The Communication Initiative Network

The Wize up! Your decision, Your Life radio programmes are designed to get people communicating about SRHR issues in their lives and to take action. The show is presented by Hleli Luhlanga, Director of Swaziland Young Women’s Network (SYWON), who brings her knowledge of SRHR issues to help spark discussion and debate. Broadcast on Swaziland Broadcasting and Information (SBIS), she is joined by celebrities Wilton "Jazzy" Mamba on SBIS2 and Senzo Malaza on SBIS1. Each show includes invited guest experts who provide information and advice on the issue discussed in the programme. There is discussion and debate with live guests and interaction with listeners over the phone and via text messages.

Episodes look at such topics as understanding sexuality and the changes young people go through when growing up, the role of teachers and parents in SRHR education, how to deal with sexual debut, and being prepared to make informed decisions about sexuality and when to have sex. The programme topics have included the following.

• Understanding Sexuality
• Delaying Sexual Debut
• Condom Use and Safe Sex
• Unplanned Pregnancies
• Sexual Abuse
• Role of Parents I
• Role of Parents II
• Role of Teachers
• Role of the Media
• Peer Influences
• How to be a good friend
• Human Rights and HIV
• Wrap Up and Youth Pledges

Click here to download the programmes in English and siSwati.

To complement the radio programmes, Lusweti organises community events with young local musicians and entertainers.

People are also encouraged to learn more and interact with the campaign through the Wize up! Campaign facebook page.

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV/AIDS, Youth

Lusweti Institute for Health Development Communication is a non-governmental organisation in Swaziland dedicated to the creation and provision of social behaviour change communication programmes. Lusweti focuses on ensuring that the majority of people in the country practice positive behaviours with respect to HIV/AIDS, health and development.

The radio programme was created after Lusweti conducted research into the subject of SRHR for young people and found a lack of sexuality information for the youth, a lack of communication on sexuality in families, and a lack of access and use of SRH services by youth.

The project uses various clubs and plays performed by able-bodied and disabled children to increase the awareness of the rights of disabled children, as well as how parents can help these children.

Parent clubs
Through separate mothers and father clubs, parents come together and share their experiences, worries, and ideas on how to help their children. Fathers come together to talk about their children with disabilities and share their experiences and thoughts about their children. The mothers club also allows mothers to come together and support each other.

Exercise clubs
Sessions with doctors are held with parents to teach them exercises to do with their children to help children when they are at home. Children are not only taught to use their new equipment but also to have a better quality of life using their braces, glasses, and hearing aids.

Schools Initiatives
Through workshops, Plan is also educating communities about disabilities and the needs of disabled children. Teachers work with parents to build awareness and end discrimination between children in classrooms. The project also works to integrate children with disabilities into the community.

At the beginning of the project, Plan took a census of children with disabilities in order to follow their progress and give support. In the areas covered by the project there are 1,503 children with disabilities: 910 boys and 592 girls. Although many African governments now provide free primary education to children with disabilities, organisers say more focus is still needed on the issues affecting such children, such as access to education; violence against children with disabilities; the link between poverty and disability; social attitudes, stigma, and discrimination; and the right to be heard and to participate.

Disabilities, Human rights

Plan International operates programmes in countries across Africa to support communities; promoting inclusion and integration of children with disabilities in education, sports, and social activities. Plan has provides equipment to children with disabilities in Togo, including hearing aids and glasses. It has also provided 870 children in Togo with leg braces and referred children to local orthopaedic specialists.

With a small grant from EIFL-PLIP (US$15,000), the Busolwe Public Library installed a solar power system and five new computers in the library and is working with local health service providers and experts to build a database of health resources especially focused on health issues that are common in Butaleja District. Local nurses, doctors, and other medical personnel trained library staff and volunteers so that they have a good basic knowledge about common local health issues. They also received training to find reliable health information over the internet and build health resources at the library.

Working with the Lunyole Language Association, librarians now translate information focused on local health needs into Lunyole. Doctors and healthcare workers review the new material to make sure that the translations are accurate. The library also provides free access to the internet on the five new computers, and whenever possible, ensures that a healthcare worker is on hand in the library to help service users find relevant information.

A drama group has been formed, comprising health workers, librarians, and volunteers, who travel to different parts of Busolwe and perform short plays to mobilise communities to take steps to prevent disease and to raise health standards. This is intended to help people feel more comfortable with health workers, since they have the chance to meet them in a relaxed and entertaining situation.

To ensure that the health messages reach a large audience, the library also packaged health messages for broadcast on local radio and took part in live radio talk shows. Information is also distributed through print materials. Librarians work with schools to form health clubs. The pupils participating in the health clubs share health messages with their peers and at home. In addition, the library organises lectures and events to promote discussion of health issues in the community.

Health

Busolwe Public Library organises regular literacy classes for women. At every class, learners raised concerns about health, including how to improve access to health care and where to find reliable health information. The women especially expressed a need for health information in the local language, Lunyole. Based on these discussions, the library engaged with local health service providers and developed the Humanye Obulamu Project (HOP).

Busolwe Public Library is replicating Kenya National Library Service’s e-health corners. The service provides free internet access and an internet-based health information database to health workers and the general public, builds capacity to use the internet and the database, and hosts events focused on health.

Results and Impact
According to EIFL-PLIP, the results of the project have been far-reaching for the library and the community. The library‘s new resources and services, including the five computers, free internet access, ICT training and print resources increased visibility of the library, and librarians report that the number of library users per day almost doubled (2012/13). Community members surveyed said the service had encouraged them to improve their hygiene and nutrition habits. The library‘s health information service led to the launch of a new project, led by a small charity, A Little Bit of Hope Uganda, to improve sanitation in Hamila village. Training and access to ICT also improved healthworkers‘ ability to serve the community.

To learn more about the impact of their service and to plan future development, library staff surveyed 30 service users in 2013. Over 30% of people surveyed were health workers or health-care students. 77% percent of respondents said that the library‘s health information and events had helped improve their health; 23% said the service had helped them with their studies and work. All respondents reported that health information now available through the library had enabled them to better understand their health conditions and treatment options. Over 90% of respondents said the library was now much more importent to them as individuals, and to the community.

The campaign was launched on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities 2012, which was held under the theme "Removing barriers to Create an Inclusive and Accessible Society for All." The Twende Kazi campaign is an invitation from CBM, which signifies its commitment to work with willing, committed like-minded partners to find solutions towards a barrier free and more inclusive society for children with disabilities. The Challenge is 'let’s get to work transforming Kenya for children with disabilities'. The mission is to transform Kenya for children with disabilities.

The campaign uses music to reach out to the community. The Twende Kazi Campaign theme song was composed and produced by Robert Kamanzi, popularly known as RKay, and a video performed by a number of leading Kenyan musicians affected by or passionate about disability issues.

Disabilities, Children, Rights

In 2009, CBM supported 390 programmes in Asia, 314 programmes in Africa, 143 programmes in Latin America, 17 programmes in Europe and 19 interregional programmes worldwide. Between 2009 and 2011, CBM will address its focus in overseas work to approximately 70 countries. Over time, CBM’s policy has widened from serving blind people to giving all persons with disabilities access to basic healthcare services. There are 600 million persons with disabilities in the world. Most of them live in developing countries. According to CBM, about 2.5% of these people, a target population of 10 million, are covered by CBM's programmes.