2024 Bertha
Challenge Activist Fellows

Oyunchimeg Demchig

Location: Mongolia
Host Organization: The Mongolian Public Media Content Foundation

Oyunchimeg Demchig is a public media activist in Mongolia. With a career spanning over 25 years, she has worked tirelessly to promote freely accessible public interest information. She left traditional media in protest of state interference. Founder of the Mongolian Public Media Content Foundation, she has been dedicated to producing and distributing public interest content at no cost to media outlets. Her commitment to justice was acknowledged with a European Union Human Rights Award in 2020 for her advocacy against the criminalization of libel.

During her Fellowship year, Oyunaa created a documentary film on political disinformation about livestock farming in Mongolia.

Dennis Orengo Juma

Location: Kenya
Host Organization: Kiamaiko Social Justice Centre

Dennis Orengo Juma is a human rights defender with ten years’ experience in community organizing. He advocates against human trafficking and police extra judicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances. He is the founder of the ‘Karate for Social Justice’ tournament, a tool he uses for the promotion of justice at a grassroot level. Dennis is the founding member of the Social Justice Centers Working Group and has helped to establish over 15 social justice centers in Nairobi.

During his Bertha Challenge Fellowship, Dennis took ‘streetstorms’ - public performances highlighting climate disinformation perpetuated by politicians and religious leaders - to communities in some of Nairobi’s poorest areas, alongside community dialogue events. Dennis worked with communities affected by the catastrophic floods in June 2024 to challenge political claims that the floods were a “punishment from god” because of the failure of people to pray, rather than a result of profit-driven, climate destructive economic and environmental policy decisions. Dennis worked with a musician to create a music video about disinformation in relation to the floods. He also worked with communities to paint graffiti murals and planted 1,200 trees in local schools with pupils.

Song: ‘Climate change disinformation’ [September 2024]
Streetstorm: ‘Streetstorm theatre play’ [December 2024]

Bambang Catur Nusantara

Location: Indonesia
Host Organization: JATAM (Mining Advocacy Network)

Bambang Catur Nusantara’s hometown in Sidorajo was destroyed by the world's largest mud volcano in 2006, and Catur has tirelessly advocated for the rights of the mud-eruption affected communities ever since. The Indonesian government permits gas drilling companies new mining licenses despite research findings showing mud-flow areas contribute 100,000 tons of methane per year. Catur has been monitoring the ongoing environmental devastation caused by mining and in 2022, he and his colleagues wrote their findings in the book ‘Remedi Sidoarjo’.

During his Fellowship year, Catur worked with local communities at risk from the environmental impacts of extractive industries. He trained communities in testing water and air pollution enabling them to monitor environmental changes. Catur wrote a series of articles and created a short film showing the impacts of the fossil fuel industries in Indonesia, their contribution to the climate crisis, and how the extent of their usage is being falsely reported.

Article: ‘18 Years of Lapindo Mudflow: Pay attention to environmental pollution and public health’ [May 2024]
Article: ‘’Take Care of Springs not Tears,’ Youth Collaborative Narrative Commemorates Anti-Mining Day in Poco Leok’ [May 2024]
Article: ‘Endless Suffering of Lapindo Mudflow Victims’ [June 2024]
Article: ‘Contributors to the Climate Crisis: from Lapindo Mud to Halmahera Nickel’ [October 2024]
Podcast: ‘Energy disinformation’ [December 2024]
Podcast: ‘Disinformation and how to stop it’ [December 2024]
Podcast: ‘Industry and health risks’ [December 2024]
Film: ‘Energy transition hoaxes’ [December 2024]