2004 Annual Report Panos Institute - Caribbean

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Introduction

The Panos Institute (Caribbean, Central America and USA - Panos Carica) has its legal base in Washington, DC. Over recent years, it has conducted two programmes: (a) Caribbean and Central America Programme; and (b) Nigeria Programme. The latter one, which focussed on freedom of expression, came to an end in early 2003.

Panos launched its Caribbean and Central America Programme in 1989. In early years the programme was coordinated from Washington, DC. However, in 1997, the regional headquarters were set up in Haiti, the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere. From 1998-2001, due to financial constraints, most activities were concentrated in Haiti, although we produced material in English, French, Kreyol and Spanish and disseminated these to media and journalists across the entire region. Over these years, activities grew steadily. In 2002 we were able to start a specific programme for the Eastern Caribbean sub-region, coordinated from Barbados.

The year in review

In 2004, the Panos Caribbean and Central America Programme continued its focus on the general areas of Child Rights (37.3% of programmatic funding), Public Health - with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS (34.0%) and Environment (28.6%). We started a number of new child journalist groups in Haiti while continuing support to the existing ones and embarked on a major set of activities in the scope of the Panos Global AIDS Programme. Moreover, we were able to pick up once again an old Panos theme: "Community and the Environment."

As in former years, the majority of our activities took place in Haiti. However, we continued support for environmental reporting in the Eastern Caribbean through the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN). Further, a new office was opened in Kingston, Jamaica in February, and our work in the Dominican Republic expanded.

We have supported the establishment of child journalist groups in Haiti for 4 years, and provided them with a wide range of programmatic support. This year, our impactmultiplied: from 3 groups we went up to 10 groups of approximately 20 children. Our experience with child journalism influences also Panos Carica initiatives in other development fields, such as environment and health. Moreover, this year, Panos staff assisted in the establishment of similar activities in Togo, West Africa.

An important new partnership started this year with Catholic Relief Services (CRS)/Haiti, to conduct a group of 25 child journalists in Pilate (North department), and educational campaigns for 3,000 orphans on sexually transmitted diseases and related issues.

In the scope of communicating children's rights, in March, we conducted a journalistic training course on natural and humanitarian emergency reporting, immediately following the regime change in Haiti - a particularly tense period. In September and October, we run a daily press service, targeting regional media, on the floods and related relief efforts in Gonaives.

A highlight of this year was the general strengthening and consolidation of our wide range of activities in the field of public health - with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS, thanks to our participation in the Panos Global AIDS Programme (GAP). We provided coverage and generated public debate around the results of the World AIDS Conference, held in Bangkok in July, through press conferences, journalist training and story dissemination, in particular in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In Haiti, we also conducted very successful stakeholder consultations with youth and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Our contribution to international policy debates on public health also increased. In March, the Panos Haiti Director presented our experience in building media capacity at a conference in Santo Domingo, "A Multicultural Caribbean United Against HIV/AIDS." Over 500 people from all countries in the Caribbean participated in this event, and Panos was urged to assist in working with Haitian audiences all over the region.

After two years, our project with Loyola University and the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network, funded by USAID (entitled Caribbean Environmental Communication Initiative - CECI) came to an end. Unfortunately, USAID is generally cutting back on Caribbean environmental management activities, in view of other priorities. However, the institutional collaboration and programmatic linkages between Panos and CERN continue as a matter of course.

Under a new set of environmental activities funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), in September we helped the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP/CEP) with the coverage of its governing meetings. This partnership has generated a new project for 2005 to improve media coverage of UNEP/CEP's activities.

Regularly, Panos organizes interviews on Haitian development themes for Caribbean radio stations. One example was the floodings in the South East of the country (Mapou and Malpasse areas). Panos participated in the General Meeting of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM), which was held in Antigua in September.

As founding members of the Centre for Communication on HIV/AIDS (CECOSIDA) in Haiti, we continued to provide various types of support, in particular by making office space available. Our Port-au-Prince offices also host the Haitian Movement for Rural Development (MHDR).

Governance and institutional strategy

This year, we did significant work to adapt Panos to its new reality, characterized by a transition from a global organization based in Washington, DC to a regional one based in the Caribbean. We strengthened the administrative capacity in the Haiti office, with the recruitment of a specialized administrative officer. In November, the coordination of the entire organization was put in the hands of the Regional Director. The Board of Directors started a transition process aimed at establishing a much more Caribbean representative Board in 2005. Moreover, the Regional Director started drafting long-term strategies for Panos Carica.

