The Soul Beat Archives

The Soul Beat 119 - HIV Prevention - Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP)

Click here to view all archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Regional Onelove HIV Prevention Campaign - Update

aventh — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:43:05 -0800

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* MEET JOE BOOKLET crosses borders and identities
* RECENTLY LAUNCHED ONELOVE CAMPAIGNS in Southern Africa
* Spotlight on the ONELOVE WEBSITE
* Update on OTHER ONELOVE CAMPAIGNS in the region
* SOUL BEAT HIV/AIDS THEMESITE for information on MCP

This issue of The Soul Beat is about the Onelove Campaign, a regional HIV prevention campaign which is currently being rolled out across southern Africa. This 5-year campaign, led by a range of HIV/AIDS non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their partners, aims to, amongst other things, reduce the prevalence of multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP), which have been identified as one of the main drivers of HIV infection in the region. The countries involved in this campaign are Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In March this year we published the first newsletter on Onelove which highlighted the campaigns in South Africa, Tanzania, Lesotho, and Swaziland. In this issue, we focus on the campaigns that have launched since then - Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique. We also give an update on all the other campaigns and highlight some of the resource materials and research reports that have been produced by some of the campaigns since the last newsletter.

Click here to view the previous Soul Beat newsletter on the regional Onelove Campaign (which also offers more background information).

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To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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ONELOVE REGIONAL CAMPAIGN MATERIAL

While the Onelove campaigns in each country produce their own materials, there are some communication materials that are being produced and used across the region as part of the regional cross-border Onelove campaign.

1. Meet Joe Booklet
Meet Joe is a story booklet that complements a one-minute animated television public service announcement (PSA). The booklet forms part of the regional Onelove campaign and is being distributed across all countries involved in Onelove. Meet Joe highlights sexual networks and how having more than one sexual partner at the same time puts one at risk of HIV and AIDS. The concept behind the comic and the PSA is to represent people without showing identities or specific racial or cultural groups. It seeks to cross borders and boundaries and is designed to present the message in a fresh and innovative way.

RECENTLY LAUNCHED ONELOVE CAMPAIGNS

ZAMBIA

2. One Love. Kwasila! - Zambia
Launched in June 2009, the One Love. Kwasila! campaign is a partnership between the National AIDS Council, the Ministry of Health, Health Communications Partnership Zambia, Zambia Centre for Communications Programmes, and Society for Family Health. The centrepiece of the campaign is a Zambian-produced 10-part television edutainment miniseries called Club Risky Business which looks at how MCP are helping to spread HIV in Zambia. The story is anchored around the local bar (Risky Business) that the three main male characters frequent and through their conversations the series explores the various social, cultural, and gender dynamics surrounding MCP, the riskiness of the sexual network, and the idea that a lifelong relationship can be happy and fulfilling. The campaign also involves radio, television talkshows, a feature length film, print materials, and a website. One Love. Kwasila! is also conducting advocacy, training, and events with parliamentarians, musicians, and faith-based organisations. Click here to read more.
Contact Faraz Naqvi farazn@hcp.org.zm OR Miriam Mukamba miriamm@sfh.org.zm OR Douglas Hampande dhampande@nacsec.org.zm OR Grace Chipanta gracesinyangwe@yahoo.com OR Media 365 frontdesk@media365.co.zm

3. Onelove Advocacy Leaflet
3. Onelove Advocacy Leaflet
Published for the One Love. Kwasila! campaign, this advocacy leaflet is designed for National Assembly staff, parliamentarians, and programme managers to support advocacy efforts related to MCP and HIV prevention. Using diagrammes to illustrate the risks associated with MCP, the leaflet explains in detail the concept of MCP and why it is so crucial to address this issue. The diagrammes are based on the "Men's Health Kit", a counselling tool for health providers produced by the Health Communication Partnership Zambia.

ZIMBABWE

4. Onelove Campaign Zimbabwe
Launched in June 2009, Zimbabwe's Onelove Campaign is spearheaded by Action, a non-governmental organisation working in health and development communication, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, and the National AIDS Council (NAC) in Zimbabwe. The multimedia campaign consists of print, radio, and television components which are produced by different implementing partners of the campaign. The campaign has produced three booklets on relationships (see below). Click here to read more.
Contact Action caroline@action.co.zw OR taka@action.co.zw

5. A Loving Relationship - Finding It and Keeping It
This booklet is designed to help couples talk to one another and improve their relationships. According to the publishers, research has shown that problems in a relationship may lead to risky sexual behaviour, which increases a couple's chance of getting HIV. The booklet contains information on how to effectively communicate within a relationship, and suggests that couples should read the information together.

6. Loving Carefully - A Guide For Women
This booklet is meant to help women talk to their husbands, partners, and boyfriends about their relationships. One specific focus is on talking about HIV risk and the need for safe sexual practices within relationships.

7. Loving With Respect - A Guide for Men Who Care
This booklet is designed to help men look at how their actions can reflect the love and care towards the important women in their lives which could be girlfriends, wives, partners, or mothers and daughters.

MALAWI

8. Onelove Campaign Malawi
Launched in October 2009, the Onelove campaign in Malawi is being rolled out with a number of partners including those from the faith-based community, from the private and public sectors, from NGOs, and from the police and armed forces. The campaign activities, which include mass media and social mobilisation, are being implemented by a cross section of these partners. The media component will comprise a television talk show, a radio drama series and radio talk shows, public service announcements, and the distribution of booklets and other print materials. Social mobilisation activities are planned and will involve various interpersonal communication activities and community outreach activities. Click here to read more.
Contact National AIDS Council Malawi nac@aidsmalawi.org.mw OR Pakachere info@pakachere.org OR PSI Malawi info@psimalawi.org OR Bridge Project Malawi gmkandawire@malawibridge.org

9. Sexual Partners and Our Lives
This booklet, published by Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication as part of the OneLove campaign in Malawi, is designed to raise awareness of the risks of having multiple partnerships and to offer guidance on how to have safe and fulfilling sexual relationships.

MOZAMBIQUE

10. Amores a Mais é Demais Campaign - Mozambique
N´weti launched its campaign on November 6 2009. The campaign was launched in the media through the broadcast of a television spot called "You haven't met Ze yet". Called "Amores a Mais é Demais", the campaign name basically translates to "having many lovers is not worth the risk". During the next three months N´weti will roll out a range of multimedia about MCP which will include a radio drama series (in 2 languages, broadcast over 60 community radios throughout Mozambique), a short film, the distribution of more than one million copies of a booklet, as well as television and radio spots.
For more information contact Maura Quatorze maura.quatorze@nweti.org.mz
(a detailed programme experience of this campaign will be published on the Soul Beat Africa website shortly and will be featured in the next Soul Beat newsletter on Onelove in 2010)

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ONELOVE CAMPAIGN WEBSITE

For up-to-date information on each country campaign and related activities and products, go to the Onelove Campaign website.

The campaign website also offers quizzes, interviews, articles, blogs, and photos related to Onelove and MCP.

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UPDATES ON OTHER ONELOVE CAMPAIGNS

SOUTH AFRICA

11. Onelove Campaign South Africa
Launched in January 2009, the Soul City 9 television series has been a central part of the Onelove campaign in South Africa. Other more recent activities have included a radio drama which was broadcast across nine SABC African language radio stations over two months. The 30-episode radio drama was designed to encourage people to talk about key issues that drive multiple sexual relationships and to challenge some of these drivers - for example, notions of masculinity that encourage multiple sexual partners. A Onelove song and music video was released featuring some of South Africa's top musical talent. The Onelove song emphasises the need to talk, protect, and respect in line with the campaign message. Most recently, Soul City has produced the SoulSex book (see below). Click here to read more.
Contact Soul City Institute for Health & Development Communication soulcity@soulcity.org.za

12. SoulSex - An Adult's Guide to Building a Long-lasting and Happy Relationship with One Sexual Partner
Published in October 2009, Soul City developed this book in response to research which shows that one of the drivers of multiple partners is sexual dissatisfaction. This book is about how to have good sex and how to communicate about sex within a loving relationship and in the context of a generalised HIV/AIDS epidemic. It has sections about what makes great relationships, understanding your body, understanding the joy of love-making, sex at different phases of one's life as well as sex and healthy living. The book is also illustrated with pictures of characters from the 9th series of the television edudrama Soul City.

13. Advice Columns in South African Print Publications
This report focuses on a study initiated by Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication as part of the OneLove campaign. Published in August 2009, the study surveyed advice columns in 13 mainstream South African publications over a three-month period and found that while about 60% of letters to columns asked for advice about relationships, less than half received answers that included anything related to HIV risk, prevention, or treatment. Instead, advice columnists chose to focus on the emotional or "moral" issues of, for instance, MCP. The report recommends that columnists should talk more about HIV-risk behaviours, avoid moralising, and provide readers with additional resources for further information.

TANZANIA

14. Onelove Campaign Tanzania
Launched in October 2008, one of the key activities of the campaign involves a segment on the existing weekly Fema TV Talk Show which is dedicated to the messages of the Onelove Campaign. It consists of a 3-minute vignette on partner communication featuring the characters of Bwana Ishi and Tuli. The audience of Fema TV Talk Show follow how this young couple takes on the challenge of partner communication - committing to talk to, respect and protect each other. In August 2009 a second season of the show was launched. The Onelove campaign in Tanzania is also working with Mediae to integrate Onelove MCP messages into an existing radio soap called Pilika Pilika. Click here to read more.
Contact Femina HIP diana@feminahip.or.tz OR info@feminahip.or.tz

15. OneLove Campaign: Youth Perceptions on the Bwana Ishi and Tuli Sketches Featured in Fema TV Talk Show
This report, published in May 2009, was produced as part of the Onelove Campaign in Tanzania. The report shares findings about youth's perceptions about the Bwana Ishi and Tuli sketches that are featured on the Fema TV Talk Show and seeks to determine how the messages from the Onelove campaign are being received among the intended audience group. Based on questionnaires and focus group discussions, the study shows that the sketches have considerable impact on viewers, indicating that youth are sensitive to the programme messages.

LESOTHO

16. Onelove Campaign Lesotho
The Onelove campaign in Lesotho was launched in January 2009 and is run by Phela Health and Development Communications along with C-Change and its member organisations Soul City, Social Surveys, and Care. In October 2009, the campaign launched the Onelove radio drama which aims to encourage people to reduce the number of sexual partners. The 45-episode drama was accompanied by a short message service (SMS)-based competition. Phela, in partnership with C-Change, also established a community outreach programme to complement the media components. 560 community dialogue facilitators in different parts of the country were trained. These facilitators carried out dialogues in their respective communities over a period of 8 weeks. Click here to read more.
Contact Phela Health and Development Communications hope@phela.org.ls

SWAZILAND

17. Onelove Campaign Swaziland
Launched in March 2009, the campaign makes use of rolemodels as a strategy to influence people's behaviour. The campaign aims to showcase positive dating patterns and good relationships in order to encourage people to stop engaging in multiple concurrent sexual relationships. In October 2009, the Onelove radio drama series was launched, which looks at the complexity of relationships and seeks to illustrate how sexual dissatisfaction and lack of communication in relationships can lead to MCP. It also draws attention to the serious consequences of engaging in intergenerational sex and transactional sex. A Onelove booklet entitled Healthy Relationships is scheduled to be launched at the end of November and will be distributed at health centres, libraries, community centres, government offices, and a selection of shops and supermarkets.Click here to read more.
Contact Lusweti Institute of Health and Development fortunate@lusweti.org.sz

NAMIBIA

18. Onelove in Namibia
Desert Soul is working closely with the national Namibian MCP campaign called “Break the Chain” by supporting the conceptualisation and review of materials produced by the national campaign. They are also producing their own materials under the Onelove logo to support the national campaign. These activities include the production of a radio drama which is accompanied by a live discussion on issues raised in the drama such as reasons for cheating, MCP within marriages, and communication in relationships. Desert Soul is also developing booklets and television programmes on MCP. Currently, a PSA called "Meet Jo" is being screened in 56 branches of a local bank in Namibia.
For more information contact Desert Soul julia@deserthdc.com

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SOUL BEAT HIV/AIDS THEME SITE

The Soul Beat Africa HIV/AIDS theme site provides a specific focus on information related to HIV/AIDS on the Soul Beat Africa site. The theme site also has a special focus area on MCP in order to support the work of initiatives such as the Onelove Campaign.

Click here to go to the HIV/AIDS theme site.

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To view more HIV and AIDS related previous issues of The Soul Beat newsletter see:

The Soul Beat 112 - Materials - HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, and Lifeskills

Click here to view all archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Communication and Gender-based Violence

aventh — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:47:36 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* PROGRAMME PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES involving men and encouraging dialogue
* Lessons learned from EVALUATIONS of GBV campaigns
* Denouncing GENDER VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA
* STRATEGIC THINKING around gender activism, adolescents, and women's rights
* MORE GENDER-RELATED INFORMATION on the Soul Beat Africa website
* MATERIALS to support communication and community involvement

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In anticipation of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence which begins next month (November 24 to December 10), this edition of The Soul Beat looks at the role of communication in programmes that deal with gender-based violence (GBV). The newsletter includes programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, and materials related to increasing awareness, dialogue, and activism to prevent GBV in Africa.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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1. Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) - Kenya
Initiated in 2001, Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) Kenya is a network of men and women activists who engage in community education work, advocacy, and campaigning in order to put an end to gender-based violence (GBV) and challenge unequal gender power relations and harmful definitions of masculinity. Besides offering support services for victims of GBV, the organisation also runs an artist programme in which a team of artists develops skits, songs, and other forms of drama that deal with unequal power relations between men and women, gender-based violence, and HIV and AIDS. The team also do ambush-theatre on the streets and in market places, followed by guided discussions on the topics covered.
Contact MEGEN mentomen@femnet.or.ke

2. Musasa Project - Zimbabwe
The Musasa Project is a Zimbabwean non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works to challenge cultural values and community attitudes that condone and justify violence against women. The project provides shelter as well as legal and counselling services to women and also works to create awareness about domestic violence and its effects on the social and economic development of Zimbabwe. To build awareness and change prevailing social attitudes that support GBV, Musasa organises annual media campaigns, conducts radio discussions, and offers gender sensitive training for community representatives and service providers.
Contact Linda Musiyiwa director@musasaproject.co.zw

3. Shukumisa - South Africa
Launched on November 2008 in South Africa, the Shukumisa (to stir and shake up) Campaign is a national initiative launched by the National Working Group on Sexual Offences calling on the state to account for its responses to survivors of sexual violence. The project is a product of 26 organisations working with adult and child survivors of sexual violence to ensure that effective and appropriate laws around sexual offences are passed. The purpose of the Shukumisa campaign is to monitor the implementation of laws and policies relevant to sexual offences and hold service providers to account for ineffective implementation.
Contact Lisa Vetten lisa@tlac.org.za

4. Through Our Eyes - Guinea, Liberia
The American Refugee Committee International (ARC) and Communication for Change (C4C) undertook a community-based media project designed to raise awareness of, and help to prevent, gender-based violence (GBV) in conflict-affected communities. Following a 2-week training workshop, local teams comprised of ARC field staff and community members began producing local-language videotapes on various forms of GBV, their consequences, and ARC's prevention and response programmes. Through local screenings of these tapes and accompanying discussion sessions, community members shared experiences and gained information about available services, including legal aid, counselling, and skills training programmes that are designed to foster women's economic independence.
Contact Lauren Goodsmith lauren_goodsmith@hotmail.com OR Connie Kamara ConnieK@archq.org

5. SASA! - Uganda
SASA! is a methodology and approach designed by the Uganda-based NGO Raising Voices, which works with women and children to explore the gender aspects of power and to address the link between violence against women (VAW) and HIV/AIDS. Sasa is a Kiswahili word for “now!” and also serves as an acronym for the key components of the programme: Start, Awareness, Support, and Action. The programme seeks to prevent VAW and HIV by changing the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate power imbalances in relationships between men and women. The programme provides organisations with practical materials and information that they can incorporate into their existing HIV and VAW programmes. In January 2008, Raising Voices, in partnership with the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention, started using SASA! in four communities in Kampala, Uganda.
Contact info@raisingvoices.org

6. Intercultural Dialogue on Violence against Women - Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Spain
In 2007, the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) carried out a project designed to enhance the active participation of women in intercultural dialogue about violence against women, as well as to develop and diffuse strategies for overcoming discrimination and violence against women in the Euro-Med region. With funding from the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, MIGS and 4 co-participating organisations from the 5 countries in the region each identified 5 women from diverse backgrounds to discuss and identify areas of common concern.
Contact Rania Tollefson rania@medinstgenderstudies.org

7. Stop The Bus! I Want To Get On: Lessons From Campaigns to End Violence Against Women in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Ghana
By Kathleen Dey, Judith Chiyangwa, Netsy Fekade Odoi, Rachel Carter, and Kanwal Ahluwalia
This report from 2008 offers lessons learned from the "Stop the Bus" campaigns which were run in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Ghana to raise awareness about and contribute to a reduction in violence against women. The report includes lessons and guidelines for NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs) to encourage community awareness and understanding of gender-based violence, as well as to help those organisations build campaign strategies, and monitor their impact effectively. The report highlights the fact that community involvement and ownership of the campaign initiatives is essential to their long-term success.

8. Changing Gender Norms Among Women and Men in Uganda: A Report on the Evaluation of African Transformation
By Carol Underwood, Jane Brown, Donna Shrard, Basil Tushabe, and Afeefa Abdur-Rahman
This report from 2007 documents the findings of a study that evaluated the effects of participation in the African Transformation (AT) programme in Uganda. The programme is designed to promote gender equity, participatory development, and community action, and comprises a kit containing a series of video profiles of women and men who overcame gender barriers and challenges in their own lives and became role models to others. Participants view and discuss the profiles during interactive community-based workshops led by trained facilitators. The report notes that while gender norms are influenced positively by participation in the workshops, transforming deep-seated norms takes time. The authors found that those who participated in more sessions registered greater change, suggesting that participation over a series of sessions is needed to allow for the penetration and exploration of ideas.

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DENOUNCING GENDER VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA

From November 25 to December 10, the Women's International Network of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC-WIN) will participate in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence with an internet campaign designed to denounce gender violence in the media and transform media into a catalyst to end violence against women. Click here for more information and to download audio files.

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9. Communicating Change: Learning from Women's Rights Activists’ Campaigns for Legal and Policy Change
By Alexandra Pittman and Anna Workman
This resource report analyses activists' experiences in communicating change for women's equal rights. Seventy women’s rights campaigns that intended to achieve legislative or policy change at the local, national, or international levels were studied. This Global Strategies for Change (GSC) project was inspired by the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) International Forum in 2005 and was conducted from May 2006 to May 2008 with the support of an AWID Forum seed grant.

10. Early Sexual Debut, Sexual Violence, and Sexual Risk-Taking among Pregnant Adolescents and Their Peers in Jamaica and Uganda
By Maxine Wedderburn ,Jennifer Wagman, Cynthia Waszak Geary, Joy Noel Baumgartner, Heidi Toms Tucker, and Laura Johnson
From the Youth Research Working Paper Series of Family Health International (FHI), this eighth Working Paper, published in 2008, focuses on early sexual début and experiences of sexual coercion/violence as they relate to each other and to unintended adolescent pregnancy. The purpose of the project was to identify risk factors for adolescent pregnancy in order to inform culturally appropriate programs that aim to prevent unintended adolescent pregnancy. The research showed that for many of the participants, their first sex was coerced, and that therefore the timing of their sexual début was not a choice.

11. Women's Property Rights, HIV and AIDS, and Domestic Violence: Research Findings from Two Rural Districts in South Africa and Uganda
By Hema Swaminathan, Kimberly Ashburn, Aslihan Kes, Nata Duvvury, Cherryl Walker, Michael Aliber, Busi Nkosi, Margaret A. Rugadya, and Kamusiime Herbert
This report, published in 2007 by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) in collaboration with the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa and Associates for Development in Uganda, explores the links between women's ownership of housing and land and their vulnerability to domestic violence and HIV and AIDS. Based on in-depth interviews with 120 women from sites in Uganda and South Africa, the report argues that while property ownership is not easily linked to women's ability to prevent HIV infection, it may help mitigate HIV/AIDS' social impacts by allowing women to leave violent or unpleasant situations.

12. Understanding Men's Health and Use of Violence: Interface of Rape and HIV in South Africa
By Rachel Jewkes, Yandisa Sikweyiya, Robert Morrell, and Kristin Dunkle
This report, published by the Gender and Health Research Unit of the Medical Research Council (MRC) in 2009, is based on research that sought to understand the prevalence of rape perpetration in a random sample of community-based adult men, to understand factors associated with rape perpetration, and to describe intersections between rape, physical intimate partner violence, and HIV. The authors argue that high levels of rape are rooted in negative conceptions of masculinity and that the problem cannot solely be addressed through criminal prosecution, but requires a broader approach that addresses these conceptions of manhood.

13. Women Building Peace and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict-Affected Contexts: A Review of Community-Based Approaches
By Annalise Moser
This United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) document focuses on specific thematic areas of good practice in the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and women's participation in peacebuilding. The study was developed as a background document to inform programming and advocacy within the context of UNIFEM programming, and builds on country-level visits conducted in early 2007.

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MORE INFORMATION ON GENDER ON THE SOUL BEAT AFRICA WEBSITE

Click here for more information on gender and gender-based violence on the Soul Beat Africa website.

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The Soul Beat 110 - Involving Boys and Men

14. Empowering Messages - What You Should Know: Strategic Communication and Gender-based Violence
This guide, published by Media Monitoring Africa in 2009, is designed to be a comprehensive resource that specifically addresses the development and implementation of communication around issues related to gender-based violence. The guidelines are a tool for those involved in work against gender-based violence and include core concepts such as understanding your intended audience and how to approach monitoring and evaluation.

15. Nobody Is Immune: Gender Against Men [Documentary]
Produced by the Refugee Law Project in June 2009, this documentary explores "the hidden world of sexual and gender-based violence against men in the conflicts of the Great Lakes region." According to the producers, it is a movie about men, violence, and the inability of society to recognise or address male vulnerability in times of conflict. The movie is intended to raise as many questions as it gives answers in its quest for an honest examination of the gender stereotypes underlying mainstream approaches to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

16. Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through Community Empowerment
This publication was written for community members who attended workshops held by the Gender Research and Advocacy Project of the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia during 2008. The workshops were held across the 13 regions of Namibia in an attempt to identify some of the root causes of gender-based violence and help communities identify preventative actions they could implement, based on their understanding of the underlying issues in their community. It was written to serve as a record of the information discussed and the ideas generated during these workshops and to communicate this information to community members unable to attend.

17. Programming to Address Violence Against Women: 10 Case Studies
This 106-page volume documents the experience of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with addressing many forms of violence against women. Intended primarily for development practitioners and others seeking to change attitudes and practices, it offers lessons that can help scale up responses and confront the problem on a wider scale. The lessons are gleaned from case studies of the following 10 countries: Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Sierra Leone, and Turkey. The 2007 review is part of a series of explorations that UNFPA has undertaken over the past several years to look at the cultural dimensions of gender equality and reproductive health and rights.

18. Defying the Odds: Lessons Learnt from Men for Gender Equality Now
This book contains experiences and lessons learned from gender justice activists involved in Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) in Kenya. In the book, men share their personal experiences as individuals and as changemakers. Besides personal stories told by activists, this 2008 publication also includes short briefs on the work of MEGEN Kenya, highlighting the challenges, successes, and lessons learnt in different programme areas.

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For more gender-related previous issues of The Soul Beat newsletter see:

The Soul Beat 93 - Gender and Gender-based Violence

The Soul Beat 51 - MDG 3: Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

Click here to view all archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Film and Video for Development

aventh — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:03:33 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* PARTICIPATORY VIDEO experiences and guidelines
* MORE INFORMATION on FILM AND VIDEO on the Soul Beat Africa website
* Videos as EDUCATIONAL AND ADVOCACY TOOLS
* SHARE YOUR STORIES of collaboration and partnerships
* Reaching out to audiences through MOBILE CINEMA AND PUBLIC SCREENINGS

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This issue of The Soul Beat newsletter looks at the role that film and video can play in bringing about social change in Africa. The newsletter offers a selection of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, and materials from the Soul Beat Africa website that look specifically at the use of participatory video, the role of film and video as educational and advocacy tools, and the use of mobile cinema and public screenings to support community development.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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PARTICIPATORY VIDEO

1. ICT Update: Film-making Farmers
"Film-making Farmers" is the theme of this edition of ICT Update, a bimonthly newsletter focusing on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in agriculture in developing countries. This issue from 2006 looks at the use of digital video - participatory and otherwise - in agriculture and rural development. The articles include "Camcorders, Cassava and Crude", an investigation of how farmers and fishers in the Niger Delta are using a combination of participatory video, mobile-to-web messaging, and online video sharing to take on the oil companies that are polluting their lands and waters.

2. Children’s Voices - Namibia
This project, run by the Namibian NGO Positive Vibes (PV), is designed to educate children about their rights by giving them the space and skills to express themselves through videos, photography, radio, and arts. According to Positive Vibes, at the core of the project is the philosophy that children should be seen AND heard. Children have voices and, in a world shaped by adults, the project equips them with the confidence to formulate their own views and needs. At the same time the project provides adults with the opportunity to better understand and respond to these.
Contact Positive Vibes info@positivevibes.org

3. The Valley Trust and InsightShare Participatory Video Project - South Africa
The Valley Trust, a centre for health promotion in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, collaborated with InsightShare, a United Kingdom/France-based organisation using participatory video as a tool for empowering individuals and communities, and the community of Inanda to use participatory video to draw attention to community development issues. One video focused on the lack of water in the community despite pipes being laid and was used as a lobbying tool, while others addressed issues such as alcohol and drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. Members of the community planned, directed, and filmed each of the short videos.
Contact Valley Trust info@vtrust.org.za OR Chris Lunch clunch@insightshare.org

4. Ethical Issues in Using Participatory Video in Addressing Gender Violence in and Around Schools: the Challenges of Representation
by Relebohile Moletsane, Claudia Mitchell, Jean Stuart, Shannon Walsh, and Myra Taylor
This paper, presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in New York City in March 2008, discusses ethical and theoretical issues of conducting participatory research with young people. The report reflects the authors' work with boys and girls in rural schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, using participatory methodologies, particularly visual (photo-voice and video-documentaries), to examine the nature and impact of gender-based violence on the lives of young people, and explore possible strategies for intervention. The paper attempts to map out some of the key issues that the authors regard as critical to engaging ethically in research on gender-based violence in and around schools in South Africa, particularly when visual methodologies are used.

5. Insight into Participatory Video: A Handbook for the Field
by Nick Lunch and Chris Lunch
Written by the directors of InsightShare, a United Kingdom/France-based organisation using Participatory Video (PV) as a tool for empowering individuals and communities, this booklet aims to be a practical guide to setting up and running PV projects. Based on the authors' experience using PV in several countries, it offers an outline for facilitators to explore how to use video to encourage a lively, democratic process. Descriptions of games and exercises to introduce PV and case studies are illustrated with cartoons and photographs. A selection of video films made by local people and a training film are included in an accompanying CD-ROM.

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MORE INFORMATION ON FILM AND VIDEO ON THE SOUL BEAT AFRICA WEBSITE

If you are looking for more information on film and video and their role in development in Africa, go to the ALL SECTIONS section on the Soul Beat Africa website (located in the top of the left side navigation bar). This section gives you the full range of summaries on the Soul Beat Africa website from all knowledge sections e.g.: Programme Experiences, Evaluations, Strategic Thinking documents, Materials, etc.). Under Regions, choose a country or countries of your choice, and under Communication Tools select Film and Video and then submit.

The search results will include all summaries on the Soul Beat Africa website that deal with film and video.

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VIDEOS AS EDUCATIONAL AND ADVOCACY TOOLS

6. A Grandmother's Tribe: Documentary on HIV/AIDS - Kenya
Directed by Dean Easterbrook and Qiujing Wong and produced and distributed by Borderless Production, this is a 54-minute documentary film designed to increase awareness of the large numbers of grandmothers in Africa who struggle to care for orphans of HIV/AIDS. The film, which is available in Luo, Luhya, and Kiswahili with English subtitles, hopes to educate a wide audience of viewers, as well as raise funds, through public screenings. The project also developed a website and a discussion guide that allows people and organisations to take action and organise their own public screenings and fundraising activities.
Contact Qiujing Wong qiujing@borderlessproductions.com

7. The Silent Partner: HIV in Marriage
This 12-minute documentary was filmed and produced in Kenya by Population Action International (PAI). The film explores some of the complex realities of married women, and how the challenges of HIV prevention in this group defy simple solutions. According to the producers, the film urges a broader, integrated approach to preventing HIV, which includes confronting damaging social norms that put all people - men and women alike – at risk. It is designed to raise awareness of the risk of HIV transmission within marriage and illustrate the particular challenges facing married women.

8. Internews Peace-Building Films - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda
Internews, an international media development organisation, produced a series of 12 documentaries designed as part of a peace-building project to help populations of Rwanda and Eastern DRC, as well as ex-combatants, their families, and soldiers still in eastern Congolese forests, better understand each other and therefore encourage peaceful coexistance. Since November 2008 the documentaries have been screened in public places and in the general media in the two countries.
Contact info@internews.fr

9. "Not Yet Rain" Documentary Film
Not Yet Rain is a 22-minute short film by Lisa Russell, produced in association with international health organisation Ipas, which explores abortion in Ethiopia through the voices of women who have faced the challenge of finding safe care. Through their stories, the documentary highlights the important role that safe abortion care plays in the overall health of women and their families. While a law enacted in 2006 marked great progress toward reproductive freedom in Ethiopia, Not Yet Rain shows that changing the law is just the first step and that much more needs to be done as women continue to die from unsafe abortions. The film explains ways that additional training for health workers and increased availability of care could save countless women’s lives in Ethiopia and around the world.

