Feature: Vote For Camuto!

It's like X Factor, international development style! And yes, there's a massive difference, as unlike previous X Factor winners, all of those up for the Guardian Achievement in International Development Award will leave a lasting impression on this world longer than any woeful Christmas No.1 record...

Of the 95 outstanding entries, a public vote will now decide on the champ from a shortlist of five – all amazing individuals – though Ctrl.Alt.Shift is stepping up and showing full backing support to Mauricio Agostinho Camuto; director of partner project Radio Ecclesia, Angola's only independent news station, which is committed to publicising corruption and human rights abuses. This man is a diamond in one of the roughest developing nations of Africa.

Democracy and social change are terms Angola is probably not familiar with, as low literacy rates and poor access to independent news sources leave little scope for public participation in government. However, Camuto chucks a blind eye to any obstacles facing his people, with his radio station breaking talking-point news stories such as the surge in the number of children dying from rabies in the country – food for thought for any government official.

He's playing a pivotal role in offering a forum for public debate on social issues, creating dedicated programming that exposes the causes and effects of poverty - with the citizens at the centre of policy-thinking and the decision-making process.

Of course, with limited facilities and resistance from many angles, Camuto doesn't expect positive change to happen overnight, but it is happening; for example, thanks to Community Listening Groups (one of Camuto's most successful initiatives), members of one group successfully persuaded their local authority to provide anti-retroviral drugs to children living with HIV.

It's a 'little by little' journey. And according to the Guardian online, Camuto's "steadfast commitment to independent broadcasting has turned listeners into stakeholders, and made a valuable contribution to activism and government accountability in Angola."

Big fan Myra Bernardi commented on Facebook: "Mauricio is truly an inspiring person - I really hope he wins this award as it will be such a boost for the whole radio and newspaper team at Radio Ecclesia. Radio E are basically the only source of independent news, rural reach and quality reporting in Angola, and make a huge difference to the country."

And I forgot to mention, Camuto also runs a magazine and online newspaper, O Apostolado.

The resume is impressive, worthy of a winner, and even one that Simon Cowell would give a thumbs-up to.

Click HERE and vote for Camuto! [1]

The other four candidates for the Guardian Acheivement in International Development Award are:

Javed Abidi: Founder of the National Centre for Promotion of Unemployment for Disabled People (NEPEDP) in India over a decade ago.

Maggy Barankitse: Runs Maison Shalom, a home for children orphaned by conflict and HIV/AIDS in the small town of Ruyigi, Burundi.

Chea Mony: President of the Free Trade Union (FTU) in Cambodia.

Fred Sai: Ghana's special advisor on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, and a lifelong advocate for the rights and needs of women.

For more information on all five finalists, please click HERE [2]