop, which will be held in Kenya in November, is geared towards African lawyers who currently represent, or are likely to represent, individuals detained and/or charged on a variety of offenses related to sexual orientation. Deadline: August 31st. More athttp://www.icj.org/default.asp?nodeID=349&sessID=&langage=1&myPage=Legal_Documentation&id=23043. Call for proposals: Evaluation of gender and women's rights programming at OSI 
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) seeks the services of a team of consultants to undertake an evaluation of OSISA's programming in gender and women's rights in Southern Africa since its establishment. The evaluation is designed to be an important process that should draw lessons that OSISA ought to learn from its experiences in the past decade as well as highlight opportunities for the Foundation going forward. Deadline: August 6th. More at http://www.osisa.org/articles/2010/July/ call_for_proposal_to_evaluate_gender_and_women_s_rights_programming_at_the_open_society_initiative_for_southern_africa_osisa.htm ******************************* Resources and Information Guide: The Indigenous World 2010 
This extensive publication provides a comprehensive overview of issues facing Indigenous communities around the world, with over 60 country reports and an overview of international processes. At http://www.iwgia.org/graphics/Synkron-Library/Documents/publications/Downloadpublications/ IndigenousWorld/IW_%202010_WEB.pdf. Paper: Food Sovereignty in Africa: The People's Alternative 
The different explanations given for Africa's current food crisis seem to miss the real causes of the problem. This paper's author does not believe that the crisis is of an economic nature. Rather, it is the endpoint of the dismantling of Africa's agricultural sector and its linking to the international market and brutal liberalism. Based on an analysis of the political choices that have contributed to the current situation, notably the structural adjustment programs of the 1980s, the author proposes solutions and decisions that need to be taken to achieve food sovereignty in Africa. Athttp://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/65933. ******************************* Treat all under-twos with HIV immediately, says WHO Keith Alcorn Published: 16 June 2010 Found at: http://www.aidsmap.com/page/1439111/ All infants and children with HIV below two years of age should receive antiretroviral treatment regardless of their CD4 count or disease stage, and treatment should start earlier than previously recommended for all other children with HIV, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends in new guidelines issued on June 10th. The new guidelines emphasise the importance of early diagnosis of HIV infection, with fast-tracking of positive results to mother and child. After diagnostic virological testing – preferably carried out within four to six weeks of birth in infants known to have been exposed to HIV – antiretroviral therapy should begin without delay, before a confirmatory virological test is carried out. Where virological testing is not available and infants have symptoms suggestive of HIV disease, a combination of antibody testing and use of the WHO clinical algorithm for HIV diagnosis in children should be used to determine whether an infant is highly likely to have HIV. Virological testing is recommmended because antibodty testing may not produce an accurate result in children before the age of 18 months, due to the persistence in the child's bloodstream of the mother's HIV antibodies. These disappear as the child's own immune system matures by the age of 18 months. If HIV antibodies are still present after this time, HIV infection in the child can be diagnosed with confidence. Virological testing, which looks for HIV itself, allows for diagnosis soon after birth. Many countries are now using dried blood spots, from samples taken at the time of delivery or at the first clinic visit after delivery, as means of obtaining an early infant diagnosis from a well-equipped laboratory. In children aged two to five, all those with CD4 counts below 750 or a CD4 percentage of 25 or less should receive immediate antiretroviral treatment, regardless of whether they are symptomatic or not. In children over five years of age the same guidelines apply as for adults – immediate treatment for anyone with a CD4 count below 350. Regardless of CD4 count, any child with WHO stage 3 or 4 HIV disease should receive antiretroviral treatment, WHO recommends. WHO says that one-third of infants with HIV will die in the first year of life without treatment, and half will die before reaching two years of age. Only 38% of children eligible for treatment under previous WHO recommendations were getting it by the end of 2008, according to WHO estimates, and treatment coverage is likely to be considerably lower once the new recommendations are taken into account. The new guidelines also recommend that nevirapine (Viramune) should only be used in infants and children below the age of two who werenʼt exposed to the drug during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Any infant or child previously exposed to nevirapine should instead receive lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), due to the risk of a sub-optimal response to nevirapine-based ART caused by the persistence of nevirapine-resistant virus. In children aged three or over diagnosed with TB, efavirenz should be used; in under-threes, in whom efavirenz is not licensed for use, treatment in cases of TB/HIV co-infection should be carried out with nevirapine or a triple nucleoside regimen. The recommended nucleoside analogue backbones are AZT/3TC, abacavir/3TC or d4T/3TC. AZT is not recommended in cases of anaemia or neutropenia, since it may make these problems worse. In adolescents with hepatitis C, efavirenz should be used in preference to nevirapine due to the risk of liver toxicity; in adolescents with