10. Grandmother to Grandmother: New York to Tanzania - Documentary
This documentary examines the lives of grandmothers on two continents who are living with the effects of AIDS in their families and communities. This film introduces two projects – one in the Bronx, one in Tanzania - and tells the stories of how partnerships work to transform situations fraught with confusion and fear into opportunities for renewal and hope. According to the filmmakers, the founders of these projects are finding simple and effective ways to support grandmothers who are raising grandchildren. A discussion guide is available to facilitate group viewing. The filmmakers' hope in making this film is that when people, individually or in groups, view the documentary, they will be inspired to do something similar in their own communities. Toward this goal, the filmmakers are in the process of preparing materials that will facilitate the replication of the programmes.

11. First Steps Video Series
This 3-episode video series highlights core early childhood development issues and messages in 3 countries: Brazil, Uganda, and Moldova. It was produced by the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development (CGECCD), a global inter-agency consortium, in collaboration with Rockhopper TV. The series, which aired on the BBC in 2008 (but may be viewed online), is an advocacy tool highlighting the CGECCD's 4 "Cornerstones for Global Action" to secure a strong foundation for young children.

12. Rice Rural Learning Initiative - Africa
Initiated in 2005, this is a communication project by the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice, formerly called WARDA) designed to enhance farmers’ access to relevant technological and institutional innovations that help to improve agricultural performance and to create new linkages with other actors and service providers. The Rice Rural Learning Initiative builds on local innovations and on outcomes of participatory learning and action research to develop farmer-to-farmer videos. These are subsequently combined with mass media, working to stimulate learning on sustainable rice technologies related to land, water, crop, and post harvest management, as well as create awareness of the importance of collective action in natural resource management and marketing.
Contact Paul Van Mele p.vanmele@cgiar.org AND AfricaRice@cgiar.org

13. "Inspiration" Documentary Series - Africa
The African Environmental Film Foundation (AEFF) is an organisation that produces and distributes educational films about environmental issues in Africa, for the people of Africa, in their own languages. These films are designed to enable and inspire individuals and whole communities to make informed decisions about their own environment. In 2009, AEFF launched a new project which consisted of a series of half-hour films under the heading "Inspiration". Each film in the Inspiration series focuses on a particular individual (or small organisation) that is doing something positive for conservation and the environment with a view to improving their community’s quality of life and preserving biodiversity.
Click here to contact AEFF though an online form.

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SHARE YOUR STORY!

Soul Beat Africa has a new feature on the Soul Beat website called "CI Stories". It is an online place for Soul Beat network members to share details of any collaborations or interactions that have been sparked by the inclusion of their work on the Soul Beat Africa website or in our e-magazines. Click here to view existing stories and to submit your story.

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REACHING OUT TO AUDIENCES - MOBILE CINEMA AND PUBLIC SCREENINGS

14. Impact of FilmAid Programs in Kakuma, Kenya: Final Report
by Katherine Lee and Paul Bolton
This is an independent evaluation assessing the impact of FilmAid’s programme in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. FilmAid International (FilmAid) is a nonprofit organisation whose mission is to use the power of film to promote health, strengthen communities, and enrich the lives of vulnerable and uprooted populations. FilmAid seeks to offer programming that aims to facilitate social change by providing communication tools, information, and opportunities for people to come together to explore, debate, and express ideas. The purpose of this assessment, published in 2007, was to evaluate the impact of the FilmAid International programme in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kakuma, Kenya, which is the longest running of FilmAid’s programmes and serves over 90,000 refugees from nine African countries (as well as the local host community) in one of the largest camps in the world.

15. "Breaking the Silence" and Mobile Cinema - Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Breaking the Silence is a documentary film about sexual violence and abuse of women in the DRC. In 2009, to raise awareness and encourage dialogue about sexual abuse in the country, the United Nations Hugh Commission for Refugees (UNHRC) and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) organised community screenings of the film through mobile cinema. Assessments conducted after the screenings of Breaking the Silence in South Kivu indicate some improvement in the way men regard and treat women as well as greater sympathy and understanding for the plight of victims of sexual violence.
Contact Lena Slachmuijlder lenas@sfcg.org AND click here to contact the UNHCR though an online form.

16. A Mobile Cinema Experience in Niger: Reach and Impact
By Dominique Thaly
Cinéma Numérique Ambulant (CNA) is a mobile cinema project operating in Benin, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso since 2001. The CNA project shows educational films and African feature films, and conducts related debates in rural public settings. The case study discussed in this article from 2008 is designed to assess the medium-term impact of the CNA project on a rural audience in Niger. It suggests that while there are some limitations, the CNA model has significant potential to convey information in these settings.

17. Cinetoile Project - Africa
The Cinetoile project is a film distribution and promotion programme initiated by Brussels-based Africalia, with funding from the European Commission, that works to strengthen the film industry in Africa. According to the organisers, promoting and distributing African cinema is a means of increasing awareness among the general public of films produced in Africa and of the social development issues that they tackle. Amongst other activities, the project involves taking films to communities in villages, schools, and informal video halls.
Contact Cinetoile Project africalia@africalia.be

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To view previous related issues see:

The Soul Beat 28 - Children and Youth: Participation in Media

The Soul Beat 8 - Film and Video

Click here to all view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Climate Change and the Environment

aventh — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:05:18 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* CLIMATE CHANGE responses and communication
* COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION in protecting the environment
* JOIN THE CALL for a Strong Climate Treaty
* LINKING ENVIRONMENT to development, health, and gender
* THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA related to climate change and other environmental issues
* MORE INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENT on the Soul Beat Africa website
* Environmental COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS for visual arts and media

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This issue of The Soul Beat provides a selection of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, resource materials, and awards and funding opportunities related to the use of communication and media in raising awareness and stimulating action around environmental issues in Africa. It includes information related to climate change responses, community participation, the integration of environment and development, and the role of the media.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

COMMUNICATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

1. AfricaAdapt - Africa
Launched in 2009, AfricaAdapt is a bilingual (French/English) network that works to facilitate the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations, and communities that are vulnerable to climate variability and change across Africa. The network is a collaboration between the United Kingdom (UK)-based Institute of Development Studies and three African organisations: Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC). The network uses an interactive web-based information portal, as well as other media such as community radio, mobile phones, and print publications, to share information.
Contact Abebe Tadege Atadege@icpac.net OR Binetou Diagne binetou.diagne@gmail.com OR Blane Harvey b.harvey@ids.ac.uk OR Jacqueline Nnam jnnam@fara-africa.org OR AfricaAdapt info@africa-adapt.net AND help@africa-adapt.net

2. Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide
This report, published by the International Council on Human Rights Policy in 2008, discusses the human rights impacts of climate change and maps research agendas. It argues that human rights principles can guide climate change policy by focusing on individual suffering and exposure to risk. It includes forewords by Mary Robinson and Romina Picolotti and bases its discussion on the observation that climate change responses can be made more effective if policymakers include human rights thresholds (minimum acceptable levels of protection) when assessing future impacts of climate change and of adaptation and mitigation strategies.

3. Africa Talks Climate - Africa
Initiated ahead of the December 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen (COP15), Africa Talks Climate is a research and communication initiative of the BBC World Service Trust (WST) funded by the British Council. It is designed to provide insight into the public's understanding of climate change in Africa, highlighting their concerns and experiences, in order to stimulate awareness of climate change and enhance political attention and action. The research seeks to inform and improve communication around this complex issue.
Click here to contact the BBC World Service Trust though an online form.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATION

4. Miombo Environmental Evening Education (3E) - Zambia
The Miombo Environmental Evening Education (3E) is a project by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Southern Africa Regional Programme Office (SARPO), supported by the founder of M magazine through WWF Sweden, that seeks to encourage communities (especially schoolchildren and female adults) in the Bangweulu basin in North Eastern Zambia to take responsibility for conservation and restoration of the environment. The project seeks to popularise environmental issues through mobile film shows and participatory social learning in schools and communities.
Contact Lilian Goredema Lgoredema@wwfsarpo.org

5. A Community Guide to Environmental Health
By Jeff Conant and Pam Fadem
Developed in collaboration with communities from around the world, this resource provides practical and comprehensive strategies for grassroots groups that are organising to create better health and environmental conditions in their communities. The illustrated training and reference guide includes immediate preventive and first aid measures, as well as longer-term strategies for understanding and addressing the root causes of environmental health problems. It is designed to help health promoters, development workers, educators, activists, and community leaders take charge of their communities' environmental health.

6. TUNZA - Acting for a Better World
By Wagaki Mwangi and Angela Churie-Kallhauge
This United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) booklet for youth carries the title TUNZA, meaning "to treat with care or affection" in Kiswahili, a subregional language in Eastern Africa with links to many other languages. The booklet seeks to increase awareness on environmental issues among young people and to provide them with tips on how to address these issues in their communities. It is intended to reflect the innovation, creativity, and optimism of young people in taking action to safeguard the future of the environment.

7. Calabash - Namibia
The Calabash project is a civil society capacity building programme for countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region that aims to increase the ability of civil society to participate effectively in environmental decision-making and governance. Calabash is managed by the Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment (SAIEA), which is headquartered in Windhoek, Namibia. The programme objectives are to identify and expand opportunities for civil society involvement in decision-making through environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes. Calabash also aims to define issues and tools for integrating environmental planning, assessment, and management into small-scale, community-driven development.
Contact Peter Croal Peter_Croal@acdi-cida.gc.ca

8. Living in a Finite Environment (LIFE) - Namibia
Initiated in 1993, Living in a Finite Environment (LIFE) is a programme by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through an agreement with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that works to fight underdevelopment, segregation, economic disparities, and overexploited resources in Namibia. LIFE seeks to improve the quality of life for rural Namibians by assisting communities to acquire increased benefits in an equitable manner by gaining control over and sustainably managing their natural resources. The project provides assistance to comprehensive community-based natural resource management programmes through the provision of technical support, training, grants, and regional coordination and information dissemination.
Contact Esma le Roux eleroux@wwf.org.za

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Join the Call for a Strong Climate Treaty!

People are invited to add their names to an online petition.
Click here for more information and to sign the petition.

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LINKING ENVIRONMENT TO DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH, AND GENDER

9. MDGs and the Environment: Are Environmental Institutions 'Fit for Purpose'?
By Neil Bird
This opinion piece stresses the centrality of institutions - agencies and other bodies working to create linkages between local, national, and international levels - to meeting environmental commitments. The author argues that it is national government in particular that has a role to play in contributing to Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #7, which relates to ensuring environmental sustainability, in that it sets out the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks and provides the planning and monitoring of compliance.

10. Healthy People, Healthy Ecosystems: A Manual on Integrating Health and Family Planning into Conservation Projects
By Judy Oglethorpe, Cara Honzak, and Cheryl Margoluis
This manual, published in 2008, outlines an approach that integrates health and voluntary family planning into conservation projects, developing synergies that improve the health of both people and ecosystems. The approach, called the population-health-environment (PHE) approach, involves conservation organisations partnering with the health sector. According to the manual, taking advantage of synergies between human and ecosystem health can improve maternal and child health; reduce unsustainable pressures on the environment; promote sustainable ecosystem services; and often improve community food security and livelihoods.

11. Women and the Environment
Stressing the value of examining sustainable development through a gender perspective, this United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) publication explores specific policies, strategies, and practices in environmental use and conservation. The purpose of the book is to make the often hidden links between women and the environment visible, with an explicit focus on the gender-related aspects of land, water, and biodiversity conservation and management. UNEP hopes that "Women and the Environment" will inspire the environmental and sustainable development community to better understand the importance of gender, and to integrate a gender perspective across all of its work.

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT, AND THE MEDIA

12. Our Climate, Our Future - Zimbabwe
Launched in February 2009, Our Climate, Our Future is a British Council/United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO) initiative which will continue until 2011. The initiative seeks to raise awareness about the effects of climate change in Zimbabwe. Working with youth, professionals, and networks, the initiative focuses on raising awareness and building relationships which lead to improved adaptation and mitigation policies, though activities such as media training workshops and a school poetry competition.
Contact Margaret Mzumara m.mzumara@unesco.org OR Venus Easwaran Jennings v.jennings@unesco.org

13. Whatever the Weather: Media Attitudes to Reporting Climate Change
By Rod Harbinson
This report from 2006 shares findings from a Panos survey that sought to explore existing perceptions and capacity for journalists to report on global climate change, and to share these with policy-makers. Interviews were conducted with journalists and media professionals in Honduras, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, and Zambia to give insights into the attitudes of journalists and the status of the media in these countries. The study found that, though nearly all the journalists agreed that climate change is a major issue, there is little knowledge among them about important environmental issues.

14. Kenya Environment and Science Journalists Association (KENSJA) - Kenya
Initiated in February 2007, KENSJA is a non-political, professional body for environmental and science journalists and communicators in Kenya. The project's goals are to improve the quality of environmental and science reporting, promote standards, and support environment and science journalists in Kenya. The organisation believes that in doing so KENSJA can act as a bridge between science, scientists, policy makers, and the public. KENSJA seeks to achieve its objectives through an online information sharing platform which provides opportunities for networking and advocacy.
Contact KENSJA kensja.net@gmail.com

15. Entangled in the Web of Life: Biodiversity and the Media - An IIED Briefing
By Mike Shanahan
This briefing document, published in 2008 by International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), explains why biodiversity loss will be an increasingly important story in the coming years and suggests ways for journalists to improve their reporting and make it mean more to their audiences. The briefing states that the media has under-reported the environmental challenge of reversing biodiversity loss, partly because researchers and policymakers have failed to communicate the issues in a way that is relevant to most people. It claims that "media coverage does not match the scale of the problem, not least because the term ‘biodiversity’ is itself poorly understood.... Journalists need to gear up to tell this story better by learning more about the issues and framing them in ways that make sense to their audiences."

16. Talking about a Revolution: Climate Change and the Media - An IIED Briefing
By Mike Shanahan
This IIED briefing paper on climate change and the media is based on published studies of how the media report on climate change in different countries and on the problems that persist in the way it is reported. The document emphasises the complexity of climate change reporting and recognises that, amidst criticisms of the media coverage, there has been improvement and that this improvement could increase with training for media outlets. It also states that ensuring relevance to audiences, including ways to address climate change that bring benefits, is a challenge, as is raising the profile of adaptation and the perspectives of the economically poor.

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MORE INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENT ON THE SOUL BEAT AFRICA WEBSITE

If you are looking for more information related to environment and communication on the Soul Beat Africa website go to http://www.comminit.com/en/nodes/38,70

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AWARDS AND FUNDING

(Please go to these sections to view all the current awards and funding opportunities)

17. Picture This: Caring for the Earth - Photo Contest
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Olympus Corporation and the AFP (Agence France-Presse) Foundation, is organising a photo contest to highlight how the people of Africa are working towards MDG 7 - ensuring environmental sustainability - by mitigating the effects of climate change and environmental degradation in their countries, cities, and communities. The objective of the contest is to raise the visibility of solutions as opposed to capturing the damage caused by climate change, as well as portray the people of Africa as stewards and protectors of their environment.
Deadline: September 30 2009

18. Development and Climate (D&C) Days Film Festival
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) are seeking films for their Development & Climate (D&C) Days Film Festival, which will run December 12 - 13 2009 during the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 (COP 15). Professional and non-professional film makers are invited to send short films (up to 10 minutes) on climate and development.
Deadline: October 1 2009

19. The SAB Environmentalist and Environmental Journalists of the Year Awards 2009
This year marks the 21st South African Breweries United (SAB) Environmental Journalists and Environmentalist of the Year Awards. Three of the awards carry a cash prize of R15,000 each as well as a trophy. Merit prizes carry a prize of R2,000 each. SAB has also introduced a new category, the Magqubu Ntombela and Ian Player Cub Award, which will honour environmental journalists starting out in the field; this carries a R5000 prize and trophy. Editors throughout South Africa are encouraged to identify their most promising young journalists who have been in the business for less than five years.
Deadline: October 9 2009

20. International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment
This competition is organised annually by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer, and Nikon Corporation. This year's competition will focus on "Biodiversity: Connecting with Nature". Children between the ages of 5 and 13 years may submit entries. The children’s paintings will focus on concrete actions to preserve biodiversity such as tree planting, marine and animal conservation, and restoration of coral reefs.
Deadline: April 15 2010

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To view previous environment-related issues of The Soul Beat see:

The Soul Beat 117 - Environment and Communication

The Soul Beat 68 - MDG #7 - Ensuring Environmental Sustainability

Click here to all view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Mobile Phones for Development

aventh — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:54:34 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* TRENDS AND INSIGHTS on mobile phones and development
* Experiences and thinking on MOBILE PHONES FOR HEALTH
* Mobile phones for ACTIVISM, GOVERNANCE, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
* Finding more MOBILE PHONE-RELATED CONTENT on the Soul Beat Africa website
* The role of MOBILES IN THE MEDIA

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This issue of The Soul Beat provides a selection of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, and materials related to the use of mobile phones to raise awareness and encourage dialogue around health, especially HIV/AIDS; improve mobilisation, governance, and economic development; and contribute to wider broadcasting and reporting in the media.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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TRENDS AND INSIGHTS

1. Key Trends in ICT Development
By David A. Cieslikowski, Naomi J. Halewood, Kaoru Kimura, and Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang
This document constitutes a chapter of a more extensive book, Information and Communications for Development 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact, that analyses how information and communication technology (ICT) are impacting economic growth and improving governance. According to the publication, the largest increases in growth prior to 2008 were in mobile telephony: "The proportion of mobile phone subscriptions in developing countries increased from about 30 percent of the world total in 2000 to more than 50 percent in 2004 - and to almost 70 percent in 2007."

2. Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide
By Ken Banks
This article, published in PCWorld, focuses on mobile phones and their potential to bridge the digital divide. The author looks at the difference in functionality of mobile phones in the developed world and in developing countries, and suggests that a step in closing the digital divide would be to divert international development funding toward providing a subsidised, fully internet-ready handset for developing markets.

MOBILE PHONES FOR HEALTH

3. mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World
This report is a response to mounting interest in the field of mHealth - the provision of health-related services via mobile technologies. Published in February 2009, the paper is part of a series of publications from the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Technology Partnership, a public-private alliance using strategic technology programmes to strengthen humanitarian efforts worldwide. The Partnership is inspired by a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the potential of mobile communications to radically improve healthcare services - even in some of the most remote and resource-poor environments.

4. Text To Change (TTC) - Uganda
Text to Change (TTC), a Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) using a bulk short message service (SMS) platform for health education, is partnering with local Ugandan NGOs and mobile phone providers to conduct projects designed to communicate knowledge about HIV and AIDS and encourage subscribers to volunteer for HIV testing. The first programme was launched in February 2008 where over a 6-week period 15,000 ZAIN Uganda subscribers from the Greater Mbarara region received interactive text messages in the form of multiple choice questions on their mobile phones. Since then, TTC has conducted three more programmes reaching over 60,000 people.
Contact Bas Hoefman bhoefman@texttochange.com AND Hajo van Beijma hvanbeijma@texttochange.com

5. UNICEF Uses Text Messages to Spread the Word about Polio in Zambia
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with two private mobile phone service providers, is sending text messages to millions of Zambians as part of a new initiative to harness mobile technology in the fight to prevent polio. "Your child can be healthier! Take your children under age five to the nearest health centre for free vaccinations from 20-25 July," is the message Zambian mobile phone users will read.

6. Rien que la Vérité - Congo (DRC)
When Rien que la Vérité (Nothing But the Truth) was launched in 2006, it started out as a music project to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. In November 2008, the project launched a television drama series which also deals with HIV/AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To support interactivity with the drama, the organisers are using FrontlineSMS which is SMS technology software that enables two-way communication - the collection and dissemination of information on a large scale through mobile phone SMSs.
Contact Katya Thomas thomask@state.gov

7. Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline - Ghana
The Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline uses cell phone technology to provide most-at-risk populations (MARP) with friendly and accessible HIV and AIDS information, referrals, and counselling services from qualified providers. The Helpline was launched in September 2008 through a pilot focusing on men who have sex with men (MSM) exclusively, and then was expanded in February 2009 to include female sex workers (FSW).
Contact Lucy Mugisha Shillingi lshillingi@aedghana.org OR lshillingi@aed.org AND Cheryl Mayo cmayo@aed.org OR cherylmayo12@gmail.com

8. Texts Tackle HIV in South Africa
Project Masiluleke, a text messaging project in South Africa (SA), was set up to try to counter the fact that only 5% of the SA population has been tested for HIV. It intends to tackle the problem of slowing the progress of HIV, in a country with an estimated 6 million people living with HIV, by encouraging people to seek testing and treatment. In December 2008, the project sent one million free text messages a day to push people to be tested and treated. Trials of the system showed that calls to counsellors at the National Aids helpline in Johannesburg increased by 200% when messages were broadcast.

MOBILES FOR ACTIVISM, GOVERNANCE, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

9. Mobile Telephony and the Entrepreneur: An African Perspective
By Ken Banks
This article, published in Microfinance Insights, discusses the use and impact of mobile technology for economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. The author argues that with penetration rates in excess of 30%, and handset sales among the highest in the world, the region is witnessing a new kind of mobile-driven economic development that is making clear positive impacts on people's lives. The author cites examples of mobile technology being used for a wide range of economic purposes, from farmers accessing local market information - and increasing their income in some cases by up to 40% - to individuals with no bank accounts transferring money to relatives, or making payments for goods and services via their phones.

10. Inzwa! - Zimbabwe
Launched in July 2009 by the Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe, Inzwa! is a weekly audio magazine that disseminates human rights information and news in audio format via mobile phones. The initiative uses Freedom Fone technology which is interactive and allows users to both access and contribute information. According to its designers, Freedom Fone leverages the fastest growing tool for personal access to information 24/7 - mobile phones - and marries it with citizen radio programming.
Contact Kubatana Trust admin@kubatana.net

11. Mobiles In-a-Box: Tools and Tactics for Mobile Advocacy
This project of the Tactical Technology Collective is a collection of tools, tactics, how-to guides, and case studies designed to help advocacy and activist organisations use mobile technology in their work. Tactical Tech is an international NGO helping human rights advocates use information, communications, and digital technologies to maximise the impact of their advocacy work.

12. Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in Mobile Use by NGOs
By Sheila Kinkade and Katrin Verclas
Published by The Vodafone Group Foundation and the United Nations (UN) Foundation Partnership, this report on mobile technology examines emerging trends in “mobile activism” by looking at 11 case studies of groups active in the areas of public health, humanitarian assistance, and environmental conservation. It includes research results of a survey of mobile technology use by NGOs with statistics on both how they use mobile applications and their perceived benefits.

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INFORMATION ON MOBILE PHONES ON THE SOUL BEAT AFRICA WEBSITE

If you are looking for more information on mobile phones and their role in development in Africa, go to the ALL SECTIONS section on the Soul Beat Africa website. This section gives you the full range of summaries on the Soul Beat Africa website from all knowledge sections e.g.: Programme Experiences, Evaluations, Strategic Thinking documents, Materials, etc.). Under Regions, choose Africa (or a country/countries of your choice), and under Communication Tools select Phone/Mobiles and then submit.

The search results will include all summaries on the Soul Beat Africa website that deal with phones and mobiles phones. Filtering this further for "Digital" will further focus the results specifically to the use of hand-held digital computers.

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MOBILE PHONES AND THE MEDIA

13. Voices of Africa - Africa
Established in 2007, the Voices of Africa Project is an initiative by the Africa Interactive Media Foundation that provides a web and mobile phone-based outlet for African journalists to engage in discussions about their continent and to report on events in their countries. The objective of the project is to help talented Africans build a career in media, using currently available technologies to stimulate citizen journalism that can promote democracy and good governance in Africa. In each African country, young men and women are identified and trained in the use of high-technology mobile phones equipped with software to permit direct uploads of photos, texts, and videos.
Contact Voices of Africa Media Foundation info@africa-interactive.net

14. A Mobile Voice: The Use of Mobile Phones in Citizen Media
By Katrin Verclas
This report, published in 2008, explores the dynamics of the role of mobile phones in creating and enhancing access to information and citizen-produced media. It explores trends in the use of mobile telephony with a focus on software and platforms that make content creation and broadcasting easier. It also presents an inventory of current and potential uses of mobile phones to promote citizen media and freedom of information, and presents short case studies of examples from the MobileActive.org community.

15. Applied Research on the Use and Potential for Mobile-friendly Content of Community Media - Global
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is working with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) to analyse the potential for mobile-friendly audio or visual content generated by community media in developing country contexts. Launched in January 2009, the applied research study is designed to meet the needs of community media worldwide by building their capacity to use mobile radio and television in their work. Organisers hope to glean out recommendations on the importance of embracing mobile media, sharing them at the end of the project.
Contact Mirta Lourenço M.Lourenco@unesco.org

16. The Promise of Ubiquity: Mobile as Media Platform in the Global South
By John West
From Internews Europe, this document from 2008 describes mobile phone technology from the perspective of its potential for media development. It seeks to address the question: what role will media play in the future use of cell phones? The document states: "If media don’t address the mobile as a viable information platform others will, and within the space of a few years media players... will have lost a large measure of their marketshare, 'mind share', and standing in society at large."

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To view previous related issues of The Soul Beat newsletter see:

The Soul Beat 109 - Mobile Phones for Social Change in Africa

The Soul Beat 31 - ICTs and Agriculture

Click here to all view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

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Promoting Literacy in Africa

aventh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:50:34 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES on mobile libraries, reading projects, and storytelling
* Spotlight on INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY 2009
* EVALUATIONS of literacy initiatives
* STRATEGIC THINKING on adult literacy and on literacy, ICTs and HIV
* Literacy-related MATERIALS for tutors and facilitators

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September 8 is International Literacy Day where the international community focuses on the status of literacy and adult learning globally. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills, which means that one in five adults is still not literate. In addition, 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.

To commemorate the upcoming International Literacy Day, this issue of The Soul Beat newsletter includes summaries of programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, and resource materials related to promoting literacy and reading among children, youth, and adults.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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1. South Africa Mobile Library Project - South Africa
A joint project between the South African Department of Education and the South Africa Primary Education Support Initiative (SAPESI), supported by Sony, the South Africa Mobile Library Project works to improve South Africa's literacy levels. The main goals for the Mobile Library Project are to promote fluency in reading which organisers say is the basis of all further learning, assist educators in promoting literacy skills to learners, and to support the school curriculum with a wide range of learning and teaching resources. The project involves a fleet of mobile libraries which lend books to learners and teachers.
Contact Tadashi Hasunuma thasunuma@sapesi-japan.org

2. Ethiopia Reads - Ethiopia
Established in 2003, Ethiopia Reads is an initiative that seeks to create a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books. The project seeks to achieve its goals through building libraries for children, creating culturally appropriate reading materials, and training educators to nurture a love of books. According to the organisers, Ethiopia has rich cultural and historical resources, such as oral storytelling, as well as a very ancient history and a written culture.
Contact Ethiopia Reads info@ethiopiareads.org OR ebcefethiopia@yahoo.com

3. Integrated Intergenerational Literacy Project (IILP) - Uganda
Initiated in 2003 by the Uganda Rural Literacy and Community Development Association (URLCODA), the Integrated Intergenerational Literacy Project (IILP) is an initiative in the Arua district of Uganda designed to promote the development of a literate, secure, healthy, gender-sensitive, and peaceful society that fosters sustainable grassroots development. IILP offers literacy classes for various ages that integrate livelihoods and life skills training. IILP’s strategy is based on the belief that in order to empower rural communities, it is necessary to foster literacy skills across all age-groups, while paying particular attention to socially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
Contact Willy Ngaka willie@tualu.org OR urlcoda@yahoo.co.uk

4. The Big Read Africa - Africa
Launched in 2009, the Big Read is part of the Global Campaign for Education's (CGE) advocacy efforts to promote reading, raise public awareness, and advocate for political will of governments and other leaders to fulfil their education promises. Every April GCE organises a week of campaigning called Global Action Week. In 2009, the week was themed "The Big Read". Organised around The Big Read book, a collection of short stories and poems, African events included activities with celebrities and public readings, story writing, and advocacy events to promote reading.
Contact Alex Kent alex@campaignforeducation.org OR info@campaignforeducation.org

5. Multicultural Storytelling for Literacy Empowerment - Southern Africa, West Africa
Launched in 2005, Multicultural Storytelling for Literacy Empowerment (MUSTLE) Africa uses storytelling and interactive story workshops to encourage basic literacy among youth. Operating mostly in Southern and West Africa, the organisation also seeks to raise awareness of other cultures and social issues through story. Street youth and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) are central to the programme and the key strategy is to use participatory workshops.
Contact Ivor Kasongo mustleafrica@netconnect.co.zw
OR James Robinson mustle.international@googlemail.com

6. The Study Groups and Literacy Programme (Programme de Cercle d'Etudes et de l'Alphabétisation) - Cameroon
Launched in 2005 by the National Association of Cameroonian Language Committees (ANACLAC), the Study Groups and Literacy Programme works to boost the role of national languages in literacy training in Cameroon. The project involves the establishment of study groups who combine reading and writing sessions with discussions about topics relevant to that group such as agriculture, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality. The groups also develop or adapt their own materials to suit their local language and content requirements.
Contact Dr. Etienne Sadembouo nacalco@camnet.cm OR Blasius A. Chiatoh bchiatoh@yahoo.com

7. The Children's Book Project - Tanzania
Initiated in 1991, the Children's Book Project for Tanzania (CBP) is an organisation that seeks to alleviate what they identified as an acute shortage of books in Tanzania, particularly children’s books, as well as a lack of adequate skills among book sector personnel to produce these reading materials. The Children's Book Project works to develop a strong reading culture sustained by effective reading skills and the provision of quality reading materials. In addition, CBP hopes to promote reading habits amongst all school children in Tanzania. The project works to assist with the production and distribution of relevant reading materials and to encourage and support indigenous authorship.
Contact cbp@raha.com

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International Literacy Day 2009

This year International Literacy Day will put the spotlight on the empowering role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship, and social development. Literacy and Empowerment is the theme for the 2009-2010 biennium of the United Nations Literacy Decade.
Click here to find out more.

