This issue of The Soul Beat contains summaries of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, materials, trainings, events, and awards related to communication for development in Africa. This edition covers issues related to health and HIV/AIDS, natural resource management (NRM), conflict, gender, media for development, and information and communication technology (ICT).
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PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES
1. Pour une Approche Globale de l'Education (PAGE) - For a Global Approach to Education - Democratic Republic of the Congo
This project is a 3-year pilot project that seeks to reduce the economic burden of school fees on parents and communities and promote access to quality education. The project is reaching out to 120 schools and their communities in the Equateur and South Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The interventions are designed to increase stakeholder capacity to access and pay for quality education. The PAGE project achieves its objectives by employing a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach spanning three complementary technical components: education quality through interactive radio instruction; community participation; and education policy.
Contact Helen Boyle hboyle@edc.org
2. Barnaamijka Xoolaha (The Livestock Programme) - Somalia
Since 2006, BBC World Service Trust has been working in partnership with the BBC Somali Service, the Africa Educational Trust, the European Union's Rehabilitation Programme for Somalia and a wide range of stakeholders to increase the knowledge and skills of those working in the livestock sector in Somalia. This is being done through a 30-minute weekly radio programme, called Barnaamijka Xoolaha ('The Livestock Programme'), which aims to empower livestock producers, traders, and others with the practical skills, technical knowledge, and business awareness necessary to maximize their incomes from livestock.
Contact BBC World Service Trust through the BBC website.
3. Something for Something Love Campaign – Uganda
Launched by the Young Empowered and Healthy (YEAH) advocacy group, in collaboration with the Health Communication Partnership, the "Something for Something" awareness campaign was created by and for young people, to raise awareness and dialogue around transactional sex. This nationwide campaign complemented the Rock Point 256 drama series which was aired on 10 local radio stations from August 2005. The campaign included the production and dissemination of a wide range of materials to reinforce the "Something for Something Love" messages, including radio spots, comic books, posters, fact sheets, branded exercise books, billboards, and street pole posters.
Contact Cheryl Lettenmaier cherylL@hcpuganda.org
4. Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF) – Nigeria
This non-governmental organisation (NGO), initiated and founded in 1999, works towards the eradication of trafficking in persons, child labour, and violent abuses of the rights of women and children. The organisation is doing this by building an international coalition that restores human dignity through empowerment, capacity building, and advocacy.
Contact Tony Nzeribe tinzeribe@nettally.com
5. Fight Fistula! Campaign – Ethiopia
This campaign, initiated under the German Foundation for World Population's (DSW) Youth-to-Youth programme, intends to reach both men and women in East and West Gojam in Ethiopia. The project uses trained nurses and former fistula sufferers, who are trained as peer educators, to reach people in the region with reproductive heath information and improved health facilities. The project involves home-to-home visits, peer-to-peer learning in youth clubs, and mass edutainment.
Contact Pamela Foster pamela.foster@dsw-hannover.de
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VOTE IN THE COMMUNITY RADIO POLL:
In which area of development is community radio in Africa most effectively being used?:
Agriculture
Conflict
Economic Development
Education
Governance
Health
Other
To vote and, if a registered user, send comments, go to the Community Radio Theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.
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STRATEGIC THINKING
6. A Mine of Information? Improving Communication Around the Rio Tinto Ilmenite Mine in Madagascar
by Rod Harbinson, Panos London
This report discusses challenges experienced in communication around the Rio Tinto's ilmenite mine in the Fort Dauphin area of southern Madagascar, which, as stated in the report, has led to mistrust and social conflict. This document examines the debates, grievances, consultations, and negotiations that have taken place between the mining company, QIT Madagascar Mining S.A. (QMM), the Government of Madagascar (GoM), and the many different stakeholders affected by the project, including members of the local community. The report intends to reveal the gaps in consultation and communication and assesses the consequences. It raises questions to be considered by all stakeholders and makes recommendations for improvements in communication.