hepatitis B, tenofovir and FTC should be used as the nucleoside backbone because they are active against hepatitis B. The new guidelines recommend that CD4 counts should be monitored every six months from HIV diagnosis, and prior to starting ART; once on ART, CD4 monitoring should take place every six months. If CD4 testing is difficult, it should be prioritised in cases where the significance of clinical events needs to be assessed, in both treated and untreated children. Further details on treatment switching and monitoring are contained in the Executive summary of recommendations, now available online. The guidelines also recommend routine assessment of nutritional status, both off and on ART, with food supplementation for symptomatic children who have lost weight, show signs of poor growth or who have tuberculosis or opportunistic infections. A daily micronutrient supplement is also recommended where the diet is inadequate or the child appears to be deficient. Children with HIV who are exposed to TB but have no sign of active disease in the household should receive isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), as should children over 12 months of age who have not been exposed to TB. All children with HIV diagnosed with TB should start antiretroviral therapy immediately. Further details of recommended regimens and dosing are contained in the Executive summary. Reference World Health Organization Antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection in infants and children: towards universal access. Executive summary of recommendations. Preliminary version for programme planning. June 2010. http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/paediatric/paed_prelim_summary/en/index.html ******************************* Firelight Foundation's Annual Report is here! We are excited to present this report as a reflection of the support we offer to all of your beautiful organizations. Follow the link to access the Firelight 2009 Annual Report: http://www.firelightfoundation.org/annual-reports.php ******************************* HeroRat HeroRATs are saving lives, sniffing out dangers such as landmines and disease. They are true heroes working hand-in-hand with people to create safer communities and a better world. A trained rat can identify landmines quickly and efficiently, or can sniff out deadly pulmonary tuberculosis faster than traditional laboratory microscopy. In short, HeroRATs provide a simple, innovative solution to complex problems facing mankind today. They are making the world a safer and healthier place – and you can help them succeed. HeroRATs is a public campaign to raise awareness about APOPO's work. APOPO's mission is to train and disseminate sniffer rats to save human lives by detecting landmines and disease. For more information, go here: http://www.herorat.org/ ******************************* FRAUDULENT CONFERENCE WARNING It is a sad reality that Firelight receives news of fraudulent conferences somewhat frequently. Illegitimate conference organizers often run scams where registration fees are collected for conferences that do not exist. Just a few of suspected frauds are: the Queen Elizabeth Grant Award, International Youth Welfare Organization, Civil Concept Foundation , Global child health care organization and Global Youth Action Network Organization. Some messages even contain links to a website where recipients are asked to provide, among other information, extensive bank account details. Because of this, we urge you to rely on your intuition and check very carefully about the details of the conference, the organizers, and the sponsors BEFORE transferring money for conference registration. You have a right to know the names and address of the organizing committee members, where other participants are coming from, specific logistical arrangements, and other details. If someone is unwilling to provide this information, they are most likely "fishing" for participants, hoping to get your registration fees and not delivering on the rest of their promises. Our partners DO deserve recognition and you should be very proud of your accomplishments, but please beware! Firelight Grantee-Partners, we encourage you to research on you own, and call upon your Program Officer if you feel any suspicion when signing up for conferences. We will do our best to verify the legitimacy of the organization and conference. The following website can be very helpful to identify frauds: http://www.uia.be/node/46358. It is our honor to partner with people who are working hard to serve children and families. ******************************* New Huairou Commission Study Reveals the Economic Value of Unpaid Female Care Labor in Six HIV/AIDS-Affected African Nations (From the Huairou Commission Update July 19, 2010 Vol 97. To join the mailing list, go here: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001Ii8Y_QGk40rqL0t6FIEziw%3D%3D) Vienna, Austria -- As billions of international dollars flow to AIDS-affected countries in Africa, a new study conducted in six countries shows that tens of thousands of unpaid female caregivers between the ages of 20 and 49 routinely donate on average 69 hours per month to care for the sick and vulnerable--a donation of time worth millions of dollars each month. The study, Compensation for Contributions: Report on Interviews with Volunteer Care-Givers in Six Countries, was conducted by caregivers, care giving organizations and the Huairou Commission in six countries to quantify unpaid labor contributions and highlight the gaps that exist between AIDS policies and working conditions on the ground. The countries studied were: Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. 