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8. Review of 16 Reflect Evaluations
By Maura Duffy, Jude Fransman, and Emma Pearce
This paper, published by ActionAid in 2008, consolidates evidence, learning, and approaches to evaluation from 16 evaluations of the "Reflect" process, a participatory approach to adult learning and social change fusing theories of Paulo Freire with participatory rural appraisal methodologies. According to the publishers, Reflect programmes operate in diverse contexts, and approaches to evaluation have been equally diverse - making it difficult to consolidate. In order to draw out learning from existing evaluations to feed into a new evaluation framework, this review of 16 evaluations was conducted. The report contends that many innovations are taking place, but greater standardisation is needed to be able to clearly assess the impact on communities and individuals.

9. Family Literacy Project: Evaluation 2007
This evaluation document shares the experiences, lessons learned, and impact of a family literacy project operating in the southern part of the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa. This project focuses specifically on working with families in community settings. The focus of the evaluation was to assess whether the Family Literacy Project (FLP) was making the community a better place, especially for children. According to monitoring and evaluation conducted by the organisation, the project is making a difference for literacy, especially among children, in the community.

10. Developing Adult Literacy: Approaches to Planning, Implementing and Delivering Literacy Initiatives
By Juliet McCaffery, Juliet Merrifield, and Juliet Millican
This handbook, published by Oxfam Great Britain in 2005, is for adult literacy practitioners. It reviews the state of literacy education and discusses international trends in literacy. The authors state that there is a tension in trying to assess the outcomes of financial investment in literacy programmes to determine what is both effective and cost effective. Describing best practices, they claim, is also not simple because programmes, structures, and evaluations are often not comparable.

11. Making the Connections: Why Literacy Matters for HIV Prevention
By Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo and Diarra Mahamadou Cheick
This document, from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Literacy Matters series, looks at the relationship between literacy and HIV prevention education. The authors state that the relationship between education and HIV prevalence has two distinct stages. In the initial stage of the spread of HIV, according to statistical indicators, there is a positive relationship between education level and rate of infection, possibly related to increased mobility, but in the subsequent stages of the pandemic, the relationship is inverse, and education becomes a factor in changing behaviour related to risk.

12. Using ICT to Develop Literacy
This booklet, published by UNESCO in 2006, aims to provide a concise overview of the literacy issue and explain how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to enhance literacy education and contribute to achieving the Literacy Decade goals. The booklet focuses on five areas where ICT can be utilised in literacy education: enhancing learning; raising access to literacy education; training of teachers; localising content; and creating a literacy-conducive environment. The booklet also contains examples of the use of ICT in literacy education.

13. Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2006: Literacy for Life
This UNESCO document, the fourth edition of the Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, focuses on literacy. The report measures the world's progress towards achieving the six EFA goals, especially universal literacy. It stresses, according to the Executive Summary, "the urgency of devoting increased policy attention and resources to literacy, emphasising the profound benefits it confers on individuals, communities, and nations".

The Soul Beat 121 - Communication in Education

14. How to Set-up a Reading Club: Guidelines
This 6-page booklet contains guidelines on how to set up and run a reading club. It was created to support programmes working to create more literate communities and encourage communities to take responsibility and ownership of local reading clubs.

15. Handbook for Literacy and Non-Formal Education Facilitators in Africa
By Amadou Wade Diagne, Etienne Sadembouo, Fati Ouédraogo, Juliana Adu-Gyamfi, Saim Kinteh, and Shahnewaz Khan
This handbook, published by UNESCO in 2006, is designed to be a first step in providing a holistic regional resource package for capacity building of institutional frameworks for non-formal education (NFE) personnel in Africa. Facilitators can use the handbook as a basic guide for responding to the specific needs of the learners and for promoting knowledge, skills, and attitudes in reading, writing, and numeracy.

16. Good Health Begins at Home: A Guide for Literacy Tutors
This guide, published by the adult literacy NGO, Operation Upgrade, is designed to help parents become better home health providers. Working with the guide, tutors can show learners how to develop good health for themselves and their families and how to treat common illnesses. Good Health Begins at Home is a participatory health-literacy guide with a picture kit that teaches reading and writing skills and health management through discussions based on learner's experiences and through knowledge shared by the tutor with the learners.

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To view previous related issues of The Soul Beat newsletters see:

The Soul Beat 48 - MDG 2: Universal Primary Education

The Soul Beat 40 - Communication in Education: Tools for Teachers

The Soul Beat 35 - Libraries

Click here to all view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Community Radio for Development

aventh — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:08:58 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* Highlighting the IMPACT OF COMMUNITY RADIO ON DEVELOPMENT
* Spotlight on Soul Beat Africa COMMUNITY RADIO THEMESITE AND E-NEWSLETTER
* TOOLS to assess and improve the impact of community radio
* POLL on Community Radio and ICTs
* Looking at the FUTURE OF COMMUNITY RADIO

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This issue of The Soul Beat offers a selection of strategic thinking documents, evaluations, programme experiences, and resource materials from the Soul Beat Africa website that highlight the role of radio, and more specifically community radio, in promoting development in Africa. It looks at the impact of community radio on development, what is required to support the community radio sector, and future trends in community radio – particularly related to the convergence between traditional radio and information and communication technologies (ICTs).

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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ASSESSING AND ENHANCING THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY RADIO ON DEVELOPMENT

1. Community Radio: Its Impact and Challenges to Its Development
This 2007 working group report from the Center for International Media Assistance, National Endowment for Democracy, United States (US), describes results of a meeting on the impact of community radio, as well as the role and challenges of community radio development within the larger context of media development. The group discussed creating an enabling environment for community radio development, issues related to the sustainability of community radio stations, and appropriate assistance strategies that donors and implementers should consider, against a background of first-hand accounts of where and why community radio has been effective.

2. Documents on Evaluating the Social Impact of Community Radio
Every four years the Association Mondiale des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires (AMARC or World Community Radio Association) Africa organises a Pan-African conference for its members and community radio stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing community radio in Africa. As part of the Pan-African conference in 2009, some members participated in a workshop on measuring the social impact of community radio. A number of members prepared papers ahead of the conference to share their insights and experiences in assessing impact. These are made available on the AMARC website.

3. Community Radio Social Impact Assessment - Removing Barriers, Increasing Effectiveness
This evaluation report details a long-range participatory action research process launched in 2006 by AMARC. The research shared in this report was designed to identify the barriers that limit the potential positive impact of community radio, and to explore ways to increase the effectiveness of community radio in achieving poverty reduction, development objectives, inclusiveness, and democracy building in local communities around the world.

4. Women's Empowerment and Good Governance through Community Radio: Best Experiences for an Action Research Process
Published by AMARC in 2008, this book offers a collection of articles which seek to contribute to the impact of community radio on governance issues especially related to gender equality and women’s rights. The publication is part of a two-year participatory action research process seeking to address the challenges to women’s participation in democracy building. It brings together case studies and experiences written by women practitioners participating in democratic processes through community radio. Some articles also raise questions regarding the specific challenges to gender equality within community radio and explore how to increase women’s participation in community radio as a key governance challenge to the community radio global network.

5. Engaging Development: Environment and Content of Radio Broadcasting in Nigeria
By Dr. Ayobami Ojebode and Dr. Tunde Adegbola
According to this publication from 2007, Nigeria has developed a relatively huge radio broadcasting sector. However, critical observers claim that radio broadcasting has performed below expectations in engaging issues of development. This paper was commissioned to provide scientific data which would inform the development of future activities and provide a picture of the crucial challenges confronting radio broadcasting, as well as provide recommendations and impetus for further work to advance the cause of development-oriented radio broadcasting in Nigeria. It argues that the country needs to re-position the sector, in order for it to contribute to development.

6. Community Radio in East Africa: An Impact and Sustainability Assessment of Three Community Radio Within the EACMP
By Birgitte Jallov
This report from 2007 is the result of an impact study commissioned by the Division for Culture and Media with the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). It includes an overview and summary of three separate impact studies of three radio stations supported by Sida via the East African Community Media Project (EACMP). The objective of the studies was to identify the Most Significant Change in the communities served by each station. The study reports the most significant change to be in participation involving empowerment and change.

7. Citizen Empowerment for Good Governance through Community Radios in West Africa
This book, published AMARC Africa in 2008, is a compilation of reports that seek to increase the social impact of community radio in West Africa. The book consists of papers by 24 different contributors. The contributions provide perspectives from a variety of West African countries related to the state of community radio, national broadcasting landscapes, legislative frameworks, good governance, and challenges and constraints in the sector.

8. Communication for Empowerment in Mozambique: An Assessment of Communication and Media Needs at the Community Level
By Faruco Sadique Ibraimo and Barry Driscoll
This document, published in 2008, is one of 5 national pilot studies to assess ways to empower vulnerable people who are marginalised by lack of access to central information flows and who lack the communication channels necessary to participate in national and local debates and agenda-setting. Funded by the United Nations Development Fund and coordinated by the Communication for Social Change Consortium (CFSC), the study describes the Mozambican context, including the legal and regulatory environment for communication and media. It suggests that there is a need for strong, organised support of community radio stations, in particular the need for a clear and specific legal framework and for support for wider community radio dissemination.

9. Fighting Poverty: Utilizing Community Media In a Digital Age: Practitioners’ Reflexions from an Interactive Roundtable at the World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD)
This publication focuses on democratic and sustainable development in relation to community media. It discusses participation as the main interest of those who support or are active in community radio. The publication contains articles, audio, and video documents by practitioners, decision makers, and scholars. It argues that current evidence and experience should prompt a major re-evaluation and increasing interest in community radio by development policymakers and specialists. It also suggests that what is needed are strong efforts to create more enabling policy and regulatory environments for community media.

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COMMUNITY RADIO THEMESITE AND E-NEWSLETTER

For more information related to community radio, please visit the Community Radio themesite .

On this site you will find programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, and materials that deal with the role of radio, and community radio in particular, in development.

Every second month, Soul Beat Africa sends out a Soul Beat Extra: Community Radio e-newsletter which features all the latest community radio-related summaries posted on the Soul Beat Africa website.

If you would like to receive this free e-publication, please click here to register and indicate an interest in radio or media or write to soulbeat@comminit.com indicating that you would like to receive the Community Radio Extra.

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TOOLS TO ASSESS AND IMPROVE THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY RADIO

10. Assessing Community Change: Development of a "Bare Foot" Impact Assessment Methodology
By Birgitte Jallov
Published in the Radio Journal, this paper outlines a bare-foot impact assessment methodology that was designed, tested, revised, and implemented with 8 community-owned stations in Mozambique between 2000 and 2005. The purpose of this UNESCO/UNDP Mozambique Media Development Project was to determine whether community radio stations promote democracy and active involvement of communities, and whether they allow people to set their own development agendas. According to the paper, barefoot impact assessments can ensure that community radio stations are on track with their objectives. They can also provide feedback to the communities in which they are working and demonstrate their credibility to local and international funding partners.

11. Community Media Index (CMI) - South Africa
In partnership with the National Community Radio Forum (NRF), the Alternative Information Development Centre (AIDC) developed the Community Media Index (CMI), a participatory assessment and action planning tool designed to be used by community media projects to enhance their ability to reflect and grow. Community radio stations can implement the CMI themselves as a self-assessment tool, or involve stakeholders and use the CMI as a participatory learning and information-sharing tool. They can also invite an external agency to apply the CMI as a form of external evaluation. The CMI assessment seeks to provide information that can easily be translated into practical actions by stakeholders.
Contact Mark Weinberg mark@amandla.org.za

12. Community Media Sustainability Guide: The Business of Changing Lives
By Jean Fairbairn
Launched by Internews in 2009, this guide addresses the challenge of how to make community media financially sustainable in countries around the world. It covers topics such as incorporating new online platforms and using alternative energy to power radio stations, all with an eye to sustainability. Case studies of community media outlets and networks featured here include creative solutions to the problem of finding enough funding to stay in business. The guide is designed for community media practitioners and activists, trainers, and the donors and development agencies that support them. It provides different perspectives on sustainability, practical approaches to achieving it, and a comprehensive list of resources for practitioners and activists.

13. Community Radio Start-Up Information Guide
By Karina Barker
This guide, published by Farm Radio International in 2008, is meant to be used as a tool for those interested in starting a community radio station. This guide has two main goals: to provide a general overview of some of the steps that are involved in starting up a community radio station and to provide resources for further information. It discusses how to get started, legal issues, funding options, things to think about when selecting equipment, ideas for managing a community radio station, and broadcasting tips.

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PLEASE VOTE IN OUR NEW POLL ON COMMUNITY RADIO AND ICTS

How are new ICTs (such as the internet and mobile phones) being used most effectively to support community radio in Africa? (you may choose more than one option)

Options:
* to access information to better meet the information needs of the community
* to download radio content from other sources
* to improve local programme production and reporting, eg. through mobile phones or digital audio technology
* to increase broadcast reach, making the voice of the community heard beyond the immediate community
* to increase audience participation in programming
* other

To vote and send comments go to the Community Radio themesite and see the Top Right side of the page.

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FUTURE TRENDS: COMMUNITY RADIO AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICTS)

14. The Radio, Convergence and Development in Africa Research Programme - Africa
This research programme, initiated by the Centre for Media and Transitional Societies (CMTS) at Carleton University and supported by the International Development Research Centre, seeks to explore traditional radio in order to understand how it can be enhanced through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) with the aim to gain a better understanding of the current impact and potential of radio as a development tool in Africa. The Radio, Convergence and Development programme came about after it was realised that there is a need for baseline data and critical research that examines radio-related outcomes and impacts on social and economic indicators. The research project will explore the cross-section, confluence and even convergence of ICTs in relationship with broadcasting.
Contact Allan Thompson allan_thompson@carleton.ca OR International Research Centre info@idrc.ca

15. Radio and Development in Africa: A Concept Paper
By Mary Myers
This paper, published in 2008, was prepared for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to guide the "Radio, Convergence, and Development in Africa" research programme, designed to explore traditional radio and gain an understanding of how ICTs can enhance the sector, as well as the current impact and potential of radio as a development tool in Africa. According to the paper, radio is still the dominant mass medium in Africa with the widest geographical reach and the highest audiences. The author states that radio seems to have proven itself as a developmental tool, particularly with the rise of community and local radios, which have facilitated a far more participatory and horizontal type of communication.

16. Radios et NTIC en Afrique de l'Ouest: Connectivité et Usages (Radio and ICTs in West Africa: Connectivity and Uses)
This French-language publication by the Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA) looks at how new information communication technologies (ICTs) and radio can be used in combination with each other. It presents the findings of research involving 220 radio stations in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

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For related previous issues of The Soul Beat newsletter see:

The Soul Beat 115 - Rural Radio

The Soul Beat 105 - The Role of Journalism in Development

The Soul Beat 98 - Radio for Social Change in Africa

The Soul Beat 17 - Community Radio

Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Communication and Change News and Issues

aventh — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:28:08 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES on TV series for ethnic tolerance, citizenship clubs...
* EVALUATIONS of HIV/AIDS clubs, theatre for street children...
*Spotlight on VIDEO FESTIVAL to promote diversity...
* STRATEGIC THINKING on rural poverty campaign, putting culture first...
* POLL on messaging for MCP campaigns...
* MATERIALS on advocacy and women’s HIV/AIDS stories...

This issue of The Soul Beat contains a selection of programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, and resource materials from the Soul Beat Africa website. The newsletter covers issues related to health and HIV/AIDS, youth, media for development, gender, and racial and ethnic tolerance.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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CALL FOR INFORMATION RELATED TO XENOPHOBIA AND ETHNIC AND RACIAL CONFLICT IN AFRICA

Soul Beat Africa is looking for communication-related projects, research documents, and resource materials that deal with combating xenophobia, ethnic and racial intolerance, and any discrimination related to identity. Please send your information to soulbeat@comminit.com

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1. Women's Arts Institute Africa (wAi Africa) - Africa
This is an African organisation which was started in 2006 in Ghana to encourage women in the arts to look for solutions to societal problems using the arts. The organisation seeks to mobilise women to create platforms for business and academic dialogues on the arts, generate practical knowledge, integrate the arts into government policies, and advocate for the use of the arts as a development tool in Africa. This is done through a wide range of activities including programmes, consultancies, policy implementation, mobilisation, advocacy, provision of services, activism, and campaigning.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/293191/304
Contact Women's Arts Institute Africa info@waiafrica.org OR whyafrica@gmail.com

2. The Team Television Series - Kenya
Launched in May 2009, The Team is an edutainment television series produced by the Media Focus on Africa Foundation and Search for Common Ground. Initiated in response to post-election violence in 2008, the series is designed to promote understanding and dialogue amongst different sectors of Kenyan society. The storyline of The Team centres on a Kenyan soccer club whose members must learn to deal with their tribal, ethnic, social, and economic divisions. It tells the stories of seven young Kenyan footballers from different tribes who must overcome their mutual distrust.
Contact Deborah Jones cgpinfo@sfcg.org OR Susan Koscis skoscis@sfcg.org OR Mburugu Gikunda mburugu@mediafocusonafrica.org OR Marten Schoonman info@mediafocusonafrica.org

3. African Forum for Media Development (AFMD) - Africa
This is an international organisation that works to provide a collective voice for non-governmental organisations involved in the development of the media in Africa. Established in 2008, AFMD is part of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), a series of regional forums that have been established in Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contact Bettina Peters director@mediagfmd.org OR Gabriel Baglo gabriel.baglo@ifjafrique.org

4. Voices of Africa - Africa
Established in 2007, the Voices of Africa Project is an initiative by the Africa Interactive Media Foundation that provides a web and mobile phone-based outlet for African journalists to engage in discussions about their continent and to report on events in their countries. The objective of the project is to help talented Africans build a career in media, using currently available technologies to stimulate citizen journalism that can promote democracy and good governance in Africa. In each African country, young men and women are identified and trained in the use of high-technology mobile phones equipped with software to permit direct uploads of photos, texts, and videos to a Skoeps server from where they are transferred to the Voices of Africa website for publication.
Contact Voices of Africa info@africa-interactive.net

5. Urungano (Generation) - Rwanda
This youth radio programme, launched by Search for Common Grounds (SFCG) in Rwanda in 2008, is designed to give young people, especially girls, a platform to explore and discuss the challenges and conflicts they face within their society. Produced in the national language Kinyarwandan, the youth magazine show is hosted by a team of 4 girls under the age of 18 who discuss issues such as rapid urbanisation, street children, reconciliation, and underage marriage. Each week, the hosts of the show conduct all the interviews as well as
plan and lead the show.
Contact Frances Fortune ffortune@sfcg.org OR Chris Plutte cplutte@sfcg.org

6. Skurakaa 2 (Partners 2) Project - Egypt
Initiated in 2008 by Internews Network, Skurakaa 2 (Partners 2) is a youth and media project that involves the establishment of citizenship clubs in universities across Egypt who are trained to use media to investigate and challenge social issues such as unemployment, sexual harassment, education, and overpopulation. Before beginning the media production training, the clubs teach students about the importance of civic involvement in their communities. The students in the clubs are then trained in newspaper, radio and television production.
Contact Felicia Montgomery fmontgomery@internews.org

7. Dialogue Among Civilisations - South Africa
Art for Humanity’s project, "Dialogue among Civilisations", is an arts initiative which seeks to address racism, xenophobia, and the plight of refugees. The project involves collaboration between artists and poets from Africa and from countries that participated in the 2006 Soccer World Cup. Participants are invited to create work on the theme of identity, land, object, and belief. A catalogue based on the project will be published in time for the project launch in March 2010, South Africa Human Rights Day, and the work will be highlighted during a conference and public showings leading up to the world Cup 2010.
Contact Jan Jordaan JanJ@dut.ac.za OR afh@dut.ac.za

8. Malawi Teacher Training Activity: HIV and AIDS School Club Initiative (HASCI) Assessment Report
This report, published by Miske Witt and Associates and the American Institutes for Research, aims to provide a qualitative assessment of the implementation of the HIV and AIDS School Club Initiative's (HASCI) Mphanvu Kwa Achinyamata (Power to the Youth, or MKA) clubs in two pilot districts of Malawi to provide information for decision-making regarding implementation, progress and achievements, and possible next phases. The assessment found that the HASCI pilot schools have shown significant progress in a number of areas and documents these key findings together with lessons learned and recommendations for each finding.

9. Evaluation of the African Youth Alliance (AYA) Program in Tanzania: Impact on Sexual and Reproductive Health Behavior Among Young People
This report is an evaluation of the African Youth Alliance (AYA), an organisation established by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to be a collaborative, and comprehensive prevention programme for improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) among young people age 10–24 in Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania, and Uganda. Implemented between 2000 and 2006, the AYA programme strategy focused on implementing and scaling up a defined set of integrated and comprehensive ASRH interventions using existing local institutions. This report presents the results of the Tanzania evaluation. The research found that AYA’s integrated programme had a substantial impact on most of the desired outcomes, especially among female youths.

10. Child Participation in Awareness Raising Through Theatre
By John Muiruri
This report, published by the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), details the successes of the Dagoretti Children in Need project which works to improve the physical and psychological health, living conditions, and skills of children and adolescents in vulnerable circumstances. The project has, in the last four years, worked with the community of Dagoretti slum to establish a system for rehabilitating, re-socialising, and reintegrating street children in the community. The report focuses on the project's use of theatre for rehabilitation, outlining AMREF's "theatre-like-home" approach and the impact this approach has had on vulnerable children.

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PLURAL+ Festival

In collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other international partners, the United Nations Alliance of Citizens is launching a youth video festival exploring themes related to migration and diversity. Young people between the ages of 9-25 are invited to submit short videos on their thoughts, experiences, opinions, questions and suggestions on these issues and how to promote harmonious yet diverse societies. Submissions will be accepted from June 1 to September 30 2009. Click here for more information.

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11. What We've Learned: Lessons From a Communications Campaign for South Africa's Rural Poor
This report, published by The Atlantic Philanthropies, describes the Farm Life Project in South Africa, a multipronged communications campaign that Atlantic Philanthropies and more than a dozen grantee organisations pursued from 2004 to 2006 to raise awareness of the plight of the rural poor in the changing economy. The campaign sought to inform government officials, media, and the general public about the plight of farm dwellers. This report describes the planning and execution of the campaign, identifies the continuing challenges and work needed in the area of rural poverty, and encourages a discussion about potential policy solutions. In particular, the campaign revealed a number of lessons that may be useful to funders and advocates around the world interested in using communications to support advocacy campaigns for social change.

12. Putting Culture First: Commonwealth Perspectives on Culture and Development
By Mark Nowottny
This document is the product of consultation with representatives from government, civil society, and the culture and development sectors across the Commonwealth, carried out between February and October 2008. The report took as its starting point the proposition that culture is a fundamental component of sustainable development. The report recommends that government, civil society, and donors should incorporate a cultural perspective into their approaches to development, and that this commitment should be backed up by resources.

13. GROOTS Kenya
By Awino Okech
Published as part of the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)'s Building Feminist Movements and Organisations (BFEMO) initiative, this paper describes Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS) Kenya, which is a member network of GROOTS International. This network of self-help groups works to strengthen the role of grassroots women in community development by serving as a platform for grassroots women's groups and individuals to: come together, to share their ideas/experiences, to network, and to find avenues to directly participate in decision making, planning, and implementation of issues that affect them. This case study provides a description of GROOTS Kenya, followed by an analysis of GROOTS Kenya based on ongoing theoretical and activist debates around feminist organisations and movements, and their functions.

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PLEASE VOTE IN THE SOUL BEAT AFRICA HIV/AIDS POLL::

Which approach do you believe is best when developing messages for campaigns dealing with multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP)?

Options:

*encourage NO partnerships outside of marriage/long term partnerships (1)
*encourage partner reduction since it is considered unrealistic to expect exclusivity given the socio-economic environment in Southern Africa (2)
*encourage people to reduce risk within these partnerships by eg. using condoms at all times (3)
*a combination of (1) and (3)
*a combination of (2) and (3)

To vote and send comments go to the HIV/AIDS theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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The Soul Beat 103 - Telecentres

14. Advocacy in Action: A Guide to Influencing Decision-making In Namibia
By Dianne Hubbard and Delia Ramsbotham
This is a manual designed primarily for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and grassroots-based groups who are interested in increasing their advocacy skills. It contains concrete, practical information about advocacy strategies such as petitions, press conferences, public demonstrations, and letter-writing campaigns, as well as detailed information on government structures and parliamentary procedures - and how to influence decision-making bodies and processes. It also includes actual case studies of advocacy efforts in Namibia.

15. "Not Yet Rain" Documentary Film
Not Yet Rain is a 22-minute short film by Lisa Russell, produced in association with international health organisation Ipas, which explores abortion in Ethiopia through the voices of women who have faced the challenge of finding safe care. Through their stories, the documentary highlights the important role that safe abortion care plays in the overall health of women and their families. The film explains ways that additional training for health workers and increased availability of care could save countless women’s lives in Ethiopia and around the world.

16. Women Tell Their Stories in the Fight Against AIDS
This book introduces the stories of six women who, through education and empowerment, developed the intention to become a force in the fight against AIDS. These women participated in the Advancing Women's Leadership and Advocacy for AIDS Action programme, an initiative that aims to equip and empower a growing cadre of women worldwide with the knowledge and skills to advance the global response to AIDS.

17. Empowering Messages - What You Should Know: Strategic Communication and Gender-based Violence
This document contains guidelines designed to be a comprehensive resource specifically addressing the development and implementation of communication for issues related to gender-based violence. It includes guidelines on how to develop a communication strategy, and looks at how to better understand the intended audience and approach monitoring and evaluation.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Africa

aventh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:22:39 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* OVERVIEWproviding global ICT development information
* Projects and research on ICTS IN EDUCATION
* Spotlight on ICT OPEN SOURCE RESOURCE for writers, journalists, and bloggers
* Projects and reports on ICTS AND HEALTH CARE
* Link for more information on DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES on the Soul Beat Africa website
* Projects and documentary on ICTS and AGRICULTURE
* Previous ICT-related issues of THE SOUL BEAT NEWSLETTER
* Projects and papers on EMPOWERING WOMEN AND GIRLS THROUGH ICTS

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Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) refer to communication devices or applications which include digital radio and television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning. In this edition of The Soul Beat we look mainly at the use of computers and the internet and the role these technologies play in supporting development in Africa. (We are planning future issues of The Soul Beat which will focus on digital radio and mobile phones). This newsletter offers a selection of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, and materials related to the use of new technologies in education, health, agriculture, and the empowerment of women.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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OVERVIEW

1. Measuring the Information Society: The ICT Development Index
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has released its ICT Development Index (IDI), which compares developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in 154 countries over a five-year period from 2002 to 2007, including some 2008 data. The Index combines 11 indicators into a single measure that can be used as a benchmarking tool globally, regionally, and at the country level. These are related to ICT access, use, and skills, such as households with a computer, the number of internet users, and literacy levels. The report shows that many of the economically poorer countries, in particular from Africa, rank further down in the ICT Development Index with little change in ranking since 2002.

ICTs IN EDUCATION

2. ICT and Changing Mindsets in Education
Edited by Kathryn Toure, Therese Mungah Shalo Tchombe, and Thierry Karsenti
According to this report, the debate is no longer whether to use ICTs in education in Africa but how to do so, and how to ensure equitable access for teachers and learners, whether in urban or rural settings. This publication looks at how Africans adopt and adapt ICTs and how ICTs are shaping African schools and classrooms. It seeks to answer some of the following questions: Why ICTs are being used, or why not? Do girls and boys use them in the same way? How are teachers and students in primary and secondary schools in Africa using ICTs in teaching and learning? How does the process transform relations among learners, educators and knowledge construction?

3. Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI) - Bolivia, Ghana, India, Namibia, Global
Established in 2004 as a result of the United Nations (UN) Information and Communication Technology Task Force's report that "identified education as an area in critical need of development, and one where ICTs have the potential to make positive impacts." According to the project website, GeSCI focuses on providing advice to Ministries of Education on what ICTs in education can and cannot do; on how to develop a sustainable framework for integrating ICTs into educational systems; on how to conceptualise structures, procedures, and processes for ICT deployment and use in education initiatives; and on how to bring together stakeholder partnerships for implementation and support.
Contact Niamh Brannigan niamh.brannigan@gesci.org OR info@gesci.org

4. EduSud: ICT in Education in Africa Portal
The EduSud portal, created specifically for teachers by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Regional Office in Dakar (better known under its French acronym BREDA), is designed to help teachers discover the world of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and to provide tools, advice, references, educational resources, and other materials, to help integrate technologies into training and teaching contexts.

5. Survey of ICT and Education in Africa, Volume 2: 53 Country Reports
By Amr Hamdy, Babacar Fall, Harry Hare, Josué Tetang Tchinda, Kofi Mangesi, Osei Tutu Agyenman-Duah, Shafika Isaacs, and Glen Farrell
This report synthesises the findings from a survey that was initiated by the Information for Development Program (infoDev), a multi-donor partnership housed at the World Bank which investigates issues related to the effective and appropriate use of ICTs in education in individual African countries. The publication includes short reports which provide a general overview of current activities and developments related to ICT use in education in 53 African countries.

6. Study Criticises Laptops for Children Scheme
By Naomi Antony
This article, posted on the SciDev Net website, looks at how researchers have criticised the "One Laptop per Child" (OLPC) scheme, which has sent over a million US$100 laptops to children in the developing world. David Hollow of the United Kingdom-based ICT4D Collective at Royal Holloway, University of London, and his team evaluated the OLPC initiative in Ethiopia. According to their findings, unless the laptops are introduced with care, they can become little more than distracting toys in the classroom. The Ethiopian experience also revealed that students wanted more content on the laptops and that teachers were not adequately trained on how to make use of them.

7. Pan-African Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs - Africa
Launched in 2007, the Pan African Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs (PanAf), a joint initiative of the Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) and the University of Montreal (Canada), is a five-year project seeking to better understand how the pedagogical integration of ICTs can enhance the quality of teaching and learning in Africa. It seeks to achieve its goals by collecting new school-scale data, creating opportunities for knowledge sharing, and by providing learning opportunities for those involved.
Contact panaf@rocare.org OR ddarave@rocare.org

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Open Source Tools for Writers, Journalists, and Bloggers

Designed for bloggers, journalists, and writers, this resource on open source tools includes links to word processors, content management systems, and organising tools. Click here to accesss this resource.

