East African Media for Reconciliation is a coalition of immigrant serving organizations in Boston, MA that have come together to provide essential social services married with culturally appropriate media for new Americans from East African countries. Through the building of a media and social networking site for East African and the diaspora, the project would provide unbiased and culturally appropriate media, created in the West and open sourced for use in Somalia, Ethopia, Eritrea and the Sudan.

The project is led by Teodros Kiros, an internationally acclaimed scholar in the field of international development who conducts a regular television show in Boston. Building off the social service work of the network of organizations and Dr. Kiros's popular program, MCS (a nonprofit capacity building provider) would produce a website with expanded programming on issues of cultural and tribal conflict resolution and curricula for education and service programs for NGOs.

There is a dearth of quality programming available for East African immigrants who share significant cultural, religious and tribal bonds than other African immigrants or African Americans in the U.S. Internet usage is low in East Africa so we would rely on distributing content through academic institutions and existing media outlets within these countries.

While using technology within low technology literacy populations is innovative, the true innovation is in the programming itself. East African immigrants who have learned to work across religious, tribal, ethnic and national lines would be instrumental in building reconciliation and peace through media and support to NGOs in conflict-torn East Africa.

In addition: With representatives from Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Sudan, the network of immigrant serving organizations has deep cultural understanding that enable them to provide appropriate human services. MCS currently supports the capacity of these organizations by teaching Western management practices and providing implementation support.
One of the organizational leaders, Teodros Kiros, already has a high quality television program that lifts up the concerns of the East African community in New England. His production team would build off his interview program of high-profile leaders to provide culturally appropriate broadcast and social media to East African immigrants in New England.
For those with internet access, high production quality programs combined with social networking tools embedded in the media site would help to keep families connected between Boston and East Africa and to foster intercultural and inter-religious dialogue and conciliation. The site also would provide open courseware to NGOs on program development and management.
MCS has a twenty-year history of providing consulting and training to nonprofits, particularly with immigrant-servicng organizations. Extension of our partnership through this project would allow MCS to deliver relevant content through the cultural lens of East Africans.

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