This issue includes:

• Selected summaries from our EXPERIENCES section.
• NEW: lend your voice to CI STORIES!
• Highlights from the STRATEGIC THINKING section.
• KUDOS to Garth Japhet: Entertainment-education achiever.
• A few MATERIALS postings.
• Please VOTE in our e-health poll.

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This issue of The Drum Beat features a small selection of recent summaries available on The Communication Initiative website from 3 of our knowledge sections - Experiences, Strategic Thinking, and Materials - which illustrate how communication and media are contributing to positive development action, around the world.

Please send additional project, evaluation, strategic thinking, and materials information on communication for development at any time. Contact Deborah Heimann at dheimann@comminit.com

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EXPERIENCES

1. Abua Disum Abua Raj - India

Broadcast since October 2006 on All India Radio, this weekly programme reaches out to listeners in the Munda-tribal-dominated Khunti region of Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. Community radio is here used as a platform to educate and mobilise as well as to entertain, to the end of generating awareness, capacitating "the voiceless" to demand that their rights be respected, and - in general - bringing about a "pro-poor" policy shift. Alternative for India Development (AID) engages local people to either help as volunteers or to use their interest and skills related to scriptwriting, performing songs, and developing dramas. Listeners clubs formed in villages provide AID with a means of seeking feedback about the programmes and sparking ideas for additional issues to bring to light through the broadcasts.

Contact: khunti@aidjharkhand.org

2. Youth-to-Youth - Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

This is a multi-faceted programme designed to improve the sexual and reproductive health of young people, in part by training young people as peer educators, who then pass on their knowledge to their peers and act as role models. Youth clubs are established where adolescents receive information on sexuality and contraception. Firmly rooted within the oral traditions of the cultures in which they live, the clubs use folk media methods, including music, dance, and drama, to promote social values, raise awareness, disseminate information, provide role models, and encourage positive attitude and behaviour change. In addition, these performances are social events where folk media methods bring the village together and promote collective problem solving.

Contact: Sonja Bruning sonja.bruning@dsw-hannover.de

3. Environment Radio Soap Opera for Rural Vietnam

This project drew on the use of radio to bridge key knowledge gaps and motivate farmers to modify their attitudes and practices. Initiated by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in June 2006, the project involved a total of 239 episodes broadcast twice weekly over Voice of Ho Chi Minh and other provincial radio stations to reach 2 million people in the rural areas of the Mekong Delta. The strategy of entertainment-education (EE) was used here to share information with rice farmers about environmental conservation principles, methods to reduce environmental impacts, and ways to protect ecosystem services, with the ultimate goal of modifying farmers' attitudes towards - and behaviours concerning - the use of farm chemicals, burning straw, water use efficiency, wildlife, soil health, and biological control.

Contact: Kong Luen Heong k.heong@cgiar.org

4. Kids News Network (KNN) - Aruba, Burma / Myanmar, Indonesia, Mozambique, Netherlands Antilles, Peru, South Africa, Suriname, Zambia

Since 2004, the Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) Free Voice has been facilitating the creation of television news programmes for children aged 8 - 14 years in an effort to enhance the diversity of the media and to give children a voice. To cite one example: "Cerita Anak" ("Children's Story") is broadcast on the second largest commercial station in Indonesia. According to Free Voice, "Cerita Anak gives Indonesian children a voice on TV and online. It helps and empowers young Indonesians, with news topics such as the child help lines and what to do during an earthquake. Children learn about their own rights and share their opinions on the online forum."

Contact: info@freevoice.nl

5. ICT for Peacebuilding - Sri Lanka

This weblog-centred initiative draws on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) for peacebuilding in Sri Lanka. Through online discussion, bloggers are thought to be able to augment the efforts of peacebuilders by enhancing channels, avenues and possibilities for communication, information and knowledge sharing, collaboration, empowerment and discussion in virtual spaces - even when physical, real-world meetings are impossible because of geographical distance or political sensitivities. The online community together explores strategies such as how to use the internet, web, radio, new media, old media, mobile phones, and personal computers (PCs) to address the particular needs of various actors "on the ground" within the Sri Lanka peace process.

