BEARR News
BEARR Trust summer lecture 2021
“The Londongrad Laundromat and its consequences”, with journalist and ‘Moneyland’ author, Oliver Bullough We are delighted that award-winning journalist and author of Sunday Times Bestseller ‘Moneyland’, Oliver Bullough, gave this year’s Summer Lecture, “The Londongrad Laundromat and its consequences” on Wednesday 12 May via Zoom. Financial Times contributing editor John Lloyd chaired the event. It was a fascinating talk …
Project report: Gender Equality: the key to empowering women and eradicating poverty
Grantee: International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), Armenia Project: project on gender equality as a key to the role of women and poverty reduction, focusing on family entrepreneurship in a single village, and to create a community-based NGO. Our programme this year was carried out in exceptional conditions, both because of the coronavirus epidemic and the war in Nagorno …
One year on: Russia’s COVID-19 crisis
After a decade of economic stagnation, oil price instability, military conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and international sanctions and counter-sanctions, 2020 was to be a year of revival for President Putin and Russia. A constitutional referendum in April; national V-E Day celebrations in May; and the acceleration of the $362bn national investment plan to renew Russia’s public infrastructure, lift living standards, drive up economic growth and, …
Project report: a safe community for the women of Soghd region
Grant recipient: NGO “Sarchashma”, Tajikistan Project: Training Women’s Councils in southern jamoats, and raising awareness, working with men and boys as well as women and girls We want to see women and the whole community learn how to protect themselves and their loved ones from violence, to be the guardians of a safe society in matters of gender equality, to show …
Palliative care for children: training for medics in Belarus continues despite the pandemic
Daryl-Ann Hardman, Founding Trustee and Chairwoman of Friends of the Belarusian Children’s Hospice (UK) We have been working with Belarus for over 20 years. Our name reflects the identity of our main partner throughout this time: we are Friends of the Belarusian Children’s Hospice (UK). The first, and very natural, misapprehension to put to rest …
Small Grants Scheme 2021: Preliminary Results
The BEARR Trust’s 2021 Small Grants Scheme sought applications from across the region for projects to “reduce the social isolation of people living with disadvantage”. We did not specify the beneficiaries: instead, applicants were asked to describe the problems faced by the people they wished to help. Previous BEARR grantees were also invited to apply for some additional funding to …
Project report: women’s entrepreneurship
Promising potential for economic development Grantee: “Nurjolber”, KyrgyzstanProject: to raise awareness of domestic violence in Naryn province through support for entrepreneurship and small business development Global trends are showing a steady growth in women’s entrepreneurship. Despite having played a major role in creating jobs and improving social wellbeing, its development still faces great challenges in …
Project report: women for good governance
Grantee: NGO Center, Armenia Project: To promote gender-balanced, needs-responsive local government in targeted communities by establishing a participatory model. The programme “Women for good governance”, supported by the BEARR Trust Small Grants Scheme, was implemented by the NGO Center in Armenia. The programme was launched in May 2020. It aimed to promote gender-balanced and needs-based local self-government in target communities through the development of a community-based participatory model. It …
Report: BEARR’s 2021 Spring Lecture
Belarus: What happened and what next? with Nigel Gould-Davies February 2021 Protests against Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s 26-year regime grew ahead of presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020. After implausible election results gave Lukashenka a sixth presidential mandate, demonstrations intensified. Despite severe repression, large marches continued through the winter and into 2021. Yet the regime maintains its hold on power with …
Review: Harald Lipman’s “Memories of Moscow: Memoirs of a Medical Diplomat”
Humanity and Humour Nicola Ramsden “We were merely observers”, writes Dr Harald Lipman of the eventful years between 1983 and 1991 when, as 1st Secretary, Medical Attaché to the British Embassy in Moscow, “history was being made around us”. Dr Lipman did rather more than observe, however. He set up the Moscow Medical Association in 1987 to establish closer …