4 of the participating groups were members of GROOTS International. Calculating the number of hours worked into wages in each country the study found, for example, that in Kenya where volunteers work an average of 24.4 hours per week, professional wages would translate into KShs 13,704 (US$168.46) per caregiver while government wages would tally KShs 4,294 (US$52.79). "If we estimate the unpaid care labor force in Kenya to be 16,000, the government wage scale per month to compensate these women would be US$844,640 and private wages would be US$2,695,360," said Debbie Budlender, the chief researcher for the project. "In Malawi, where volunteers work an average of 8.2 hours per week, monthly compensation would average MK1947.70 (US$1,282.23) while in South Africa, 22.2 hours per week would translate into R780.44 (US$10182.05) monthly." "Caregivers understand that AIDS is not just a health concern but a complex development issue with local and global economic, human rights and gender implications," said Winnie Byanyima, director of the Gender Team, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP. "The findings from this study are an important platform for galvanizing government and donor recognition of caregivers' relentless contributions to coping with the HIV epidemic, including their vital work as community development change agents locally and globally." African leaders of the research initiative will be a part of the Huairou Commission's delegation at next week's International AIDS Conference, where they will share research results and dialogue with key stakeholders on immediate actions that can be taken to support home-based caregivers. The study was sponsored by the United Nations Development Program/Japan Partnership Fund (WID/GAD). For a full copy of the study, please go to: www.groots.org To schedule interviews or for more information, contact:Shannon.Hayes@huairou.org ******************************* Making & Maintaining Relationships for Sustainability Fundraising experts agree: “fundraising is friend-raising”. The importance of building strong relationships with donors for financial sustainability is widely acknowledged. However, the issue of building relationships for sustainability beyond traditional donor engagement is an area that requires greater attention. In this time of scarce resources and donor fatigue, an organisationʼs survival seems to depend not only on relationships with donors, but also with its peers, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. While many of us are discouraged by the associated workload and pressures on our time, managing relationships is becoming increasingly important to the sustainability, relevance, and impact of individual civil society organisations. There appears to be a re-emerging acknowledgement that building alliances and relationships contributes to organisational credibility, especially for groups seeking recognition for the purposes of bolstering causes and opening up funding coffers. The development of relationships between civil society organisations brings peer recognition, which strengthens organisational identity and integrity, encourages the sharing of resources, and may help attract donor funds. More significantly, peer relationship building is becoming very important for the long-term relevance and survival of the local civil society sector, which has been labelled as weak, fragmented, lacking coordination and having little influence. Donors in particular are keen on the notion of strategic partnerships between peer organisations or similar types of organisations where allocated funds have a complimentary and reinforcing effect. Many donors would say that it makes more sense to fund synergies across organisations to avoid duplication and potential dilution of efforts. Nevertheless, perhaps the most significant relationships are those that both contribute to organisational accountability and impact. These are relationships that organisations have with their beneficiaries. Traditionally these relationships suffer from a lack of attention beyond a fleeting engagement to determine community needs and priorities. In this regard, much more could be done to forge longer-term partnerships to inform an organisationʼs focus on an ongoing basis. This would help ensure an organisational vision that is responsive to changing contexts, which is an important indicator of accountability and impact. Establishing and building relationships requires an investment of time and an appreciation for the art of networking. Prioritising networking means that it needs to become an activity that is integrated into the programmatic objectives of an organisation. The biggest obstacle to this is that it is often not something that donors are keen to fund, especially if networking happens outside of formal events. The best networking does take place in informal and spontaneous settings. So the challenge really shifts towards developing an informal culture of interaction that is conducive to exchange at various levels of the organization (from director to volunteer) and that potentially creates the foundation for stronger partnerships. In conclusion, it is important to point out that it is vital for individual organizations to recognise that the web of relations they build around themselves can act as an important safety net for long-term survival and sustainability. Source: Adapted from Fazila Faroukʼs editorial article at: http://www.ngopulse.org/blogs/may-editorial-sustainability ******************************* As part of the Firelight Foundation’s Capacity Building Program, Firelight provides “Newsflashes” to share relevant resources and information with our active grantee-partners via weekly emails and via post on a monthly basis. We hope that by facilitating access to information for grassroots, community-focused organizations, programming for children and families, as well as organizational development, is enhanced. Past editions of the Firelight Newsflash can be found on our website: http://www.firelightfoundation.org/newsflash.php. We welcome your comments, feedback and ideas for upcoming Newsflashes at newsletter@firelightfoundation.org.

Source: http://www.firelightfoundation.org/pdf/newsflash-19July2010.pdf