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ICTS AND HEALTH CARE

8. The Impact of ICTs on Health Care
By Henry Lucas
This article examines the nature of the technological impact on health systems and the shifting balances of power resulting from advances in mobile telephony and internet services which convey medical information. One example cited includes the use of ICTs to update the skills of medical staff through internet-based advice and training initiatives such as the Moorfields Eye Hospital in London which provides an internet-based consultancy service for ophthalmology patients in a number of African countries.

9. Investigation of a Yellow Fever Epidemic Game - Africa
This game is part of a range of training tools developed by World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) for health professionals facing yellow fever epidemics across Africa. The serious game, based on video game principles, is designed to convey educational and operational WHO recommendations and messages, by presenting them in a form that is entertaining and engaging, imitating real-life situations.
Contact Cécile Duperray amp@aamp.org

10. Track the West Africa Polio Campaign - Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo
In early 2009, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) created an initiative to enable tracking of the West Africa polio campaign via Google maps. This ongoing communication initiative is designed to raise awareness about polio by sharing updated information through ICTs.
Contact Gaëlle Bausson gbausson@unicef.org

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FURTHER SOUL BEAT AFRICA CONTENT ON DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Click here for more information on the use of digital technologies for development on the Soul Beat Africa website.

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ICTS and AGRICULTURE

11. The ARRIN Project - Uganda
The Agriculture Research and Rural Information Network (ARRIN) project is an initiative to bring farmers’ information to rural communities in Uganda through combining dance and dramatic plays with ICTs. Supported by the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), the project is implemented by a theatre company, Ndere Troupe, which performs all over Uganda and has its main office in Kampala. Organisers believe that this project will help improve empowerment of rural populations and communities by promoting and supporting income-generating capacity, awareness of public policy and health and environment related issues through effective dissemination of information.
Contact ARRIN Project information@iicd.org

12. ALIN’s Community Knowledge or Maarifa Centres - Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda
The Maarifa Centres (Maarifa is the Swahili word for knowledge) are part of a project by Arid Land Information Network (ALIN) which involves the establishment of Community Knowledge Centres (CKC) in the rural areas of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In partnership with other agencies, the centres seek to bring ICTs to rural communities to enable the documentation and sharing of local knowledge, in particular knowledge relating to farming and natural resource management. Each centre is equipped with basic ICT tools (computers and internet access) to enable information generation, access, and dissemination.
Contact Noah Lusaka info@alin.or.ke

13. Web 2.0 in Africa - Agriculture and New Technologies
Web 2.0 in Africa is an eight-minute video produced by Business Africa and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) documenting actual cases on the use of Web 2.0 applications in the development sector, specifically among farmers in Africa. The documentary highlights the experiences of how farmers, like Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative (BROSDI) in Uganda, are using Web 2.0 such as blogs, forums and wiki-style encyclopaedias to make their work more effective.

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To view ICT-related previous issues of The Soul Beat newsletter see:

The Soul Beat 84 - Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Education

The Soul Beat 69 - ICTs for Development in Africa

The Soul Beat 31 - ICTs and Agriculture

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EMPOWERING WOMEN AND GIRLS THROUGH ICTS

14. African Women and ICTs: Investigating Technology, Gender and Empowerment
African Women and ICTs explores the ways in which women in Africa utilise information and communication technologies (ICTs) to facilitate their empowerment, whether through the mobile village phone business, through internet use, or through new career and ICT employment opportunities. Based on the outcome of an extensive research project, this book features chapters based on original primary field research undertaken by academics and activists who have investigated situations within their own communities and countries. The discussion includes such issues as the notion of ICTs for empowerment and as agents of change, ICTs in the fight against gender-based violence, and how ICTs can be used to re-conceptualise public and private spaces.

15. Keep Your Chats Exactly That!
Launched in May 2009, this is a campaign by Girl'sNet, a daughter project of Women'sNet, designed to empower young people to prevent them from becoming victims of harassment, bullying, and violence when using the internet and cell phones. It also works to encourage strategies for using ICTs in affirmative ways to advocate for change on issues that concern young people.
Contact Women'sNet women@womensnet.org.za

16. Knowledge for Women in Southern Africa (EKOWISA) - Zimbabwe
EKOWISA is a regional non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Zimbabwe, which aims to generate, analyse, translate, repackage, and disseminate locally relevant information and knowledge for better livelihoods. By promoting the effective and efficient use of ICTs, the organisation seeks to promote gender equality through knowledge creation, supporting women entrepreneurs, advocating for inclusive policy-making, and building ICT skills.
For the online contact form go to http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?m=029743e994359d42de48826141354b37

17. It’s Hot for Girls! ICTs as an Instrument in Advancing Girls’ and Women’s Capabilities in School Education in Africa
By Shafika Isaacs
This paper contends that a clear conceptual framework in problematising the education crisis from a developmental, gendered, and ICT perspective is lacking and is critical in providing conceptual clarity on appropriate strategies for using ICTs as a tool for women’s empowerment, particularly in Africa. Among other recommendations, the report suggests that there be greater investment in research and development in the arena of ICTs, education, and women’s empowerment as well as a systematic research agenda which addresses issues of women’s needs, interests, perceptions of ICTs, key issues relating to gender differences and the context within which they occur in education, and policy options for empowering women through the use of ICTs in education.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Strengthening Communication for Development

aventh — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:37:40 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* Publications highlighting the IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
* Reports and strategic thinking on the CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD
* BLOG ON COMMUNICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT - "Another Development"
* A selection of RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING on Communication for Development

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Soul Beat Africa, through our website and e-publications, seeks to create a space to share communication for development knowledge and experiences in Africa and to support discussion and debate on the topic. Our objective is to strengthen the practice and thinking around communication for development and to advocate for more effective integration of communication into development planning and practice.

This issue of The Soul Beat offers a selection of strategic thinking documents and resource materials included on the Soul Beat Africa website, which seek to highlight the importance of communication for development and the need to improve the integration of communication into development planning and practice. It also looks at some of the challenges and opportunities, and offers a selection of resources for further reading.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

1. At the Heart of Change: The Role of Communication in Sustainable Development
by Mark Wilson, Kitty Warnock, and Emrys Schoemaker
This document, written as a call to development strategists and advocates, argues the case for the centrality of communication to the field of development and sets an agenda for action by governments, donors, and civil society. According to the document, published by Panos London, communication is being introduced into programmes too little, too late, and in a fragmentary way. It argues that communication needs to be included from the very start in all analysis of development problems, in the establishment of development goals and policy, in planning, and at all levels of programme implementation.

2. Communicating the Impact of Communication for Development: Recent Trends in Empirical Research
by Nobuya Inagaki
This study, part of a process of providing background research in support of the First World Congress on Communication for Development (held in October 2006 in Rome, Italy), is a survey of empirical research on communication for development based on a sample of peer-reviewed English-language articles from academic journals published between 2000 - 2005. The purpose of the analysis is to collect evidence from academic research to highlight the impacts of communication on development initiatives and to present current trends in theoretical underpinnings and communication approaches. As outlined in the document's introduction, communication has the potential to make development programmes, including those related to furthering the Millennium Development Goals, more effective by, for example, making interventions more specific to local contexts; empowering people through enabling dialogue, raising awareness, and fostering self-reflection; and in particular, by giving voice to marginalised and disenfranchised populations.

3. The Case for Communication in Sustainable Development
This paper, published by Panos London, intends to show that "effective information and communication processes are prerequisites for successful development". It is a longer, more detailed exposition of the arguments set out in At the Heart of Change: The Role of Communication in Sustainable Development (see above) and is based on background research and a literature review, along with a series of interviews in the United Kingdom (UK) and other countries. The paper addresses the challenge of using communication more powerfully as an agent of change to establish faster, more sustainable development. After a short chapter setting out the context, the document explores the roles information and communication processes play in all of the key elements that foster development.

4. Advocacy and Interventions: Readings in Communication and Development
by Royal Colle
This is a book of communication for development ideas, case studies, issues, models, and field-tested methods from the practitioner perspective. It is written for policy makers, project planners, and students of advanced courses in development communication or rural development. The author explores how the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) could accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The book contains examples and case studies that illustrate ways that carefully planned and implemented communication interventions have produced positive results. It shows how approaches such as social marketing, extension, participation, and entertainment have contributed to development initiatives. Many of these have used media and new information and communication technologies. The book also includes ideas from people who have experienced the challenges of communicating effectively in development programmes.

CHALLENGES AND THE WAY FORWARD

5. World Congress on Communication for Development: Lessons, Challenges and The Way Forward
The first World Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD), held in October 2006 in Rome, was an opportunity for dialogue among three key stakeholders: policy makers, practitioners, and academics. It aimed to highlight the necessity of incorporating communication for development into development policies and practices. The experiences recounted in this report are drawn from the various sessions of the Congress and emphasise the value of using Communication for Development to engage stakeholders in a professional and systematic manner for more effective and sustainable project design and implementation. The report also highlights some of the challenges facing communication for development and offers recommendations on the way forward.

6. Summary Results of GKP Consultation with Practitioners for the 10th Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development
by James Deane
This report summarises the results of a consultation that the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) carried out with communication for development practitioners in January 2007 for presentation at the 10th United Nations (UN) Round Table on C4D in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from February 12-14 2007. The theme of the Round Table was "Towards a Common UN System Approach for Harnessing Communication for Development to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals". The purpose of this consultation process was to obtain practitioner, civil society, and other external perspectives on the issues highlighted in the Round Table agenda. The need for such a consultation is highlighted by the opening remarks of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, who explained that "we need to establish a common strategy to assist Member States to integrate communication for development as a key component of development planning. Previous round tables have consistently observed that there is an inadequate focus on communication for development in development planning. If there was any, it was usually limited to mere publicity for the plans and failed to recognize the importance of sharing knowledge with the purpose of reaching consensus on development planning, implementation and evaluation."

7. Communication for Development Programmes in the United Nations System
Prepared by the UNESCO, this report responds to General Assembly Resolutions A/50/130 of 23 February 1996 and A/51/172 of 3 February 1997, and includes recommendations from the tenth United Nations Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development. While recognising "the important role of communication for development programmes in the United Nations system", the resolutions acknowledge "the need further to facilitate inter-agency cooperation and to maximize the impact of the development programmes". The general recommendations of the United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and, in particular, those reached at the tenth UN Inter-Agency Round Table on Communication for Development include the need to impress upon senior-level decision makers of United Nations specialised agencies, programmes and funds the importance of prioritising communication for development principles and methodologies in all programmatic areas, and the need to allocate human, technical and financial resources for this effort, as well as to establish a formal inter-agency mechanism promoting and enhancing communication for development within the United Nations system.

8. Communication and the MDGs: No Magic Information Bullets
by Silvio Waisbord
In this paper, the author explores what he sees as a rather strange and surprising phenomenon: the absence of communication in the MDGs. The reasons for this exclusion may range from failure on the part of the 'communication' community to make a persuasive argument to convince power-holders to take communication goals seriously, to decision-makers' lack of sensitisation to the merits of communication goals. However, the "why" is not Waisbord's focus here. He seeks, rather, to explore the way in which communication's absence from the Goals exacerbates its relegation to an auxiliary, instrumental role to achieve other objectives. In short, Waisbord is concerned that - when seen as simply a group of information dissemination tools - communication as a strategy for fostering development in the fullest sense is radically shortchanged and misunderstood.

9. Media & Glocal Change: Rethinking Communication for Development
Edited by Oscar Hemer and Thomas Tufte
This book presents a collection of writings from the broad field of communication for development and from closely related areas of research and practice. The editors' aim is to present "an integral reflection upon where the still-emerging field of communication for development is coming from and, particularly, where we believe it should be heading." This book aims "to integrate reflection on epistemology, theory, methodology and successful case studies in order to move the field towards a new phase, enabling media and communication practitioners to respond better to the realities of a glocalized world."

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BLOG ON COMMUNICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT - "ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT"

by Ricardo Ramirez and Wendy Quarry

Click here to read and contribute to this blog.

Click here for further blogs which offer analysis, ideas and debates on Development Policy Issues from Communication and Media Perspectives.

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RESOURCES FOR FURTHER READING

10. Development Communication Sourcebook: Broadening the Boundaries of Communication
by Paolo Mefalopulos
This book from the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank is intended to be a source of knowledge and practical advice for all those involved in development communication, a compendium of reference material for courses and workshops in this field, and an advocacy piece to promote the discipline to managers and decision makers who have an interest in learning why and when to adopt development communication. The two factors guiding the rationale for writing this sourcebook, according to the introduction, are: "First, despite the growing recognition enjoyed by the discipline of development communication, its nature and full range of functions are still not fully known to many decision makers and development managers who tend to identify this field merely with the art of disseminating information effectively. Second, because of the recent shift in the development paradigm (that is, from one-way to two-way communication) and the related changes in the field of development communication, many communication practitioners are not entirely aware of the discipline’s rich theoretical body of knowledge and the wealth of its practical applications—which are growing in relevance for the development context."

11. Monitoring and Evaluating Information and Communication for Development (ICD) Programmes
by Mary Myers, Nicola Woods, and Sina Odugbemi
Published by UK DFID, this document is designed to provide guidance on monitoring and evaluating information and communication for development programmes that utilise: face-to-face communication or information activities such as counselling or extension visits; community-level communications such as theatre, role-playing, workshops, posters, and other print materials; television, radio, film, and video; internet and email communications programmes; and telecommunications-based projects.

12. The Terminology of Knowledge for Sustainable Development: Information, Knowledge, Collaboration and Communications
by Heather Creech
This International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Knowledge Communications Practice Note offers a glossary of terms related to sustainable development communications. The glossary covers: principal distinctions; terminology of knowledge processes; typology of collaborative relationships; and an inventory of communications practices and tools. Examples of this glossary, which is presented in a chart format, include terms such as: Adaptive management; Community of practice; Intellectual capital; K4D: Knowledge for development; Knowledge mobilisation; Appreciative inquiry; and Participatory video, among others.

13. Communication for Social Change Anthology: Historical and Contemporary Readings
Edited by Alfonso Gumucio Dagron and Thomas Tufte
Published by the Communication for Social Change (CFSC) Consortium, this anthology brings together thinking by more than 150 communication for social change experts to review the evolution of communication for social change from the early 1960's to the present. This collection of approximately 200 texts looks at where the field has been and where it is headed, as well as the principles that have characterised communication for social change from the beginning.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Music for Change

aventh — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:32:54 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES on music and xenophobia and malaria
*Spotlight on EDUTAINMENT THEMESITE AND E-NEWSLETTER
* EVALUATIONS of music projects for autistic children and reproductive health
* STRATEGIC THINKING on gender and popular music and music celebrities
* POLL on Arts for Development
* MUSIC-RELATED MATERIALS for migrant workers and HIV awareness

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This issue of The Soul Beat looks at the role that music and musicians can play in bringing about positive social change in Africa. The newsletter shares programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, and resource materials related to the use of music to address issues such as human rights, conflict, child welfare, health and HIV/AIDS, and gender.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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1. Poto-Poto - West Africa
Launched by Plan International in 2006 in collaboration with Artists United for African Rap (AURA), Poto-Poto is a music campaign involving performances and an album by popular hip-hop artists to raise awareness around children’s rights and the challenges they face in West Africa. Plan and AURA brought together hip-hop musicians to develop an album entitled "Les histoires extraordinaires des enfants du Poto-Poto" (The extraordinary stories of the Poto-Poto children) which forms the soundtrack for the live shows. Through the songs on the album, listeners meet the children who live or spend their days at the fictional Poto-Poto market.
Contact Plan - West African Regional Office
childrenmedia@plan-international.org OR AURA info@aurahiphop.com

2. Music Against Xenophobia - South Africa
Launched in November 2008, Music Against Xenophobia (MAX) was a music project by CMFD (Community Media for Development) Productions, supported by MMINO, that brought together musicians from South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe to write and record songs about xenophobia as a way to raise awareness and encourage dialogue. The songs, written in Zulu, Shangaan, and Portuguese, talk about migration and hope to encourage feelings of pan-Africanism. The lyrics of the songs were based on research interviews conducted with 100 migrants from all over the continent about their experiences in South Africa.
Contact Deborah Walter deb@cmfd.org

3. Positive Music Project - Sierra Leone
This project involves a group of young musicians working with the Sierra Leone branch of the International Education & Resource Network (iEARN) to raise awareness among young Sierra Leoneans about issues related to social justice and human rights. The group does this through music, especially hip hop, singing in Krio and English. They have released two albums - "Moving to the Beats Mobilising Youth" in 2005 and "Next Next Generation" in 2007. As part of this project, iEARN invited Rap4Rights Rappers from the Netherlands to meet with iEARN youth to create music, and explore human rights and peace-building.
Contact Andrew Benson Greene andrewgreene_c21st@iearnsierraleone.org OR info@iearnsierraleone.org

4. Shangilia Mtoto wa Afrika (Rejoice Child of Africa) - Kenya
Founded in 1994, Shangilia is a project in Nairobi, Kenya that uses performing arts as a means to change the lives of children living on the streets, and to change negative societal perceptions of these children. Along with providing housing, care, and education to vulnerable children, the organisation uses the performing arts, including drama, acrobatics, choir, tae-kwan-do, and mime to help build the children's self-esteem. In 2008, Shangilia toured the United States where they were given the opportunity to record an album with the New York based Micocci Productions. Their album, titled Rejoice Child of Africa, consists of 10 tracks in a mix of genres, celebrating gospel and secular music.
Contact Japheth Njenga shangilia@nbi.ispkenya.com OR japheth.njenga@enchange.com

5. We are the Drums - Africa
Released in 2004, "We are the Drums" is a song composed by 18 top African musicians in response to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s appeal to combat poverty and promote an HIV/AIDS-free generation. The musicians joined forces to create and perform the song to spark action against poverty and HIV/AIDS in their region as part of the Africa 2015 initiative to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The lyrics of the song invite people to stop being "victims of war, victims of poverty, victims of hunger," and to take individual responsibility to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS so that the disease will not affect the 2015-generation.
Contact Djibril Diallo djibril.diallo@undp.org

6. Voices for a Malaria-Free Future Mali - Mali
Voices for a Malaria-Free Future, in partnership with Groupe Pivot, the national non-governmental organisation umbrella group in Mali, is working at both the national and the community level to raise awareness of issues related to the prevention and treatment of malaria. These include access to insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), provision of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for pregnant women, drug resistance, and the use of pesticides used in indoor residual spraying (IRS). As part the advocacy and awareness-raising activities, the campaigns used Malian music personalities to address decision makers, and promoted messages through songs specifically produced by Malian musicians for the campaigns.
Contact Claudia Vondrasek cvondras@jhuccp.org

7. Red for Life - South Africa
A music-based AIDS awareness and advocacy campaign developed by Levi’s® and the South Africa-based Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), the campaign aimed to combat HIV/AIDS on three fronts: by instilling a sense of responsibility among youth through education and awareness, by breaking down the stigma associated with the disease, and by raising money to treat those living with HIV/AIDS through the TAC. This initiative used music as the mode of communication and featured the engagement of prominent musicians to increase HIV/AIDS awareness.

Contact TAC info@tac.org.za

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EDUTAINMENT THEMESITE AND E-NEWSLETTER

For more information related to edutainment, please visit the Edutainment theme site

On this site you will find programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, and materials that look at the use of radio, television, theatre, puppetry, comics, visual arts, sport etc. to both entertain and educate.

Every second month, Soul Beat Africa sends out a Soul Beat Extra: Edutainment newsletter which features all the latest edutainment-related summaries posted on the Soul Beat Africa website.

If you would like to receive this free e-publication, click here to register and indicate an interest in edutainment or write to soulbeat@comminit.com indicating that you would like to receive the Edutainment Extra.

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8. Testing Action Media and Entertainment Education with Autistic Children
By Jugbaran Nazliand and Eliza Melissa Moodley
This paper explores the efficacy of an intervention on HIV/AIDS and sexuality education with autistic children. According to the paper, a number of autistic children are sexually active, without realising the consequences of their actions, and this makes them vulnerable to HIV infection and pregnancy. This intervention made use of entertainment education strategies, using puppet shows, theatre and music to educate autistic pupils at a school in Durban. The action media approach was used to involve pupils in the creation of the media product, in this case a music CD. This paper details the origins and implementation of the project, as well as its efficacy.

9. Impact Data - Music Project
This impact data is based on a survey to assess a project that used songs and music videos about family planning performed by two of Nigeria's most popular artists, King Sunny Ade and Onyeka Onwenu. According to the survey, five months after its launch, 57% of urban respondents and 22% of rural respondents saw the videos or heard the songs. More than 90% of those exposed to the songs or videos strongly agreed with the messages that couples should practice family planning and have only the number of children that they can care for. In urban areas, 44% of respondents said that they had spoken to their friends about the songs, and 27% said that they had spoken with their sexual partners about them.

10. Dancing to Change: Gender in the Popular Music of Kampala, Uganda
By Evelyn Lutwama-Rukundo
This article, published in the Glocal Times, the newsletter of Malmo University's Communication for Development programme, looks at the lyrics of popular song from the capital city of Kampala, Uganda, and investigates their contribution to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of gender equity. The article discusses the connections between Ugandan popular music, gender relations, levels of productivity for both men and women, and socio-economic development for the individual, family, and wider community.

11. Employment of Live Mass Information/Entertainment in Terms of Broad Principles of Entertainment Education
By Alan Finlay
This report offers a description of the strategy underpinning an initiative implemented by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Education and Culture Life Skills Division called the JAE (Just About Education) HIV/AIDS Information Tour. As indicated by the tour tagline (JAE), the project drew on the power of celebrity - "Jae" is a prominent pop star with "enormous popularity among the youth of South Africa." As a role model and AIDS activist, Jae communicates with high school learners about HIV/AIDS, spreading messages about HIV/AIDS and promoting positive lifestyles at schools in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.

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PLEASE VOTE IN THE NEW SOUL BEAT AFRICA EDUTAINMENT POLL::

In the context of art for social change, art-based projects (e.g., visual arts, photography, poetry, film, music, etc.) are being used most effectively to...(you may choose more than one option)

Options:
*support the individual healing process
*promote inter-cultural understanding
*give a voice to the voiceless
*assist with socio-economic empowerment
*create awareness in the wider community about a social issue
*create a platform for freedom of speech
*develop human capacity in the arts

To vote and send comments, go to the Edutainment theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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The Soul Beat 80 - Theatre for Development

12. Famba Zvakanaka - Hamba Kahle - Safe Journey [CD]
Produced by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Famba Zvakanaka - Hamba Kahle Music CD formed a key part of the "Safe Journey" multi-media campaign in Zimbabwe. The campaign sought to reduce the risks of HIV to potential migrants and inform citizens about HIV prevention and the dangers of irregular (or illegal) migration. The CD was designed to reinforce the messages of the Safe Journey campaign, informing Zimbabweans of the risks and realities of irregular migration and living or working abroad without families and/or without correct documentation.

13. Everybody's Everybody Musical Production Guide
Produced by Spiraling Music Publications, Everybody's Everybody is a musical theatre production designed to raise awareness about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially focusing on the needs of children in Africa. According to the producers, the musical is intended to be included as part of a month-long curriculum intended to raise the awareness of youth and the general public. In addition to raising awareness, the musical performances can be used as a fundraiser. The producers of the musical have developed this guide to assist with the production of the musical. It includes instructions, a script, scores, and the instrumental soundtrack CD.

14. We Shall Survive: A Music for Life Project [CD]
This CD is the product of a partnership between the United States Government and Ethiopian artists to support the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The CD consists of 14 songs sung and produced by 39 Ethiopian artists residing in the United States (US) and Ethiopia. The lyrics, revolving around various thematic areas related to HIV/AIDS, were pre-tested among various focus groups including youth and people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.

15. Wake Up Africa! Leve-toi, Afrique
The Leve-toi, Afrique! (Wake Up Africa!) song is the centrepiece of the Wake-Up! Africa campaign. Recorded in French and local African languages, the lyrics call on listeners to become aware of the risks of AIDS, to minimise those risks by taking specific actions (practicing fidelity, using condoms, knowing their HIV status) and to increase the acceptance of and compassion for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA). In addition to the song, the campaign included a music video, seven TV and radio spots and a behind the scenes magazine/documentary.

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For previous edutainment-related issues of The Soul Beat newsletter, see:

The Soul Beat 70 - Comics and Cartoons for Development in Africa

The Soul Beat 64 - Art for Social Change

The Soul Beat 45 - Music

The Soul Beat 42 - Using Puppetry for Communication

Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Promoting Family Planning

aventh — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:03:21 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

* PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES on projects using radio drama, mass media, and websites
* EVALUATIONS of projects using cyclebeads, IUDs, and Gold Circle clinics
* POLL on HIV Prevention
* STRATEGIC THINKING on optimal birth spacing, hotlines, and teenage mothers
* Spotlight on C-ChANGE PICKS website
* MATERIALS for advocacy, mobilisation, and the media

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This issue of The Soul Beat looks at family planning and reproductive health in Africa. It contains programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, materials, and trainings that highlight how communication is being used to promote the adoption of contraception and other child spacing methods to ensure optimal maternal and child health.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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1. Mama Ushauri (Mama Advice) - Tanzania
Produced by the Tanzania Marketing and Communication (T-MARC) Project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s Reproductive and Child Health Section, Mama Ushauri ("Mama Advice" in Kiswahili) is a serial radio drama focusing on women in different phases of their reproductive lives: a young couple contemplating their first pregnancy; a middle-aged couple discussing birth spacing; and an older couple exploring permanent family planning methods. Mama Ushauri, the central character, is not a health "expert" but is wise and bold and uses her life experiences to promote the use of modern family planning methods.

Contact Nelson Karanja nkaranja@tmarc.or.tz

2. To Give Life and Live - Ivory Coast
This mass media communication and community mobilisation campaign is designed to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among the female population, lower maternal mortality rates, and prevent early and unwanted pregnancies. The project also addresses the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, encourages the use of contraceptives, and promotes family planning and prenatal examinations. The project was developed by a group of 20 women journalists in the Ivory Coast who are using their skills - and their connections within the media - to disseminate reproductive health and HIV/AIDS messages to other women, and to explore new ways to reach out to their intended audience.
Contact Bakayoko Zéguéla zeguelag@yahoo.fr

3. Elements of Family Planning Success - Global
The Information & Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs (CCP) is engaged in a web-based activity to create a community with access to supporting resources focused on defining the elements of successful family planning programmes, worldwide. Developed through a collaborative process, the Elements of Family Planning Success website is a social networking site designed for practitioners to: access evidence-based family planning resources; share successes and lessons learned; network with colleagues around the world; exchange ideas; and brainstorm solutions to problems together.
Contact Vanessa Mitchell vmitchel@jhuccp.org

4. Social Marketing Final Report: Three Country Overview
This report is based on a study conducted to research the potential of socially-marketing the Standard Days Method (SDM) in Ecuador, Benin, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). SDM is a relatively new method of natural family planning that helps couples to recognise when they are most fertile. The study sought to assess the feasibility of providing the SDM through social marketing programmes in different contexts, and evaluate the impact of mass media campaigns on knowledge, sales and distribution, and quality of information provided by pharmacists. The study found that the social marketing campaign succeeded in raising awareness of the SDM in all three countries, but was most successful in countries in which television augmented information provided by clinics and other sources.

5. Comparing the Effectiveness and Costs of Alternative Strategies for Improving Access to Information and Services for the IUD in Ghana
By Ivy Osei, Gertrude Voetagbe, Moses Aikins, John Gyapong, Philomena Nyarko, Harriet Birungi, Gloria Quansah Asare, Henrietta Odoi-Agyarko, and Olivia Aglah
This report, published by the Population Council, aimed to assess whether the goals of a project to increase the use of Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs) in Ghana had been achieved. The project, initiated by the Ghana Health Services (GHS) and implemented by its USAID Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) programme in collaboration with FRONTIERS and EngenderHealth, involved testing a variety of interventions to increase awareness of IUDs and improve access to the method. The research found that community health officers exhibited adequate knowledge of and a positive attitude towards the IUD. The study also found that knowledge of long-acting family planning methods did increase significantly among all women who participated in the project.

6. Impact Data - Gold Circle Clinic Campaign - West Africa
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and Sante Familiale et Prevention du SIDA (SFPS) ran a family planning community awareness project which involved the building of Gold Circle clinics in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Cote d'Ivoire. Evaluation data showed that the campaign had a positive impact on contraceptive use and on overall knowledge regarding family planning. Contraceptive prevalence for all women increased by 20% between the baseline and the follow-up. While the prevalence of contraceptive use increased slightly among women who were not exposed to the campaign (4%), the change among those exposed was much greater (39%). Women who were exposed to the campaign contributed the large majority (89%) of the overall increase in contraceptive use.

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PLEASE VOTE IN THE NEW SOUL BEAT AFRICA HIV/AIDS POLL::

In HIV prevention efforts in Africa... (you may choose more than one option)

- too much attention is given to youth (age 15-24)
- too much attention is given to older age groups (25 and up)
- not enough attention is given to youth (age 15-24)
- not enough attention is given to older age groups (25 and up)
- the balance is just right

To vote and send comments, go to the HIV/AIDS theme site
and see the Top Right side of the page.

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7. Optimal Birth Spacing: An In-depth Study of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices
This study, published by the Catalyst Consortium, an initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), examines attitudes and practices around family planning and birth spacing in Egypt. The study found that general knowledge and awareness of the advantages of birth spacing was relatively high, and noted that this was probably due to counselling and television spots. The report recommends designing birth spacing messages for husbands and mothers-in-law, as they are often the main decision-makers when it comes to the timing of pregnancy, especially among young wives. They recommend that messages around the risks associated with frequent pregnancies should be described using scientific documentation, and that messages should be integrated into other non-governmental organisations and women's programmes.

