This issue of The Soul Beat contains summaries of programme experiences, strategic thinking documents, evaluations, materials, and events 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 technologies (ICTs).
If you would like your organisation's communication work or research and resource documents to be featured on the Soul Beat Africa website and in The Soul Beat newsletters, please contact soulbeat@comminit.com
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PROGRAMME EXPERIENCES
1. Diorano-WASH - Madagascar
The Diorano-Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative, launched in 2002 by the WASH Coalition in Madagascar, aimed to reduce poverty by addressing the issues of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene. To complement the supply of water and sanitation infrastructure, a large advocacy and awareness-raising effort was developed which involved schools, health centres and the general public and used photography, theatre, radio drama, mass media, and interpersonal communication to promote messages related to washing hands, the use of latrines, and safeguarding water supplies.
Contact Jean Herivelo Rakotondrainibe herivelo2@blueline.mg OR Lovy Hervet Rasolofomanana walovy@blueline.mg
2. Wireless School Connectivity Project - Zimbabwe
This is an initiative that has connected a secondary school in an economically poor township of Harare to the internet using wireless technologies. The project was conceptualised during the Southern Africa Wireless Workshop, which took place in Pretoria, South Africa in 2005. 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.
Contact Muroro Dziruni muroro@connectafrica.org.zw
3. Sports for Peace and Life Program - Sudan
This programme, supported by Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian aid organisation, aims to harness the power of sport to engage young people and encourage positive social behaviour. The programme, which started in 2006, is being implemented in partnership with Grassroot Soccer, a US-based organisation which uses the power of soccer to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and is using the Grassroot Soccer life skills training methodology in this project to decrease young peoples' vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, while increasing their capacity to avert and resolve potential conflict.
To contact Mercy Corps go to http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?cimo=1&r=http://www.mercycorps.org/... OR contact Grassroot Soccer info@grassrootsoccer.org
4. Safe from Harm Parent/Child Interpersonal Communication Programme
This programme, initiated by Population Services International (PSI) and AIDSMark in 2005, is based on the fact that parent/child communication has been shown to be a key factor in delaying sexual activity and in reducing risky sexual behaviour amongst youth. Through training sessions, Safe from Harm intends to equip parents with the knowledge and skills to increase the amount and quality of in-home sex education and to provide adolescents with communication skills. The project, currently being implemented in Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, works with different organisations in each country to train Child Interpersonal Communication (IPC) facilitators to work with parents and youth.
Contact PSI/Tanzania info@psi.or.tz OR PSI/Zambia contact@sfh.org.zm OR PSI/Uganda psiu@psiu.co.ug OR PSI/Zimbabwe info@psi-zim.co.zw
5. Media Action Plan (MAP) on HIV/AIDS and Gender - Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe
This initiative, coordinated by the Southern African Editors’ Forum (SAEF) with Gender Links and The Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network, is a three-year project developed to devise tools and provide support to Southern African media houses to develop and adopt HIV/AIDS and gender policies in newsrooms. The aim of the programme is for 80% of all newsrooms to have such policies in place by the end of 2008.
Contact Dumisani Gandhi map@genderlinks.org.za
6. Encountering Citizens - Nigeria
This is a long-term participatory research programme focusing on citizenship, participation, and accountability. The programme combines research with grassroots capacity building, training, and information sharing through drama, arts, and community dialogue. Encountering Citizens is conducted in collaboration with the Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability (IDS, University of Sussex) and a consortium of research partners from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Contact info@tfdc-ng.org
STRATEGIC THINKING
7. Telecentres, Access, and Development: Experience and Lessons from Uganda and South Africa
by Sarah Parkinson
According to this publication, universal access is a policy goal in which 100% of a population is able to make use of a publicly available resource, such as information and communication technologies (ICTs), including telephone, fax, and internet/e-mail. Universal access to ICTs has, in recent years, become a policy goal for many national governments, international development agencies, and intergovernmental agencies such as the United Nations. This book analyses the experience of South Africa and Uganda in their quest for universal access, with particular emphasis on the role of shared access centres (public telephones, cybercafés, telecentres, business centres, etc.) and the factors that affect their performance.
8. Counting on Communication - The Uganda Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project
Project World Bank Working Paper No. 59
This publication is the first in a series of Working Papers sponsored by the Development Communication Division (DevComm) of the World Bank’s External Affairs Vice-Presidency. This series is designed to share innovations and lessons learned in the application of strategic communication in development projects. The series forms part of an effort by DevComm, together with other donors, NGOs, and private sector partners, to mainstream the discipline of development communication in development practice. In order to demonstrate the value added by strategic communication, this report offers a detailed analysis of the communication strategy used in the Uganda Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project (NECDP).
9. Start the Press: How African Communities in the UK Can Work With the Media to Confront HIV Stigma
by Lucy Stackpool-Moore
According to this report published by Panos London, African migrants in the United Kingdom (UK) are among the most vulnerable to HIV infection, accounting for the greatest number of new diagnoses in recent years. Being HIV positive can intensify experiences of stigma and marginalisation apparent in inadequate living conditions, limited employment opportunities, and lack of visibility in policy decisions. The report states that stigmatising media coverage of African migrants can exacerbate the feelings of isolation and frequently prevents people from coming forward to access health services. The report argues that by speaking out, people living with HIV and leaders in African communities can raise awareness of the discrimination they experience. HIV advocates can get to know the media and work with journalists to tell their stories on their own terms, spotlighting inaccurate and misleading coverage, and beginning to confront the stigma.
10. Religious Leaders from the Afar Region of Ethiopia Issue Declaration to End the Practice of Female Circumcision
In this announcement from Nazareth, Ethiopia, thirty religious leaders from the Afar region, representatives from the Office of the Supreme Sharia Courts, Islamic Affairs Bureau, and the Women’s Affairs Bureau of Ethiopia issued a declaration to end the practice of female circumcision, also called female genital mutilation (FGM). The declaration was issued at the end of a Population Media Center (PMC) workshop held from July 30 to August 1 in 2007, to discuss the issue of female circumcision and what religious leaders can do to help eradicate the practice. The PMC workshop was the first part of a "whole society" strategy to eradicate the practice of FGM in Ethiopia, and the Afar region in particular. PMC uses a "whole society" strategy to strengthen the impact of communication initiatives. The PMC strategy in Ethiopia includes a radio serial drama with a storyline about the risks and negative consequences of FGM.
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VOTE IN THE COMMUNITY RADIO POLL:
What is required most to strengthen the role of community radio in Africa?
- a strong African representative body
- more funding
- more capacity building
- more networking
- more information sharing
- more government support
- more community involvement
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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EVALUATIONS
11. Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Post Implementation Study Final Report
Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Post Implementation Study Final Report
This is an evaluation of the Mass Information in Support of Liberian Refugee Repatriation and Reintegration project, a 12-month information campaign undertaken by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) with the support of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM). This project, which took place between September 2006 and September 2007, focused on supporting the final phase of facilitated repatriation of 110,000 Liberian Refugees to Liberia from mainly Guinea, but also from Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Ghana. The findings showed that the communication work undertaken by SFCG, which included radio and drama, was effective in ensuring that refugees were aware of their options regarding repatriation and had enough information about developments in Liberia and their communities to support their decision to return home.
12. Swedish Support to a Regional Environmental Journalism and Communication Programme in Eastern Africa for the Period 2002-2006
by Birgitte Jallov and Charles Lwange-Ntale
This is an evaluation of the Regional Training Programme in Environment Journalism, supported by Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), which aimed to improve the quality of environmental reporting in the media in the Eastern Africa region through training, networking, community outreach, and the development of positive attitudes toward sustainable management of natural resources. The programme’s focus on the environment also included relevant areas such as conflict management, gender, and HIV/AIDS.
13. Formats, Partnerships, and Content: Optimising the Components of an HIV and AIDS Media Campaign in Angola
This report highlights the findings of a survey that was done to assess the impact of Mo Kamba (My Mate), a radio call-in and discussion programme, as well as complementary public service announcements, dealing with a wide range of issues around HIV and AIDS. The programme is designed for 15-24 year olds, with the objective of raising knowledge of transmission routes, methods of risk reduction, and encouraging greater discussion about sexual health across Angola. Eight months after Mo Kamba was first broadcast, the BBC World Service Trust carried out a survey of 15-24 year olds in 4 provinces across Angola. The purpose of the survey was to establish the awareness, reach, and appeal of Mo Kamba and a selection of the PSAs, as well as to determine levels of knowledge, attitudes held, and self-reported behaviour relating to issues directly relevant to risk reduction around HIV.
MATERIALS
14. Disability and Social Change: A South African agenda
Edited by Brian Watermeyer, Leslie Swartz, Thereza Lorenzo, Margie Schneider, and Mark Priestley
With contributions from a broad range of authors and editors, this volume offers various perspectives on disability issues in South Africa. Themes include theoretical approaches to, and representations of, disability; government and civil society responses to disability; rights of disabled people in relation to health, education, employment, and social security; the politics related to service provision; and disability and the media.
15. The Media and the Law: A Handbook for Community Journalists
According to Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), over the past few years the organisation has charted a trend of increasing media censorship in South Africa. While large media houses are generally well-equipped to handle this, FXI says that smaller community newspapers often lack the knowledge, skills, and resources to fend off threats to their freedom to publish. This guide intends to fill that knowledge and skill gap. It is designed to enable small independent and community media, specifically newspapers and radio, to counter growing media censorship in South Africa, and to ensure that the media is aware of their rights and how to protect and enforce them. The handbook provides information about the current state of the law of defamation, and provides checklists to see whether particular reports are defamatory. In addition, it provides information on what to do if particular reports do attract threats of legal action.
16. Tewerwari Kewakebt (The Shooting Stars)
This is a 52-edition serial comic book designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection among members of Ethiopia's police force. It is distributed to officers within the Federal Police for use during ongoing peer group discussions. The main characters of this comic serial, who are also members of the police force, are seen using their crisis-handling skills in responding to HIV and AIDS. By combining humour, action, and drama, the comic book aims to enable officers within Ethiopia's Federal Police to better understand the risks they face from HIV and to develop strategies that will prevent HIV infection.
17. Gender Mentoring: A Guide for Strengthening Equality in Communities (Advocacy Expert Series)
This guidebook forms part of the 6-part Advocacy Expert Series which was developed by the Tanzania Advocacy Partnership Programme (TAPP) programme, an advocacy capacity strengthening programme for Tanzanian civil society run by Pact Tanzania and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Tanzania. The manual is intended to be a guide for strengthening gender equality in communities through increased gender awareness and the development of gender mentoring programmes. The first section outlines key gender concepts, explaining that gender is embedded in socio-cultural values, and looks at masculine and feminine behaviours, qualities, roles, and responsibilities.
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