FilmAid International
Encyclopedia
FilmAid International is a non-profit humanitarian
organization that uses the power of film to address the needs of displaced people around the world. The organization was founded in 1999 to help people in Macedonia
who had fled from their homes in Kosovo
. With the encouragement of the United Nations
, it then expanded its reach into Afghanistan
and Africa
. FilmAid currently operates in two refugee camps in Kenya
(Kakuma
and Dadaab
), where it assists people fleeing war, violent conflict or natural disaster in countries including Sudan
, Somalia
, Ethiopia
, Uganda
, Rwanda
, Eritrea
and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It has implemented a variety of programs to address the critical needs of the communities it serves. Its signature "Outdoor Evening Screenings" take place several nights per week and have reached up to 30,000 people in one evening. FilmAid’s "Daytime Screenings" are followed by group discussions about topics of concern. The "Participatory Video Program" for young people and "Community-Based Video Program" teach individuals filmmaking skills that help them develop videos that are shown to thousands throughout the camps. Topics addressed in these videos include conflict resolution and peace building, health education (e.g., HIV/AIDS, cholera
, and malaria
prevention), landmine awareness, and the prevention of sexual abuse.
All of FilmAid’s programs are based on the principles of refugee participation and empowerment. Refugee Advisory Boards review films and select those that are shown in all screenings. Members of the various refugee communities within the camps are taught to write scripts, direct, act and edit the videos that are used in FilmAid’s programs. FilmAid’s programs have been proven to educate, improve refugee health and self-esteem, break the monotony and isolation of refugee life and reduce stigma, tension and conflict.
FilmAid is a Global Implementing Partner of the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), and is funded by a variety of individuals, private foundations, corporations, international agencies and the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration.
Humanitarianism
In its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution...
organization that uses the power of film to address the needs of displaced people around the world. The organization was founded in 1999 to help people in Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
who had fled from their homes in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. With the encouragement of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, it then expanded its reach into Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. FilmAid currently operates in two refugee camps in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
(Kakuma
Kakuma
Kakuma town is located in Turkana District, in the northwestern region of Kenya. Kakuma is the Swahili word for "nowhere", epitomizing the seclusion of the area....
and Dadaab
Dadaab
Dadaab is a semi-arid town in the North Eastern Province in Kenya. As of 2011, it hosts what is often described as the largest refugee camp in the world.-General:...
), where it assists people fleeing war, violent conflict or natural disaster in countries including Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It has implemented a variety of programs to address the critical needs of the communities it serves. Its signature "Outdoor Evening Screenings" take place several nights per week and have reached up to 30,000 people in one evening. FilmAid’s "Daytime Screenings" are followed by group discussions about topics of concern. The "Participatory Video Program" for young people and "Community-Based Video Program" teach individuals filmmaking skills that help them develop videos that are shown to thousands throughout the camps. Topics addressed in these videos include conflict resolution and peace building, health education (e.g., HIV/AIDS, cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
, and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
prevention), landmine awareness, and the prevention of sexual abuse.
All of FilmAid’s programs are based on the principles of refugee participation and empowerment. Refugee Advisory Boards review films and select those that are shown in all screenings. Members of the various refugee communities within the camps are taught to write scripts, direct, act and edit the videos that are used in FilmAid’s programs. FilmAid’s programs have been proven to educate, improve refugee health and self-esteem, break the monotony and isolation of refugee life and reduce stigma, tension and conflict.
FilmAid is a Global Implementing Partner of the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), and is funded by a variety of individuals, private foundations, corporations, international agencies and the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees & Migration.