8. Phone Hotline Spreads Family Planning Information in DR Congo
By Catherine Toth
This case study describes how Population Services International (PSI), under their Family Planning Project, set up and managed la Ligne Verte (which means "hotline" in French) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It also explores the lessons learned that may point to the use of cell phone technology as a powerful new tool for health education, especially in countries like the DRC that have little communications infrastructure, such as standard telephone networks and roads. According to the report, knowledge of two or more methods of family planning is strongly correlated with the uptake of a method and that having a discussion about family planning has an even stronger correlation with uptake of a contraceptive method.

9. Trust in Aunties: Testimony and Counselling Through Teenage Mothers - A Successful Way to Achieve Behaviour Change and Empower Youth
By Regina M. Goergen and Flavien Ndonko
This document shares the experience of the "Aunties Project" in Cameroon, an initiative that trains teenage mothers to become peer educators. Formerly, aunts took care of the sexual education of young girls in different communities in the country, but this tradition has largely been lost. To fill this gap, the project recruits and trains teenage mothers to talk about their own experiences and to educate other adolescents in their communities and schools about risky sexual behaviour.

10. 'Get a Permanent Smile'- Increasing Awareness of, Access to, and Utilization of Vasectomy Services in Ghana
This report explores communication-centred strategies that have been used to increase vasectomy utilisation in Ghana. The document describes a 2-year project initiated in 2003 by the ACQUIRE (Access, Quality and Use in Reproductive Health) Project, the Ghana Health Service, and EngenderHealth to introduce and expand vasectomy services in a range of public-and private-sector health facilities in metropolitan Accra and Kumasi. The authors suggest that vasectomy is underutilised not because men do not want to take responsibility for family planning but, rather, because men lack full access to both information and services and thus cannot make informed decisions or take an active part in family planning.

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C-CHANGE PICKS WEBSITE

The C-Change Picks website highlights actions and thinking for improving the effectiveness and sustainability of social and behaviour change communication – with a particular focus on uptake of modern and appropriate family planning methods, access to reproductive health information and services, antenatal and maternal health care, and HIV/AIDS and malaria prevention.

To subscribe to the C-Change Picks e-magazine, please write to cchange@comminit.com

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The Soul Beat 116 - Maternal Health

11. Long-Acting and Permanent Methods: Addressing Unmet Need for Family Planning in Africa
This series brings together eight advocacy briefs on using long acting and permanent methods (LAPMs) of contraception to address unmet needs in Africa. According to the introduction, "The class of long-acting and permanent methods (LAPMs) of contraception comprises four highly effective methods for delaying, spacing, or limiting births. These include the intrauterine device [IUD], contraceptive implants, vasectomy, and female sterilization. Despite their many advantages, LAPMs are the least accessible and least used methods of family planning in sub-Saharan Africa. Increasing access to high-quality LAPM services will ensure that women and men can choose from a balanced mix of contraceptive methods and fulfil their reproductive intentions."

12. Long-Acting and Permanent Methods of Contraception: Without Them, a Country’s Development Will Be Low and Slow
By Roy Jacobstein
This two-page advocacy brief, the third in a series of five briefs published by The ACQUIRE Project, answers key questions about long-acting and/or permanent family planning methods, which include intrauterine devices (IUDs or IUCDs), implants, female sterilisation, and vasectomy. Written in a question and answer format, the brief is designed for policy and reproductive health decision-makers such as health ministers, but is written in a way designed to be accessible to anyone within the reproductive health sector. The brief gives a short overview of family planning in Southern Africa, emphasising the existing unmet need for family planning programmes and methods that are effective.

13. Mobilising Muslim Religious Leaders for Reproductive Health and Family Planning at the Community Level
This manual, created by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Extending Service Delivery Project (ESD), is a 5-day training curriculum designed to equip male and female Muslim religious leaders with the necessary information and skills to better understand, accept, and support the provision of maternal and child health, reproductive health, and family planning (MCH/RH/FP) information and services. The goal of the training within the manual is to build the capacity and leadership of Muslim religious leaders in MCH/RH/FP and gender to support couples and community members in making informed decisions on issues such as safe motherhood, child spacing, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, and to discourage harmful behaviours, especially gender-based violence.

14. Media Resource Pack on Sexual and Reproductive Health
This online media hub 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. Also available are: an online sexual health guide, a list of useful websites, and strategies for developing a study.

15. Repositioning Family Planning: Guidelines for Advocacy Action
This toolkit is designed to help those working in family planning (FP) across Africa to advocate for the visibility, availability, and quality of FP services and counselling, including contraceptive use and healthy timing and spacing of births. It was developed in response to requests from several countries to assist them in accelerating their FP advocacy efforts.

16. Postpartum Family Planning for Healthy Pregnancy Outcomes: A Training Manual
This manual is intended to promote positive health outcomes for mothers, newborns, and infants by improving health workers' skills in fostering healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy (HTSP). It provides practical information and guidance on how to conduct a two-day training for primary health facility-based health workers in providing postpartum family planning information, education, and counselling, and in increasing postpartum women's access to all family planning methods and services. The manual is designed for health trainers, nurses, health supervisors, and community health workers who already have a basic understanding of and experience with reproductive health.

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For more information related to this topic, see these previous issues of The Soul Beat newsletter:

The Soul Beat 110 - Involving Boys and Men

The Soul Beat 79 - Reproductive Health and Family Planning

The Soul Beat 58 - MDG# 5: Improving Maternal Health

Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Power of Personal Narrative

aventh — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:34:01 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of THE SOUL BEAT:

DIGITAL STORIES by migrants, victims of violence, and fistula patients
Vote in our COMMUNITY RADIO POLL
MEMORY WORK for families affected by HIV/AIDS
DRAWING COMPETITION on gender equality
PERSONAL TESTIMONIES on poverty, survival, young heroes, and gender violence

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Personal narratives are one way that development communicators are helping to give "voice to the voiceless", bringing to light a wide variety of perspectives from individuals who are often not heard in the more mainstream media. This issue of The Soul Beat shares programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, and resources that deal with personal narratives in digital stories, memory work, and personal testimonies to address issues such as HIV/AIDS, gender, and human rights.

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To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,442
Communication Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: : 2,799,126

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DIGITAL STORIES

1. Digital Stories: Migrants' Stories from Southern Africa - Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe
In March 2007, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), together with the Silence Speaks project of the Centre for Digital Storytelling (CDS), developed and produced a series of digital stories with migrant workers from across Southern Africa that highlight the issues and consequences of labour migration. According to the organisers, the goal of the project was to create a safe space to share stories and help participants gain a sense of individual achievement and group solidarity, as well as to create a collection of short-form media pieces appropriate for use as training tools.
Contact Reiko Matsuyama rmatsuyama@iom.int

2. Responding to Violence and HIV/AIDS: Digital Stories from Southern Africa - Facilitation Guide
By Amy Hill, Janey Skinner, Dean Peacock, and Andrew Daub
This facilitation guide accompanies the digital stories produced in workshops initiated by Sonke Gender Justice Network, the International Organization for Migration, and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa. This guide is designed to help facilitators use digital stories to explore links between gender, violence, and HIV, and encourage people to take action in support of human rights and social and economic justice.

3. Learn from My Story - Uganda
In August 2007, the ACQUIRE Project of EngenderHealth partnered with the Silence Speaks Project of the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Uganda to coordinate a workshop for Ugandan women who have experienced obstetric fistula. During the workshop, the women shared their stories about their experiences for use as part of ongoing training about fistula treatment and care. At an orientation session held one month prior to the workshop, participants were given disposable cameras, taught how to use them, and asked to take photos of their homes and villages. During a subsequent 4-day workshop, they shared their stories with one another in a group process, recorded narration, and drew pictures to illustrate their lives.
Contact fistulacare@engenderhealth.org OR amylenita@storycenter.org

4. Digital Interactive Video Online (DIVO) - Ghana
This was a peer-led creative digital video dialogue in which young Muslim women from Accra, Ghana and students from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School for Girls in London, UK created and shared digital films about their experience of gender and sexual health. The process began by exploring issues or areas of concern identified by participants through drama-based workshops. These issues were then distilled into a scenario which was storyboarded and filmed by the group.
Contact info@divoproject.org

5. Digital Storytelling Project - Kenya
Initiated in 2008 by the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK), the Digital Storytelling Project works in Kenya to allow vulnerable young people between the ages of 14 and 22 to speak out about issues affecting their lives and to share their stories. In order to achieve this, the project trained 17 young people, many of whom were living and working on the streets, to write blogs, take photographs, and put this material online. Some of the issues that the students raised included life on the streets, poverty in informal settlements, police harassment, environmental degradation, drug use, and the post-election violence.
Click here to contact the organisation.

6. Digital Stories - South Africa
Sonke Gender Justice and the Center for Digital Storytelling’s (CFDS) Silence Speaks project produced a series of digital stories that share the experiences of men and women who have been affected by violence and HIV/AIDS. The stories were created through a participatory workshop process that allowed participants to share their stories verbally, write them into short scripts, collect photos and video clips, and finally record them. Participants were guided through hands-on computer tutorials that gave them the skills to create the digital stories.
Contact Dean Peacock dean@genderjustice.org.za OR Bafana Khumalo bafana@genderjustice.org.za

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VOTE IN OUR COMMUNITY RADIO POLL:

Communities in Africa interact with their local community radio stations...

*Sufficiently: communities influence programming content in a meaningful way.

*Infrequently: communities don’t generally engage with their local community radio stations.

*Not at all: community radio stations struggle to feature the voices of their specific communities.

*With difficulty: communities try to engage with their community radio stations, but the stations won’t hear them or feature their voices, struggles, and opinions.

To vote and send comments go to the Community Radio Theme Site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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MEMORY WORK

7. Changing Children's Lives: Experiences from Memory Work in Africa
This report, published by Healthlink Worldwide, shares learning from the memory work that Healthlink, along with 6 other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across sub-Saharan Africa, has been involved in. The authors argue that memory work provides an adaptable and sustainable approach to combat the spread of HIV and to deal with its impact on people's lives. The focus of the publication is on learning and analysis in the theory and practice of memory work, as well as on demonstrating memory work's effectiveness as an HIV response. The document also contains key challenges and how to deal with them, as well as recommendations for policy and practice.

8. The Memory Work Trainer's Manual: Supporting Families Affected by HIV and AIDS
According to this publication, memory work is a community-led approach to encourage families to communicate openly about HIV. It is designed to help parents look at how to disclose their HIV status to their children, record important information in "memory books", and plan for the future. This manual has emerged from experience of memory work in Africa. The manual is designed to help trainers through a course to support parents, guardians, and carers affected by HIV and AIDS, by supporting them to: share information, hopes, and fears with their children; strengthen each child’s sense of identity and belonging; and plan for the future care of their children.

9. Memory Work: Which Way Now?
This learning paper, published by Healthlink Worldwide, considers how memory work makes a difference in people's lives, how issues around sustaining and scaling-up the approach are important to its continuation, and why, even with increased access to anti-retroviral treatment, memory work is still important to continue. According to the paper, memory work is critically important in the fight against HIV and AIDS at the community level in several African countries. Hundreds of families are benefitting from the approach, when parents find the ability to disclose their status, seek out care and support, and prepare for their children’s future.

10. Memory Box Programme - South Africa
Implemented by the Sinomlando Centre for Oral History and Memory Work in Africa, the Memory Box Programme provides AIDS patients and their children with support by recording their living memories. These memories are kept in a "memory box" which contains the story of the deceased parents as well as various objects pertaining to their history. The objective of the Memory Box Programme is to enhance resilience in vulnerable children and orphans affected by HIV/AIDS.
Contact Philippe Denis denis@ukzn.ac.za OR sinomlando@ukzn.ac.za

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Drawing Competition on Gender Equality

The European Commission (EC) has launched the Drawing Competition on Gender Equality, calling on children aged 8 - 10 in developing countries to express their vision of gender equality. Two drawings by region will be selected by the jury, and a prize of a total value of €1,000 for each region will be awarded to the winners.
Click here for more information.

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PERSONAL TESTIMONIES

11. Living with Poverty - Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Zambia
Oral testimonies are accounts that draw on a person's direct memories and experiences. They are used for a variety of purposes, including teaching and student research, community and development work, journalism and creative media, and personal use. The non-governmental organisation (NGO) Panos is using the internet as a tool to bring to light testimonies from people living in poverty in Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Zambia. The goal is to communicate the human indignities that lie at the heart of poverty, and to explore approaches to poverty reduction as part of the effort to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #1, which calls for efforts to halve the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015.
Contact Siobhan Warrington Siobhan.warrington@panos.org.uk

12. Project HEPA: Communicating Indigenous Voices of Southern Madagascar - Madagascar
In 2007 and 2008, Panos London, in collaboration with the Andrew Lees Trust (ALT) and Living Lens, worked with communities from the south of Madagascar to produce a series of films and life stories that show how indigenous people have learned to employ multiple strategies to survive in the face of environmental degradation and a changing climate. The project trained men and women from several communities to record oral testimony interviews from their friends, neighbours, and families. The project's ongoing objective is to ensure that responses to climate change and future development in the region will be informed by indigenous people's experiences, priorities, and reality.
Contact Siobhan Warrington Siobhan.warrington@panos.org.uk

13. The Suitcase Project - South Africa
Initiated by Clacherty & Associates in South Africa, the Suitcase Project is an art therapy project based on narrative therapy which is designed to use art and storytelling to help children heal from past trauma. The participating children were migrants and refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and Zimbabwe. During the project, each child decorated a suitcase, inside and out, to tell their personal story.
Contact Glynis Clacherty glynis@clacherty.co.za

14. Heeding the Voiceless: A Guide to Use Oral Testimonies for Radio Documentaries
By Ibrahima Sane and Johan Deflander
This manual, published by Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA), explains the philosophy of the Oral Testimony (OT) and suggests a step-by-step approach for community radio volunteers, and radio journalists in general, who may want to use this format. According to the publishers, OT focuses on "hidden" voices, contexts, and content. The hidden voices refer to the masses in the country that do not have the opportunity to make their voices heard at government level, or on public platforms. The methodology of OT radio reporting is based on a specific interview method using the oral testimonies of the local population in their original languages.

15. Digital Hero Book Project (DHBP) - Kenya, South Africa
This project involves an inter-classroom exchange of personal and positive stories by youth which focus on their strengths and "hero" qualities. By combining digital storytelling with online group collaboration via the internet, the project is designed to develop literacy, digital media skills, and cross-cultural awareness. The project is a joint collaboration between the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), the Khanya Project of the Western Cape Education Department, Molotech, and the Center for Digital Storytelling.
Contact info@digitalherobook.org

16. Gender and Media Campaigns - The Power of the "I" Story
by Mariette van Dijk
This section of the fourth edition of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal, published by the Gender and Media Diversity Centre, explores various aspects of media activism. One of the articles is on the "I" Stories which are a series of first-hand accounts of gender violence from across Southern Africa produced annually by the Gender Links Opinion and Commentary Service for the Sixteen Days of Activism (Nov 25 - Dec 10, yearly). These stories share women’s real experiences with violence which include stories about domestic violence, child abuse, contracting HIV after sexual assault, and being attacked because of sexual orientation.

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Click here to view all archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Sport and Development in Africa

aventh — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:38:59 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of THE SOUL BEAT:

SPORT AND HIV/AIDS-related knowledge summaries
POLLon Challenges to Sport for Development Programmes
SPORT AND PEACE BUILDING-related knowledge summaries
A CALL FOR PAPERS on the gender dimensions of the Soccer World Cup 2010
SPORT AND GENDER-related knowledge summaries
Spotlight on the RIGHT TO PLAY organisation

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In 2010, Africa will host the FIFA World Cup for the first time. With only one year to go, Soul Beat Africa would like to highlight the role of sport and communication for Africa's development.

This issue of The Soul Beat shares summaries from the Soul Beat Africa website which look at how sport is being used to communicate around HIV/AIDS, peace-building, and gender equality.

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To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,411
CI Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: 2,749,771

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SPORT AND HIV/AIDS

1. Football for an HIV-Free Generation - Africa
This collaborative initiative by the Africa Broadcast Media Partnership (ABMP), Coxswain Social Investment Plus (CSI+), Grassroot Soccer (GRS), Love Life, and the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) seeks to help reduce the rate of HIV infection among young Africans; re-engage young people across Africa in the fight against HIV/AIDS; and help boost leadership and increased country-level focus and funding of more concerted large scale HIV-prevention across Africa. Designed to tap into the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, the project combines a sustained media campaign with community-level outreach and education programmes, using soccer to promote healthy living and responsible choices among African youth.
Contact Sandra Ngwena sngwena@gmail.com OR Grace Matlhape grace@lovelife.org.za

2. Zebras4Life-Test4Life - Botswana
Initiated in 2007, Zebras4Life-Test4Life is an HIV testing campaign led by Tebelopele Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Botswana/United States (BOTUSA) collaboration. The campaign uses the popularity of the Zebras national football team to encourage men and out-of-school youth to test for HIV. The campaign involves outreach activities where members of the football team visit communities together with HIV/AIDS counselors. Players interact with crowds and some go for HIV tests in order to encourage others.
Contact Margarett Davis cdcinfo@cdc.gov

3. Sports for Peace and Life Program - Sudan
Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian aid organisation, aims to harness the power of sport to engage young people and encourage positive social behaviour through its Sports for Peace and Life Program in Sudan. The project is using the Grassroot Soccer life skills training methodology to decrease young peoples' vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, while increasing their capacity to avert and resolve potential conflict. The project uses game-based activities to de-stigmatise HIV/AIDS, and teach youth about the difference between HIV and AIDS, how the disease is transmitted, and how to avoid infection through the use of condoms, abstinence, or by having only one partner.
Contact Grassroot Soccer info@grassrootsoccer.org OR Mercy Corps through the online contact form here.

4. The Potentials of Sport as a Tool for a Rights-Based Approach to HIV/AIDS
By Marleen Bosmans
This paper, published by International Platform on Sport and Development, explores how sport can be used as a rights-based tool that can facilitate the access of vulnerable youth - male and female - to HIV/AIDS information, education, care, and treatment. According to the author, sport has been identified as a new and important resource for reaching youth whose prior concerns and interests are not necessarily how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. The assumption is that sport can facilitate access to HIV/AIDS messages because sport is not only a favourite pastime, but is also considered to be a good way of promoting respect for diversity, tolerance, non-discrimination, and solidarity.

5. Grassroot Soccer HIV/AIDS Education Program: An Intervention in Zimbabwe
By Luba Botcheva, Lynn Huffman
This is an evaluation of the Grassroot Soccer HIV/AIDS Education Program, conducted by Grassroot Soccer Foundation in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The programme aimed to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS by training adult soccer players to educate at-risk youth about HIV/AIDS. It was implemented in 9 schools in Bulawayo, targeting 7th grade students who are considered at-risk of HIV infection in their community. Fourteen locally and nationally known soccer players, recognised role models for these students, were trained to be educators for the programme. Results of this evaluation study showed that Grassroot Soccer Foundation has developed and implemented an effective intervention programme for educating at-risk youth about HIV/AIDS and how they can protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.

6. Together for HIV and AIDS Prevention: A Toolkit for the Sports Community
By Andrew Doupe
Produced by the International Olympic Committee and United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), this toolkit is designed to provide practical advice to National Olympic Committees (NOCs), sports clubs and federations, managers, administrators, employees, coaches and trainers, and athletes who have to deal with the numerous and complex issues surrounding HIV/AIDS that arise both on and off the field. According to the publishers, the toolkit focuses on HIV prevention, care, and treatment simultaneously, providing HIV prevention information while encouraging an environment in which HIV-positive people can fulfill their potential and access life prolonging treatment.

7. Kicking AIDS Out: Through Movement Games and Sports Activities
By Oscar Sichikolo Mwaanga
This book is a collection of methods, aids, ideas, and experiences related to how coaches can confront HIV and AIDS in and through sports. The central issue discussed is the strategy for adapting and creating movement games to help participants learn to develop "Kicking AIDS Out" (KAO) skills through a combination of sport and life skills. The book presents practical guidelines on how to use sports to promote information on HIV and AIDS. It is designed to promote volunteer work among young people and explains how to combine sport skills and life skills.

8. Sport in Action: Sport in the Development Process
By Mercia Takavarasha, Justin Mukumbo, Frankson Muchindu, Kizito Chileshe, Teresa Muchindika, Junie Kayoki, and Veronica Shipanuka
Realising the high capacity that play and sport has in developing and promoting behavioural formation and change, Sport in Action (SIA) has designed this resource document for persons working with children in schools and communities in Zambia. The document presents ways and means of planning and conducting play and sport for children's activities, as well as how to integrate selected Zambian traditional games with HIV/AIDS and child rights education. The toolkit includes a sport administration component that deals with leadership, sponsorship, communication, and event organisation.

9. Lurdes Mutola Foundation - Mozambique
Founded in 2001 by Mozambican Olympic running champion Maria de Lurdes Mutola, the foundation gives small grants and implements its own initiatives in the areas of education, sport, culture, and entrepreneurship. The FLM focuses on participatory youth programmes designed to help young people improve their skills, confidence, health, and development. One of their programmes, Desporto de Vida (Sport for Life), uses soccer to promote health education among youth. The programme focuses on the training of coaches on issues related to health, in particular HIV and malaria. The programme uses a manual made specifically for coaches working with 8 to 16 year olds, which introduces games that develop young people's skills on and off the field.
Contact flmutola@flmutola.org.mz

10. Commitment to Practice: A Playbook for Practitioners in HIV, Youth and Sport
This paper, published by Mercy Corps, looks specifically at the role of "plus sport" programmes, as opposed to "sport plus" programming. Sport plus programming involves young people in sport to learn new sports skills and/or improve health and social integration. Here the outcomes are sport-related. The plus sport approach discussed in this document, on the other hand, has non-sport, HIV/AIDS-related outcomes as the primary objective. The document draws on the experiences of two plus sport projects run by Mercy Corps - Yes To Soccer programme in Liberia and the Sports for Peace and Life programme in southern Sudan - to discuss this approach and assess its value and limitations. Based on these projects, the document also offers tools and recommendations intended to contribute to developing a body of knowledge on practices within sport-based youth HIV/AIDS programming.

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PLEASE VOTE IN OUR NEW POLL:

Which of the below options do you consider as the BIGGEST challenge facing sport for development efforts in Africa. (you may choose more than one option)

Options:
*Lack of funding
*Lack of community participation
*Lack of government/policy support
*Limited involvement of girls
*Lack of existing sports organisations/infrastructure
*Lack of partnerships
*Going to scale, still very localised
*General lack of understanding of the benefits of sports for development

To vote and send comments go to the Edutainment theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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SPORT FOR PEACE BUILDING

11. O Jogo (The Game) - Angola
This is a radio soap opera developed by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in Angola. Broadcast in 2006, it examined the issue of national reconciliation through the lens of a fictional protagonist dreaming of playing football in the World Cup. O Jogo (which means "The Game") utilised the popularity of football in Angola to examine the concept of a national Angolan identity as a means to achieve unity and reconciliation. Besides dealing with the issue of conflict, economic disparities, and the temptation to join a street gang, the series also dealt with domestic violence, alcoholism, immigration, health issues, and teenage pregnancy.
Contact Michael Jobbins mjobbins@sfcg.org OR Frances Fortune ffortune@sfcg.org

12. Soccer for Re-integration - South Africa
Following xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa in 2008, Sonke Gender Justice, as part of its "One Man Can" project, initiated a street soccer festival in collaboration with Hope World Wide, Western Cape Street Soccer League, and Grassroot Soccer in an attempt to combat xenophobia. The soccer tournament hoped to foster re-integration and dialogue between foreigners and South Africans living in Khayelitsha, a township outside of Cape Town. The event was based on the idea that encouraging communication and shared experiences between foreign nationals and South Africans within a community will help to ease relations within that community and encourage reintegration.
Contact Dean Peacock dean@genderjustice.org.za OR Bafana Khumalo bafana@genderjustice.org.za

13. Sport as Opportunity for Community Development and Peace Building in South Africa
By Marion Keim
This paper, written for the International Conference on Sport and Development at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, focuses on the South African context of sport and development and considers if and under what conditions sport can play a role in peace-building and development. The paper argues that although sport plays a vital role in contemporary society, both as physical activity and as a place for social interaction, current sport activities by the government like the 2010 Soccer World Cup, while laudable and important, are mainly driven by economic desires and neglect the social transformative power inherent in them. In order to build a better future for all, the author states that the nation must not be afraid to engage in some very difficult self-reflection and evaluation, and begin implementing a coordinated approach to sport and development in communities.

14. Sport for Development and Peace: From Practice to Policy - Preliminary Report of the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group
This report, published by the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG) as part of the International Platform on Sport and Development, explores diverse approaches to sport and development. It explores a cross-section of countries, discussing what is working, the challenges, and how national governments can broaden current dialogues to strengthen and encourage more countries to engage in sports initiatives. The report suggests that sport can be a powerful part of broader national development and peace strategies. To this end, the Secretariat reviewed available English-language policy and programme information and interviewed leading government proponents of Sport for Development and Peace from 13 developing and developed countries.

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Call for papers on Gender Dimensions of the Soccer World Cup 2010

Gender Links is calling on researchers to submit discussion papers on the gender dimensions of the Soccer World Cup 2010. The paper should address issues such as: active participation and creation of space for women in decision-making structures particularly those relating to economic opportunities; how can local government use 2010 as a flagship project for benefiting women; what will the potential impact of the Soccer World Cup 2010, positive or negative, be on women in the SADC region?

For more information, contact Judith Mtsewu progofficer@genderlinks.org.za

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GENDER EQUALITY AND SPORT

15. The 2010 Soccer World Cup: Opportunities to Engage Men and Boys in Advancing Gender Equality
This report documents the main themes and discussions that came out of a 2-day conference held by Sonke Gender Justice Network, Grassroot Soccer, and the Family Violence Prevention Fund in 2008. The objectives of the conference were to identify and showcase best practices related to sport and social change; identifying existing opportunities to engage with 2010 to promote gender equality; build relationships between organisations; identify shared strategies for making use of 2010 to engage men in gender equality; find strategies that link gender equality work for 2010 with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil; and discuss strategies to promote child protection around 2010 and beyond. The report points out that there are many opportunities for the global event to help support gender equality campaigns.

16. Ishraq - Egypt
Established in 2001, Ishraq is part of a series of interventions for out-of-school girls aged 12 to 15 year in 4 villages in the Minya governorate in Egypt. Initiated by the Population Council and Save the Children/USA, in partnership with the Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) and Caritas Egypt, the programme works to create safe public spaces for girls and improve girls’ functional literacy, recreational opportunities, livelihood skills, health practices, and mobility. Using sports and outreach, the project is designed to influence social norms concerning girls’ life opportunities and enhance local and national decision-maker support for girl friendly measures and policies.
Contact pcouncil@popcouncil.org OR asalem@popcouncil.org

17. (she’s into sports) How Sports Promote Gender-Equity Worldwide
By Mariette van Beek and Dena Leibman
This study, conducted by Mama Cash, aims to map and analyse the current state of women-sport-and-development initiatives, and use this information to help Mama Cash refine its own grant-making to encourage best practices in using sports as a women’s empowerment strategy worldwide. According to the report, after extensive research - which involved a call for input to a wide range of actors and a document review - a wealth and diversity of women sport and development initiatives emerged. The study also reveals some of the challenges and offers the beginnings of a list of "best practices" to overcome these.

18. Letting Girls Play: The Mathare Youth Sports Association's Football Programme for Girls
By Martha Brady and Arjmand Banu Khan
This report, published by the Population Council, provides a case study of the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Kenya, and its efforts to integrate girls into a community-based, large-scale youth football programme. According to the authors, the case study provides an example of the role of sports in development, as well as its potential to transform gender norms. Specifically, it documents the nature of girls' participation in the organisation, paying particular attention to impediments to their full participation.

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Right to Play

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child includes the Right to Play. Based on this, the organisation called Right To Play uses sport and play programmes to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Click here for more information.

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Related previous issues of The Soul Beat newsletter include:

The Soul Beat 102 - Communicating for Human Rights

The Soul Beat 99 - Communication for Conflict Prevention and Resolution

Medicines Transparency-focused Knowledge on The CI Website!

Click here to view all archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Communication and Change News and Issues

aventh — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:20:56 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

In this issue of The Soul Beat:

PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES: Yellow Fever Game, Puppets for Agriculture...
EVALUATIONS: Mobile Cinema, Media Partnerships in Africa...
COMMUNITY RADIO POLL: Community involvement
STRATEGIC THINKING: Approaches to ICT4D, Drama against Bleaching Soaps...
MATERIALS: Culture and Health, Media against Corruption...
HIV/AIDS POLL: Multiple Concurrent Partnerships

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This issue of The Soul Beat contains summaries of programme experiences, evaluations, strategic thinking documents, materials, events and awards related to communication for development in Africa. This edition covers issues related to health and HIV/AIDS, information and communication technologies (ICTs), agriculture, gender, and governance.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,359
CI Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: 2,939,486

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PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES

1. Investigation of a Yellow Fever Epidemic Game - Africa
This serious game is part of a range of training tools developed by World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) for health professionals facing yellow fever epidemics across Africa. The game, based on video game principles, is designed to convey educational and operational World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and messages, by presenting them in a form that is entertaining and engaging, imitating real-life situations.
Contact Cécile Duperray amp@aamp.org

2. ID Ur-Self NOW! Campaign - South Africa
This campaign, conceptualised and implemented by the Communications Chief Directorate of the South African Department of Home Affairs and launched in March 2008, seeks to encourage learners and young people from the age of 16 to apply for identification documents (IDs). One of the key objectives is to ensure that every South African has an ID to register for and vote in the 2009 general elections. The campaign involved a schools outreach programme, where schools across the country were visited and learners encouraged to apply for IDs.

