Chapter Activities The MISA Botswana chapter continued to engage with the findings of the national Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) to raise awareness, stimulate debate and help develop a national movement to promote gender equality in and through the media. The GMBS is still very relevant to the chapter in seminars and workshops as a reference tool for gender representation in the media. Following a successful visit to the north-eastern town of Selibe Phikwe for a gender workshop, a request has been made for more copies of the report. The chapter also took part in the March 2006 launch of the HIV and AIDS and Gender Baseline & Media Action Plan in Gaborone. MISA Lesotho continued to partner with other civil society organisations in the areas of HIV and AIDS, anti-corruption, media development, training, gender issues and public/private partnerships. These organisations include Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa (EISA), Lesotho Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Media Monitoring panel for the 2007 general elections, Lesotho Girl Guides’ Association, GEMSA Lesotho, Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations, UNICEF, the National AIDS Commission and Global Fund Lesotho. Towards the end of 2006, MISA Lesotho partnered with the Southern African Media and Gender Institute (SAMGI), an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa. SAMGI promotes human rights by increasing the range of voices heard in southern Africa through participatory education, advocacy, lobbying and media production to improve the status of women. The collaboration led to the hosting of a course that offered community based organisations, NGOs and community activists the analytical and media production skills to interact with the mainstream media to lobby for social transformation in Lesotho. The Lesotho Medical Association presented an award for outstanding service to MISA Lesotho on behalf of all media practitioners in the country. The award was in recognition of Lesotho emerging with the highest overall proportion of HIV and AIDS coverage in the region, following the administration of the HIV and AIDS and Gender Baseline Study by, among others, MISA and GEMSA. The implication of this is that the local media puts specific focus on HIV and AIDS issues as a globally devastating pandemic. MISA Lesotho also took part in a number of other events and activities, including being invited by the government to help adjudicate competitions held as part of Public Service Day 2006. The aim of the celebration was to recognise the efforts of public servants in Lesotho and the world over, and to seek a better understanding between the public and civil servants. This year the competition among government ministries focussed on service delivery, combating corruption and tackling HIV and AIDS. During the 16 Days of Gender Activism, MISA Lesotho partnered with, among others, WLSA, government departments, the National AIDS Commission, the media and civil society, and the celebrations stretched across eight districts of the country. MISA Namibia continued to place more emphasis on pro-active engagement with civil society, governmental and inter-governmental actors to ensure that a more conducive environment was created. The participation of the organisation in the 16 Days of Activism led to the organisation into taking a proactive approach in tracking the coverage of media issues from a gender perspective. The chapter also coordinated the development of a web clip for Annual Report 2007 51