7. Using Edutainment to Reach Sexual Minority People
by Tonya Graham
The report states that while South Africa has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world, and although there are widespread campaigns, programmes, and organisations that work to raise awareness and reduce stigma, there are very few initiatives that target the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Lack of HIV/AIDS information, counseling, and services specifically targeting sexual minorities, coupled with high levels of discrimination from health and social workers, make it extremely difficult for the community to adequately respond to the pandemic. According to this report, organisations working for and within the LGBT community are, however, responding with "increasingly creative and innovative strategies." This paper shares the experience of producing two multidisciplinary communication projects that aim to raise awareness and discussion around LGBT rights, health, and HIV/AIDS.
8. Let Women Have a Say Too!: Why Are So Few Women in the Media? Why Are Women's Views Not Reflected in the Media? A Report in Search of Answers and Proposals for Ways Forward
by Birgitte Jallov and Ruth Ayisi
This qualitative study was carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of the Mozambique Media Development Project that ran from 1998 to 2006. The study aimed to show the need to encourage more Mozambican women to enter and to stay in journalism, and the need to mainstream gender in media coverage. This research sought to give a qualitative explanation, through in-depth interviews, as to why few women enter and stay in the media. The study suggests that there is a lack of understanding of gender mainstreaming in coverage. Interviews with editors, women and male journalists, and members of other institutions suggest that what is on paper, i.e. legislation to bring about more gender equality, has not brought about any dramatic progress in reality in the media and in its coverage of gender.
EVALUATION
9. The Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda: Impact of Mass Media Initiatives - Summary Report
by Susan E. Adamchak, Karusa Kiragu, Cathy Watson, Medard Muhwezi, Tobey Nelson, Ann Akia-Fiedler, Richard Kibombo, and Milka Juma
This report presents findings from an evaluation of the Straight Talk Foundation's (STF) mass media communication programmes, which have been implemented in Uganda since 1993. The community-based survey of adolescents was designed to find out what proportion of youth is reached by each Straight Talk mass media, community, and school activities, whether adolescents who are exposed to STF materials have higher knowledge and more positive attitudes toward safe behaviours than those who are not exposed to these media activities, and whether adolescents who are exposed to STF materials practice more safe behaviours than those who are not exposed.
10. Evaluation of the Reach and Impact of the 100% Jeune Youth Social Marketing Program: Findings from Three Cross-sectional Surveys
This paper examines 100% Jeune, an adolescent reproductive health programme implemented in the cities of Douala and Yaoundé, Cameroon. The 100% Jeune programme is designed for 15–24 year-old youth using a combination of mass media and interpersonal communication channels to promote abstinence and, alternatively, the consistent use of condoms. This study analyses the programme's reach and its impact on condom use, level of sexual activity, and predictors of condom use. A comparison of trends over the 36-month study period shows that substantial positive changes occurred among youth. Results of dose response analyses indicate that some of the positive changes in condom use and predictors of use can be attributed to the 100% Jeune youth social marketing programme.
11. La Benevolencija Reconciliation Radio Project: Musekweya's First Year Evaluation
Rwanda Reconciliation Radio: Does it Work?
by Eizabeth Levy Paluck and Donald P. Green, Yale University
This report presents the findings of an evaluation conducted after the first year of broadcast of Musekeweya, a fictional drama series produced by La Benevolencija to encourage peace and post-conflict transformation in Rwanda. The goal of the research was to assess the radio programme's educational impact and its impact on attitudes and behaviours related to tolerance and reconciliation. The paper includes a brief summary of the past and present sociopolitical context in Rwanda, explaining why this country represents an important setting within which to explore the effects of media on prejudice and reconciliation. It also contextualises debates about the impact of media in Rwanda, by reviewing theory and evidence for media influence and its relationship to prejudice. Overall, the research supports the hypothesis that a radio drama series can shape social norms.