Contact Siobhan McCarthy Siobhan.mccarthy@dha.gov.za OR Surekha Singh singhs03@sabc.co.za

3. TV Koodo - Burkina Faso
Early in 2005, the Institut Africain de Bio-Economie Rurale (IABER), with financial support from International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), initiated this project to provide information on agricultural markets through a television programme entitled TV Koodo. The show, which is hosted by two animal puppets, provides viewers of Burkina Faso’s national television channel with monthly information on market prices for livestock and grain, in addition to discussing various topics with guests invited to participate in the broadcasts.
Contact information@iicd.org OR Chloé Aicha Boro boro_aicha2000@yahoo.fr

4. Open Cage Radio Drama - Uganda
Launched in March 2008, Open Cage is a radio drama, developed by the International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC) and local women's groups from Atana village in Northern Uganda, that focuses on sexual and gender-based violence. The drama is part of the IWTC's efforts to raise awareness of various aspects of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, which specifically addresses the impact of war on women and women's contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace.
Contact Mavic Cabrera Balleza mavic@iwtc.org

5. Reporting on Agriculture and Women: Africa - Mali, Uganda, Zambia
Launched in June 2007, this is a 4-year project by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s (IWMF) designed to enhance reporting on the role women play in agriculture and rural development in Africa. The objective is to raise the quantity and quality of reporting on farming and rural development, with a focus on the importance of women to the economics of rural areas, and on creating more gender equality in newsrooms.
Contact Lindsey Wray LWray@iwmf.org

6. Mobile Mammography Van - Uganda
Initiated by doctors at Yale-New Haven hospital in the United States and a medical student at Uganda’s Mulago hospital, the 35-foot mammography van, which organisers say is the first of its kind in Africa, is the centrepiece of a two-year pilot programme that will take the van to the suburbs of Kampala. In addition to the van itself, public service announcements in Luganda, the local language, are broadcast over the radio urging women to come in for a free screening. Brochures are distributed to provide information about the early signs of cancer, and about the fact that many cancers can be treated.
Contact opa@yale.edu

EVALUATIONS

7. A Mobile Cinema Experience in Niger: Reach and Impact
By Dominique Thaly
The Cinéma Numérique Ambulant (CNA) is a mobile cinema project operating in Benin, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso since 2001. The CNA project shows educational films and African feature films, and conducts related debates in rural public settings. The case study discussed in this article is designed to assess the medium-term impact of the CNA project on a rural audience in Niger. It suggests that while there are some limitations, the CNA model has significant potential to convey information in these settings.

8. Implementation of the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS and its Impact in a Select Number of Participating Broadcast Companies
In February and March 2008 a study was conducted on the implementation of the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (ABMP) and its impact in a select number of participating broadcast companies in Africa. The evaluation found that the Partnership contributed to national HIV/AIDS campaigns, and that broadcasters also benefited from improved technical capacity. The survey found that there are five broad types of impact that the ABMP has made on participating companies: fostering collaboration, learning, increasing HIV/AIDS as a programming focus, targeting the youth, and increasing viewership.

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VOTE IN THE NEW COMMUNITY RADIO POLL:

Communities in Africa interact with their local community radio stations...

*Sufficiently: communities influence programming content in a meaningful way.
*Infrequently: communities don’t generally engage with their local community radio stations.
*Not at all: community radio stations struggle to feature the voices of their specific communities.
*With difficulty: communities try to engage with their community radio stations, but the stations won’t hear them or feature their voices, struggles, and opinions.

To vote and send comments go to the Community Radio theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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STRATEGIC THINKING

9. Unbounded Possibilities: Observations on Sustaining Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa
By Ian Douglas Howard
This report, published by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), consists of two case studies of telecentres in Tanzania, one that engenders the idea of enterprises 'bubbling up' given the right environment, and the other modelled more on the approach championed by economist Jeffrey Sachs, who contends that economically poor communities require a 'big push', i.e. big projects and big changes. The author argues that both approaches are valuable, although the 'bubbling up' approach could lead to more sustainable rural ICT development.

10. Qualitative Research in Uganda on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Concerning Alcohol
By Agatha Kafuko and Paul Bukuluki
This report, conducted for Y.E.A.H - an organisation involved in behaviour change communication aimed at reducing the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Uganda, presents the findings of a qualitative study which involved 30 focus groups exploring the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescents (15-17), young people (18-24 years of age), and adults (25-35) towards alcohol. Study participants demonstrated some awareness of the short-term and long-term problems associated with excessive alcohol use. They were fully aware that alcohol use - and particularly, excessive use – could have a detrimental impact on an individual’s health and quality of life.

11. Best Practices of ICT for Development Projects
By Steve Vosloo
This essay examines a number of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) case studies and reports to identify a range of best practice projects. It presents the findings according to pre-project, roll-out and post-project phases and concludes with general lessons learned by ICT4D project teams. According to the report, there have been many failures and successes in the ICT4D sector. Over time a body of knowledge and a culture of information dissemination has developed, enabling those in the sector to improve the likelihood of project success by avoiding the mistakes, and building on the pioneering work of others.

12. Use of Soaps Containing Mercury in Africa - How to Fight it
By Peter W. U. Appel
This report documents a forum theatre project sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers that focused on raising awareness about the toxicity of skin bleaching soaps, particularly those containing mercury. The campaign, which was held between June 2007 and early 2008, was designed to actively engage audiences in communication around bleaching soaps and the harmful effects they can have.

MATERIALS

13. Ears to the Ground: An Exploration of African Culture and Health
By Mary Ann Burris and Kaitlin Christenson
This book contains descriptions of projects from the Culture and Health Programme for Africa (CHAPS) in Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. CHAPS worked to improve health, well-being, and gender relations in communities by examining the relationship between culture and health and by identifying, revising, and promoting cultural practices and beliefs through a small grants programme.

14. Investigative Journalism for Anti-Corruption and Good Governance: A Toolkit for Facilitators
This toolkit, published by Pact Tanzania, is designed to empower journalists to take a "front seat position" in enforcing accountability and good governance through investigative journalism. It is also designed to meet the requirements of all stakeholders in search of accountability and transparency at national and local level. The authors hope that this toolkit will help in improving the skills of journalists and further motivate them, the media houses, and training institutions to carry out even more public and investigative journalism.

15. Handbook on Community-Led Total Sanitation
This handbook guides communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governments, donors, and other practitioners in the use of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), an approach to rural sanitation developed by lead author Kamal Kar, an independent development consultant from India. It is based on his experience with providing hands-on training in Asia, Africa,
South Africa, and the Middle East. As detailed in the handbook, CLTS focuses on igniting a change in sanitation behaviour rather than constructing toilets. It does this through a process of social awakening that is stimulated by facilitators from within or outside the community.

16. Advocacy in Action: A Guide to Influencing Decision-making in Namibia
By Dianne Hubbard and Delia Ramsbotham
This manual is designed primarily for NGOs and grassroots-based groups who are interested in increasing their advocacy skills. It contains concrete, practical information about advocacy strategies such as petitions, press conferences, public demonstrations, and letter-writing campaigns, as well as detailed information on government structures and parliamentary procedures - and how to influence decision-making bodies and processes. It also includes actual case studies of advocacy efforts in Namibia.

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VOTE IN THE HIV/AIDS POLL:

Countries in Southern Africa are responding meaningfully to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) call for member states to focus on Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP) identified as a key driver of the HIV epidemic in the region.

Agree
Disagree
Unsure

To vote and send comments go to the HIV/AIDS theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

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Africa Medicine Transparency: Access, Quality, and Accountability

aventh — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:41:25 -0700

The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,305
CI Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: 2,651,5482

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This issue of The Soul Beat looks at the issues in Africa surrounding access to medicines, including increasing transparency, accountability, and magnifying the voices of patients and consumers in the healthcare marketplace. Beginning with information about a new alliance of partners working in this field within 3 specific African countries - Ghana, Uganda, and Zambia - this issue highlights projects, strategic thinking, and resources of relevance.

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MEDICINES TRANSPARENCY ALLIANCE (MeTA) in AFRICA

1. Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA)
MeTA is an alliance of partners working at both national and international levels to improve access to medicines by increasing transparency and accountability in the healthcare marketplace. The Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) is an effort to collaborate with the pharmaceutical sector to improve information flows, and to increase transparency and accountability about the selection, regulation, procurement, sale, distribution, and use of medicines in developing countries. By doing so, MeTA will work to improve how decisions are made about medicines, improve the way they are purchased and supplied, encourage innovative and responsible business practices, and increase the voice of patients and consumers in 7 countries: Ghana, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, the Philippines, Uganda, and Zambia.
Contact: info@metasecretariat.org AND admin@metasecretariat.org

2. Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) in Ghana
MeTA Ghana launched in November 2008 and is working to increase transparency, consumer awareness, and consumer participation in procurement, distribution, and use of essential medicines in order to help increase accountability, improve efficiency, and increase value-for-money. At a MeTA African Skills Building Workshop in 2008, representatives of 7 Ghanaian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) set 3 objectives as part of their participation in MeTA: (1) press for a 10% reduction in prices of essential medicines by 2010; (2) advocate a 15% increase in availability of essential medicines in rural communities by 2010; and (3) strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) in dealing with essential medicines. MeTA Ghana is establishing mechanisms to strengthen the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on medicines along the supply chain. Sustaining regular, open stakeholder dialogue is a core component of this process. Also, participants are facilitating peer oversight systems within and across health professions.

3. Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) in Uganda
Scheduled to be launched in April 2009, the Uganda country programme builds on the Ugandan Government's efforts over the previous 14 years to improve the capacity of the health sector to ensure that patients take appropriate, affordable, safe medicines when they are needed. This process will also involve supporting the development of viable, efficient medicines markets and supply systems. The core work in Uganda will involve mobilising and building the capacity of CSOs to advocate for increased access to essential medicines. Research will facilitate the production and dissemination of information (guidelines, laws, etc.) on policies and practices on access to essential medicines. Another focus will be on undertaking advocacy to influence policy formulation and implementation, and monitoring and evaluation to increase CSO representation on decision-making structures at all levels.

4. Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) in Zambia
CSOs have been active in building the MeTA strategy in Zambia, which is set to launch this month (March 2009). Four Zambian CSO representatives took part in the skills-building seminar held in Uganda in February 2008 designed to improve the capacity of the health sector to ensure that patients take appropriate, affordable, safe medicines when they are needed. The Zambia group met separately during this seminar, which led to the resolution to brief the wider CSO community and meet other organisations participating in the MeTA process in Zambia, to develop a baseline assessment of the situation in their country, and to organise an advocacy strategy.

5. Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) African Civil Society Skills Building Workshop Process, Outcomes and Evaluation
This report documents the skills building workshop held by Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) in Uganda in February 2008 for CSOs based in Ghana, Uganda, and Zambia. It explores the major topics covered, the processes that were used, some of the key outcomes and lessons, and highlights the initial plans made by country groups. The workshop brought together 22 participants from 20 organisations - 7 from Ghana, 5 from Zambia, and 10 from Uganda.

ADDRESSING ACCESS, QUALITY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACROSS AFRICA

ACTION

6. Stop Stock-outs - Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia
Launched in February/March 2009, this campaign is a call to action for African governments to meet their obligations to provide essential medicines by increasing the national budgetary allocation for the purchase of these medicines and by ensuring efficiency and transparency in the procurement, supply, and distribution of medicines. This advocacy campaign uses in-person events and information and communication technology (ICT) to demand action to eliminate "stock-outs", the term used when a pharmacy (in a medical store or health facility) temporarily has no medicine on the shelf.
Contact: info@stopstockouts.org

7. Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN)
MHEN is an independent alliance of organisations and individuals working to improve the distribution, quality and access to health services throughout Malawi. MHEN seeks to accomplish this by influencing government policy and practice, as well as activities of donors and civil society through advocacy, networking, research, information dissemination, and budget monitoring. MHEN has developed a training protocol for data collection, held trainings, and published a training manual that was used in a July 2008 train-the-trainer session. Network members trained will conduct further trainings at the district level. Through national, regional, and district roundtables, MHEN provides opportunities for discussion and debate on issues such as health services delivery, health services quality, and health care financing. Through press conferences strategically scheduled when health-specific issues and crises occur, MHEN aims to raise awareness in the general public and to lobby governments to make change.
Contact: secretariat@mhen.org

8. HEPS-Uganda
HEPS-Uganda is a health consumer organisation advocating for health rights and responsibilities in Uganda. HEPS-Uganda has 3 main programmes. (1) Health Policy Advocacy Programme: HEPS-Uganda is the coordinator of the Uganda Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines (UCAEM). This programme involves advocating for consumer-friendly healthcare laws and policies at all levels of government and donors through policy analysis and research, influencing policy formulation, and monitoring and evaluating its implementation. (2) Community Outreach Programme: Activities include dissemination of information on health rights and responsibilities, including rational use of medicines (RUM), and training community members to be peer trainers. (3) Health Complaints and Counselling Desk: Complaints and compliments are collected through stakeholders' meetings, complaints boxes installed at health facilities, and questionnaires filled out by health consumers and observations. These complaints are analysed and reports are written which are then discussed with health facility management to agree on the needed improvements and/or redress.
Contact: HEPS@utlonline.co.ug

9. Ghana Essential Medicines Initiative (GEMI)
GEMI is a partnership between the Population Council, the Government of Ghana, American pharmaceutical companies, and rural Ghanaian communities. Its objective is to inform national policy recommendations on providing access to reproductive and child health care. The programme offers a sustainable cost-exemption strategy to provide essential drugs along with maternal and child health awareness raising and education for mothers. GEMI is designed to complement the work of an existing programme, the Community-based Health Planning and Services project, initiated by the Ghanaian government, which exempts children from all fees for essential medical care. This project posts nurses to rural communities where they provide basic curative and preventative health, as well as door-to-door maternal and child health visits, and community health talks. The nurses keep in contact with a doctor from the region via a two-way radio. According to organisers, while the project has been successful in increasing access to health care, it has created an unsustainable demand for pharmaceuticals. The GEMI project, by investigating solutions for providing essential medicines, as well as providing information for new mothers and instruction for healthy deliveries and care of newborns, hopes to fill this demand.
Contact: Lassane Placide Tapsoba ptapsoba@popcouncil.org OR Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams kawoonor@gmail.com OR Maya Vaughan-Smith maya_vaughan-smith@brown.edu

10. Anti-Corruption Week 2007: Corruption in the Health Sector - Uganda
Anti-Corruption Week is an annual nation-wide Ugandan campaign, organised by Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), that focuses on a different corruption-related issue each year. In 2007, the campaign examined transparency and accountability in the distribution of essential medicines, and was designed to ensure a significant increase in the availability of essential medicines in the public health sector. Campaign activities included processions, debates, forum theatre, and an extended media campaign. The campaign sought to introduce a way of increasing the accountability of health providers to the consumers and the communities that they are supposed to serve.
Contact: Jasper Tumuhimbise Mpiriirwe mpiriirwe@yahoo.com / info@anticorruption.or.ug OR MS-Danish Association for International Cooperation – Uganda co.msuga@ms.or.ug

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The Communication Initiative has collected and organised summaries and links to projects and resources that are either specific to the MeTA campaigns or related to the themes on which MeTA is focusing. There is additional knowledge here on Africa-specific campaigns and resources. Click here to access these knowledge summaries.

If you have information on communication initiatives or resources related to access, quality, transparency, and accountability in the healthcare marketplace in your country, please let us know - soulbeat@comminit.com

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STRATEGIC THINKING

11. Eastern and Southern Africa CSOs Discuss Their Role in Advocating for Access to Medicines
From October 6-8 2008, CSOs from 10 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa met to discuss issues related to access to essential medicines in their respective countries and to map out a strategy on how they could go about advocating and promoting access. Country presentations from Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe revealed some cross cutting issues about the medicines situation. Each country noted that existing problems of stock-outs of essential medicines, a lack of government accountability, the need for community mobilisation to advocate for better public access and availability of medicines, inadequate funding for medicines sector, and a lack of trained human resources. Other challenges identified included the overstocking which leads to expiry of medicines, and rivalry between government agencies involved in procurement.

12. Improving Management of Childhood Malaria in Nigeria and Uganda by Improving Practices of Patent Medicine Vendors
by George Greer, Abiodun Akinpelumi, Leila Madueke, Beth Plowman, Bolaji Fapohunda, Youssef Tawfik, Rebecca Holmes, Joseph Owor, Uzo Gilpin, Cathy Clarence, and Bob Lennox
This report from 2004 explores the design, implementation, and preliminary results of interventions carried out in Nigeria and Uganda to reach patent medicine vendors (PMVs) in an effort to foster child survival. As detailed here, PMVs include individuals, owners, or attendants working in private shops that may legally sell over-the-counter drugs, yet generally they also illegally sell prescription drugs, such as antibiotics, sedatives, etc. The authors explain that a number of studies from sub-Saharan Africa have shown that between 15% and 82% of the population choose to first consult these informal providers for advice about and assistance with treatment of childhood illnesses. It has also been found that a large percentage of the drugs provided or dosages given, or both, at these private shops are inappropriate. In response, the Ministries of Health in Nigeria and Uganda, in collaboration with various partners, designed approaches to draw on PMVs for delivery of basic child survival strategies and products to those populations less served by the public sector. These two distinct exploratory models - both described as involving behaviour change communication, some of it highly participatory in nature - built on lessons from similar efforts in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere to develop approaches suited to the present situations in Nigeria and Uganda.

13. Malaria Treatment in Nigeria: The Role of Patent Medicine Vendors
Malaria Treatment in Nigeria: The Role of Patent Medicine Vendors
by Oladimeji Oladepo, Salami Kabiru, Babatunde W. Adeoye, Frederick Oshiname, Bola Ofi, Modupeola Oladepo, Olayinka Ogungbemi, William R. Brieger, Gerry Bloom, and David H. Peters
This policy brief from March 2009 discusses the role of the patent medicine vendor (PMV) in dispensing anti-malarial drugs (AMDs) in Nigeria. Reportedly, there are both fake medicines and those to which the malaria parasite has become highly resistant. A recent government recommendation is that people use artemisinin-combined therapy (ACT), though this study shows that it is the least commonly stocked by PMVs of the anti-malarial medicine and that PMVs are generally not aware of the recommendation. This briefing includes both policy recommendations and topics needing further research.

14. Getting Medicines to the Poor in Zambia
by Newton Sibanda
This May 2008 article documents the results of face-to-face interviews in Zambia with citizen consumers, a pharmacist, a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesperson, and the executive director of Transparency International Zambia on the subject of medicine availability and affordability in Zambia. Problems cited by interviewees include high costs of non-generic medicine; questionable quality of generic medicine; budget transparency in funding and sale of medicine; bribery and theft; and supply and distribution. Medicine costs are described as being prohibitive for the economically poor. Costs can force people to visit traditional healers and buy generic (not always reliable) drug brands. Sometimes the cost forces a decision between buying food and buying medicine. In order to save money, some pharmacy clients will buy only half their prescription of antibiotics. This can result not only in ongoing illness, but also in antibiotic-resistant diseases. On the other hand, satisfying demand has, according to an MOH spokesperson, improved significantly - antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS and drugs for tuberculosis and malaria had not run out in the 2 years prior to the interview; however, increased demand had resulted in shortages previously, particularly when hospitals and clinics dropped user fees, resulting in more attendance.

15. Widening Access to HIV/AIDS Drugs in Uganda
by Moses Sserwanga
This report is on the availability, distribution, and use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in Uganda where between 80,000 and 100,000 people receive the medicine free of charge, leaving, as reported here in May 2008, at least another 100,000 HIV-positive Ugandans without access to these medicines. The report reviews the background of ARV distribution, including gaps in coverage, the financial challenges of ARV provision, and the efforts to stamp out corruption in the distribution system in Uganda. Through interviews, the author provides information about the gaps in distribution of ARVs.

16. Access, Quality, Transparency and Accountability in the Health Care Market Place in Uganda
by Evelyn Aero
In this November 2007 document, the author reviews the establishment of health care facilities in Uganda. As stated here, the share is 30% Government (MOH), 45% not-for-profit NGOs, and 25% for-profit (private); however, only 49% of households have access to health care facilities. "The distribution of services tends to mean rural areas are underserved and lower income households in urban areas are also underserved as for-profit outlets and crowded government hospitals are concentrated in the towns." In order to address these issues, the Government of Uganda developed a Health Sector Strategic Plan in which capacity building is one important aspect. Decentralisation is part of the 1995 National Constitution; thus, Ministries are responsible for policy, standards, guidelines, and monitoring of activities, while the direct implementation of the various programmes has been placed in the hands of district officials. As observed here, decentralisation is still in its early days in Uganda, and there is an observed need for improvement on issues like ownership of the programmes, planning cycles, and accountability.

RESOURCES

17. The Costly Access to Essential Medicines in Kenya: Voices of Consumers on Affordability and Availability
Between August and December 2007, Health Action International (HAI) Africa conducted a rapid qualitative survey in Kenya to gather testimonies from consumers about how they fulfilled their medical needs. This exercise was informed by findings from earlier studies on medicine prices and availability, which indicated that only about 30% of Kenyans had access to essential medicines, and that high prices and poor availability were the major factors limiting access. The testimonies were provided by people from urban and rural environments in different parts of the country. The survey respondents represented a range of income groups; they included small business operators, a small-scale farmer, a grocer, teachers, a thespian, and volunteer community workers and staff working in private firms. This booklet highlights the stories of 12 of the individuals who took part in the qualitative survey.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

HIV Prevention - Onelove

aventh — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:12:08 -0700

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

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The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,268
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This issue of The Soul Beat is about the Onelove Campaign, a regional HIV prevention campaign which is currently being rolled out across southern Africa. This 5-year campaign, led by a range of HIV/AIDS non-governmental organisations and their partners, aims to, amongst other things, reduce the prevalence of Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP) in the region. The countries involved in this campaign are Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

This newsletter shares information on existing and planned Onelove national campaign activities, the research that has been conducted on MCP for each country campaign, and a selection of communication materials that have been developed by some of the country campaigns to date.

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LAUNCH OF SOUL BEAT HIV/AIDS THEME SITE

Soul Beat Africa would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new HIV/AIDS theme site which provides a specific focus on information related to HIV/AIDS on the Soul Beat Africa site. The theme site also has a special focus area on MCP in order to support the work of initiatives such as the Onelove Campaign.
Click here to view the HIV/AIDS themesite.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE ONELOVE CAMPAIGN

1. Why the Onelove Campaign?
In May 2006, a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Think Tank meeting took place in Maseru to deliberate on what could be done to curb the problem of HIV in Southern Africa. As is now well-known, this region is the epicenter of HIV and AIDS in the world. Approximately 40% of people living with HIV are in Southern Africa. The SADC Think Tank identified, amongst other things, the practice of multiple concurrent partnering (MCP) as a key driver of the AIDS epidemic in the region and called on member states to tackle the issue of MCP together. The Onelove campaign is a regional response to this call.

2. What are Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP)?
Briefly defined, multiple concurrent partnering refers to 'a situation where partnerships overlap over time, either where two or more partnerships continue over the same period, or where one partnership begins before the other terminates' (Parker et al 2007).

3. Why a regional campaign?
Countries in the southern African region have always had strong connections. They share common cultures and history and there is ever-increasing trade and travel within the region. Studies have also shown that there are higher rates of HIV prevalence among migrants and communities affected by mobility, such as border communities and communities along major transport routes.

4. Research on MCP in the Region
The Onelove campaign is based on extensive target audience research that was conducted in all countries in the region. The primary aim of the research was to gain insight into the audience’s understanding, attitudes, and practices around sexual relationships in the context of HIV prevention. Overall research findings revealed common reasons for MCP among people in the 10 countries of this study. Most of these reasons are driven by gender inequality and cultural and social norms that create a context for MCP. Transactional sex and alcohol also play an important role.
To find out more, see: One Love: Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Southern Africa - A Ten Country Research Report

ONELOVE REGIONAL CAMPAIGN – OVERVIEW

The Onelove country campaigns began launching in 2008 and will continue to launch throughout 2009. Onelove is a 5-year programme and different communication activities will be rolled out in each country over the 5-year period. Each country campaign is led and implemented by a range of organisations, and activities differ from country to country, often complementing existing campaigns and media activities. While OneLove is the name adopted by the majority of the partner countries for their national campaigns, different taglines (for example: Talk-Respect-Protect in South Africa) were found to work best in each country. These taglines aim to give local resonance, language, and idiom to the heart of the message: the need to talk about who and how we love and to protect and respect ourselves and the people we care about.
For an overview of the Regional Campaign, see:
OneLove Regional Campaign - Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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ONELOVE CAMPAIGN WEBSITE

For up-to-date information on each country campaign and related activities and products, go to the Onelove Campaign website The website also offers quizzes, interviews, articles, blogs, and photos related to Onelove and Multiple Concurrent Partnerships.

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ONELOVE NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS

5. ONELOVE – TANZANIA
The Onelove campaign in Tanzania was the first to launch in October 2008. This campaign focuses on the need for communication between couples and involves special focus segments integrated into the Fema TV Talk Show and in magazines, as well as billboards, roadshows, and radio spots. Click here for more information.
Or contact Femina HIP diana@feminahip.or.tz OR info@feminahip.or.tz

For target audience research around MCP in Tanzania, go to:
Onelove: Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Among Youth in Tanzania

6. ONELOVE - SOUTH AFRICA
The South African Onelove campaign was launched in January 2009. The campaign aims to shift social norms away from multiple sexual partnerships and encourage fulfilling monogamous relationships that will prevent the need for other relationships. Specifically, Onelove in South Africa challenges gender stereotypes and cultural norms that reinforce MCP and seeks to create debates around what needs to be done. As part of their communication strategy the campaign is using mass media, which includes the Soul City television drama series, a radio drama, and print materials; and social mobilisation; and advocacy. Click here for more information.
Or contact Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication soulcity@soulcity.org.za

Some of the materials produced by the South African campaign:

Onelove: Preventing HIV in South Africa
This booklet explains why having many partners puts people at risk and talks about other risky behaviours. It also includes information for people who want to take action in their communities to contribute to social change, especially as part of the Onelove campaign.

Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partners: What's Culture Got to do With It? A Handbook for Journalists
The OneLove Campaign also includes a media advocacy strategy which largely focuses on raising public debate on the key factors that drive MCP, such as culture. This handbook is designed for journalists as a tool to promote informed discussion around HIV and MCP.

For target audience research around MCP in South Africa, go to:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in South Africa: A Target Audience Research Report

7. ONELOVE - LESOTHO
The Onelove campaign in Lesotho was launched in January 2009. The Lesotho campaign activities include a radio magazine show, public service announcements (PSAs), a television drama, and booklets and billboards. Click here for more information.
Or contact Phela Health and Development Communications hope@phela.org.ls

Material produced by the Lesotho campaign:

OneLove Booklet (Lesotho)
This booklet looks at why having more than one sexual partner is risky and discusses how HIV can be passed on through sexual networks. It includes an illustrated explanation about the vulnerability of partners in a sexual network.

For target audience research around MCP in Lesotho, see:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Lesotho: A Target Audience Research Report

8. ONELOVE - SWAZILAND
The Onelove Campaign in Swaziland launched in March 2009. In order to discourage MCP, the campaign aims to highlight the dangers of MCP, promote positive dating patterns and good relationships, encourage single partner relationships, build self efficacy by showing life examples of good relationships and positive dating patterns, and counter the negative relationship role modeling prevalent in Swaziland. The campaign activities include television and radio talkshows, PSAs, outdoor media, public discussions on buses, and a media competition. Click here for more information.
Or contact Lusweti Institute of Health and Development fortunate@lusweti.org.sz

For target audience research around MCP in Swaziland, see:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Swaziland: A Target Audience Research Report

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VOTE IN THE SOUL BEAT HIV/AIDS POLL:

Agree
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To vote and send comments go to the HIV/AIDS theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.

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9. ONELOVE - MOZAMBIQUE
The Onelove campaign in Mozambique is planning to launch in August 2009. They have already started developing some of their multimedia materials which will include a 30-episode radio drama series called "Masked Lives", a 26-minute short film developed for television, a 30-page booklet on MCP, and a Onelove MCP flyer.
For more information, contact N'weti d.namburete@nweti.org.mz

For target audience research around MCP in Mozambique, see:
Nweti Audience Report – Multiple Concurrent Partnerships

10. ONELOVE - MALAWI
The Onelove campaign in Malawi plans to launch its campaign in May/June 2009. The campaign will launch with a 52-episode radio drama and a print booklet on relationships. A theme song for the campaign is also in the process of production.
For more information, contact Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication ssikwese@pakachere.org

For target audience research around MCP in Malawi, see:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Malawi - A Target Audience Research Report

11. ONELOVE - NAMIBIA
The Onelove campaign in Namibia is planning to launch around the middle of 2009. Their campaign activities will include a radio drama, which will start broadcasting in August 2009, as well as a Onelove booklet and a short film, which will form part of a Onelove regional television series.
For more information, contact Desert Soul Health and Development Communication finelda@deserthdc.com

For target audience research around MCP in Namibia, see:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Namibia - A Target Audience Research Report

12. ONELOVE - ZAMBIA
The Onelove Campaign in Zambia is planning to launch in May 2009. Campaign activities will include PSAs on television and radio, a radio talk show, billboards, and print materials.
For more information, contact Zambia Centre for Communication Programmes
gracesinyangwe@yahoo.com

For target audience research around MCP in Zambia, see:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Zambia - A Target Audience Research Report

13. ONELOVE - ZIMBABWE
The national Onelove Campaign in Zimbabwe will launch in April 2009 in Gweru in the Midlands Province. The campaign activities will include a radio drama series, a television drama series, and a Onelove print publication.
For more information, contact Action Magazine caroline@action.co.zw

For target audience research around MCP in Zimbabwe, see:
Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Zimbabwe: A Target Audience Research Report

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Also see previous issue of The Soul Beat related to MCP:

The Soul Beat# 119: HIV Prevention - Multiple Concurrent Partnerships

Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

Social Movements in Africa

aventh — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:54:36 -0800

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

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The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,215
CI Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: 2,577,902

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This issue of The Soul Beat focuses on social movements. Panos defines social movements as "interactive networks of people who have shared beliefs and a sense of solidarity, and who come together to take part in collective action to challenge the status quo"..."[i]n terms of development theory, social movements have enabled people at the periphery of economic and social decision-making processes to create new centres of power and challenge previously closed spaces of decision-making"(from "We Are One But We Are Many: New Thinking on How Communication Can Support HIV Social Movements to Achieve Inclusive Social Change").