Contact: Sanjana Hattotuwa sanjanahattotuwa@ict4peace.org

6. Latin American and Caribbean Community Center (LACCC) - United States, Caribbean, Latin America

This community-based organisation uses ICTs in an effort to address the diverse political, economic, and cultural needs of the Latino and Caribbean populations in Metropolitan Atlanta (in the state of Georgia, within the United States), with a special emphasis on the most marginalised group within the Latino community – Afro Latinos. LACCC's Radio Diáspora is a form of educational, cultural, and informative communication that aims to seeks to contribute to a participatory democracy in which Latin American, Caribbean, and North American people may work in solidarity. LACCC also offers intensive training seminars focusing on topics such as participatory communication, global movements, radio journalism, radio production 101, how to interview, cultivating a listening culture, and an analysis of mainstream radio.

Contact: Janvieve Williams jwilliams@lacccenter.org OR info@lacccenter.org

7. PlusNews - Global and Africa

This is the global online HIV and AIDS news service of the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, PlusNews produces original HIV/AIDS reports that it disseminates through a website that provides the latest news, as well as country profiles and first-person testimonies from those living positively with the virus. PlusNews publishes information in Arabic, English, French, and Portuguese. According to organisers, coverage is accessible, comprehensible, and - where possible - jargon-free.

Contact: Kanya Ndaki Kanya@irinnews.org

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NEW! CI STORIES!

Through CI Stories, we are seeking stories of how members of The CI Network have used The CI to support their work, connect with others in the network, and/or highlight their work with demonstrated positive impact on their organisation or work.

• Have you had discussions with colleagues based on information you found through The CI?
• Have you found materials or contacts to support a new project through The CI?
• Have you distributed CI information to your communities in order to help inform them of what other communities are doing around similar issues?

View stories submitted by others here.

Please click here to tell us your story (NOTE: you must be a registered, logged in user to submit a story).

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STRATEGIC THINKING

8. Pandemic Influenza Containment and the Cultural and Social Context of Indigenous Communities

by Peter Massey, Adrian Miller, David Durheim, Sherry Saggers, Richard Speare, and Keith Eastwood

This Letter to the Editor discusses the omission of Australian indigenous people from respectful partnerships in World Health Organization (WHO)-directed, nationally developed comprehensive influenza pandemic plans. The authors recommend that the "basis of genuine and respectful partnerships is captured in the human rights approach, which demands that individuals and communities are adequately involved in the decisions that affect their wellbeing." They warn of consequences if the aspirations for indigenous self-determination are not met with genuine and respectful partnership to define what pandemic containment measures are culturally appropriate and acceptable. 

9. Distance Learning in Micronesia: Participants' Experiences in a Virtual Classroom Using Synchronous Technologies

by Kavita Rao

This article describes the experiences of participants in a distance learning course that used ICT to create a virtual class environment to train teachers in Micronesia. Participants were asked to meet in central locations to access the course through a web-conferencing software that is optimised for low-bandwidth, and hence, compatible with dial-up connections. The group collaboration combined with individual homework and opportunities to test learned strategies in the classroom (in asynchronous time) were successful parts of the course design. Group conferencing (synchronous online) time with instructors was highly valued. The article stresses that predominant learning styles and communication preferences are important factors for consideration when designing an online course in a cross-cultural setting.

10. How Does HIV Media Coverage Rate? Views and Voices of Those Who Know Best

by Jacqueline Gayle

This field note begins with a story from Kenya about efforts on the part of the HIV-positive community to draw media attention to national protests held following the murder of an HIV-positive boy. The author discusses strategies for engaging more people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the media. "In some regions, development agencies teach PLHIV support groups and HIV/AIDS-related organizations to attract and maintain positive relationships with their local media. Trainings cover skills such as writing interesting press releases and building beneficial relationships with reporters. When PLHIV media advocacy works, both sides win – PLHIV and AIDS issues gain prominence in the news and reporters gain reliable sources to help them report more effectively."

