Slovakia Celebrated Development Day

On 18th October 2013, the Slovak NDGO Platform organized the Development Day 2013: Slovakia has been helping in the World for more than 10 Years. Besides the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the event was also organised to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Slovak NGDO Platform and the Slovak Official Development Assistance Programme - SlovakAid.

The program of the event was intended for the general public. The morning workshops offered attractive workshops for pupils who came along with their teachers, starting from production of footballs from plastic bags which children use for example in Kenya and finishing with circus acrobatics. All day long, visitors had an opportunity to stop by at the presentation stands of the members of the Platform and other organisations and institutions connected with the development cooperation and global responsibility, and get to know more about their activities.

The day contained sessions such as the presentation of Slovak actors and projects carried out in the field of development cooperation and global education, creative workshops for children and schools, the development cuisine, development job fair conducted as a living library, a workshop with journalists, photographers and other media representatives who experienced the countries of the Global South and discussed media coverage of development issues and the code on messages and images from developing countries as well.

Photo: The winning photo story

 

Other accompanying activities of the event were screening of films on various global topics and the activities of Slovak NGDOs in developing countries, as well as the presentation of the campaign ŽI FÉR (Live Fair) for a life in a fairer world, launched by the Slovak NGDO Platform in September 2013. The programme was ended by a benefit concert with the participation of Slovak musicians and artists as well as a duo from Senegal who raised attention on the problems of people with disabilities as part of End Exclusion project. During the benefit concert the winners of the 3rd annual photo contest Human Rights in Development Cooperation were awarded by the partners of the competition and the opening of the exhibition of 30 best pictures took place.

The realisation of the event was possible also thanks to the UNDP Trust Fund within the SlovakAid and the European Commission. The Development Day was part of the Development Week which started with an International Conference “10 years of SlovakAid: A Vision of Development Cooperation for a Changing World” organized by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Pontis Foundation, and was finished by a theatre performance “Save Your African”.

More information about the Development Day is available at http://rozvojovyden.mvro.sk/.


Photo above: Stands of Slovak organisations during the Development Day, Slovak NGDO Platform Archive

Information provided by Andrea Girmanova, MVRO