Communication processes are considered critical within a social movement - for example, to discuss and debate issues, to set agendas, to mobilise networks for collective action, and to engage with decision makers. This newsletter includes a selection of summaries from the Soul Beat Africa website which highlight how social movements use communication to mobilise around issues such as health and HIV/AIDS, gender, the environment, poverty, and education.

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To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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MOVEMENTS FOR HEALTH AND HIV/AIDS

1. We Are One But We Are Many: New Thinking on How Communication Can Support HIV Social Movements to Achieve Inclusive Social Change
by Lucy Stackpool-Moore
This Panos document explores the theoretical foundations for a project on HIV and social movements by presenting recent research about social movements, public debate, and communication. The intent is to make the case for analysing social movements within communication and social change frameworks and to explore how the processes of communication motivate people to act. It describes the evolution of social movements from the organic and ad-hoc to the organisation that is representative, visible, and recognised as legitimate.

2. Rewarding Engagement? The Treatment Action Campaign and the Politics of HIV/AIDS
by Steven Friedman and Shauna Mottiar
This study was commissioned as part of a broader research project entitled Globalisation, Marginalisation & New Social Movements in post-Apartheid South Africa, a joint project between the Centre for Civil Society and the School of Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal. The paper examines the history, key characteristics, and strategies of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), a South African-based organisation campaigning for treatment for people living with HIV and the reduction of new HIV infections, as a model for effective social activism. The report suggests that TAC’s strategies are useful models for mobilising for social change.

3. Evaluation of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood 1999-2007
by Claudia S. Morrissey and Linda Sanei
This evaluation report shares the work of an evaluation team tasked by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to examine the growth, influence, and results of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) since its inception in 1999. The WRA is described as "a global grassroots movement for safe motherhood that builds alliances, strengthens capacity, influences policies, harnesses resources, and inspires action to save women's lives everywhere."

4. Watu Wa Watu (People Serve People) - Tanzania
This grassroots movement of hundreds of individuals and large communities works to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS by raising awareness in southern Tanzania. Watu Wa Watu shapes its communication strategies around principles such as unity, commitment (people serve people), participation (volunteering), transparency, relationship-building and mutual respect, and dignity and freedom. The project involves local tribes, local village leaders, schools, churches, hospitals, and other organisations and governmental structures to find effective ways to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic together and to respond in a more effective and coordinated way. The project does this by creating opportunities such as workshops, meetings, and festivals that facilitate networking, collaboration, and mobilisation.
Contact Moses J. Mwemi moses1@maaango.org OR watuwawatu1@maaango.org

5. Speaking Freely - Brazil, Namibia, South Africa
The Panos London AIDS and Oral Testimony (OT) Programmes joined together to undertake the Speaking Freely project. Speaking Freely aims to work with social movements to collect the voices and perspectives of people most affected by HIV/AIDS, and to help convey these to national and international media and policy professionals. It also aims to strengthen effective and inclusive communication within social movements by understanding how communication takes place within them, and enabling social movements to share ideas and best practice with each other. A pilot project took place in South Africa involving South African and Namibia participants discussing and recording their experiences about working in social movements.
Contact Desert Voices Oral Testimony Project otp@panos.org.uk

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Looking for news and information on social movements?
Click here for Pambazuka's Social Movement webpage.

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MOVEMENTS AROUND POVERTY, RIGHTS, AND EDUCATION

6. Stand Up Against Poverty. Stand Up for the MDGs - Global
STAND UP is a mobilisation initiative designed to coincide with global mobilisation around the International Day of Poverty Eradication and the White Band Day of the Global Call to Action against Poverty on October 17. Launched by the United Nations (UN)' Millennium Campaign in 2006, STAND UP is an annual global advocacy effort to set an official Guinness World Record - the greatest number of people ever to STAND UP Against Poverty. It relies fully on citizen participation in that it mobilises individuals to take part in local, communal/group events around the world in which people use their bodies (rather than their voices) as concrete symbols of MDG advocacy.
Contact UN Millennium Campaign mandy.kibel@undp.org OR info@millenniumcampaign.org AND Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)ciara_os@hotmail.com OR info@whiteband.org

7. HEARTLINES forgood - South Africa
Initiated by Heartlines, a South African-based non-governmental organisation working towards encouraging good values, forgood is a member-based social movement that uses cell phones and the internet to inspire, guide, and connect South Africans to take action to make "our neighbourhoods and our country safer, healthier, happier, greener, more informed and more compassionate". forgood focuses on 5 key areas: safety, education, the environment, HIV/AIDS, and xenophobia.
Contact forgood members@forgood.co.za OR Heartlines info@heartlines.org.za

8. HakiElimu Public Engagement Programme - Tanzania
This programme was designed to contribute to creating and sustaining a national movement for social and educational change by stimulating broad public engagement, information sharing, dialogue, membership development, and networking throughout Tanzania. The programme aimed to improve awareness and involvement of individuals and organisations throughout Tanzania in encouraging positive change in the education system. HakiElimu involved people in rural areas, the urban economically poor, women, and youth - partly by working closely with organised bodies that had close connections to these groups.
Contact HakiElimu info@hakielimu.org

9. Abahlali baseMjondolo (Shackdwellers Movement) - South Africa
This movement began in Durban, South Africa, in early 2005. According to organisers, although it is mainly located in and around the port city of Durban, it is, in terms of the numbers of people mobilised, "the largest organisation of the militant poor in post-apartheid South Africa". The movement originated from a road blockade organised from the Kennedy Road settlement in protest at the sale, to a local industrialist, of a piece of nearby land which had long been promised by the local municipal councillor to shack dwellers for housing. Since then it has grown to include communities from more than 30 settlements.
Click here to contact the organisation using the online contact form.

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LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF SOUL BEAT AFRICA

We would love to hear your thoughts on Soul Beat Africa. For example, do you find the website useful, how has the information helped your work, or have you developed good partnerships or networks through Soul Beat Africa? We would also welcome suggestions on how we can improve the website and better serve your needs.

Click here to send us your comments.

Click here to read some recent comments from the network.

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GENDER-RELATED MOVEMENTS

10. JASS Southern Africa: Feminist Movement Building - Southern Africa
This is an international network of activists, scholars, and popular educators in more than 23 countries that work to strengthen the voice, visibility, and collective organising power of women to create a just world. The JASS Southern Africa chapter works with diverse women activists, including those who are living with and active in activities related to HIV/AIDS. Through face-to-face discussions, use of new technologies, and building organising and communication skills, the chapter hopes to nurture women’s leadership in the region.
Contact Annie Holmes eah@justassociates.org or info@justassociates.org

11. GROOTS Kenya
Published as part of the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)'s Building Feminist Movements and Organisations (BFEMO) initiative, this 13-page paper describes Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS) Kenya, which is a member network of GROOTS International. This network of self-help groups works to strengthen the role of grassroots women in community development by serving as a platform for grassroots women's groups and individuals to: come together, to share their ideas/experiences, to network, and to find avenues to directly participate in decision making, planning, and implementation of issues that affect them. This case study provides a description of GROOTS Kenya, followed by an analysis of GROOTS Kenya based on ongoing theoretical and activist debates around feminist organisations and movements, and their functions.

12. Changing Their World: Concepts and Practices of Women's Movements
This report provides an umbrella of context and analysis for the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)'s Building Feminist Movements and Organisations (BFEMO) initiative. Launched by AWID as part of its 2006 strategic plan, BFEMO is an effort to advance the understanding of feminist movements in the current global context, and to apply that understanding to strengthening the capacity of women's organisations to better catalyse, support, and sustain movement building.

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS

13. Connecting the Red, Brown and Green: The Environmental Justice Movement in South Africa
by Jacklyn Cock
This study examines the environmental movement in South Africa via two environmental case studies involving mass mobilisation: the Coalition Against Water Privatisation and the Steel Valley Crisis Committee. The paper argues that there is no single, collective actor that constitutes the environmental movement in South Africa and no master "frame" of environmentalism. According to the author, the environmental movement has no coherent centre and no tidy margins - "it is an inchoate sum of multiple, diverse, uncoordinated struggles and organisations." However, the paper further argues that a growing environmental justice movement is emerging which has the capacity for mass mobilisation.

14. Green Belt Movement Kenya - Kenya
This civil society organisation for women, based in Kenya, advocates for human rights and supports good governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. The organisation's goal is to plant one billion trees worldwide and to create a society of people who consciously work for continued improvement of their environment and a greener, cleaner Kenya. Its mission is to mobilise community consciousness for self-determination, equity, improved livelihoods and security, as well as environmental conservation. GBM Kenya 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 gbm@greenbeltmovement.org OR media@greenbeltmovement.org

15. Managing Mobilisation? Participatory Processes and Dam Building in South Africa, the Berg River Project
by Lisa Thompson
This research paper on water resource management focuses on the attempt by some countries to neutralise criticism of their water management policies by creating formal spaces for public consultation and participation. The study looks at the participatory processes (specifically, how local people were consulted and involved) in the building of the Berg River Dam, Berg Water Project (BWP), in South Africa’s Western Cape province. The author analyses the consultations that led to the approval of the dam and concludes that the creation of formal participatory spaces both subverted and neutralised resistance, on the part of the environmental movement, as well as civil society, to the building of the dam.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Support Opportunities - Awards, Funding, and Training

aventh — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:33:00 -0800

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

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Click here to subscribe to The Soul Beat.

The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,171
CI Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: 2,577,902

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This issue of The Soul Beat includes a selection of awards, funding and training opportunities that are featured on the Soul Beat Africa website.

For the full listings on the Soul Beat Africa website go to the Awards section, the Funding section and the Training section These sections are continually updated with new support opportunities relevant to communication for development in Africa.

If you have information about other contests, prizes, funding, internships, or training opportunities that address communication for development issues and strategies, please contact us. Send details and links to soulbeat@comminit.com
Many thanks!

AWARDS

1. AfriComNet Awards for Excellence in HIV and AIDS Communication in Africa 2009
The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet) is calling for nominations for its Awards for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa. The awards are divided into 5 categories and AfriComNet will give one award per category for outstanding initiatives, campaigns, productions, and tools that advance the field of strategic communication and can be evaluated, adapted, and applied elsewhere. The 5 awards will recognise the best mass media campaign, intervention, or production; folk media initiative; multi-channel communication; interpersonal/community-based communication; and HIV- or AIDS-related article, series, or column.
Deadline: March 20 2009

2. Special Award for Development Media - One World Media
Administered by One World Broadcasting Trust (OWBT), this Special Award for Development Media aims to recognise an outstanding media project or organisation working on the ground, in the developing world, which has made a real impact on the lives of those living and working near it. The winner will be flown to London to receive a trophy at the Awards ceremony on June 22 2009, with all expenses paid.
Deadline: February 27 2009

3. Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press
Journalists from the Middle East and North Africa are invited to submit entries for the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, which aims to promote media freedom and the rule of law in the region. The two award categories are for the best opinion article and the best investigative reporting article. Deadline: March 30 2009

4. World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC)
The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (WCPRC) is awarded to three individuals or organisations for outstanding contributions on behalf of the rights of the child. The election of finalists is structured as a worldwide educational and empowerment process for the rights of the child and democracy and gives the world’s children an opportunity to present the prizes that are awarded.
Deadline: March 1 2009

5. Stop TB Partnership/Lilly MDR-TB Partnership Journalism Award
This award will recognise outstanding reporting and commentary in print and on the web that increases the public's knowledge and understanding of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in countries affected by the disease. The two categories include articles published by journalists located in a low- or middle-income country and articles published by journalists located in a high-income country.
Deadline: April 30 2009

6. Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life Award
These prizes (US$1,000 each), awarded by the Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) - an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) working towards the empowerment of women and children - aim to honour creative and courageous women and women's groups around the world for their contributions to improving the quality of life in rural communities. The prizes are focused on drawing international attention to the laureates' contributions to sustainable development, household food security, and peace, thus generating more recognition and support for their projects.
Deadline: March 31 2009

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Please VOTE in our new Edutainment Poll:

Sport, especially football, has made a significant contribution towards HIV prevention in Africa.

* Agree
* Disagree
* Unsure

To vote and comment, click here and see top right side of the website.

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FUNDING

7. International Fellowships Program (IFP) West Africa
The International Fellowships Program (IFP) is a programme supported by the Ford Foundation and administered in West Africa by the Association of African Universities (AAU) in collaboration with Pathfinder International, Nigeria and West African Research Center (WARC) in Senegal. IFP provides fellowships for advanced study to individuals from Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, who will use their education to further development in their own countries and to work for greater social and economic justice worldwide. IFP fellowships will be awarded to applicants from diverse backgrounds, including social groups and communities that lack systematic access to higher education.
Deadline: February 27 2009

8. African Women's Development Fund - Main Grants Program
The African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) funds local, national, sub-regional, and regional organisations in Africa working towards women’s empowerment. The AWDF is an institutional capacity-building and programme development fund, which aims to help build a culture of learning and partnership within the African women's movement. The AWDF funds work in 6 thematic areas: women's human rights, political participation, peace building, health and reproductive rights, economic empowerment, and HIV/AIDS.
Rolling deadline

9. MacArthur Foundation Grant for Population and Reproductive Health (Nigeria)
To promote the reproductive health and rights of young people, the MacArthur Foundation focuses its grant making on initiatives that implement the federal government's national sexuality education curriculum. Grants are also made for the development and bringing to scale of models for out-of-school youth, so that they can be replicated in other states and nationally. In Africa, the MacArthur Foundation focuses on the country of Nigeria.
Deadlines: February 1 2009, May 1 2009, August 1 2009, and November 1 2009

10. EASSI 2009 Young Women's Internship Programme
The Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI) was formed in 1996 as a mechanism to facilitate networking within the Eastern African sub-region (Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda) to build on gains made following the Beijing 4th World Conference on Women. The EASSI young women’s internship aims to develop and enhance young women’s skills in leadership, gender, lobbying and advocacy, management, report writing and analysis, research and documentation, information management, resourceful database development, website maintenance, and resource centre management.
Deadline: February 13 2009

11. African Women's Development & Communication Network (FEMNET) Internship
The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) is offering an internship as part of their capacity building programme. It is open to female students (both local and international) and to those who have just completed their studies and are looking for experience and mentorship in the area of African women's human rights, gender mainstreaming, African feminist movements, and communications.
Rolling deadline

12. The Knight International Journalism Fellowships
The Knight International Journalism Fellowships, a programme of the International Center for Journalists in Washington, D.C., United States, is designed to make tangible changes that improve the quality and free flow of news in the public interest around the world. Funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the year-long programme sends international media professionals to countries where there are opportunities to promote reliable, insightful journalism that holds officials accountable.
Rolling deadline

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LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF SOUL BEAT AFRICA

Click here to send us your comments.

Click here to read some recent comments from the network.

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TRAINING

13. International Executive Media and TV Workshops (March 16-19 2009) Nairobi, Kenya
According to the organisers, the Center for Development Communication (CDC), this workshop is an intensive hands on learning event designed to help spokespersons and media practitioners learn to better engage the media around particular issues and to increase public support and visibility for their organisation. It is intended for business leaders, senior managers, directors, spokespersons in governments, non-governmental organisations, private or voluntary organisations, and other civil society organisations.

14. Sustaining Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools and in Communities: Promoting Sustainable Approaches (June 08-19 2009) Nairobi, Kenya
Organised by Network for Sanitation (Netwas) International, this course is designed to help participants create more effective WASH programmes. The focus will be on creating conducive student learning environments, as well as planning and implementing improvements in schools and communities. The course also seeks to bring about new awareness of the complex interaction between behavioural and technological elements in schools and communities.

15. Conflict Management & Conflict Sensitive Programming In Development Work (June 22-26 2009) Nairobi, Kenya

Organised by Regional Capacity Building Partners (RECABIP), this 5-day workshop is designed to enhance participants’ skills and knowledge in conflict resolution and peace building, both in conflict and non-conflict settings. The objectives of the workshop include deepening participants’ understanding of conflict resolution and peace building concepts, tools, and practices.

16. Advances in Behaviour Change Communication for HIV & AIDS, TB and Malaria (July 20-31 2009) Nairobi, Kenya
This course, offered by the Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS), aims to equip programme managers working in Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) programmes with skills to design and implement effective behaviour change communication interventions for HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria programmes.

17. Political Reporting (Aug 31-Sept 04 2009) Johannesburg, South Africa
Organised by the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ), this course is designed to equip political journalists at mid-career level and above to meet the challenges of reporting around politics in South Africa.

18. Advocacy Skills Course (Oct 12-16 2009) Nairobi, Kenya
The purpose of this course, offered by the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), is to empower participants with advocacy and lobbying skills in order to advocate better for health and health related issues. It is intended for senior and mid-level programme/projects managers, medical and health personnel, and government officers.

19. Civic Education for Political Empowerment 2009 (Nov 16-27 2009) Arusha, Tanzania
Organised by MS Training centre for Development Co-operation (MS-TCDC), this course is designed for practitioners in development organisations; local government leaders and officials; women and youth community leaders; opinion leaders; and functional adult education community facilitators. According to the organisers, by the end of the course, participants will be able to facilitate and manage civic education processes, develop training programmes, and organise activities that help members of the public know and assert their rights, appreciate their responsibilities, and adhere to their civic obligations.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Communication and Elections in Africa

aventh — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:28:39 -0800

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

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The Soul Beat Subscribers: 14,110
CI Portal User Sessions, past 12 months: 2,529,192

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This issue of The Soul Beat looks at the role of communication in elections in Africa. It includes programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, and materials which highlight how communication and the media can contribute to voter education, citizen participation, monitoring and observation, the management of conflict, and the increased participation of women electoral candidates.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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1. Khululeka Siyavota - South Africa
Initiated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Education department, this television drama series is designed to address issues related to voter education, the secrecy of a vote, and the emotional readiness of voting in preparation for the South African elections in 2009.
Contact Lesley Fahey faheylk@sabc.co.za

2. West African Elections Project - Cote d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea
Coordinated by the International Institute for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) Journalism (PenPlusBytes), this project seeks to develop the capacity of the media in information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a tool for election coverage and the provision of election information for elections planned in Ghana, Cote d'lvoire, and Guinea from 2008 to 2009. A key component of the project is the African Election Portal which is designed to provide comprehensive election related information on the various countries covered by the online portal.
Contact Cote d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast cielections@penplusbytes.org OR Ghana ghelections@penplusbytes.org OR Guinea guineaelections@penplusbytes.org

3. Angola Solta a Tua Voz! (Angola Lift Up Your Voice) - Angola
This music project by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in Angola, supported by UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Commission, involves the production and distribution of a compact disc (CD) featuring songs with messages of peace and unity by popular Angolan musicians from diverse parts of the country. It was produced for the run-up to the September 2008 elections, with the aim of motivating Angolans to participate peacefully in the newly emerging democracy. The organisation also used radio and television media to help promote the CD and its messages.
Contact Michael Bodakowski mbodakowski@sfcg.org OR Frances Fortune ffortune@sfcg.org

4. Ushahidi - Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, South Africa
Ushahidi, which means "testimony" in Swahili, is an online platform for collating information during emergency situations. Individuals are able to submit crisis information through text messaging using a mobile phone, email, or web form, which is then displayed on a map or timeline, to assist with identifying problem areas. Ushahidi was first developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election period at the beginning of 2008. The Ushahidi Engine used the lessons learned from Kenya to develop a platform designed to allow anyone around the world to use the tool to gather reports and map them.
Click here to contact the organisation.

5. Search for Common Ground (SFCG): Elections in Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, Search for Common Ground’s (SFCG) strategy focuses on building capacity and establishing local structures that support sustaining peace and building citizen participation in governance. This included an initiative to help support a credible and free outcome in the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections, and the 2008 local government elections. In addition to supporting an extensive national voter education campaign, which included the use of television and live constituency debates with parliamentary candidates in strategic locations and on the radio, SFCG focused its efforts on leading the development of the Independent Radio Network (IRN) and National Election Watch (NEW), a coalition of civil society organisations dedicated to elections observation.
Contact Frances Fortune ffortune@sfcg.org OR Ambrose James ajames@sfcg.org

6. ActionAid Election Project in Nigeria - Nigeria
Leading up to the 2007 elections in Nigeria, ActionAid Nigeria, together with partners at the national, community, and state levels, implemented a project to provide platforms for people to engage with the issues and processes leading to free and fair elections. This included building the capacity of civil society and communities on issues related to the protection of their mandate during and after elections; building capacity of civil society and communities on election observation and reporting; and encouraging partnerships with relevant stakeholders towards the conduct of a free and fair election. The project had 7 main activities, ranging from stakeholders’ forums and conferences to capacity building and public information campaigns.
Contact: ActionAid Nigeria info.nigeria@actionaid.org

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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - GENDER, DIVERSITY, ELECTIONS AND MEDIA
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 2 February 2009

The Gender and Media Diversity Journal is the biennial journal of the Gender and Media Diversity Centre (GMDC). The sixth edition of the Journal will focus on the topic of “Gender, Diversity, Elections and the Media" and the GMDC is calling for contributions.

Click here for more information.

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7. Election Campaigns, Balance, and the Mass Media
by Holli A. Semetko
This document describes and analyses the role of media in elections in four democracies and societies in transition: Mexico, Turkey, Russia, and Kenya. Because mass media are the most common source for information about election campaigns in democracies and societies in transition around the world, the author argues that concerns about political bias in the mass media are at the heart of debates about the roles and responsibilities of the media at election time, due to the possibility that the media will, intentionally or unintentionally, influence the electorate. Moreover, where voting is not mandatory, the press may be used by political parties to either stimulate turnout or to repress turnout to accomplish their goals.

8. How Far to Go? Kenya's Media Caught in the Turmoil of a Failed Election
This report documents the findings of a fact-finding mission conducted by Reporters without Borders, International Media Support (IMS), and Article 19 to investigate the successes and failures of the country's media during the post-election crisis in Kenya. According to the report, when violence erupted and spread, all the media joined together (sometimes in chorus) and printed long editorials, commentaries, and articles and even joint front pages calling for national harmony. But this switch to being peacemakers shocked some Kenyans and foreign observers, especially journalists and media experts. They said it was not only dishonest but that the media had become involved in role-playing that diverted it from its job of seeking out the truth in the public interest.

9. Media and Elections/Governance
by Deborah Walter (ed.)
This section of the fourth edition of the Gender and Media Diversity Journal, published by the Gender and Media Diversity Centre, explores elections and governance including: paradoxical images of women in the post-election media coverage in Kenya; the relationship of women, politics, and the media; and gender balance in the Russian media.

10. Design for Democracy African Style
by Wendy MacNaughton
This article discusses the challenges, lessons, and impact of a national civic sensitisation campaign for the first democratic local elections in Rwanda which were held in 2001. The purpose of the campaign, which involved the design and distribution of a series of posters, fliers, and graffiti images, was to educate citizens about the purpose and importance of voting, teach people to use a secret ballot, and motivate people to participate. The author discusses the challenges of creating designs that communicated equally to literate and non-literate voters; were sensitive to ethnicity and ethnic, political, and economic division; and were culturally appropriate.

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VOTE IN THE COMMUNITY RADIO POLL:

Which of the options below best describe the role played by community radio stations in elections in Africa (you may choose more than one).

* supportive of democratic processes
* potential is underutilised
* potential is ignored completely
* abused by political parties
* biased
* uninformed

To vote and send comments click here and see the Top Right side of the page.

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The Soul Beat 99 - Communication for Conflict Prevention and Resolution

11. Cobertura Eleitoral Responsável em Angola - Manual do Jornalista (Responsible Election Coverage in Angola - Manual for Journalists)
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in Angola, in partnership with IFES (International Foundation for Electoral Systems) and with funding from the US Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, were involved in a campaign to prepare the Angolan Media for the parliamentary elections. As part of this initiative, SFCG and IFES developed this handbook on responsible election reporting for media practitioners.

12. Outside the Ballot Box: Preconditions for Elections in Southern Africa 2005/6
by Jeanette Minnie
This is the second edition of Outside the Ballot Box, an initiative of the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NiZA), the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), and the Humanist Institute for Development Co-operation (HiVOS). In this edition, 14 authors write about the state of affairs related to elections, democracy, and civil society in Southern Africa. Some of the questions the authors of this book are attempting to answer are: What role do elections play in strengthening democracy, observance of human rights, and in providing capacity to poor and marginalised people to express their demands and needs? Do women participate on an equal basis? Can elections in a one-party state be free and fair?

13. Women and Elections: Guide to Promoting the Participation of Women in Elections
This handbook is intended as a quick reference guide for organisations working to promote the participation of women in the electoral process in post-conflict countries. The handbook describes the opportunities for expanding women's involvement at each of the key stages of the electoral process, and includes a set of general recommendations. Recommendations for each stage of the election process are also covered.

14. Media + Elections: An Elections Reporting Handbook
by Ross Howard
This handbook is designed to offer journalists basic preparation for meeting the challenges of covering elections, particularly for countries where democracy is fragile or a new idea. According to the publication, every country has different election rules and campaign issues, but there are some worldwide standards for an election to be considered free and fair. The handbook highlights some of the rights and responsibilities of professional journalists as well as some of the skills journalists require to help voters become better informed.

15. Producão de Programas "Educacão Cívica Eleitoral" (Election Coverage in a Community Radio)
This publication is part of a series of Portuguese-language training materials produced during "Strengthening Democracy and Governance through Development of the Media in Mozambique", a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) media development project that ran from 1998 to 2006 in Mozambique. Part of the project included a process to identify and define how community radios can best play their role as community promoters of social change and to define the role of community radio in the electoral process. A national consultative process was initiated in 2002. The result of these seminars was a set of clear recommendations, condensed into “Ten Rules of Conduct for Community Radios during the Election Period”.

16. MobileActive Strategy Guide #1: Using Mobile Phones in Elections and Voter Registration Campaigns
by Michael Stein
This series of Strategy Guides is designed to equip organisations around the world with the know-how to deploy effective mobile campaigns for a variety of types of activism and advocacy. Guide #1 covers the use of mobile phones in elections, both as voter registration and monitoring tools. They can also be used to educate citizens on candidates and their stances on issues and for fund raising in support of candidates. According to this guide, mobile phones have been used for systematic election monitoring in Nigeria, Macedonia, Sierra Leone, and Kenya, among women voters in Saudi Arabia, and in popular uprisings in the Ukraine and South Korea.

17. A Campaign Manual for Women Candidates in the Sierra Leone Local Government Elections
This training manual, developed by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), is designed to train women candidates in campaigning for local elections. According to the NDI, they train women candidates because women generally face more challenges than men in running for office, but, once elected, work hard to serve and improve their communities. The guide has 4 key sections that cover everything from the role of local government to planning a campaign, speaking in public, and fundraising.

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For more information on this topic see these previous issues of The Soul Beat:

The Soul Beat 107 - Governance in Africa

Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

Communication in Education

aventh — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:11:35 -0800

From SOUL BEAT AFRICA - where communication and media are central to AFRICA's social and economic development

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Welcome to the first Soul Beat newsletter of 2009. We look forward to supporting the work of your organisation by sharing information and encouraging interaction and debate around issues related to communication and media for development.

The Soul Beat newsletter currently has 14,042 subscribers from across Africa and globally. Over the past twelve months (January 5 2008 - January 4 2009), there were 2,529,192 user sessions across The CI network of websites (these include the Soul Beat Africa website, The Communication Initiative global website and the Communication Initiative-Latin America website).

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This issue of The Soul Beat contains summaries of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, and materials related to promoting access to and improving the quality of schools and education in Africa.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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SUPPORTING TEACHERS

1. Teacher Training in Africa - Africa
Working with BBC African Productions, BBC Swahili Service, and Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA), this media campaign broadcast two weeks of radio news reports, documentaries, and discussion programmes about the importance of teacher training in Africa. The programmes, which were broadcast during June 2007, were designed to promote informed debate among teachers, educationalists, parents, policy makers, and the wider community on teaching, and how the goal of "Education for All" can be achieved in Africa by 2015. In addition to radio programming, a special Teachers in Africa website was created on the BBC Network Africa website, containing stories and views from the programmes.
Contact BBC World Service Trust through their website.

2. Our Future: Preparing to Teach Sexuality and Life-skills: An Awareness Training Manual for Teachers and Community Workers
This manual is part of the "Our Future" series of pupils' and teachers' books. These resources are designed for teachers and anyone else interested in teaching sexuality and life skills in the community, such as peer educators, health practitioners, traditional and religious leaders, and parents. This manual is designed to equip teachers with a stronger understanding of sexuality, gender, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV and AIDS, and to equip them with the self-awareness, values, and skills required to play an effective role in HIV prevention, care, and impact mitigation in their schools and in the community.

3. Fundamental Quality and Equity Levels (FQEL) Project - Guinea
Initiated in 1997 by the Education Development Centre (EDC) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.), this school reform project works to improve literacy instruction by providing teacher training and using strategies such as song and storytelling to encourage reading for pleasure and personal writing. A radio component helps to support the teachers' instruction in the classroom. The FQEL project is an attempt to incorporate Guinea’s rich tradition of storytelling and song into literacy education and encourage students to read and write French for fun.
Contact Education Development Centre (EDC) acohen@edc.org

4. Teachers Matter: Baseline Findings on the HIV-Related Needs of Kenyan Teachers
by Karusa Kiragu, Murungaru Kimani, Changu Manathoko, and Caroline Mackenzie
This 10-page report summarises the findings of a 2004 Horizons baseline survey that looked at the HIV intervention needs of teachers in Kenya. According to the report, most school-based HIV interventions in sub-Saharan Africa rely on teachers as behaviour-information and behaviour-change agents to deliver messages to children. Few interventions are designed for teachers as direct beneficiaries even though teachers themselves are at risk of HIV infection. The report states that in Kenya, the number of teacher deaths tripled between 1995 and 1999, with HIV/AIDS thought to be the largest contributor to teacher mortality.

