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Belarus
Raising
Consciousness for Freedom
The
Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe (IDEE) has been involved in
programs
in Belarus since 1989, providing support to that country's first
independent
newspaper, Svaboda, as well as to the activities of the emerging
Belarusan
Popular Front, the voice of national freedom created by the country's
dissident
poets, historians, writers, performing artists, teachers, and
politicians.
Since that time, IDEE has forcused most of its activity in supporting
the
development of a civil society that could withstand the reintroduction
of Soviet-like rule by President Aleksander Lukashenka and foster
Belarus's
establishment of genuine democracy. In 1996, it helped the Civil
Society
Center Supolnasc begin its ground-breaking activities as a sparkplug
for
Belarus's civil society movement. As a result of its efforts, the
number
of NGOs expanded, the effectiveness of NGOs, especially at the local
level,
increased, and the Association of Belarusian Pro-Democratic NGOs was
formed.
IDEE has also provided support to the civic mobilization efforts of
Supolnasc
and the Assembly (see IDEE Country
Report). Supolnasc was an early member of the Centers
for Pluralism and has been actively involved in all of IDEE's
cross-border
programs, including in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Cuba, and former
Yugoslavia.
Viasna (Spring) Human Rights Center has been an active partner of the
Centers
for Pluralism as well.
In
2004, IDEE
organized a significant election monitoring effort of the general
parliamentary
elections and republican referendum on whether to allow an extension of
the president's term in office. The observer team, made up of
experienced
Eastern European democratic activists, provided the clearest report on
the fraud, manipulation, and irregularities of the process called an
election
(see Interim and Final
Report).
In
2007, IDEE,
working with a consortium of ten Belarusan NGOs, launched a new project
to support the struggle for democracy in that country called “Raising
Consciousness
for Freedom.” Supported through a public grant, the two-and-a-half year program
is aimed
at consolidating pro-democracy forces at a time of heightening
repression,
developing new generations of democratic leadership, and supporting
initiatives
that reach out to new constituencies.
The
“Raise
Awareness for Freedom” program involves a consortium of ten established
Belarusan NGOs formed with the aim of consolidating and generating
support
for the pro-democracy movement in the face of heightened repression.
Consortium
members represent a wide range of social groups. Their activities will
include training, public outreach, civic mobilization
and action, education for democracy, and leadership development, with a
high focus placed on women and youth leaders. In each year of the
grant, the consortium
organized:
Nine
training
seminars on human rights, activating civil society, networking,
developing
youth and women leaders, communication skills, and journalism;
Fifty-two
public
meetings and nineteen roundtables on cultural, independent trade
unions,
health, youth, and other broad policy areas effecting Belarusan society;
New
and enhanced
websites for educators, doctors, students, and policy makers;
Membership
consultations
to address women’s and health sector issues;
Publication
of
three issues of independent newspapers in 50,000 copies that reinforce
the themes of civic action, including one directed at trade unionists;
Preparation
and
distribution of policy booklets, bulletins, and email publications on
education,
health, independent trade union, and women’s issues;
Approximately
50 small grants to support the strengthening of civil society, local
education,
youth, and human rights initiatives.
In
the last half year of the grant, ending in December 2009, about half of
these activities were accomplished. Altogether, Raise
Consciousness for Freedom reach hundreds of thousands of Belarusan
citizens.
For more information about past programs and current news
on Belarus
see IDEE's Belarus page within this
website.
For more information about this program, please contact Eric Chenoweth
or Irena Lasota, [email protected].
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