A personal note, Sapan News features, and an upcoming event
We need your help. Read on to see why. Sapan News on a Gandhi-Jinnah play; Afghan refugees in Pakistan; tools for peace. Dec 10 discussion: 'Why Saarc?' with Kanak Mani Dixit, Mani Shankar Aiyer et al
Greetings friends,
I'm Beena Sarwar, a journalist and rights activist who many of you know, with decades of experience focusing on gender, human rights, and peace in Southasia*.
Today, I'm writing to request your help supporting an important cause: Sapan News Network, a syndicated digital media outlet soft-launched in August 2021 with the story of a Pakistani Hindu family stuck in India yearning to return home, published by several media outlets.
And so Sapan News was born. We aim to amplify the narrative of peace, regionalism, and dialogue and catalyse positive change. Breaking away from the rhetoric of conflict, we produce honest, non-partisan, nuanced journalism, disseminating information and analyses that deepen understanding of critical issues and create space for empathy.
This work serves as a vital arm of a peace movement, the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan), supported by over 50 organizations and dozens of notable personalities.
Together, we're changing the way Southasia, the Indian Ocean region, and diaspora perceive and communicate about peace and related issues.
Our Impact:
Sapan News soft launched in August 2021, produces 2-3 original pieces weekly with a small team of volunteer editors and writers
Launched an independent volunteer-built website in March 2023.
Our work has been featured in over 30 global media outlets.
We've collaborated with acclaimed journalists like Kathy Gannon, Shahidul Alam, and
.We're members of prominent independent news networks like the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, and were invited to endorse the ACOS Alliance.
For our service to communities of colour, NewsMatch and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) fund have awarded Sapan News matching funds of up to $3,000.
Our fiscal sponsor, Tasveer in Seattle, the first Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival, enables us to receive tax-free donations
Why we need your help:
Until now, our efforts have been 100% voluntary. To continue our mission, we need to raise $50,000 by year's end. Thanks to readers like you, we have already raised $3,000 required by year end to receive a matching grant twice, from NewsMatch, and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion fund.
This budget will support operations and allow us to continue producing journalism. It will also allow me to complete a news leadership fellowship at the Poynter Institute, a prestigious honor for participants from world-renowned media outlets.
Every contribution counts in our journey towards peace. No amount is too big or small.
Thank you again to those who have contributed.
Other ways you can contribute:
Send a check to:
Sapan News
c/o PAGB - MTC Fellowship Fund,
10 Atherton Rd, Hudson MA 01749
Attn: Siraj Khan, Director and Immediate Past President PAGB.
(email: Khansaheb2@aol.com).
Reach out to me directly at beena@sapannews.com.
All donations are tax-deductible. Every contribution counts in our journey towards peace. No amount is too big or small.
We’re deeply grateful for your support and belief in our cause.
Read on for the latest updates
Sapan News writing workshop by Malinda Seneviratne
Last Saturday, senior Sri Lankan journalist and award-winning poet Malinda Seneviratne conducted an introductory news writing workshop with Sapan News interns and others interested in writing for us.
He talked about the most common mistakes starting writers make and how to avoid them, the editing process, and the differences between opinion, analysis and news reports. We plan to do more such workshops and talks in the coming months. Please click this link or the button below to stay updated about such opportunities.
Sapan News features published since the last newsletter:
Peacebuilding on stage: ‘Gandhi and Jinnah’ embrace in Washington D.C. - from Florida, Sher Afgan Tareen mulls over significance of the prominent scholar and former diplomat Dr Akbar Ahmed’s latest play. November 29, 2023
‘Tools to build peace in a broken world’ - Urmi Chanda in Mumbai, November 29, 2023
Why is refugee-friendly Pakistan evicting Afghans now? (no, Fox News, they’re not ‘Palestinians’) - Abdullah Zahid in Karachi November 22, 2023
NOTE: Sapan News syndicated features are available for republication with due credit.
SAVE THE DATE: Why SAARC? Challenges and Missed Opportunities
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ‘charter day’ is observed annually on 8 December.
“Why SAARC? Challenges and Missed Opportunities” — and ways forward: An online discussion with journalist Kanak Mani Dixit (Nepal), former diplomats Mani Shankar Aiyer (India) and Tariq Karim (Bangladesh), and academics Dr. Serena Hussain (UK) and Dr. Zahid Shahab Ahmed (Pakistan/UAE).
Sunday, 10 December 2023
Time: 10:00 am ET / 8:00 pm PKT / 8:30 pm IST / 8:45 pm NPT / 9:00 pm BDT
Register to get the Zoom link in your email, or watch live on YouTube.
Support our work
The Sapan Founding Charter has been endorsed by 55 organisations - and counting. Together, we're changing the way Southasia perceives and is perceived, and how we communicate about peace and related issues.
Thank you for reading Sapan Alliance newsletter.
Please keep spreading and sharing the inspirational and the good.
Thanks and warm regards,
beena sarwar
*Southasia: Borrowing from Himal Southasian, Sapan uses ‘Southasia’ as one word, “seeking to restore some of the historical unity of our common living space, without wishing any violence on the existing nation-states.”