5. Siniko: Towards a Human Rights Culture in Africa
This manual is written for teachers and educators in the Africa region who work with young people both in the formal and non-formal educational environments who want to introduce human rights in their teaching practices. The manual is designed as a basic introduction, with advice on methodology, activities for older and younger children, and ideas for action. The approach, as stated in the introduction, stresses the practical rather than the theoretical. The intention is that educators can take this material and adapt it to suit their own circumstances and context.

6. Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda: Evaluation of the School Environment Program
by Karusa Kiragu, Tobey Nelson, Cathy Watson, Ann Akia-Fiedler, Medard Muhwezi, Patrick Walugembe, and Richard Kibombo
This 55-page report documents the impact of Uganda Straight Talk Foundation' School Environment Program (SEP). In the early 2000s, STF expanded the SEP programme to encapsulate a full-fledged training effort designed to help teachers appreciate the problems adolescents experience, and create an empathetic school setting. During 2-day training sessions, teachers are exposed to information about adolescent sexual and reproductive health and child-friendliness (i.e. comfort discussing puberty, sexual harassment, etc.), and learn how to respond to adolescents. After the training, teachers return to their schools to implement activities such as starting Straight Talk (ST) or Young Talk (YT) clubs, supporting guidance and counseling activities, and fostering an adolescent-friendly environment. In 2002 STF developed the teacher-centred newspaper Teacher Talk, which is written for educators in primary schools.

CREATING BETTER SCHOOLS

7. Tanzanian Children’s Perceptions of Education and Their Role in Society: Views of the Children 2007
This 51-page study was published by Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) and the Research and Analysis Working Group of the MKUKUTA Monitoring System of the Ministry of Finance And Economic Affairs, and funded by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Tanzania. It is the result of participatory research with children in Tanzania. According to the authors, as the "consumers" of education, children provide useful information for those working for and with children – from policy makers to teachers. This report contains children’s opinions on a range of issues related to education, such as school services (including healthcare, water supply, and food), textbooks, performance by teachers, discipline, extra charges, and their desired improvements to education.

8. Creating Safer Schools: Lessons Learned; Strategies for Action
In October 2006 Raising Voices, in collaboration with The Ford Foundation, hosted a dialogue on what is a safe school and how to create one. This publication presents the discussion and ideas that emerged from that forum. The report is divided into chapters according to the dialogue sessions, and discusses five key topics: what makes a school unsafe; what needs to happen to change that; how organisations, government, and civil society should be responding; developing a vision for safer schools; and next steps. The report found that there are many factors that make schools unsafe, including under-investment in school infrastructure, authoritarian teaching methods, under-valuing of children's voices, corporal punishment, poverty, and a lack of accountability and collective ownership.

9. Teacher Identities and Empowerment of Girls Against Sexual Violence
by Fatuma Chege
This 13-page study looks at how the construction of teacher's identities influences the way teachers and learners interact and behave, both in terms of the teacher-learner relationship, and relationships between learners, specifically around sexual identity, concepts of masculinity and femininity, and sexual abuse. It also examines memory work as a strategy for conscientising and empowering teachers to empower learners to stop sexual violence. The study focused on schools in Kenya and found that boys and girls are often disempowered by their teachers, although this manifests in different ways.

10. Stealing the Future: Corruption in the Classroom
by Bettina Meier and Michael Griffin (eds.)
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. The organisation's approach to analysing situations and instruments for achieving transparency is the presentation of 10 studies carried out by TI Chapters in 2004 and 2005 in Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Georgia, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. The studies assess the forms and extent of corruption at schools, in universities, and in education administration, providing examples of how civil society can help curb corrupt practices in education.

ICTS AND MEDIA FOR EDUCATION

11. Education Makes News: An Education for All (EFA) News Media Training Resource Kit
From the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), this media training resource kit is for journalists and media practitioners, to help them understand the international Education For All (EFA) initiative. It is designed to give a wide range of information to assist in writing items on educational issues for newspapers, magazines, or radio/television stations. It can be used on an individual basis or to hold a one-day workshop on the subject of EFA. Trainers will find materials, including ready-made presentations, among others.

12. Wireless School Connectivity Project - Zimbabwe
This initiative has connected a secondary school in an economically poor township of Harare to the internet using wireless technologies. The wireless technology itself is a bundle of solutions that use the licence-exempt Industrial Scientific and Medical (SM) 2.4GHz frequency band for connecting both the "first mile" to the internet service provider (ISP) and distributing the internet using WiFi in the classroom. According to the organisers, building up and rolling out the project required collaborative efforts from various stakeholders whose inputs were crucial in making the school connectivity project work. The project established relationships with four main stakeholders who helped to deliver internet to the school: the internet service provider, the backbone service provider, the regulator, and a school training organisation, World Links Zimbabwe - to conduct training.
Contact Muroro Dziruni muroro@connectafrica.org.zw

13. Support Technology for Educators and Parents (STEP) - Madagascar
The International Education Systems (IES) Division of the Education Development Centre (EDC) is piloting their Support Technology for Educators and Parents (STEP) programme in Madagascar. STEP works with the Ministry of Education National and Scientific Research (MENRS) to build the capacity of its personnel to offer high-quality training and support to Madagascar's growing numbers of teachers and schools. The project involves the nationwide broadcasting of radio programmes intended to invigorate teaching and learning in Madagascar. The STEP radio programmes consist of thirty-minute segments featuring a cast of local characters engaging in games, stories, songs, and group work. Through the radio programmes, first and second-graders learn Malagasy, mathematics, and French.
Contact Atiyyah Edwards aedwards@edc.org OR Norma Evans nevans@edc.org OR Gaëlle Simon gsimon@edc.org

14. Pour une Approche Globale de l'Education (PAGE) - For a Global Approach to Education - Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Education Development Center (EDC), in partnership with the International Rescue Committee, is reaching out to 120 schools and their communities in the Equateur and South Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project interventions, which are supported by the United States Congress and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aim to increase stakeholder capacity to access and pay for quality education. The PAGE project aims to employ a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach spanning three complementary technical components: education quality through interactive radio instruction; community participation; and education policy. According to the organisers, interactive radio instruction is at the core of improving primary education quality in the DRC. PAGE therefore produces and broadcasts daily radio lessons that reach even remote and resource-poor schools in the two programme provinces.
Contact Helen Boyle hboyle@edc.org

15. Improving Educational Quality Through Interactive Radio Instruction: A Toolkit for Policymakers and Planners
by Stephen Anzalone and Andrea Bosch
This guide, published by the World Bank, is designed for African policymakers, education planners, and pedagogical specialists who may be considering the feasibility of using interactive radio instruction (IRI) in their education systems. According to the World Bank, studies of the IRI experience in more than 2 dozen countries during the past 25 years have shown that the use of IRI has led to significant and consistent improvements in school achievement and has helped overcome equity gaps between urban and rural children and between boys and girls.

16. Survey of e-Learning in Africa
by Tim Unwin
According to this 10-page report, published by e-Learning Africa, there are currently many different e-learning practices evident across the continent. Relatively few of these are based on comprehensive Learning Management Systems such as Moodle or WebCT, and most rely primarily on the use of the internet for gaining access to information, and on e-mail for communicating with colleagues and students. This confirms that e-learning is in its infancy in Africa, but the evidence from those consulted in this survey is that there is nevertheless considerable enthusiasm for the potential that it offers across the educational spectrum, not only for universities and schools, but also for vocational training, for lifelong learning, and for marginalised groups such as street children and those with disabilities.

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For more information on this topic see these previous issues of The Soul Beat:

The Soul Beat 111 - Media and Children

The Soul Beat 84 - Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Education

The Soul Beat 48 - MDG 2: Universal Primary Education

The Soul Beat 40 - Communication in Education: Tools for Teachers

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

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Communication and Change News and Issues

aventh — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:03:42 -0800

This issue of The Soul Beat contains summaries of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, materials, events and awards related to communication for development in Africa. This edition covers issues related to health and HIV/AIDS, natural resource management (NRM), gender, media for development, and information and communication technologies (ICTs).

This is the final issue of The Soul Beat newsletter for 2008. As we end this year, we wish all of you peace, prosperity, and joy, and we look forward to supporting your work in 2009.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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SOUL BEAT AFRICA IS SEEKING INFORMATION

Soul Beat Africa welcomes communication-related information on all topics, but would especially like to request information on the following topics: disability, elections, sexual minorities, language and communication, human trafficking, social mobilisation, cancer, alcohol and drug abuse, Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP) in HIV Prevention, and puppetry and drama for social change.

Send your information to soulbeat@comminit.com

If there are topics you would like to hear more about, please also let us know by writing to soulbeat@comminit.com

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1. In Kidi Ya Chanza (When the Drumbeat Changes You Must Change Your Dance-Steps) - Nigeria
This radio drama, developed by the African Radio Drama Association (ARDA), is designed to assist smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria to adapt to climate change. It aims to provide information on new methods, alternatives, and options to encourage improved farmer adaptation to the effects of climate change. It also intends to increase awareness of the important role of women in agriculture, and encourage youth participation in agriculture.
Contact africanradiodrama@yahoo.com

2. E-Knowledge for Women in Southern Africa (EKOWISA) - Zimbabwe
This regional non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Zimbabwe aims to generate, analyse, translate, repackage, and disseminate locally relevant information and knowledge in order to promote better livelihoods for women. By promoting the effective and efficient use of information communication technologies (ICTs), the organisation seeks to promote gender equality through knowledge creation, supporting women entrepreneurs, advocating for inclusive policy-making, and building ICT skills.
Click here to contact the organisation.

3. Untold: Stories in a Time of HIV and AIDS - Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Untold is a series of 9 short films from 9 Southern African countries which form part of a cross border regional collaboration led by the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication. It is an effort to act together as a region to help deal with the HIV epidemic in southern Africa. Over an 18-month period producers, scriptwriters, and directors from each of the 9 countries were trained in filmmaking and the edutainment process. The Untold series deals with a range of issues including HIV testing, teacher-learner relationship abuses, friendship, loyalty, fidelity, gender-based violence, growing up and making choices, living with HIV, and AIDS orphans.
Contact nkweneo3@yahoo.com OR hope@phela.org.ls OR ssikwese@pakachere.org OR d.namburete@nweti.org.mz OR desertsoul1@redcross.org.na OR fortunate@lusweti.org.sz OR soulcity@soulcity.org.za OR graces@zccp.org.zm OR caroline@action.co.zw OR action@action.co.zw

4. Handspeak – Zimbabwe
This is a television series produced by and for deaf people in Zimbabwe. The 13-part magazine programme, initiated by CHIPAWO Media in 2005, was designed mainly for deaf audiences, but utilised sub-titles so that hearing audiences could also watch the show and learn about the deaf community. The programme was designed to provide information to deaf people, change the way deaf people are perceived by society, and highlight some of the problems and challenges deaf Zimbabweans face - thereby encouraging positive change.
Contact chipawo@mango.zw

5. Imagine Afrika TV Show - Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda
This is an African reality television programme initiated by the African Broadcast Media Partnership Against HIV/AIDS. The 13-part production follows 12 young African achievers, chosen from more than 10,000 nominees from across Africa, in a series of challenges tackling some of the problems affecting local communities across the continent. The show aims to promote the African Broadcast Media Partnership’s vision of an HIV-free generation.

Click here to contact the organisation.

6. Soul City Regional Programme 2002 – 2007 - Impact Evaluation Summary
This is an evaluation of the Soul City Regional Programme (SCRP), an HIV/AIDS communication project which involves 8 southern African countries and combined the adaptation of local communication materials with a largescale capacity building programme. The 8 countries produced a total of 20 booklets in the 5-year period from 2002 to 2007 and approximately 20 million copies of these were distributed in the region. In addition, the SCRP produced a total of 11 radio drama series and 14 television documentaries/talk shows. The aim of this evaluation is to investigate the impact of the local communication interventions in each country on individuals and communities.

7. The Influence of HIV and AIDS Radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs): A Pan-Regional Experience
by Gary Mundy and Tracy Wyman
This report examines exposure to HIV and AIDS Public Service Announcements (PSAs or spots) broadcast on radio across Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania. The report is based on research undertaken to evaluate the impact of an HIV and AIDS campaign initiated by BBC World Service Trust with support from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Viacom. The research indicated that there is potential for PSAs to have an impact on self-reported attitudes and knowledge around HIV and AIDS. The research also shows that there is an association between levels of exposure to radio PSAs on HIV and AIDS, and the proportion of respondents self-reporting changes in attitudes and in knowledge around the benefits of testing.

8. Labour Community Radio Project: An Audience Research Evaluation of Local Community Radio Stations and the Weekly Labour Show
by Yuri Ramkissoon and Mukondi Nethavhakone
This evaluation report shares findings of research conducted to assess the Labour Community Radio Project (LCRP). The LCRP consisted of the production of a weekly one-hour labour show broadcast live on 38 community radio stations serving the economically poor and working class in South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which community radio stations and the weekly labour shows are listened to, and whether they are relevant and meaningful to the listeners.

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VOTE IN THE COMMUNITY RADIO POLL:

How are community radio stations in Africa managing to sustain themselves.

- through support from the private sector
- through advertising
- through donor funding
- through funds from the community
- through government support
- a combination of the above

To vote and send comments go to
http://www.comminit.com/en/africa/community-radio and see the Top Right side of the page.

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9. Drama in HIV/AIDS Prevention: Some Strengths and Weaknesses: A Study in Botswana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda
This research report shares findings of a study carried out in April and May 2003 in Botswana, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda to explore how theatre and drama has been used as a tool to respond to HIV/AIDS. The research set out to draw conclusions in terms of strengths and weaknesses, and to make recommendations about the integration of drama in development programmes, particularly in reference to programmes funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).

10. Protecting the Next Generation: Learning from Adolescents to Prevent HIV and Unintended Pregnancy
This research report proposes that new programmes and policies designed to prevent HIV in Africa should focus on providing earlier and more comprehensive sexual health information and reinforcing national health care systems to better serve youth. Published by the Guttmacher Institute and institutional partners in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda, the report compiles policy and programme recommendations based on findings from national surveys of approximately 20,000 African adolescents, as well as focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with hundreds of young people, parents, teachers, and health care providers.

11. Sorting Fact from Fiction: Improving Media Reporting on TB
This document is the seventh in a series of briefing documents for the media from Panos London's RELAY programme, which works with Southern print and broadcast journalists to communicate the findings of academic research in an accessible way. The briefing is premised on the claim that journalists can lead the way in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) by raising awareness, dispelling fear, challenging policymakers, and providing clear, factual research information. To that end, "Sorting Fact from Fiction" explores why scientific information is vital and provides tips and ideas for media professionals seeking to develop powerful stories with a human face.

12. Education Sector Responses to HIV and AIDS: Learning from Good Practices in Africa
This report produced by the Commonwealth Secretariat summarises key issues regarding HIV/AIDS and the education sector and is based on a review of published literature and the findings of a regional workshop organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). The workshop aimed to provide a forum for the sharing, presentation and review of HIV/AIDS good practice education sector responses in Africa.

The Soul Beat 112 - Materials - HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, and Lifeskills

13. Working with the Media on Gender and Education: A Guide for Training and Planning
This guide is designed to help education and gender campaigners, and organisations and coalitions working on gender and education, implement more effective media advocacy strategies for gender equitable education. It was developed following two “Gender, Education and the Media” workshops which were held in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2005 and in Dhaka, Bangladesh in March 2006.

14. Radios et NTIC en Afrique de l'Ouest : Connectivité et Usages (Radio and ICTs in West Africa: Connectivity and Uses)
This publication by the Panos Institute West Africa (PIWA) looks at how new information communication technologies (ICTs) and radio can be used in combination with each other. It presents the findings of research involving 220 radio stations in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

15. The Child Within: Connecting with Children Who Have Experienced Grief and Loss
This publication forms part of the "Called to Care" toolkit, a series of handbooks and mini manuals on issues related to HIV/AIDS, designed for use by church leaders, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. The Child Within, the sixth book in the series, aims to promote resilience in children who have suffered grief and personal loss. The book is designed to be used to facilitate workshop sessions to help participants learn how to communicate more openly and effectively with children. According to the publishers, it does so by enabling adults who are child care-givers - parents, guardians, volunteers or professionals - to rediscover and appreciate their own "child within".

16. Male Circumcision & HIV Prevention in Eastern and Southern Africa: Communications Guidance
This document offers guidance to programme managers and policymakers on how to plan and manage communications to support the scale-up of male circumcision in Eastern and Southern Africa. According to the publication, misinformation about male circumcision and strong opinions, both for and against the procedure, present challenges that should be acknowledged and addressed in scale-up plans. A number of key issues require strong communication support to ensure clarity about the relationship between male circumcision and HIV prevention.

17. The Broadcasting Independence Handbook: Lessons from the South African Experience
This handbook, published by the Freedom of Expression Institute, focuses on the transformation from state to independent broadcasting in South Africa, and the lessons that can be drawn from this transformation for the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The handbook is designed to provide resources to civil society organisations seeking to: achieve independent broadcasting; explore the role of civil society activism; examine whether the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has struck a balance between independence and accountability; and develop recommendations on how to strengthen the South African "model" of public broadcasting.

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VOTE IN THE EDUTAINMENT POLL:

Are University Drama Departments placing enough emphasis on theatre for development?

No
Yes
Unsure

To vote, go to http://www.comminit.com/en/africa/edutainment.html and see the Top Right side of the page.

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Click here to view archived editions of The Soul Beat Newsletter.

HIV Prevention - Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP)

aventh — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:03:15 -0800

In recognition of World AIDS Day coming up on December 1, this issue of The Soul Beat looks at HIV Prevention with a specific focus on Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP), which have been identified as one of the key drivers of the HIV epidemic in southern Africa. The newsletter offers strategic thinking documents, programme experiences, and materials related to MCP and the role communication can play in promoting partner reduction, faithfulness, and safer sex within these relationships.

To subscribe to The Soul Beat, click here or send an email to soulbeat@comminit.com with a subject of "subscribe".

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SOUL BEAT AFRICA IS SEEKING INFORMATION RELATED TO MULTIPLE CONCURRENT PARTNERSHIPS (MCP)

If you are dealing with MCP in your HIV prevention projects, or if you have evaluations, materials, and research documents related to MCP, please send your information to soulbeat@comminit.com

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REPORTS AND ARTICLES DEALING WITH MULTIPLE CONCURRENT PARTNERSHIPS (MCP)

1. Expert Think Tank Meeting on HIV Prevention in High-Prevalence Countries in Southern Africa Report
This report of a meeting convened by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Swaziland in 2006 looks at the drivers of the HIV epidemic in the sub-region and makes proposals to accelerate prevention efforts in the future. Lack of consistent condom usage in long-term multiple and concurrent partnerships, male attitudes and behaviours, intergenerational sex, gender and sexual violence, stigma, lack of openness, and untreated viral STIs were identified as significant contributing drivers of the epidemic. Underlying these drivers are the social and structural factors such as high population mobility, inequalities of wealth, and cultural factors and gender inequality that render young women especially vulnerable to HIV infection.

2. Why is HIV Prevalence so Severe in Southern Africa: The Role of Multiple Concurrent Partnership and Lack of Male Circumcision - Implications for AIDS Prevention
by Daniel Halperin and Helen Epstein
This paper focuses on evidence underlying the 2006 SADC and UNAIDS AIDS Prevention Think Tank Meeting's two main conclusions and priority action areas: to significantly reduce multiple and concurrent partnerships for both men and women and to prepare for the potential national roll out of male circumcision. The paper also outlines conclusions and recommendations from an October 2006 SADC/UNAIDS regional consultation on social change communication for HIV prevention, which included key recommendations on male circumcision and concurrent partner limitation. The paper suggests that differing patterns of sexual behaviour and new findings around male circumcision have important implications for HIV prevention programmes and outcomes.

3. Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Amongst Young Adults in South Africa: Challenges for HIV Prevention Communication
by Warren Parker, Benjamin Makhubele, Pumla Ntlabati, and Cathy Connolly
This report looks at the issue of concurrent sexual relationships amongst heterosexual respondents between the ages of 20 and 30, exploring implications for HIV/AIDS communication and offering recommendations and key message concepts for HIV/AIDS communication. The data shows that awareness of the risks of high sexual partner turnover, casual sex, and sexual partner concurrency are not well recognised. Amongst people with concurrent partners, it was also found that condom use declined rapidly with a "main" partner, and was inconsistent with "other" partners.

4. One Love: Multiple and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships in Southern Africa - A Ten Country Research Report
This report was designed to inform the development of an HIV prevention campaign by the Soul City Regional Programme (SCRP) aimed at reducing new infections in the southern Africa region by focusing on reducing MCPs. The research was conducted in each of the 10 countries which form part of the Soul City Regional Programme: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The primary aim of the research was to gain insight into the audience’s understanding, attitudes, and practices around sexual relationships in the context of HIV prevention. Overall research findings reveal common reasons for multiple concurrent partnerships among people in the 10 countries of this study. Most of these reasons are driven by gender inequality and cultural and social norms that create a context for MCP. Transactional sex and alcohol also play an important role.

5. Sexual Risk Behaviour Among Men with Multiple, Concurrent Female Sexual Partners in an Informal Settlement on the Outskirts of Cape Town
by Mickey Chopra, Loraine Townsend, Cathy Mathews, Mark Tomlinson, Lisa Johnston, Carl Kendall, Najma Shaikh, and Heidi O'Bra
According to this document, identifying and understanding sub-groups of people who are more vulnerable to and more likely to transmit HIV is essential for improving the effectiveness of HIV prevention efforts. This study therefore set out to develop a robust surveillance system to measure key risk behaviours and HIV prevalence among adult men who have multiple, concurrent female sexual partners, and who live in an urban, informal community on the outskirts of Cape Town. Using respondent-driven sampling (RDS) to recruit men, the findings provide evidence that men living in urban, informal communities and who have multiple concurrent female sexual partners use condoms inconsistently, have high levels of transactional sex and intimate partner violence (IPV), and visit shebeens or taverns (where alcohol consumption is high) to acquire new sexual partners.

6. Ten Myths and One Truth About Generalised HIV Epidemics
by James D. Shelton
The author explores 10 misconceptions about widespread or generalised HIV epidemics. The author recommends behaviour change techniques - including explicit messages sensitive to local cultures that raise perception of personalised risk, which focus on what people have adopted spontaneously: cessation of concurrent partnerships. He states that "Even modest reductions in concurrent partnerships could substantially dampen the epidemic dynamic."

7. "Know Your Epidemic, Know Your Response”: A Useful Approach, If We Get It Right
by Daniel Halperin and David Wilson
This article expands upon the "rallying cry" "know your epidemic, know your response", stating that the era of standard global prevention is over. The authors discuss the state of global HIV and AIDS as not a single epidemic, but a multitude of diverse epidemics. They distinguish between "concentrated and generalised epidemics, which are fundamentally different - not because of arbitrary prevalence thresholds, but about who gets infected and how." Concentration is described as transmission among defined vulnerable groups, such as sex workers or injecting drug users. Transmission among the general population that persist, due to sustained sexual behaviours, despite effective programmes with vulnerable groups, is considered a generalised epidemic. The paper looks at partner reduction as a way to reduce transmission in generalised epidemics, and states that although little is known about how to effectively promote partner reduction, this should not be an excuse not to immediately increase ones commitment to well-evaluated programmes aimed at reducing multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships.

8. What Every Bride Needs to Know
This article looks at the role that bridal showers can play in educating women about HIV/AIDS and in empowering them to negotiate safe sex within marriage. Since studies show that married couples are at higher risk of HIV infection than unmarried men and women, women who are entering into marriage need to be able to protect themselves. As bridal showers are used as a forum to provide tips to the bride on how to manage domestic arguments and ensure a happy sex life, some organisations are starting to use these occasions to promote issues related to sexual health and HIV/AIDS.

9. UNAIDS Combination Prevention Briefs
This series of briefs, published by UNAIDS, is designed to offer an overview of the key interventions needed as part of a combination prevention approach in the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa with high HIV prevalence. The briefs focus on the following 4 areas: modes of transmission, multiple concurrent partnerships, vulnerabilities of women and girls, and male circumcision. Each brief offers background information, outlines challenges to scaling-up within a combination prevention approach, and offers recommendations for action.

10. Multiple Concurrent Partnerships: The Story of Zimbabwe - Are Small Houses a Key Driver?
This paper looks at the phenomenon of "small houses" in Zimbabwe, and how they are a key driver of the HIV epidemic. According to the author, a "small house" is essentially a longer-term sexual relationship between a married man and another, usually younger, woman. "Small houses" are viewed by Zimbabwean men as a safer alternative to casual sex, which they understand to be high risk, because they see women in "small houses" as being faithful to them. Because of this perception, they are unlikely to use condoms. However, the report states that mutual fidelity is very rare, and that there are many factors that lead women in "small houses", their married male partners, and the men's wives to be unfaithful.

COMMUNICATION PROJECTS DEALING WITH MCP

11. OneLove Campaign - Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
This 4-year regional campaign, which grew out of the Soul City Regional Programme, aims to reduce HIV incidence in 9 Southern African countries by reducing multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP). The OneLove campaign uses mass media (including television drama, radio drama, and print booklets in multiple languages) combined with face to face education, social mobilisation, and advocacy. It aims to stimulate public discourse and debate around culture and gender and challenge harmful practices that promote MCP, whilst promoting protective practices. It is being rolled out across the region in 2008, with Tanzania being the first to launch in October 2008, and will run until 2011.
Contact hope@phela.org.ls OR ssikwese@pakachere.org OR d.namburete@nweti.org.mz OR desertsoul1@redcross.org.na OR fortunate@lusweti.org.sz OR soulcity@soulcity.org.za OR info@feminahip.or.tz OR graces@zccp.org.zm OR caroline@action.co.zw OR action@action.co.zw

12. Sikia Kengele (Listen to the Bell) – Tanzania
Launched in March 2007, Sikia Kengele (Listen to the Bell) is a multi-media communications campaign which seeks to encourage people to change their sexual behaviours through partner reduction and being faithful. The campaign uses multiple reinforcing approaches including interpersonal communication through "Bell Ringers", community mobilisation activities around a "big bell", and a radio-based mass media initiative. The national campaign aims to encourage "zero grazing" and uses the symbol of a bell to represent "a wake up call" for behaviour change.
Contact Diana Kisaka dkisaka@tmarc.or.tz OR Nelson Karanja nkaranja@tmarc.or.tz

13. Scrutinize Campaign - South Africa
This campaign, created in partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Johns Hopkins Health Education in South Africa (JHHESA), and designer jeans label Levi's, aims to encourage and equip young people to take responsibility to reduce their risk of HIV infection. The campaign, which was launched in 2008, involves a series of short animated commercials known as animerts. It uses animated township characters who illustrate daily life encounters that place young people at risk of HIV infection. The animerts, which are intended for 18-32 year-olds in South Africa, aim to equip viewers with a new HIV fact or insight to help them examine (or scrutinize) their own risky behaviours and beliefs. The main topics addressed by the series are perceptions of risk, multiple and concurrent partnerships, faithfulness, condom use and safety, transactional intergenerational sex, and alcohol and sex.
Contact Richard Delate Richard@jhuccp.co.za

14. Be a Man Campaign - Uganda
Young Empowered and Healthy (Y.E.A.H.), a communication initiative of the Uganda AIDS Commission, launched the "Be a Man" campaign during the June 2006 World Cup football broadcasts on national television. The goal of the campaign was to reduce the number of young men with multiple sexual partners, improve communication between sexual partners, and encourage mutual disclosure of HIV status, respect, faithfulness, non-violent means of resolving conflicts, active parenting, and responsible alcohol use. Along with television spots, the campaign included the production of posters and billboards, as well as discussion groups and training sessions.
Contact Vincent Kiwanuka kalimire@yahoo.co.uk AND info@yeahuganda.org OR Cheryl Lettenmaier cherylL@hcpuganda.org

15. Likusasa ngelami (The Future is Mine) – Swaziland
This campaign, run by the National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) in Swaziland, aimed to motivate members of the public to choose not to engage in risky sexual behaviour. More specifically, it was designed to encourage delayed sexual debut, keeping to one partner, and faithfulness within marriage. The campaign, named "likusasa ngelami" which means "the future is mine", aimed to do this by encouraging audiences to value their futures and therefore adopt positive behaviours. The campaign used posters, radio, print, and public service announcements on television.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/280466/38
Contact info@nercha.org.sz

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SEND US YOUR UPDATED PROJECT INFORMATION

Soul Beat Africa is not just seeking information on new projects, but we also like to keep the existing project information on our website up to date. If your project is featured on the Soul Beat Africa website, and if you think it requires an update, please send information to soulbeat@comminit.com

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MCP PROJECT EVALUATION

16. Evaluating the Trusted Partner Campaign in Four Sub-Saharan African Countries
This document summarises the findings of an evaluation of the Trusted Partner Campaign, a regional project implemented by Population Services International (PSI). The campaign was developed to alter misconceptions that resulted in a heightened sense of trust between partners leading to subsequent lower consistent condom use. The evaluation, which was conducted in Lesotho, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia, found that the campaign has not had any impact on elevating the level of caution that individuals use before having sex with regular partners. Exposure to this campaign was only associated with consistent condom use in Mozambique, and the impact was only felt among those with the highest levels of exposure to the campaign.

MCP RESOURCE MATERIALS

17. Tsha Tsha DVD Discussion Guide
This guide and the accompanying DVD form part of a strategy to broaden the reach of Tsha Tsha, a South African youth-oriented television series that focuses on young people living in a world affected by HIV/AIDS. The guide aims to encourage conversation and debate around 4 key themes: HIV risk in relation to having multiple sexual partnerships, as well as multiple, concurrent (overlapping) sexual partnerships; care and support for orphans and vulnerable children; minimising the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV; and antiretroviral treatment.

18. HIV Peer Education Picture Codes
Produced in Botswana for Pact, a United States-based international non-governmental organisation, this set of picture codes was developed as material to be used in group outreach sessions to stimulate discussion around behaviours which put people at risk of HIV infection. The situations and related behaviours include sexual violence, alcohol abuse, concurrent sexual partners, and sex for money or gifts.

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To view previous newsletters related to this topic see: