The Drum Beat 509 - Demonstrating Impact

The Drum Beat 509 contains:

• DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE impact examples.
• EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT impact examples.
• HIV/AIDS impact examples.
• Feel the pull of our POLLS? Why not vote!
• ICT4D impact examples.
• MEDIA DEVELOPMENT impact examples.
• POLIO impact examples.
• NRM impact examples.

No matter what the development field, there are increasing calls for understanding the impact of our work. This particularly applies to the communication and media for development field, where demonstrating the impact of communication and media processes and initiatives on development issues can lead to a significant multiplier effect - both through scaling up of approaches and projects and application of communication strategies elsewhere in the field.

Excerpts of communication and media project impact data can be seen through the main Evaluations section of The CI site.
 

We have also recently begun collecting examples of impact specific to some of our main thematic foci: Democracy and Governance, Early Childhood Development, HIV/AIDS, Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), Media Development, Polio, and Natural Resource Management (NRM).

This issue of The Drum Beat introduces our new collections of theme-specific impact data examples. We hope you find it useful related to making data-based changes in the work you undertake and in the positioning of that work and mobilising resources to support your efforts.

We'd love to grow these lists of examples. Please send us additional, well-sourced impact data at any time: drumbeat@comminit.com

For impact results available in Spanish, on Red de La Iniciativa de Comunicación, please click here.

DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE Communication and Media Programming Impact Examples 
 

Data from the collection, currently a total of 5 examples, include:

1. Credible Elections in Sierra Leone

In 2007, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) and Independent Radio Network (IRN), set up in 2002 to support that year's elections and now a national network of 21 community and private radio stations, placed 420 roving election reporters into areas of Sierra Leone where high tension existed between rival parties and in remote regions that otherwise had no broadcast coverage. As part of this initiative, National Election Watch (NEW), a coalition of over 375 local and international civil society organisations including SFCG, Oxfam, and the Sierra Leonean teachers' union and farmers' association, also worked to: deploy a trained observer at each polling station; implement a rapid reporting mechanism to get a clear snapshot of activities across the country; and conduct a parallel vote count.

Key findings (2007):

•  According to the organisers, gradually releasing information in the period between the closing of the polls and the National Election Commission (NEC)'s initial announcements gave the public confidence that there was an independent watchdog monitoring the process and was a key element in reducing tension around the country. In addition, IRN invited leading political analysts and electoral experts to share their views with the public. In this way, they ensured that credible information and a clear voice were injected into the highly charged public debate.
• NEW used its network to mobilise observers in every small town and village and placed trained civil society observers in 97% of the polling stations around the country. The evaluators conclude that the presence of the observers and the amount of real-time communication gave voters confidence in the electoral process and helped ensure a peaceful election.

For more information, click here.

2. La Benevolencija Reconciliation Radio Project - Rwanda

This was a year-long series of weekly radio programmes produced in 2004 designed to promote reconciliation in Rwanda, where, 10 years prior, a war and genocide resulted in the deaths of more than 10% of the population and 75% of the Tutsi ethnic minority population over the course of 3 months.

A 2006 evaluation showed:

• Members of the control group were much more likely to deny that there is any mistrust in their community: 39% were unqualified denials of the existence of community mistrust, compared with 7% of comments in the reconciliation focus groups. Yet there were high levels of mistrust reported in individual interviews. This difference seems to indicate the reconciliation group's willingness to speak out about difficult divisions in front of their community, even when this violates normative concerns about portraying Rwandans as "unified and reconciled" according to official government rhetoric.
• Attitudes toward intermarriage between Hutus and Tutsis are seen as one indicator of tolerance for other tribes. 27% of all comments in the reconciliation focus groups could be characterised as claiming that intermarriage can shift social norms and influence people, compared to 5.7% of all comments in the control group.
• Do participants think they can rebuild trust in their communities? The majority of participants in both the reconciliation and the control group responded yes, but they envisioned this process in different ways. Group interaction (socialising, sharing resources, and generally engaging with people) was significantly more frequent among those in the reconciliation group (39% of responses compared to 13%). Reconciliation programme groups were also more likely to bring up the importance of mutual forgiveness, of asking pardon, and truth telling about the past as a way toward trust building (48% vs. 25%).
• Those who had listened to the reconciliation programme were far more likely to act out scenes where the bystander intervened, and where bystanders who do nothing are somehow punished. Bystanders in the control group were more likely to seek help from authorities rather than intervene directly. One suggestive trend among the male role-plays was the presence of restorative justice in the reconciliation groups and not in the control groups.

For more information, click here.

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES, related to Democracy and Governance communication and media programming, please click here.

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EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT Communication and Media Programming Impact Examples 

Data from the collection, currently a total of 7 examples, include:

3. Cambodia Mass Media Campaign

This was a multifaceted mass media campaign from 2003 that was an effort to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, improve care and support for people living with HIV, and improve the health of Cambodia's mothers and children. The coordinated campaign consisted of: 100 episodes of the television soap opera "Taste of Life", 3 radio phone-in and discussion programmes ("Really?", "Real Men", and "First Steps"), 23 television public service announcements (PSAs) and 22 radio PSAs on child and maternal health, and a monthly print magazine.

A 2006 evaluation showed:

• Knowledge of the benefits of breastfeeding immediately after birth rose from 38% to 67%; and parents' awareness of acute respiratory illnesses in children rose from 20% to 80% during the campaign.
• The number of people who said they washed their hands to avoid diarrhoea increased from 10% to 25%.
• The number of children who were taken to health centres with signs of acute respiratory illness rose from 51% to 70%.
• The prevalence of those reporting a child in their care with diarrhoea in the last month decreased from 17% to 13%.

For more information, click here.

4. Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project (TEHIP)

TEHIP was established to test innovations in planning, priority setting, and resource allocation at the district level, in the context of the reform and decentralisation of Tanzania's health care system. The project's goal is to determine the feasibility of an "evidence-based" approach to health planning - an approach whereby decisions on how to allocate scarce health care resources are made based on information obtained locally - and measure its impact. TEHIP uses participatory research and implementation strategies to give local people a say in the causes of child and adult mortality, drawing on personal contact, radio, and computers as tools to strengthen health systems' capacity to improve health.

A 2005 evaluation showed:

• Average clinic visits per child increased from 2.8 to 5.8 a year. More children were treated for malaria, more early cases of worms were spotted, more eye infections were caught, more AIDS messages were shared, and more mothers had exposure to family planning information.
• Child mortality fell in the 2 districts by more than 40% over the 5 years of implementation. Adult mortality dropped by about 20%, even as AIDS was beginning to spread. During this period, districts not using the TEHIP plan experienced virtually no change in their death rates.
• In accomplishing the above, the districts were able to use just 30 cents out of TEHIP's promised US$2 increase the first year. (The figure increased to 89 cents in the second year, and US$1.37 in the third.)

For more information, click here.

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES related to early child development communication and media programming, click here. 

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HIV/AIDS Communication and Media Programming Impact Examples

Data from the collection, currently a total of 22 examples, include:

5. Intercultural Radio Educativa Project - Peru

This project included a thrice-weekly intercultural educative radio programme and on-the-ground community resource people. These elements were strategically leveraged with a year-round school-based initiative involving teachers, students, and community members to: prevent and reduce domestic violence and HIV/AIDS, empower victims of violence (mostly children and women), and reduce prejudice, stigma, and discrimination associated with being HIV-positive. In addition, several students in each participating rural school were trained as radio correspondents and on the topics of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS, and after these trainings, were in charge of encouraging youth in their respective communities to listen to Bienvenida Salud and then provide feedback, including proposing new topics for the radio programme.

A 2008 evaluation showed:

• From January 2006 to March 2008, the staff of Bienvenida Salud received a total of 4,860 letters. Of these, 21% made a direct and explicit reference to issues of violence in the community or domestic sphere, or raised questions or concerns on HIV/AIDS. Adult women, the primary intended audience, wrote most of the letters (45%). Many wrote in to share that they have either abused their children or been abused by their partners. Adult men and youth (both male and female) are increasing as an audience segment of Bienvenida Salud and also increasingly writing in to the programme. This finding, evaluators assert, suggests increased involvement of men in the welfare of their families and their partners.
• In general terms, students emphasised that they now talk with their friends and family members about these issues, especially about domestic violence.
• Primary and secondary data clearly show that students have learned about their rights as individuals, about different forms of violence, and about taking preventive measures for not contracting HIV/AIDS.
• A great majority of the students said that they are 'better informed and less afraid': that after talking to their teachers and listening to Bienvenida Salud they know how to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
• Many teachers acknowledged their own biases, misconceptions, about HIV/AIDS and family violence, and how they now know what they should have known all along.

For more information, click here. 

6. Soul City Institute Regional Programme - Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

This initiative centred around the adaptation of local communication materials with a large-scale capacity building programme. Local partners in each of the 8 countries produced a total of 20 publications from 2002 to 2007; 20 million copies were distributed in the region. Eleven radio drama series and 14 television documentaries/talk shows were produced.

2008 evaluation results:

• There was a clear shift in HIV testing levels in all countries from 2002 to 2007.
• Exposure to Soul City partner interventions was associated with testing in all settings.
• 15% of the exposed people showed positive behavioural change.
• Among more educated women in Zambia, 18% of those who had no exposure to the intervention used condoms with their non-regular partner, compared with 40% of those who had high access.
• In Namibia, 80% of men with low education and high exposure to the intervention consistently used condoms with their regular partner, while only 20% of those with no exposure did.

For more information, click here. 

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES related to HIV/AIDS communication and media programming, please click here.

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PLEASE VOTE!

Share your voice in an instant by quickly participating in one or more of The CI's polls! Located on the right side of each of our theme sites, the polls help you not only quickly weigh in on pressing issues but also see what your colleagues think. Once you vote, each time you visit our website while logged in, you will be able to see how the votes are dividing up as well as any comments that voters have submitted. A visually efficient way to keep your finger on the pulse of the communication for development community!

Participate!

Democracy and Governance - click here. 
 

Early Child Development - click here. 
 

HIV/AIDS - click here. 
 

ICT4D - click here. 

Media Development - click here.

Polio - click here.

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ICT4D Programming Impact Examples  

Data from the collection, currently a total of 4 examples, include:

7. Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline - Ghana

This project uses cell phone technology to provide most-at-risk populations (MARP) with friendly and accessible HIV and AIDS information, referrals, and counseling services from qualified providers. The Helpline was launched in September 2008 through a pilot focusing on men who have sex with men (MSM) exclusively, and then was expanded in February 2009 to include female sex workers (FSW).

2009 evaluation results:

• The number of callers disclosing their sexual orientation to a Helpline counselor increased each month. In addition:
  • 86.9% of survey respondents said that after their Helpline call session they shared the information they received with others.
  • 40% of respondents forwarded the texts they received to others, and sent to an average of 8.6 other people.
  • Respondents who forwarded texts said their reason for doing so was either to educate others, or because they wanted them to have the same information.
• The evaluation findings revealed that the Helpline increased clients' knowledge of and intention to use condoms and lubricants.
• Of the survey respondents who were referred for services by a Helpline counselor: 47% reported that they followed up and went for these services; 77% said they intended to go for counseling and testing (CT) services; and 23% said they did not intend to, mainly because they said were "already aware of my HIV status" or had "already taken the HIV test". The sum total of CT service uptake in October 2008 was higher than the uptake numbers in the previous 5 months, combined, at the MSM drop-in centre at one of the project's local non-governmental organisation (NGO) implementing partners: 69 clients from May to September 2008, as compared to 76 clients in October 2008.
• CT uptake following referrals increased after the launch of the Helpline:
  • 16% effective referrals over the period of April-August 2008;
  • 39% effective referrals over the period of September 2008-January 2009.
  • Prior to the Helpline, only 1% of MSM referred to the MSM drop-in centre at one of the project's local NGO implementing partners for STI services actually went and received STI services. Following the launch of the Helpline Pilot, that number increased to 11%.

For more information, click here. 

8. Radio Sagarmatha - Nepal

Radio Sagarmatha is an independent community broadcasting station run by environmental journalists in Nepal. In addition to environmental issues, information and communication technology (ICT) is a central focus. "Sagarmatha Site" is a 15-minute recorded programme in 3 segments that include: discussion and live browsing of a featured website (with a focus on international websites); "Sabdartha," which explores technical language related to the internet; and the exploration of research techniques by an experienced internet user. Listeners are invited to call in with specific requests for information or computer-related assistance; studio personnel consult the internet to answer questions on the air. There are also live broadcasts of major ICT events taking place in Kathmandu. In March 2002 a radio quiz was initiated and is conducted fortnightly. Winners are rewarded with free ICT training, which is sponsored by private corporations.

A 2002 evaluation showed:

• The radio quiz has inspired a growth in the number of letters and emails by 200%. As the programme has progressed, broadcasters have received an increasing number of requests for specific information about ICT. They have also received more computer-related questions, such as inquiries about how to fix computer hardware and software problems.
• Due in part to the full automation of Sagarmatha's broadcast operation, the programme de-mystified the technology to producers and technicians at the station. When the programme started, there was a single computer, but now there are 10. Many programmes are directly recorded in MP3 format and played on air. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a local internet service provider (ISP) provided free web hosting and email service for the radio station after he came to the studio for an interview.

For more information, click here.

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES related to ICT4D programming, please click here.

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MEDIA DEVELOPMENT Programming Impact Examples 

Data from the collection, currently a total of 4 examples, include:

9. Centre Lokolé - the "Supporting Congo's Transition Towards Sustainable Peace" Programme in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

This programme included training sessions for approximately 200 journalists and writers of radio drama in "common ground journalism", writing for specific formats, and editing processes.

Key Findings (2006):

• The authors of the mid-term evaluation found that Centre Lokolé (CL) "has contributed to media development through the training of professionals - including the young 'Sisi Watoto' reporters - and by setting high standards in its own programmes. It is the only organisation in DRC tackling elections from the standpoint of covering positive stories while being alert to the potential for conflict to result from the language or choice of stories chosen."
• Moreover, "when compared to other media organisations in the country, CL's programme includes a wide range of activities which are not being attempted by other organisations....CL's approach could be used as an example for other organisations on how to use a multi-media approach with inventiveness and creativity, and, as such, is a contribution to improved media standards throughout DRC."

For more information, click here. 

10. Political Economy of Government Responsiveness

This article is a political economy analysis of the responsiveness of governments to the needs of vulnerable populations in situations that require state-based food distribution and disaster aid. The authors seek to examine how democratic institutions and mass media affected the responsiveness of state-level governments in India from 1958-1992. The authors posit several theories that suggest that more informed and politically active electorates strengthen the system of incentives for government responsiveness. They then test these models against data from a variety of sources.

Key findings (2002):

• The data reveal strong, significant, and positive correlations between newspaper circulation levels and 2 measures of government responses. A 1% increase in newspaper circulation is associated with a 2.4% increase in public food distribution and a 5.5% increase in calamity relief expenditures. It appears that states with higher levels of media development are more active in protecting vulnerable citizens.

For more information, click here.

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES related to Media Development programming, click here.

