Hirondelle USA Annual Report 2013

Annual Report 2013

Annual Report. Flipdoc.08.07.2014.qxp_Layout 1 8/7/14 2:25 PM Page 1

Hirondelle USA is a non-profit organization that helps build

and sustain independent media in post-conflict and

transitioning countries through a partnership with

the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle. We turn

information into the tools that people need to rebuild

their communities and their lives.

Our Mission

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In countries where illiteracy rates are high and rural populations are isolated, radio is the most effective wayto reach people. For nearly two decades, Fondation Hirondelle has been working in post conflict countries,building media that help to create bonds and foster dialogue between people otherwise separated by distance, religion, or beliefs.

Hirondelle USA supports this work by raising funds, creating opportunities for technical innovation and

research, and developing programs that enhance the ability of Hirondelle media toreport on issues of importance to the populations we serve. HUSA is working as wellto ensure greater protection for the local journalists that keep populations informedduring the chaos and violence of civil conflict.

In 2013, the importance of locally reported professional news was especially evidentin South Sudan and Central Africa Republic (CAR), where political tensions tippedinto spiraling violence. In CAR Fondation Hirondelle’s Radio Ndeke Luka hasemerged as a bastion for lifesaving information, and in much of the country it is the only reliable voice offering this information.

These media need and deserve our support so that citizens of conflict and post-conflict countries can exercise their right “to seek, receive, and impart information, through any media, and regardless of frontiers,” as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

What We Dohirondelleusa.org


OurProjects


Women in Conflict Initiative

Providing information and voice to Women in Mali, Guinea and Sierra Leone

In October 2013, HUSA launched its first project in West Africa with support from the Ford Foundation, providing training to journalists andfunding the production and broadcast of programming on local media in Mali, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Women and girls are uniquely and disproportionately affected by armed conflict.In post conflict and disaster settings, theyoften suffer from lack of security and are excluded from decision-making and participation in economic, social and politicalspheres. Journalism that accurately reflectsthe stories and concerns of women will challenge the tendency of the media in thesecountries to sensationalize or politicize

reporting on women, especially on gender-based violence.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the quality and quantity of professional reporting on women’s issues. HUSA is working inpartnership with Fondation Hirondelle and its media in Mali and Guinea,and with the University of Sierra Leone in Freetown.

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Reporting on transitional justice: JusticeInfo.Net A partnership with the Oxford Transitional Justice Research and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative

Populations seeking truth, justice, reparations or the guarantee of non-repetition in the aftermath of conflict lack information and a meansof engagement in a process that affects them and their communitiesprofoundly. Hirondelle USA, along with Fondation Hirondelle, is devel-oping a transitional justice media platform delving into background,and providing context, and analysis from different perspectives andpoints of view. This platform will be a resource for journalists and teaching tool as well as a news site, with interactive timelines, a transitional justice lexicon, biographies, and backgrounders.

The platform architecture and tools will be designed, tracked and evaluated to ensure impact for the three targeted audiences: mediahouses and journalists, academic and justice actors, and the generalpublic. In addition, ongoing consultations will be made with the three audiences in order to create relevant content and effective presentationand delivery. These exchanges will give voice to the population on expectations and perceptions of the justice mechanisms, peaceprocesses and rule of law.



Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management in West and Central Africa through accurate, accessible and informed broadcast journalism.

Conservation and protection of the abundant natural resources and rich biodiversity of Westand Central Africa’s forests is a vital part of ensuring peace and sustainable development inthe region. These forest ecosystems are of globalimportance in terms of climate change mitigation, and are considered among the most biologically diverse in the world.

To address the need for information and better understanding of the natural environ-ment HUSA is developing a three-year regional program of training and broadcastthat will enrich and amplify professional radio reporting on environmental issues inMali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic and DemocraticRepublic of Congo. Hirondelle media and community radio partners in each of thecountries will produce and broadcast programs that accurately reflect the stories,concerns, and challenges relating to conservation, development, livelihoods, andfood security.

The Overall objective of the project is to strengthen national, regional and international efforts to sustain ecological balance and local livelihoods in the UpperGuinea Forest and Congo Basin Forest regions through mass media and informationtechnology.

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Reporting on the environment


Expectedlaunch:01.2015


Sierra Leone

Guinea

M

Cote d'Ivoire

Radio Ndeke Luka in Central Africa Republic

Radio OkapiDemocratic Republic of Congo

Tunisian Radio

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u

Fondation HirondelleHeadquarters

Radio MirayaSouth Sudan

In 2013 Hirondelle USA worked in the following countries:MaliGuineaSierra Leone

Fondation Hirondelle conducts work in the following countries:Central African RepublicCote D’IvoireDemocratic Republic of CongoGuineaMaliSouth SudanTunisia

Where We Work


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ExpensesRevenues

$177,526Program

$138,005Grants -

Foundation Hirondelle

$16,100Individual Contributions

Hirondelle USA’s total

expenses in 2013 $238,374

Hirondelle USA’s total

revenue in 2013 $289,013

$134,908Other FoundationGrantsGrants

Our Budget

$29,238General and Administrative

$31,610Fundraising



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Our Budget (Continued)Statement of Functional Expenses - Cash Basis

Year Ended December 31, 2013 General and Program Administrative Fundraising Total

Grants to Foundation Hirondelle $23,350 $23,350

Grant to Cotton Tree News $30,000 $30,000

Salaries and benefits $85,748 $21,437 $$21,437 $128,622

Consultants $18,125 $800 $1,000 $19.925

Training and related fees $9,150 $9,150

Website $2,000 $2,000 $4,000

Office equipment $1,409 $1,409 $2,818

Brochures $2,313 $2,313

Travel $9,153 $1,833 $1,833 $12,819

Fees $2,158 $18 $2,176

Telecommunications $400 $400 $800

Office $1,201 $1,200 $2,401

Total $177,526 $29,238 $31,610 $238,374


For more information contact Anne Bennett,

Executive DirectorHirondelle USA

[email protected]


Documents

Hirondelle USA Annual Report 2013