News and Events

"Not Yet Rain", Thursday, June 11, 7:00pm

“Not Yet Rain,” a Lisa Russell film in association with Ipas, explores abortion in Ethiopia through the voices of women who have struggled to find the care that they need. The film, which is about 20-minutes-long, is available for free download and viewing at www.notyetrain.org.

For those of you who are in the Triangle area, we hope that you will join Ipas and our cosponsors, the Archive for Human Rights at Duke University Libraries and Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture, for a screening event on Thursday, June 11, at 7:00 pm. The event will include food and wine, an opportunity to view the film on the big screen, and a discussion moderated by Kirsten Sherk, Co-Producer of the film, Ipas Executive Vice President Anu Kumar, and Ipas Africa Region Manager Shirley Owino. The event will begin at 7:00.

Every year, millions of women around the world risk their lives to end unintended pregnancies. While a law enacted in 2006 marked great progress toward reproductive freedom in Ethiopia, “Not Yet Rain” shows that changing the law is just the first step; much more needs to be done as women continue to die from unsafe abortions. Until women are aware of their rights, and health-care professionals have the training, equipment, and will to perform abortions, unsafe abortion will remain a problem. Training for health workers and increased availability of care could save the lives of women in Ethiopia and around the world.

If you are interested in attending or have any questions, please email notyetrain@ipas.org. Although an RSVP is not required, it will help us to know how many guests we should expect.

Ipas is an international organization that works around the world to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, and to reduce abortion-related deaths and injuries. We believe that women everywhere must have the opportunity to determine their futures, care for their families and manage their fertility.

Directions: Here is a link for detailed directions to the Durham Arts Council http://www.durhamarts.org/facility_directions.html

WOLA-Duke Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America 2009

The Archive for Human Rights at Duke Libraries, the Duke Human Rights Center, and The Washington Office on Latin America announce the second annual WOLA-Duke Book Award for Human Rights in Latin America for the best current, non-fiction book published in English on human rights, democracy and social justice in contemporary Latin America. The award is accompanied by a $1,000 prize.

The award will be given in the fall of 2009 jointly by WOLA and Duke University. Scholarly and popular books are eligible, either edited or authored. To be eligible, books must meet the following criteria:

• An original, non-fiction book related to issues of human rights, the rule of law, social and/or economic justice, and democracy, as they are broadly understood, in contemporary Latin America. Books should pertain to events that took place in roughly the past 25 years.
• Published in the English language by a commercial, university, or non-profit publishing concern. Books written originally in other languages and translated into English are eligible. Self-published books are not eligible.
• Published in the two years before the date of the award, including the year of the award. In other words, books published in 2008 and 2009 will be eligible for the 2009 prize. Books published before 2008 are not eligible.

Judges will be looking for books that offer important scholarly contributions to research on Latin America while also enriching the general public’s understanding of Latin America. The winning book will reflect the standards of originality, high-quality research and clear writing to which WOLA aspires in its own publications. The deadline for entries is June 15, 2009.

There is no entry form. Publishers, authors or readers may send nominations to:

The notice or letter should contain a short description of the book and publishing details; no supporting materials or reviews are necessary. Nominators may also send one copy of the book, although this is not required for nomination. For books due to be published in 2009 but after the entry deadline, nominators may send a pre-publication copy but must indicate the publication date. Judges are drawn from WOLA’s staff and its academic advisory board, Duke University, and the academic community at large.

The winner of the WOLA-Duke Book Award will be announced in the fall of 2009. He or she will be invited to give a reading later at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

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