The Drum Beat 211 - Communication and Change News and Issues

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Your chance to let funders know the most important media trends and which media programmes should be funded
Please complete the brief survey - no longer available.

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EXPERIENCES

1. Audio Broadcast Centre - Oravakal, India
A low-cost grassroots audio broadcast centre. The project, which involved community-building and community participation, led to the creation and distribution of locally produced audio programmes among villagers. Organisers taught the participants how to edit using the advanced features of the portable, cost-effective optical minidisk recorders. Local programming is recorded on cassette tape and played back by village volunteers. The station has been named Mana Radio, which means Our Radio in the local language, Telugu.
Contact Dr. Arun Mehta [email protected] OR Vickram Crishna [email protected]

2. Heart & Soul - A Soap Opera for Africa - East Africa
Initiated in 2002 by the United Nations (UN) in Kenya in collaboration with all 24 UN agencies based in Nairobi, this multimedia communications strategy is centred on a prime-time television and radio soap opera. The series explores social and development issues evoked by 5 key themes: HIV/AIDS, environment and natural disaster management, governance and human rights, poverty reduction, and gender issues. These issues, as well as the ordinary joys and trials of everyday life in Africa, are highlighted through focus on the rich "Meli" family and the poor "Karani" family. 'Heart & Soul' complementary support media such as rural theatre road shows, billboards, newspapers, and youth education packs will be introduced over the project's 5 year timeframe.
Contact Steve Jackson [email protected] OR Eric Falt [email protected]

3. Latin American Network of Cooperation for Municipal Development - Latin America
In order to address what is seen as a lack of up-to-date, comparable statistical information about municipalities in Latin America (information which would be useful to municipal authorities in their efforts to establish appropriate standards for local development), Redcomún seeks to make standard a Latin American system of basic data compilation, which initially covers Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. This data is organised according to a format which includes items such as: name, country, province, and city; political information; population and size; and communal services. Redcomún also plans to collaborate in training local governments to use the system, via a Virtual Training Center.
Contact Redcomún [email protected]

4. Homeless World Photo Project - Global
A multi-national initiative designed to enable displaced young people from all over the world to photograph the struggle of their daily lives from their own perspective. As part of the project, 121 young homeless people between the ages of 6 and 20 from 11 cities worldwide helped produce a traveling exhibition of photographs, a book, and a website. The purpose of the project is to focus attention on the position of the homeless and to generate funding for projects, while also providing a forum for young homeless people to share their lives with others.
Contact Geert van Asbeck [email protected] OR Frank Bierens [email protected]

5. Communications for Better Health (CBH) Programme - Ghana
Creates interactive information centres that disseminate, collect, organise and exchange health information. CBH is initiated within a hospital setting, university, or medical library. Current health information is disseminated through a locally prepared 'Ghana Health Digest'. The selection of abstracts takes into consideration local health conditions, and is adapted accordingly. 2500 copies of the digest are distributed quarterly to health professionals across the country via hospitals, clinics, medical libraries, and the District Health Management Teams of the Ministry of Health. Local databases are created by local health professionals and other interested parties who select information from international resources and from in-country or regional colleagues. The database is kept in each country's information centre in paper format. Highlights from the digest are read bi-weekly on the "National Morning Breakfast Show" on Ghana Television (GTV); the Daily Graphic Newspaper has featured several articles in its weekly health column.
Contact Lynda Arthur [email protected]

6. Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS) - Washington, DC, USA
Focuses on providing condoms, HIV testing, and conflict-resolution skills for dealing with pimps, other prostitutes, police, and clients. A van travels throughout Washington, DC on Friday and Saturday nights from 9pm to 5am stocked with condoms, lubricant, and other safe sex materials, as well as information, clothing, beverages, and food. A phone and resource manual are on the van in case of a crisis situation. HIPS is also in the process of developing a programme that will provide HIV testing and counseling on the van. HIPS staff and volunteers manage the HIPS toll-free 24-hr national hotline, a service available to any individual in need of emergency services, information, or support.
Contact [email protected]

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Do theory and practise make a difference in communication for improved natural resource management?
Join the discussion
from Sept 10 to 23 based on the new publication, "Communication and Natural Resource Management: Experience/Theory with the Communication Initiative"

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MODELS

7. Voluntary Counseling & Testing (VCT) Model
A diagram of the process through which VCT develops and is carried out - from the decision to seek testing through follow up and counseling support.

