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Last month I was in Canberra for a landmark day in the campaign for National Mental Health Reform in Australia. I was in the Australian capital for the Budget Lockup, an event at which members of the media and other stakeholder groups surrender their liberty and mobile phones for four hours in exchange for a preview of the nation's budget. Some of the happier expressions to be seen at this year's Lockup belonged to representatives of the mental health sector. A central theme of Budget 2011 was a major focus on mental health reform, with an injection of $1.5b of new Government money, complemented by reconfirming or reallocating $700m of pre-existing commitments, as part of a total investment of $2.2b over five years in a new National Mental Health Reform initiative. more »

Nicaragua is Central America's largest country by area (about 130,000 sq km) but has a relatively small population of just short of 6 million people. Located on the junction of three continental plates, Nicaragua is periodically shook by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes - such as the event that destroyed the capital Managua in 1972. The legacy of this techtonic volatility, matched by an equally turbulant political history (revolutionary slogans are still evident on political posters throughout the country) partly explains the desperate poverty of the country - the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere (80% of the population live on less than $2 a day). more »

When I first arrived in Guatemala I knew I wanted to get involved in social activism but had no idea where to even start looking. A recent Sociology and Latin American Studies graduate, I looked frantically for work in NGO’s, institutions, and education centers. Finally, I ended working for a multi-million dollar American corporation in Guatemala City. However, I could not neglect my passion. For so long I had wanted to do some good - you know, to actually make a change in the world. So when opportunity knocked on my door, there was no hesitation. more »