The Drum Beat 214 - Communication and Change News and Issues
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EXPERIENCES
1. Youth Empowerment Skills! (YES!) - Pakistan
An HIV/AIDS education programme conducted by AMAL, an NGO in Pakistan. Child labourers ("chootas") between the ages of 10 and 17 who live in Rawalpindi are educated under the programme every month by other boys in the area, who are trained to spread the word about reproductive health issues and HIV/AIDS. A community-based clinic has also been organised as an offshoot of this programme. AMAL developed a toolkit consisting of a 16-chapter training manual (covering sexual abuse, nutrition, education, housing, health and medical care, and vocation), graphic materials, audio-cassettes, caps, badges, and leaflets. Training includes an assertiveness skills component and teaches sexual negotiation and practicing safe sex skills.
Contact Pervaiz Tufail [email protected]
2. Malaria Dialogue Education - West Africa
Freedom from Hunger (FFH), in partnership with 5 West African countries, will develop and disseminate a malaria education curriculum as part of its existing Credit With Education programme. This Malaria project will be implemented in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Togo with the aim of improving prevention, early detection, and treatment of malaria in the home and stimulating demand for better services from local providers by creating better-informed health care consumers. The module consists in a community-based education plan designed to engage primary caregivers in a dialogue about how to prevent and treat malaria. The dialogue will focus on early detection in children so that prompt treatment can be sought. It will also promote the use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets as a primary means of preventing malaria.
Contact [email protected]
3. Servicio de Información Ambiental (SIA) - Latin America
Based in Argentina, SIA involves providing topic-specific information packages to people throughout Latin America at no cost. The goal is to inform all citizens about environmental issues and associated rights, eventually helping to build a community-based network equipped to advocate for increased awareness and change with regard to environmental practices. Information is provided in Spanish via email (throughout Latin America) and via post (to organisations and individuals in Argentina only, due to cost). A small portion (5%) of information is provided in English. This information is based on facts, and does not advocate one path of action over another.
Contact Anne Blanchard [email protected] OR [email protected] OR [email protected]
4. Digital Broadcast Initiative (DBI) - Nepal
Uses digital satellite technology, discussion groups, and radio dramas to deliver information to poor, marginalised communities. An 18-month pilot project, it involves the creation and broadcast of a locally produced radio serial drama and a magasine programme addressing HIV/AIDS prevention, women's and girls' empowerment, good governance, water and sanitation, early childhood development, sustainable livelihoods, and micro-enterprises to an estimated audience of 9 million. 400 digital radio sets have been distributed to 400 rural communities to increase access. To maximise learning, community members gather weekly to listen to the programmes and hold active discussion groups following the broadcasts. Multimedia content is also being developed and will be piloted to support and complement the audio programmes.
Contact Shivani Khanna [email protected]
5. The Cyber Plant Conservation Project (CPCP) - Malaysia
An ICT-based environmental project involving approximately 1,500 students from 20 non-mainstream urban and rural secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur and Selango. Teams of students care for rare fruit trees at the school, developing a web page to document their involvement in the project. In preparation for the project, students are provided with both electronic and hard-copy workbooks, comprising both guided and free-form training modules. 5 volunteer mentors visit each school on a weekly basis to coach the students in the operation of computers and ICT-related equipment, planting and tree care, and guidance in online and conventional research. At the end of the one year demonstration period, the teams will be encouraged to exchange their research findings and share their experiences at conferences.
Contact [email protected]
6. PeachCare for Kids - Georgia, USA
The Georgia version of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program. Designed to provide health insurance for children in working-class families, parents enrolled by calling a toll-free number. The media campaign included paid and public-service advertising appearing on television, radio, outdoor, and transit advertising. To ensure coverage throughout the year, the advertising programme was conducted 4-6 weeks each in winter, spring, summer and fall. Community outreach was accomplished with the help of local organisations - from schools and hospitals to churches and community centers - who had personal relationships with families.
Contact Alan Andreasen [email protected]
7. Ikhaya Lobomi - KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
A volunteer workforce of 50 home-based caregivers visit up to 2,000 homes per month in order to assess needs and offer primary health care, counseling and support, and AIDS education. The volunteers receive ongoing training in basic nursing and counseling skills in order to: promote awareness and prevention of HIV and AIDS; provide support to the families; reduce patient costs in terms of items such as transport and hospital fees; decrease the isolation of people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce the stigma of the disease in the community; increase compliance with treatment by monitoring therapy.
Contact [email protected]
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POLIO Communication
The Communication Initiative has been asked by 2 of its partner organisations, USAID and The Change Project, to support the collection of a range of views and perspectives on [a] the present added value of communication strategy and action to overall polio efforts and [b] the main contributions of polio communication to a number of areas in which communication efforts can improve for more effective polio action. The results from the survey will feed into a USAID assessment of the role and contribution of communication strategies and activities to global and country efforts to eradicate polio.
We are simultaneously holding a moderated discussion forum on polio communication with a focus on the experiences, issues and challenges for more effective polio communication strategies and actions.
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TRENDS
8. The Potential for Community Radio in Afghanistan: Report of a fact-finding mission - Oct 5-22, 2002 by Bruce Girard & Jo van der Spek
Is community radio a viable option for Afghanistan? What would it sound like? How would it fit into a national public-service radio system? What type of governance structures will ensure stations are both responsive to their communities and independent? Is it necessary to wait until the legal and regulatory framework is in place?...
9. Pacific Islands Television Survey Report 2002 by James E. Bentley
Conducted from July to Oct 2002, this report examines the penetration of television broadcasting in the Pacific islands region, the status of the television broadcasting organisations in the island countries and assesses the development of local television programme production by Pacific islanders for Pacific island organisations and viewers.
10. Digital delusions in the South by Gaurab Raj Upadhaya
Explores a recent trend in South Asia that the author calls "digital hype". "If it is to be of any use, the idea of connectivity as a solution must be discarded. Connectivity may be generally useful, but it has no particular value in reducing poverty. The operational modalities of development work need to be digitised into local languages...what is required is the judicious application of digital technology, without any emphasis on its communication aspect.
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...African choices...critical voices....crossing borders...African stories...
Soul Beat Africa
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E-MAGASINES
11. Massive Effort - weekly update containing information, news and events on AIDS, TB and Malaria.
12. Human Rights Education Online - monthly update from The Electronic Resource Centre for Human Rights Education (HREA), an on-line repository of human rights education and training materials, on-line forums, databases and links to other organisations and resources.
13. Capacity.org - monthly newsletter that aims to look at policy and practice of capacity building within international development cooperation. Published in English and French.
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FAO's Communication for Development Group in the Extension, Education & Communication Service and The Communication Initiative have published a resource entitled Communication & Natural Resource Management: Experience/Theory - click here to view.
It explores approaches to communication in the context of different natural resource management (NRM) projects.
The CI is hosting a discussion forum to enable people to share their views on the publication and reflect on issues of relevance to communication in natural resource management. The forum will be held from Sept 10-19, 2003 and it's not too late to join. It will be structured around the publication itself, summaries of some of the content in the publication, and a series of questions designed to solicit reflection and comment.
This month's PULSE POLL reflects this publication and discussion as well. Please participate.
Is the field of natural resource management communication faced with major theoretical debates and differences over the methods and principles to use in developing and conducting natural resource management initiatives?
If yes, what are the major issues as you see them?
[For context, see Drum Beat 213.]
VOTE & COMMENT
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DISCUSSIONS
14. Information & Agricultural Services - research, innovation, extension - an e-discussion on the significance and impact of ICTs in the changing paradigms in agricultural extension. Discussion will run from Aug 20 - Sept 29, 2003.
15. Pinoy RH- an ongoing e-forum on sexual and reproductive health in the Philippines. Aims to address issues relating to reproductive health, such as family planning, maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, STDs and HIV/AIDS as well as allow members to share ideas and experiences with other members and discuss issues that are important to the members' programmes.
16. Domestic Violence & Community Development - Exploring the Intersections 3 principal goals: foster professional and conceptual connections between practitioners and fields traditionally isolated from each other; showcase community-based models for addressing domestic violence; begin to build a global community that encourages more effective action regarding domestic violence. Winning case studies of domestic violence prevention will be selected and awards of $50 will be given to programmes that have made a substantial difference to their communities. Structured around 4 topics over 4 weeks: 1 - Introductions 2 - Intersections between Domestic Violence & Community Development 3 - Building a Mosaic of Solutions 4 - Opportunities & Challenges in Collaboration & Next Steps Discussion runs from Sept 8 - Oct 4, 2003.
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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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