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POLIO Communication and Media Programming Impact Examples 
 

Data from the collection, currently a total of 3 examples, include:

11. Eyi Megh Eyi Roudro - Bangladesh

With the message "come with your family for health care," this 26-episode television drama was developed to create more interest in and awareness about health and family planning services. The aim of Eyi Megh Eyi Roudro ("Now Cloud, Now Sunshine") was to encourage Bangladesh people to take advantage of available health services like the Essential Services Package (ESP) that are provided by the Smiling Sun health clinics. The TV drama featured many popular performers, involved stories in both urban and rural areas, and included "Health Talk" - a segment focusing on health topics that introduced quizzes to stimulate reflection among viewers.

A 2003 evaluation showed:

• Viewers are more aware of the sources of information regarding different diseases and problems among children, and are more aware of the symptoms of pneumonia and polio.
• 43% of viewers stated that they had learned something from the quiz sessions, such as how to take care of pregnant mothers (28%), health-related information (26%), child immunisation (26%), proper care of children (16%), family planning (15%), and Smiling Sun clinics (6%).
• 93% of viewers vs. 86% of non-viewers had given the polio vaccine to their children.

For more information, click here.

12. Immunization Promotion Activities: Are They Effective in Encouraging Mothers to Immunize Their Children?

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mexican National Vaccination Council (CONAVA)'s communication activities for the Second National Health Week (SNHW) in Mexico City. The study sought to determine whether the messages were effective in providing information to mothers and in motivating them to have their children vaccinated. Key findings (1999): Overall, 83% were aware of the campaign and 63% were impacted by its messages. The net increase in immunisation between the "aware" and "unaware" groups was 14.8%, though it must be recognised that a relatively large proportion of the "unaware" mothers also took their children for vaccinations, a feature the authors attribute to long-term momentum gained by successive vaccination campaigns.

For more information, click here.

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES related to polio communication and media programming, please click here.

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NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (NRM) Communication and Media Programming Impact Examples 

Data from the collection, currently a total of 4 examples, include:

13. Chuyen Que Minh - Vietnam

This was a radio soap opera, broadcast twice a week throughout 2004. Each 20-minute episode of the serial aimed to communicate the principles and practices of integrated pest management (IPM) to Vietnamese rice farmers - that is, to raise awareness of the fact that misuse of insecticides hurts harvests. The campaign included a poster, a leaflet, advertising plugs for TV and radio, and a launching ceremony. In parallel with the radio broadcasts, radio clubs (where farmers gather together once a month to listen to previous episodes and discuss the stories and educational issues) were organised, quiz competitions were held weekly, and a "meet the actors" day was offered in the Vinh Long town hall.

2008 evaluation results:

• Fewer farmers (63.5%) believed that "all insects are bad" in the post-test than in the pre-test (79.1%). There were also significant reductions in farmers believing that insecticide sprays had to be applied in the first 40 days after sowing (from 79.8% to 47.6%) and that leaf damages would mean loss in yields (from 59.2% to 38.3%). On the other hand, more farmers believed that pesticides can affect their health, from 61.6% to 86.1%. More farmers in the post-test believed that reducing seed rates from 150-200 to 80-100 kilogram per hectare (kg/ha) would result in the same yields, and farmers also modified their beliefs that nitrogen would produce healthier crops.

For more information, click here.

14. Action by Canadians / Count Me In - Canada

These programmes are designed to communicate the issue of climate change to the Canadian public through workshops delivered to individuals at their place of work. The climate change workshop focuses on action by providing participants, at the end of the workshop, with an opportunity to make a commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by adopting specific measures in their personal lives. By October 2000, over 3,500 Canadians had participated in these workshops.

2000 evaluation showed:

• Participants prior to the workshop scored an average of 81% on the pre-survey, but immediately following the workshop, participants scored 89% on the same survey questions.
• Two months after the workshop, almost 30% of participants responded to the follow-up request, and reported back on the actions they had completed as a result of the workshop. Of those who reported, a total of 1,333 tonnes of greenhouse gases were saved per year, for a total of over 2,300 kgs per person who reported.

For more information, click here.

For additional IMPACT EXAMPLES related to NRM communication and media programming, please click here.

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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Deborah Heimann.

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

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