12. Participatory Assessment of Gugar Goge, an Entertainment-Education: A Qualitative Assessment Report
by Arvind Singhal, Sarah Hurlburt, and Radha Vij
This report documents the results of a participatory assessment exercise conducted in Nigeria to gauge audience reception of Gugar Goge ("Tell It To Me Straight"), an entertainment-education radio soap opera that sought to promote education for girls, the delay of marriage and pregnancies, and the adoption of family planning and maternal health services. The assessment exercise, which used participatory sketching and participatory photography, aimed to assess how frequent listeners engaged with the radio programme, and how they derived personal meanings from its plot, characters, and educational messages.
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VOTE IN THE EDUTAINMENT POLL:
Which edutainment communication medium is most effectively used in Africa?:
Comics
Dance
Puppetry
Music
Radio
Television
Theatre
Traditional Storytelling
To vote and, if a registered user, send a comment, go to the Edutainment Theme site and see the Top Right side of the page.
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MATERIALS
13. Environmental Education, Ethics & Action in Southern Africa
Written by environmental practitioners from across Southern Africa, this publication explores environmental challenges in a diversity of African contexts. These contexts include: Malawian officials and community leaders taking up the challenge of environmental management in villages and districts; Ugandan small-scale farmers in partnership with non-governmental organisations trying to produce sustainably for the household and the international market; and government-civil society partnerships in South Africa dealing with the introduction of environmental and human rights topics in the national school curriculum. Other contributions - from South Africa, Angola, Lesotho, Zambia, and Zimbabwe - aim to discuss additional contexts of environmental practices: industry reporting, environmental management, research, philosophy, the media, conservation, and the seeking out of indigenous knowledge.
14. Frequently Asked Questions about Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in ICTs for Development: A Guide for National ICT Policy Animators
Partnerships between the public sector, the private sector, and particularly civil society in promoting information and communication technology (ICT) policy are, according to the authors, a relatively new venture. This guide is an attempt to add to the body of knowledge and experience on multi-stakeholder processes and partnerships, based on the practical experiences encountered during the 3-year Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA) programme on ICT policy advocacy. This resource was designed to present guidelines that may assist national ICT policy facilitators in understanding the complexities of multi-stakeholder relationships and the attainment of common goals and objectives. It explores practical issues for the establishment of a multi-stakeholder process for ICT policy and looks at how multi-stakeholder partnerships work, what has been successful and what has not, and offers some practical suggestions on how to make them more effective.
15. Sasa! Activist ToolKit
Produced by Raising Voices, the SASA! Activist Toolkit is designed to raise awareness, encourage support, and motivate people to take action on the interconnected issues of violence against women and HIV/AIDS. Sasa is a Kiswahili word meaning "now" and was chosen by the producers to convey the message that now is the time to begin thinking differently about preventing violence against women and HIV/AIDS infection.
EVENTS and TRAININGS
16. Promoting Gender and Rights in Reproductive Health and HIV & AIDS (Oct 13-31 2008) Nairobi, Kenya
This 3-week course, offered by the Center for African Family Studies (CAFS), focuses on gender and rights in reproductive health and HIV and AIDS is intended for senior programme managers, planners, and policy-makers.
17. Policy Advocacy (Sept 1-12 2008) Arusha, Tanzania
According to the organisers, MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation, the overall objective of this course is to equip civil society organisations and other actors with the skills necessary for influencing public policy effectively to achieve good governance and poverty reduction.
18. WACC Congress 2008 (Oct 6-10 2008) Cape Town, South Africa
The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)'s fourth global Congress on communication focuses on the theme Communication is Peace: Building Viable Communities.
19. 3rd International Conference on e-Learning (June 26-27 2008) Cape Town, South Africa
This conference aims to explore both the theory and practice of web-enabled technology in learning and teaching.
AWARDS
20. MISA Press Freedom Award 2008
Deadline: August 12 2008
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Press Freedom Award, co-sponsored by the Southern Africa Trust, is given to honour excellence in journalism, which is described as "the upholding of ethics of the profession at all costs and the relentless pursuit of the truth behind the facts".
21. Media Action Plan (MAP) Gender, HIV and AIDS, and Media Awards 2008
Deadline: June 20 2008
Initiated by the Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) and Gender Links (GL), these awards aim to identify and recognise progressive institutional practice in the media related to gender and HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa.
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