Looking at our funding sources over recent years, an important trend can be discerned. While in 2000-2001, we only successfully raised money in Haiti (100% grant income from Haiti-based donors), in 2002-2003 we managed to raise 56% of our grant income from regional donors (and 44% from Haiti-based donors, which still represented an increased amount). This year, thanks to support from the Panos network, there was a shift towards international sources of funding: we received 60% from international donors, 30% from Haiti-based donors and 10% from regional donors.

There are now 8 Panos Institutes. In addition to us: Panos Canada, Panos Eastern Africa, Panos London, Panos Paris, Panos South Asia, Panos Southern Africa and Panos West Africa. For the first time since many years, this year, Panos Carica could participate in projects implemented together with other Panos Institutes.

We have played an active part in the growth towards collaboration in the family of Panos Institutes, in particular with regard to the development of joint programming on HIV/AIDS and environmental reporting. Panos has established a mechanism for dialogue and collaboration, the Panos Council, which is currently in the process of adopting a Constitution.

Partners Panos Caribbean

Donors Panos Caribbean

Staff/Consultants (status per 31 December 2004)

Full-time:
Gretchen Maynes Executive Director (Based in Washington, DC)
Michael McDowell Senior Fellow / Health Journalism (Based in Washington, DC)
Jan Voordouw Regional Director Caribbean and Central America (Based in Kingston)
Jean Claude Louis Director Haiti Programme (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Nicole Simeon Project Development Officer (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Marie Petit-Michel Global AIDS Programme (GAP) Officer (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Ryan Gilkes Environment Programme Officer (Based in Barbados)
Simon Florival Messenger (Based in Port-au-Prince)

Part-time:
Eveline Adonis Journalist Child Rights (Based in Jacmel)
Jean Jacques Augustin Photographer (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Margarette Calixte Administrative Officer (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Ives Marie Chanel Editor Island Beat features (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Ronald Colbert Journalism Trainer / Consultant media briefings (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Patrique Lamour Journalist Child Rights (Based in Trou-du-Nord)
Itania Maria Support Officer (Based in Santo Domingo)
Hugo Merveille Journalist HIV/AIDS (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Doris Pantaleon Support Officer (Based in Santo Domingo)
Anne Shroeder Consultant web site design (Based in Washington, DC)
Guerda St. Louis Receptionist/ Admin. Assistant (Based in Port-au-Prince)
Strauss Vedrine Logistics Officer / Director Jacmel Office (Based in Jacmel)

Additionally, in 2004 as in other years, many people were recruited for specific tasks and services.

Board of Directors 2004

The Panos Institute is managed by a voluntary Board of Directors, which had four members at the beginning, and three at the end of the year.

Acting Chairperson: John Michael Kramer, Senior Environment Advisor, US Agency for International Development / Planning and Development Collaborative (PADCO). John Michael Kramer resigned in October.

Secretary: Michael McDowell, Senior Fellow / Health Journalism with the Panos Institute (voluntary), formerly with National Institute of Health / Fogarty Center, Vice President for Communications and Senior Fellow, Overseas Development Council, Senior Deputy Director, US Operations for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, editor, journalist, past Carnegie Endowment Senior Associate and Nieman Fellow.

Treasurer: George Woodring, Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Treasurer, The Hunger Project, formerly Vice President for Finance and Administration, Appropriate Technology International.

Ex-officio: Gretchen Maynes, Executive Director Panos Institute, formerly an independent consultant and editor, associate with strategic management consulting services, Coopers & Lybrand, and Vice-Chair of the Overseas Education Fund, League of Women Voters.

Advisors:

• Melanie Beth Oliviero Independent consultant, political development advocate and educator, formerly Program Officer for Civil Society - The MacArthur Foundation, Director of the Panos Institute, and the Global Comparative Constitutionalism Project, American Council of Learned Societies.
• Pam Constable Correspondent Washington Post, presently in New Delhi
• Margaret Engel Executive Director, Alicia Patterson Foundation for journalist fellowships, journalist.
• Princeton Lyman Director, Global Programs, The Aspen Institute, Washington, D.C., former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa and Nigeria.

Project Highlights 2004:

• Child Rights
• Public Health (in particular HIV/AIDS)
• Environment
• Freedom of the Press