Communication and Change News and Issues

PROGRAMMES

1. Project Gemini - Cuba - emphasises participatory audiovisual and health communication with children in order to increase awareness and understanding of health issues and to encourage individual and social behavioural change. The project develops and offers workshops in Education for Audiovisual Communication for children aged 9-12 years. The intention is to apply audiovisual language to the exploration of issues such as hygiene, environment, violence, alcohol use, smoking, sexism, and other topics that children identify in their own environment. Contact Pablo Ramos Rivero varona@reduniv.edu.cu

2. Maternal Health/Family Planning Project - Senegal - a 5-year project (2000-2005) to increase demand for quality MH/FP services using mass media, interpersonal communication, community mobilization, and outreach. Project includes: radio broadcast of Family Planning spots and a radio soap opera on men's involvement in family health; service providers and community health workers trained to conduct community activities; group discussions, film projection, and home visits - approximately 6,000 women from community nutrition centers, women groups, and literacy centers were reached in 2001; a traditional song and poem contest on Maternal Health topics organised with youth. Contact mblake@jhuccp.org OR asow@jhuccp.org

3. Drishtee - India - a low-cost, self-sustainable, community-owned rural Intranet project. The goal was to develop network and marketing services to foster e-governance, education, and health services. A trained village entrepreneur (a Soochak) serves as a manager of the Kiosk and messenger of information about software for villagers. A team of implementers, managers, and technical staff administers this "hub". Between 5,000 to 10,000 people have access to the services provided by one Kiosk. Rural services include Avedan, Land Records, Gram Daak (mailing software), Gram Haat (virtual market place), Vaivahiki (Matrimonial), Shikayat (online grievance redressal), and Mandi Information System. Contact Satyan Mishra satyan@drishtee.com

4. Trash Truck - South Africa - a live performance that focuses on littering and recycling. Performed at primary and high schools and community centres in Greater Benoni area of South Africa, the play encourages people to recycle and support waste collection points. Entitled "War on Waste", the piece is presented on an open flat-bed garbage truck that is parked on school grounds or at community centres. After each performance, teachers are provided with teaching packs for use in the classroom. The theatre group returns to conduct follow-up workshops that establish environment committees or support those already in existence. Participants decide the content of the workshops. Contact Phyllis Klotz sibikwa@iafrica.com

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PULSE POLL

Community radio is an effective way to address poverty.

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5. SchoolWeb - British Columbia, Canada - provides Internet caching at schools, enabling the schools to store selected Internet sites on the school's network server. This storage system makes Internet use in classrooms and libraries faster and more reliable. Information is downloaded from a central "knowledge bank" via a WorldSpace satellite and PC-card receiver into the SchoolWeb server. All personal computers linked to the SchoolWeb server access that information at high speed without going through the Internet. Information can also be delivered via TV or cable. 2 test SchoolWeb systems have also been launched in Kenya, which receive information via WorldSpace's AfriStar satellite. Contact Stan Loh sloh@advancedinteractive.com

6. Alor Thikana - Bangladesh - a radio programme to promote male contraception and enlist the support and involvement of men in Reproductive Health. "Alor Thikana" (Towards the Light) is broadcast nationally. Each of the 30-minute episodes is made up of 20 minutes of drama and a 10-minute discussion chaired by a Bangladeshi actor who is also a member of the National Parliament. 4 Radio Listening Clubs called "Alapia" (Discussion) have been organised. These clubs have provided radio cassette players to 120 Tea Stall vendors so that the drama might be heard by a wider audience. Contact Caroline Jane Kent caroline.kent@dsw-hannover.de

7. Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative - Global - an initiative that allows doctors, researchers, health policymakers and others to have access for free or at significantly reduced charges to a collection of biomedical literature. So far, more than 1,000 journals were made available to people in 70 countries. The online project, which is expected to run for an initial 3-year period, is part of a larger initiative, the Health InterNetwork project, which aims to strengthen public health services by giving specialists access to relevant and reliable medical information.

8. Campaign against a Europe for Capital and War - Panagea, Spain - In March 2002 Barcelonans marched against the war on terrorism and the domination of capital. A coalition of over 100 local organisations led the demonstration. Despite extraordinary security measures and warnings of violence, the march was peaceful and was attended by 400,000-500,000 people.

STRATEGIC THINKING

9. Introduction to Social Marketing - defines social marketing, outlines the concepts, and demonstrates the differences between social and product marketing. From the Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition & Social Marketing.

10. Engaging the Media as Partners in Teen Pregnancy Prevention by Sarah Brown - "...no small non-profit group - or even large non-profit - will ever have the resources to communicate its core ideas powerfully and frequently enough to its target audiences through the usual method of programs and pamphlets... Therefore, enlisting the help of entertainment media is essential to conveying important ideas often to an audience that is paying close attention..."

11. Transforming agri-business the e-way by Meera Shenoy - examines the challenges and changes in the conduct of agricultural trade and business. "'The challenge for any corporate in the agri-business...is dealing with fragmented farms, infrastructure bottlenecks and numerous intermediaries...' The click and mortar model was first established in Madhya Pradesh for soya farmers. An Internet kiosk...provides farmers with real-time information on the latest weather report, prices in various 'mandis', global prices and the best farming practises..."

12. HIV Prevention: Involving Communities Improves Programme Success - "...community attitudes can often dissuade women living with HIV/AIDS from using these methods. When programs solicit the opinions of community members and seek to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS by educating citizens, however, women’s access to and willingness to seek help can be greatly enhanced..."

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MATERIALS

13. USAID HIV/AIDS E-Newsletter - provides regular updates on USAID's Office of HIV/AIDS and partner activities. This newsletter was formerly published as the Synergy Project HIV/AIDS E-newsletter. Click here to subscribe or send an e-mail to listserv@list.s-3.com with "subscribe" in the body of the e-mail.

14. Friend Exchange - China - Friend Exchange is a bimonthly AIDS awareness print magasine that seeks to help gay men in China avoid contracting HIV/AIDS. Each issue of the magasine includes at least 10 pages devoted to the topic of HIV/AIDS and a guide to safe sex for male readers.

15. From Many Lands edited by Deepa Narayan and Patti Petesch - presents 14 country case studies from Africa, South & East Asia, Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Using participatory and qualitative research methods, the study presents the realities of people living in poverty directly through their own voices.

16. Promoting Health, Resilience and Psychosocial Development in Children and Youth Affected by AIDS: A Child-friendly Community Schools Approach - a compilation of the activities that were implemented as part of the Thailand Child-Friendly Schools Program (CFSP), and the results of the project in 3 provinces of northern Thailand. It outlines the methodology and highlights the best practices and lessons learned during the planning and implementation of the project.

17. Sweatshop Series: A Facilitator's Guide by Susan Gage, Richard Morrow and Stacey Toews - a 44-page guide that accompanies 3 of the Sweatshop Series booklets - Sweatshops: Clothes, Behind the Swoosh, and Barbie's Trip Around The World. Most of the 15 activities detailed in the guide - simulations, discussions, and community research projects - can be used by large or small groups and may be reproduced for educational purposes.

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