Archive for July, 2010

Competition Friday – Fairsharemusic.com (UPDATED)

30th July 2010 by SamSam 21 Comments »

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Categories: Arts and entertainment

So, this week we’ve been racking our brains to think of a way to make Fridays even better and we think we’ve cracked it.

To celebrate our new partnership with fairsharemusic.com we’ve got a great little competition for you to win some free tunes.

Fairsharemusic has over eight and a half million tracks including the hottest new releases starting at only 79p. Just like every other music download site right? Wrong.

The difference with fairsharemusic is that for every track you download, fairsharemusic donates half the profits to us. You don’t have to do anything. Just sit back and feel good.

And what’s more, the first time you visit the deal gets even sweeter. Download an album and they will donate an extra 10% to us. Spend over £10 and we get an extra 20%, and if you spend over £20 they will donate an amazing 50% more.

We’re pretty excited about it and to mark the occasion we’ve got 30 free tracks to give away.

All you have to do is pick your top three tracks from fairsharemusic’s library of eight and a half million songs and tell us about them in the comments below. It is that easy.

We’re giving away 10 tracks as the top prize and 20 other lucky winners will each receive one track each. And when we say ‘track’, we mean you can choose any song you like from fairsharemusic’s library of millions!

Get going and we will announce the winners at 4pm next Friday, 6 August.

Full competition terms and conditions

UPDATE: 6 AUGUST 2010

We have just done the draw and the lucky winner of our top prize of 10 tracks is Sophie Count. Thanks everyone for taking part and don’t be too disheartened, you’ve all won a track! We’ll be in touch shortly. Have a good weekend.

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A massive thank you!

12th July 2010 by Bell 4 Comments »

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Categories: Burma fundraising

Due to the success of this fundraising campaign, we are hoping to fund a further 10,000 radios to send to Burma. Find out more and donate

A month ago we launched an appeal asking you to help us buy radios for Burma. The initiative is aimed at harnessing the power of radio already being used to break through media censorship in the country.

An amazing 2,327 of you responded to our appeal. Because of your incredible generosity we have surpassed our target and will be able to distribute thousands of radios throughout Burma. Some of you were even able to dig deep enough to buy the more expensive satellite phone and walkie-talkie kits, providing vital communication tools to people on the ground.

If you didn’t get a chance to buy a radio, but would still like to support our work in Burma you can donate now:

A massive thank you is due to everybody that bought a radio for Burma, helped spread the word and supported the appeal. Once the equipment begins to be distributed, we will keep you updated with photo and video reports from inside Burma to show you how these vital tools are benefiting the communities they reach. Getting such footage out of Burma can be difficult, but as soon as we receive anything, those of you that donated will be the first to know.

Find out more about our Burma campaign

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Still time to help buy radios for Burma

6th July 2010 by Bell 7 Comments »

Tags:
Categories: Burma fundraising

UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2010: Due to the success of this fundraising campaign, we are hoping to fund a further 10,000 radios to send to Burma. Find out more and donate

Three weeks ago we appealed to you to help fund our Radios for Burma project. Thanks to your overwhelming generosity, we are now able to provide over 4,500 radios to the people of Burma.

Due to this incredible response, we have extended the deadline for funding the first wave of distribution into the country because we believe we can still achieve the target of 5,000 radios for Burma.

If 250 people reading this blog get two people they know to buy a radio, we’ll be there in no time. Spread the word and help break through the wall of censorship.

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Our aim is to amplify independent media so we can empower more people, especially in rural and information starved parts of the country to access their rights and learn about issues relevant to their daily lives.

If you haven’t already, please buy a radio for Burma and help break the silence.

£12.50 = 1 Radio

£25 = 2 Radios

£37.50 = 3 Radios

£50 = 4 Radios

£110 = 1 Walkie-Talkie Kit

£640 = 1 Satellite Phone Kit

£ Other – There is no limit on the number of radios you can buy. Each one will make a difference.

If we exceed our target then your donations will go towards achieving our wider campaign objectives which are consistent with the Radios for Burma project

The importance of Radios for Burma was underlined again last week when the exiled media organisation, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), reported that the government have introduced a wave of new censorship rules. Journalists feel they will soon lose all independence as unprecedented levels of censorship become standardised across all publications.

Many thanks to all of you who donated to the campaign and helped spread the word. We really appreciate it. You have made a difference.

Organisations like the DVB beat the blackout by using the radio – they broadcast freely into Burma from outside the country and as radios are not banned this is the most effective way to reach the population. With the new laws limiting printed publications and the elections coming up later this year, this service is now more vital than ever.

Here’s a reminder of why it is so important:

Read more about the background to the campaign and join the discussion

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Radios for Burma: An Update

2nd July 2010 by Fiona McLaren 4 Comments »

Tags:
Categories: Burma

A few weeks ago we launched an appeal to buy radios for Burma. Our aim was to raise £50,000 – enough money to distribute 4,000 radios in the country.

The radios we buy will help amplify independent media so that the people of Burma can access their rights and learn about issues relevant to their daily lives. Our project, created in partnership with groups working on the ground, is intended to strengthen and empower people in their initiatives to promote and protect human rights in their own communities.

We were hoping to raise this money by the beginning of July so that we could start distributing radios as soon as possible. Your response has been staggering and thousands of you decided to part with some cash and buy a radio or two to help increase access to uncensored information for people living in one of the most repressive regimes in the world.

Our total is now over £45,000 and the donations are still coming in. If you haven’t donated yet it’s not too late. We want to ensure we can fund 4,000 radios and any donations received will go towards that target. If we exceed our target then your donations will go towards achieving our wider campaign objectives which are consistent with the Radios for Burma project.

As your radios start being purchased, delivered and listened to we will bring you photo and video reports from inside Burma to show you how these vital tools are benefiting the communities they reach. Getting such footage out of Burma can be difficult, but as soon as we receive anything, those of you that donated will be the first to know.

Get more involved

Our campaign in Burma is wider than just this project: Human rights abuses in Burma are widespread and systematic. Around 2,200 people are imprisoned for their peaceful political activism. People are frequently arrested without warrant and torture is common place.

In the lead up to the 2010 elections in Burma, Amnesty supporters around the world will be taking action to demand an end to the violence and repression against ordinary Burmese people who simply want to have a say in how their country is governed.

In May 2008, Khun Bedu, Khun Kawrio and Khun Dee De were arrested for peaceful protest. As leading members of a youth group they had organised local dissidents to release balloons, launch paper boats and spray-paint walls with their peaceful political messages.

For these simple acts of defiance they were sentenced to between 35 and 37 years in prison.

You can send a letter to the Burmese authorities to release these three young men, or make a paper boat following the instructions in this video. We’ll use these boats in a protest against the imprisonment of political activists in Burma later in the year.

How to make a boat for Burma from Amnesty International on Vimeo.

Once you’ve made your boat send it to:

Amnesty International UK
The Human Rights Action Centre
17 – 25 New Inn Yard
London EC2A 3EA

A massive thank you is due to anyone who has taken action so far by donating to our campaign, lobbying the authorities, or simply spreading the word about what’s going on inside Burma. Things will only change if we speak up together and support those campaigning to make their voices heard and their rights respected.

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