Machizo’s project UnnayanTV has been recognized by Manathan Awarded 2008 in e-culture and entertainment category. The review of jury board of Manathan is as follows:
DESCRIPTION: Unnayan TV is the first online video channel in Bangladesh which regularly publishes video contents on development, human rights, and educational as well as cultural issues of the country. The non-profit project is an alternative initiative against the commercial media giants. The Bangla word “Unnayan” stands for “Development” i.e. “Development of human life and civilization”. The Unnayan TV project is registered under the host organisation “Machizo Multimedia Organisation ” by Bangladesh Government as a trade organisation. The project makes tremendous use of multimedia and web technology to produce and publish local content online. Simple online web technology is used for video distribution. News-content is sent and published through popular mailing list, blogs and online applications.
CITATION: The need to recognize grassroots and farfetched communities, their living conditions, culture and practices is very relevant for an inclusive growth and development agenda. With its efforts directed towards focusing the unreported Bangladesh, Unnayan TV is trying to create space for marginalized community, particularly the poor. There is an active involvement of young media professionals and journalists in this technology project making regular efforts to reach out to the unreached. Despite challenges equally unrelenting like lack of internet facilities, Unnayan TV is reaching out to the semi-urban and rural user communities and making efforts to provide various cultural and entertainment programmes to the farfetched and deprived viewer communities.
Reference link: http://manthanaward.org