11. Participatory Action Research and Support for Community Development and Conservation: Examples from Shade Coffee Landscapes in Nicaragua and El Salvador

by Chris Bacon, Ernesto Mendez, and Martha Brown

This research brief describes the process of participatory action research (PAR) using examples from work on shade coffee landscapes and community development in Nicaragua and El Salvador. The research analysed power, privilege, and participation among researchers and members of coffee cooperatives, including their networks of trade relations, relatives outside of their countries who remit money, and extended contacts. The following recommendations evolved from the PAR research: commit to strengthening the political empowerment of local partners; focus on the institutional development of community organisations and human capital; be committed to the learning process of local actors, allowing them to take leading roles; avoid paternalism and the creation of external dependency; use a complexity of networks and contacts; prioritise long-term processes, not short-term projects; and invest in relationships of mutual trust with local actors. 

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Garth Japhet Receives the 2009 Everett M. Rogers Award for Achievement in Entertainment Education

Garth Japhet, current chair of The CI's Partners Group and the creator of Soul City, a large-scale, multimedia entertainment education programme in Southern Africa, is the 2009 recipient of the Everett M. Rogers Award for Achievement in Entertainment Education. On September 23rd, Dr. Japhet will speak on the development of international entertainment education programming at the Everett M. Rogers Colloquium luncheon. That evening, he will be recognised as the fifth recipient of the annual award at Hollywood, Health & Society's Sentinel for Health Awards ceremony at the Writers Guild of America, West in Los Angeles, California, USA. Congratulations, Garth!

For more information, please see the press release [PDF].

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MATERIALS

12. Evaluation Primer on Health Risk Communication Programs

The United States Public Health Service (PHS) developed this primer to assist federal health risk communication practitioners and decisionmakers in evaluating health risk messages and campaigns. Published in 2007, the primer presents key evaluation principles and practices as a central means for ensuring appropriate goals, content, and outcome of health risk communication programmes.

13. Code of Good Practice for NGOs Responding to HIV/AIDS Self-Assessment Tools and Awareness Materials

This self-assessment tool was developed in 2009 by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), for NGOs, to help guide their work by providing a framework that sets out key principles, practices, and evidence-based requirements for responses to HIV. The resource consists of downloadable checklists to assess how an NGO's programmes measure up to good practice principles. Also included are: executive summary in brochure format, a list of the Code's principles, a Microsoft PowerPoint format presentation of an introduction to the Code, and a Code web banner for use on websites of signatories to the Code. 

14. Toolkit: Disseminating Research Online

Published in 2008, this Global Development Network (GDN) toolkit provides tips and practical suggestions for communicating academic research using the internet. It draws together advice from web communication professionals and provides external links. Its 5 sections focus on: successful online communication, disseminating research on the web, practical hints about putting research online, the GDNet approach to research communication, and support for online dissemination for research.

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VOTE!

In what direction should current e-Health research and technical development go?

Direction:

• Diagnosing through mobile phones.
• Certifying phone services as coming from authentic health providers.
• Building a menu of types of health providers (e.g., MD, traditional, clinic, pharmacy) into mobiles.
• Linking remote clinics with specialists.
• Linking communities in "the last mile" with hospital or clinic diagnosis and care centres.

Vote and Comment - click here.

~ RESULTS thus far (September 18):

47%: Linking communities in "the last mile" with hospital or clinic diagnosis and care centres.

28%: Linking remote clinics with specialists.

16%: Diagnosing through mobile phones.

5%: Building a menu of types of health providers (e.g., MD, traditional, clinic, pharmacy) into mobiles.

4%: Certifying phone services as coming from authentic health providers.

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The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI's Editorial Director - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

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