PC Awards the First "Betinho" Communications Prize
to the Max Foundation

Visegrad, Hungary, May 2 2000 -- APC marked its 10th anniversary by awarding the first-ever "Betinho" Communications Prize to the Max Foundation, at an emotional public ceremony in Visegrád, Hungary. The Max Foundation's Internet Global Help Program provides Internet access to families of children with leukemia throughout Latin America. Through this service the Foundation links patients with resources in other parts of the world.

One of the most important objectives of the Max Foundation is to establish an online bone marrow tissue registry for Latin America. Bone marrow transplants being one of the only known treatments for leukemia, and tissue matches between the donor and the recipient, are greatly increased within the same ethnic group. Latin America is the only major geographical region in the world which does not have such a registry.

The winning project was chosen by the Prize's international jury only days before the presentation so it was impossible to present the award in person to the Max Foundation, but the Internet came to the rescue again. Pedro Jose Rivarola, founder of the Max Foundation, and father of two children who have died from leukemia, sent a heart-felt acceptance speech to APC, which was read at the climax of what became a very emotive Prize presentation, attended by APC members and partners from across the globe, as well as Hungarian and international workers for social justice.

"The Max Foundation initiative is a great example of the type of work Betinho would have supported", said Roberto Roggiero, APC Chair.

"We are determined to fight for the same dreams and ideas of Herbet de Souza (Betinho)," wrote Mr Rivarola. "Just this week we were able to arrange for a 14 year old Honduran boy from a rather low income region who suffers from a severe blood disease for which there is no treatment in Honduras to fly to Washington DC next week where he will be treated at the National Institute of Health. We also arranged for a 9 year old Argentine girl with leukemia who will start treatment today at the Texas Children's Cancer Center. All of this would not be possible without the incredible power of the Internet which enables us to reach people all over the world that have similar energy and concerns. It allows us to better utilize resources and to reach anyone and everyone."
Read the full project story here...

A visionary Brazilian social activist and exemplary communicator, Herbet de Souza, (known to all as "Betinho") spent his life fighting for street children, senior citizens, landless peasants and people living with AIDS. He founded the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic (IBASE), one of APC's founding member organizations, where he encouraged the use of new technologies to empower communities. "The Max Foundation initiative is a great example of the type of work Betinho would have supported", said Roberto Roggiero, APC Chair.

The US$7,500 Prize will be awarded again in 2001 to a non-profit organization, community-based group, coalition or social movement that has used ICTs in its work to endorse sustainable and equitable development, democratic participation, and social justice.

APC would like to thank everyone who helped to make the first award possible:

• Betinho's NGO, IBASE
• Maria Nakano, Betinho's widow
• International Development Research Centre, who provided financial support
• Roberto Bissio, who presented the Award in Hungary
• Katerina Fialova, who presented the Balkan Sunflowers finalist story, in Hungary
  
  
• The Prize Jury:
  • Carlos Afonso - RITS, Brazil
  • Pi Villanueva - Isis International-Manila, Philippines
  • Peter da Costa - Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) United Nations, Ethiopia
  • Gilles Cliche - International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
  • Vesna Terselic - 1998 Right Livelihood Award (Alternative Nobel Prize) winner, and National Coordinator of the Croatian Anti-War Campaign, Croatia
  • Richard Stallman - Founder of the GNU Project, USA
  • Anriette Esterhuysen - APC Executive Director, South Africa.
    
    
• ...and the Betinho Working Group from across the APC community:
  • Tonya Hancherow, Executive Director, Web Networks, Canada
  • Maureen James, APC Fundraising and Project Development Director, Canada
  • Jan Haverkamp, Campaign Manager, Friends of the Earth, Czech Republic
  • Maja van der Velden, Internet Training and Documentation Consultant, Canada
  • Dominique Ben Abdallah, Communications Coordinator, ENDA, Senegal
  • Daizen Oda, UN/Developer at INTERCOM Nodo Ecuanex, Ecuador
  • Efrain Tunjo, User Support at Colnodo, Colombia
  • Roberto Elissalde, Anthropologist/Journalist, ITeM, Uruguay
  • Simone Shall, User Support and Web Training at SANGONeT, South Africa
  • Joseph George, Website Designer, SANGONeT, South Africa
  • Karen Higgs, APC Website Editor, Uruguay
    
    
• And of course, thanks to the 164 other nominees who use information and communications technologies, to bring about social justice and development. Thank you all very much!