This general issue of The Soul Beat contains project experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, and materials related to communication for development. This edition covers issues related to health and HIV/AIDS, information and communication technology, gender, natural resource management, peace-building and media for development in Africa.
If you would like your organisation's communication work or research and resource documents to be featured on the Soul Beat Africa website and in the Soul Beat newsletters please contact the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
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EXPERIENCES
1. Betengna – Ethiopia
This is a radio series of self-narrated stories dealing with the everyday lives of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in Ethiopia. Launched in October 2006, the programme showcases the diaries of ordinary people living with HIV/AIDS, their experiences, and the challenges of living with the pandemic. Managed by the national AIDS Resource Center (ARC) in Addis Ababa, the series also addresses the issues of stigmatisation and marginalisation. The diaries are produced in the Amharic language and can be accessed online.
Contact Sofnias Nega Sofniasn@etharc.org
2. Youth-to-Youth - Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
Initiated by the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) in 1999, the Youth-to-Youth, or Y2Y Initiative, is a multi-faceted programme designed to improve the sexual and reproductive health of young people by young people. Y2Y is currently being implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Although the specific implementation of activities varies from country to country, the general activities include: establishing and strengthening youth clubs or peer groups; providing mass information, education, and communication (IEC) on sexual and reproductive health; and providing sexual and reproductive health services.
Contact Alexandra Müller alexandra.mueller@dsw-hannover.de
3. Green Belt Movement Kenya
This is a woman's civil society organisation, based in Kenya, advocating for human rights and supporting good governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. The organisation addresses the challenges of deforestation, soil erosion and lack of water by promoting the planting of trees. This at the same time empowers women as they become environmental champions and are provided with income generating activities. The tree planting activities are also supported by civic education, advocacy and networking, and training. Green Belt Movement was started in 1977 by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
Contact media@greenbeltmovement.org OR jkaruga@greenbeltmovement.org
4. PROTEGE QV's Radio Training – Cameroon
Promotion of Technologies that Guarantee Environment and a better Quality of Life (PROTEGE QV) is a Cameroonian organisation working for the betterment of the community through information sharing, training, and research. In 2005 and 2006 PROTEGE QV, with the support of Commonwealth of Learning, developed a radio-based training programme for women entrepreneurs in Cameroon to support them in setting up small businesses. The goal of the project was to use radio-based learning and cell phones to give rural women skills that would stimulate their desire to move from survivalist activities to professional engagement in micro-enterprises. Besides the use of ICTs, the project involved the training of “communicators” who would help train other women and multiply the impact of the project.
Contact pegmidebana@yahoo.fr OR sylviesiyam@protegeqv.org
EVALUATIONS
5. The Africa Multi-Country AIDS Program 2000-2006: Results of the World Bank's Response to a Development Crisis
According to this World Bank report, communication strategies such as the mobilisation of empowered "grassroots" communities - along with delivering condoms and life-saving treatments - are beginning to slow the pace of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The core point to emerge from the report is that continued success in curbing the epidemic will depend on marshalling effective prevention, care, and treatment measures to boost "social immune systems" in African countries - that is, by changing people's beliefs, perceptions, and social and individual behaviours around the disease.
6. Mid-Term Evaluation of Search for Common Ground (Centre Lokolé) "Supporting Congo's Transition Towards Sustainable Peace" Programme in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
This report documents a mid-term output-to-purpose review to assess Search for Common Ground (SFCG)'s "Supporting Congo's Transition towards Sustainable Peace" programme, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). The report assesses the use of communication and the media to lay the foundations for sustainable peace in the Eastern Congo. Project activities focus on conflict transformation, media training and, to a lesser extent, community reconciliation.
STRATEGIC THINKING
7. TB and HIV - What the Papers Aren't Saying: How Can We Enhance Media Coverage of TB?
This report, on the need to enhance media coverage of tuberculosis (TB), argues that increasing mass media coverage of TB is crucial in helping to tackle the disease. Media coverage is one of the main ways people receive health information, and media coverage keeps TB on the public agenda so that health policymakers take notice. The paper is based on findings from a 2006 content analysis of print media in 12 countries - including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique - which found little TB coverage in local or national print media, despite the fact that these countries rank among the highest TB burden countries in the world. The authors argue that the main reasons behind the lack of coverage are the health sector’s failure to engage with journalists adequately and the media's unwillingness to prioritise health stories.
