Local Voices - Kenya and Nigeria | The Communication Initiative Network

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Country

Kenya, Nigeria

Region

Africa

Programme Summary

The "Local Voices" programme, a USAID-funded project managed by Internews Network, engages Nigerian and Kenyan media professionals in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. The project aims to improve coverage of public health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS.

The organisers believe that a critical lack of locally relevant information, coupled with the stigmas and taboos that surround HIV, continue to impede the best prevention efforts of governments and communities. They believe that mass media has the potential to improve general awareness and understanding of the epidemic and to set meaningful agendas for public discussion and policy making on AIDS. The project aims to foster a changed social environment where people can talk openly about HIV/AIDS and the practice of safe sex. The project aims to find synergy between demands of the news business and the need to improve coverage of public health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS.

Communication Strategies

The Local Voices programme is designed to involve all levels of the media community in HIV/AIDS training, including radio station owners, managers, and journalists. The programme also includes editors, station managers, and owners (and will engage their support early on). Trainers will work concurrently with journalists, talk show hosts, and disc jockeys as they integrate HIV/AIDS information in daily broadcasts. By interlinking messages into a variety of popular programmes - from music programmes with young audiences to news reports to political talk shows that reach policy makers.

Organisers anticipate that Local Voices will have crosscutting impacts that significantly improve public awareness and dialogue. Through its emphasis on radio programming of many kinds, created by local producers and journalists for local audiences, Local Voices will aim to reach young people as well as adults, the poor as well as the educated elite, with information that relates to their particular circumstances. It will also be an avenue for open, live dialogue among listeners, including on-air exchanges between ordinary people and policy makers or HIV/AIDS experts.

Local Voices' project Internews will work to:

establish new media centers or strengthen existing ones in each country with resources including radio production facilities, Internet access, and print and audio libraries that contribute to up-to-date and accurate stories
offer modest equipment grants and travel opportunities, allowing journalists to research and investigate stories on HIV/AIDS throughout their country
spur reporters toward greater innovation and thoroughness by awarding prizes through regional and national competitions
develop and strengthen national associations of journalists concerned about HIV/AIDS, to help these local institutions take over responsibility for ongoing programmes in their countries
provide intensive training of journalists, talk show hosts, and radio disc jockeys

Development Issues

Public health, HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

By providing local media with the information, resources, and professional support needed to effectively cover the AIDS pandemic, Local Voices aims to enable journalists to make a significant contribution to limiting the spread of the epidemic and helping society cope with its consequences.

The Local Voices programme is designed to involve all levels of the media community in HIV/ AIDS training, including radio station owners, managers, and journalists. Internews recognises that change within the media cannot occur without the support of editors, station managers and owners, and will work to engage this support early on.