Still time to help to buy radios for Burma

Three weeks ago we appealed to you to help fund our Radios for Burma project. Thanks to your overwhelming generosity, we are now able to provide over 4,500 radios to the people of Burma.

Due to this incredible response, we have extended the deadline for funding the first wave of distribution into the country because we believe we can still achieve the target of 5,000 radios for Burma.

If 250 people reading this blog get two people they know to buy a radio, we’ll be there in no time. Spread the word and help break through the wall of censorship.

Our aim is to amplify independent media so we can empower more people, especially in rural and information starved parts of the country to access their rights and learn about issues relevant to their daily lives.

Thanks to your donations we closed this appeal in November 2010. You can still donate to Amnesty and support similar work around the world.

If we exceed our target then your donations will go towards achieving our wider campaign objectives which are consistent with the Radios for Burma project

The importance of Radios for Burma was underlined again last week when the exiled media organisation, the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), reported that the government have introduced a wave of new censorship rules. Journalists feel they will soon lose all independence as unprecedented levels of censorship become standardised across all publications.

Many thanks to all of you who donated to the campaign and helped spread the word. We really appreciate it. You have made a difference.

Organisations like the DVB beat the blackout by using the radio – they broadcast freely into Burma from outside the country and as radios are not banned this is the most effective way to reach the population. With the new laws limiting printed publications and the elections coming up later this year, this service is now more vital than ever.

Here’s a reminder of why it is so important: