UNICEF

More than 5,000 Indonesian boy and girl scouts have been trained to carry information on avian influenza to their home villages in the province of West Java. As part of a massive nationwide campaign in Indonesia begun in 2006, scouts recently gathered at a seaside town in Sukabumi district to learn about bird flu and how they can help protect their communities from the deadly virus.

The campaign draws upon teachers and students, community members, and religious leaders to spread the avian flu campaign messages to the public. According to the article, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), with funding from Canada and Japan, has so far reached some 5 million children and 100,000 communities with educational materials on avian influenza. In addition, a mass media campaign has reached every province in the country through television, radio, and print. The collaboration with the scouts is the latest educational venture and includes door-to-door awareness raising by the scouts in their communities. In addition, communicating through the arts and education has been a key emphasis of the UNICEF programme. As a part of the campaign, scouts participate in short plays for their fellow scouts to show what to do if bird flu hits their village.

UNICEF website on August 19 2008.