2011 CSC Award winners announced

Raising Voices community event in Western Uganda
Raising Voices community event in Western Uganda

The founder of deaf-mute participatory theatre initiative from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a Ugandan organisation preventing violence against children in sub-Saharan Africa have been announced as the 2011 Communication for Social Change Award winners.

Administered by The University of Queensland’s Centre for Communication for Social Change (CfCSC) at the School of Journalism and Communication, the Award is the only one of its kind in the world and recognises individuals and organisations that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to using communication to transform and empower marginalised communities.

Award Secretary Associate Professor Pradip Thomas said “Individual winner Freddy Mata Matundu and Raising Voices, the organisation category winner, have enabled transformational change in some of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities through innovative communication processes and media”.
 
Freddy Mata Matundu said “deaf and mute people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are marginalised and invisible; they suffer discrimination in a society where belief in witchcraft is very strong, and being deaf and mute is associated with sorcery. Even if their family does not abandon them, they still suffer from a lack of opportunity, especially in terms of access to education and employment.  
 
“Using a very popular communication tool in DRC, theatre, we hope to break down the barriers and create understanding between the “hearing” and the “deaf-mute.”
 
Dipak Naker, co-director of Raising Voices said “violence against children is a pervasive problem in Uganda, as in many countries in the world. A vast majority of children experience violence on a regular basis from adults they know in their communities, schools or at home. In response, Raising Voices launched a specific program, marrying research and activities, to prevent violence against children.
 
“We feel deeply honoured that our work was selected for this award. Given the global scope of the award and the number of entries that the judges must have considered, we felt humbled by this recognition and inspired to continue innovating.”
 
Winners will receive their Award from The University of Queensland Vice Chancellor, Paul Greenfield, AO, at a ceremony on Wednesday 19th October.
 
Special guests at a symposium related to the Award ceremony include Simon Sheikh, director of independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation GetUp!, and Margaret Reynolds, former Minister for Local Government Regional Development and disability advocate, as well as representatives from Amnesty International Australia and Reconciliation Australia.
 
The Award consists of a $AUD 2500 prize and a travel package to promote the impact that communication projects can have in development efforts. Both Award winners will visit AusAID while in Australia to showcase their projects.
This year 65 nominations were received from 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Beirut, Jordan, Moldova, Nepal, Peru, Portugal, Rwanda and Venezuela. This was almost a four-fold increase on the previous year. 
 
Video Volunteers, an international media organisation empowering the voices of the world’s unheard communities, received a meritorious commendation.
 
An independent jury, including UQ Professor of Public Administration Ken Wiltshire AO, Annmaree O'Keefe of the Lowy Institute, Peter Cave of ABC, and Fiona Crockford, Assistant Director of Citizen Engagement and Political Analysis at AusAID, chose the 2011 Award winners.
 

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