8. Magnet Theatre: Involving Audiences and Encouraging Change
This document describes the methodology used by the Magnet Theatre Intervention developed by PATH to bring about behaviour change in communities. PATH has used Magnet Theatre in Kenya to encourage community dialogue around HIV and AIDS, consequences of early marriage, and TB prevention and treatment. The Magnet Theatre intervention is designed to not only entertain and educate, but to involve audience members in the action and encourage the kind of participation and reflection that is considered key to sustained behaviour change.
9. Coming Home: Understanding Why Commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army Choose to Return to a Civilian Life
This report looks at the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) commanders' return to civilian life in Uganda following years of civil war. The document examines the factors that contributed to the decision to return home and found that communication played an important role. While radio broadcasts were considered the most accessible source of information, the report found that telephone conversations, letters, notes and personal contacts between LRA commanders and members of their families and communities also contributed to influencing the decision to return. Based on this, the report makes recommendations on how the process of encouraging middle-ranking LRA commanders to return can be strengthened.
10. Rural-Urban Digital Divide? Regional Aspects Of Internet Use In Tanzania
Presented at the 9th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, this document looks at the digital divide within Tanzania. Based on a survey among Tanzanian internet café users in rural, semi-urban, and central regions of the country, authors find that the divide is mainly a question of finding venues with technology to access the internet. The internet users and usage at the different sites are more uniform than anticipated, with, however, a few significant differences.
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MATERIALS
11. The Black Tigers Comic Book
This 26-issue comic book series was produced by the March Project of the National Defense Force of Ethiopia (NDFE), an initiative that aims to encourage behaviour change among the armed forces in Ethiopia to prevent the transmission of HIV. The comic uses drama, humour and tragedy to highlight how HIV and AIDS affect Ethiopian servicemen. The series, written in Amharic, follows four servicemen as they confront difficult issues and decisions related to HIV.
12. The Key Steps in Establishing Participatory Forest Management - A field manual to guide practitioners in Ethiopia
This manual describes the key elements of Participatory Forest Management. The methods to promote the wide involvement of all sectors of the community were developed and adapted for the Ethiopian context during a ten-year period of learning. The manual aims to describe the various approaches which were used to ensure full participation by all stakeholders. It can be used as a training manual and field guide and is aimed at both community forest managers and forestry professionals.
13. A Guide to Gender and Malaria Resources
This guide, published by Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership and Kvinnoforum, provides information on how gendered biological and social differences affect women both as malaria sufferers and as principal caregivers. This publication was produced as a result of the October 2005 consultative meeting of the organisations authoring the book and Femmes Africa Solidarite with the research network Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Research.
14. Media Resource Pack on Sexual and Reproductive Health
This online media resource pack from Panos London includes a range of resources meant to brief the media on raising the visibility of issues related to sexual and reproductive health services. Along with a media briefing document, there are 6 feature stories - 3 print stories and 3 radio features - to illustrate the scope of how media can enhance and inform public debate on sexual and reproductive health issues. The resource pack, according to its publisher, is designed to help editors, producers and journalists cover the complex issues that surround the right to health and access to sexual and reproductive health services.
15. Stealing the Future: Corruption in the Classroom
This booklet by Transparency International (TI) addresses corruption in the education sector. It cites the need for instruments to curb corrupt practices to ensure that funds allocated are contributing to achieving goals in the current context of decentralisation, privatisation, globalisation, and diversification of educational services.
16. ICTs for Agricultural Livelihoods
This booklet highlights the lessons learned and achievements of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and its partners in using information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) to support agricultural livelihoods. It is part of a series of IICD reports on the use of ICT4D in various sectors with the hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the opportunities of employing ICTs and their contribution to reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
UNIVERSITIES
17. University of Malawi - Malawi
From its inception, the major thrust of the Fine and Performing Arts Department has been that of linking artistic/cultural expression with national development. The Department offers a Masters of Arts in Theatre for Development.
18. Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) – Nigeria
The major focus of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts at ABU are the development theatre and development communication courses which begin at the undergraduate level and run up to the postgraduate or graduate levels.
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The Soul Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Please send material for The Soul Beat to the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