8. JHU/CCP's Communication Strategy Outline
I. Analysis of the Situation...
II. Communication Strategy...
III. Management Considerations...
IV. Evaluation - Tracking Progress and Evaluating Impact

9. Conceptual Framework for Adoption of a Family Planning Method
This framework can be adopted to fit other health behaviors in addition to the adoption of a FP method. The variables in this framework can be analyzed in different ways to measure changes at the individual, programme, and outcome levels....

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Soul City and The Communication Initiative bring you
- Soul Beat Africa -
launching Sept 10.
African Experiences, African Stories - join us!

Subscribe now for The Soul Beat - contact [email protected]

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STRATEGIC THINKING

10. Pro-Poor & Gender Sensitive Information Technology: Policy & Practice by Zubair Faisal Abbasi
In Pakistan, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold the promise of "long-term, inclusionary, equitable, and broad-based social development". However, as Abbasi argues, women are often left out. "If you again look at the IT policy, not-so-surprisingly, you may find some reference to women's role in IT but that is mostly in low paid data-entry engagements...

11. African Community Telecentres: In Search of Sustainability by Meddie Mayanja
Examines the definition of sustainability, how to achieve it and methods for measuring it in the context of multi-purpose community telecentres in African countries. "After almost three years of bold telecentre pilot projects, concerns about sustainability of such initiatives are growing day by day...

12. Assessing the Vietnam Situation: HIV/AIDS Communication in Context by Hoang Tu Anh, Dinh Thu Phuong, Nguyen Thu Huong, Bui Thanh Tu
This recent literature review provides an overview of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam and is the first part of a 3-year research project. In 4 parts: 1) HIV/AIDS Epidemic In Vietnam including: HIV/AIDS development, HIV/AIDS divided by gender and age, transmission modes and meaning of HIV/AIDS to the community (stigma, denial, acceptance); 2) Sexual Practice & HIV/AIDS Knowledge of Adolescents & Young Adults; 3) Institutional Capacity in Fighting HIV/AIDS; 4) The National Policies & Communication Practices Informing & Guiding HIV/AIDS Prevent in the Chosen Countries. The report ends with a number of recommendations.

MATERIALS

13. A Comparative Study of Women Trafficked in the Migration Process: Patterns, Profiles & Health Consequences in 5 Countries (Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Venezuela and the United States) by J Raymond, J D'Cunha, S R Dzuhayatin, P Hynes, Z R Rodriguez, A Santos
Details the results of a 2-year study funded by the Ford Foundation on sex trafficking, which includes prostitution, sex tourism, mail-order brides, and bonded labor and domestic work that results in sexual exploitation. The publication describes the patterns, profiles, and health consequences of sex trafficking in the 5 countries...

14. Unlocking Economic Opportunity in the South through Local Content: A Proposal from the G8 Dotforce by P Armstrong, C Addison, S Arunachalam, P Ballantyne, H Besemer, D Cabell, P Cranston, J Jeynes, B Keating, E Saltzman, J West
Details efforts to respond to the G8 Dotforce mandate to bridge the digital divide by launching a "national and international effort to support local content and applications creation". The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) chaired a group exploring existing initiatives on local content; this report is Part I of the document. This section makes the point that one size does not fit all when it comes to the development of local content; different initiatives and approaches need to be explored...

15. Report on the Review of Mental Health Information Brochures Produced under the Community Awareness Program (CAP)
Presents findings of a review of the series of mental information brochures - such as 'What is an Eating Disorder?' and 'What is Bipolar Mood Disorder?' - produced under CAP in Australia. In short, while current brochures were reported to be very useful, strategies put into place to distribute brochures have had limited effectiveness...

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Pulse Poll

The most important development communication question is "Why"?

If you agree, please elaborate. If you disagree, please indicate what you think is the most important development communication question and for what reason.

VOTE

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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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