VIKES Foundation

fifth year of action in 2010

The Finnish Foundation for Media, Communication and Development (known by its Finnish acronym VIKES) has received a fresh round of funding from the Finnish foreign ministry for projects being run in Nicaragua, Nepal, Central-Asia and Tanzania.

In 2010 VIKES will assist ten projects in eleven countries. The budget for this activity is close to half a million Euros.

VIKES was set up by 26 Finnish communications entities in 2005, and in 2009 two more media establishments joined the council of Vikes. It is a foundation for development cooperation, intended to promote freedom of expression and the pluralism of media as a basis for democracy and social development. VIKES was established on the initiative of the Union of Journalists in Finland, and brings together the whole Finnish journalistic profession.

The foundation has managed to accomplish much over the last five years, thought it has lacked a permanent staff. Projects have been carried out by freelance and volunteer work in over 20 countries to the tune of more than a million Euros.

The main backer for the projects has been the Foreign Ministry in Finland. The 15% self-funding component of most of the projects has come from the Union of Journalists solidarity fund, for which the union invests 0.7% of the income from membership payments. Other major donors have been the Finnish Broadcasting Company and a number of member associations of the Union of Journalists.

VIKES reached last year the point where a permanent office became a necessity and rented an office space in Vilhonvuorenkatu 11 D 7, Helsinki. In the coming years the main problem will be to regularize activities and gather funds to guarantee self funding for the projects. In addition, there is a desire of individual journalists to support the improvement of the professional conditions of their counterparts in developing countries.
Freedom of expression, independent media and citizens’ right to communication are essential parts of the global development agenda. Transparency and openness are basic conditions of development. We cannot speak about functional democracy unless the citizens have the right and opportunity to receive information. Independent and professional media have a central role in furthering economic and democratic development in developing countries.

VIKES’ projects in 2010

Palestine:

• Media expertise development project, carried out with Diak’s Turku Campus and the University of Bethlehem.

Central Asia:

• Building and developing unions of journalists in Kazakstan, Tadzikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
• Ifex free expression training: Human Rights and Democracy in Central Asia: Supporting Freedom of Expression Advocacy Networking.

Burma/Myanmar:

• Support for independent documentary training project for the Yangon Film School.

Namibia:

• Support the development of media ethics and cooperation and networking among journalists.

Nigeria:

• Arranging courses for journalists on environmental matters and freedom of speech on environmental issues with ERA Nigeria.

Tanzania:

• Training for journalists on on-line media and internet use as a component of crucial working processes.
• Mtukwao participatory media project in Mtwara and Lindi.

Nicaragua:

• Support for professional training in networking for freelance journalists in the Caribbean region.

Nepal:

• supporting democracy and peace-building through investigative journalism, together with Centre for Investigative Journalism in Nepal.

Russia:

• two project proposals still subject to government share funding decisions

Finland:

• Media support resource for building ‘journalism and free media as a basic requirement of development’ as an integral part of journalism studies, Kulmakivi/The Corner Stone -project.
  

Support Vikes:

• Sampo bank, account number 800014-71350307
• Fundraising permit: ESLH 2009-07939/Tu-52.

For more information and contact info – see also www.vikes.fi