The Drum Beat 2 - Communicating Communication and Change News and Issues

Information, ideas and dialogue relating to communication, development and change for people and organisations seeking to make a difference.

From local to international action we can communicate your communication and change information and issues - contact wfeek@comminit.com

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PROGRAMMES - focus in this issue on international initiatives

1. Children and Broadcasting - The next International Children's Day of Broadcasting is planned for Sunday 13th December, 1998. Development organisations and broadcasters support children and young people in using electronic media to speak out about their rights. This partnership with broadcasters is coordinated by UNICEF - contact Bill Hetzer whetzer@unicef.org or on website

2. Communication and Change Strategies - News is awaited on the results of proposals to undertake CHANGE - USAID's new 5 year, $22,000,000 USD [anticipated] programe to enhance state-of-the art behavior change innovations for Child Survival, Maternal Health and Nutrition. The main activity of CHANGE will be innovative community, family and individual behavior change tools and approaches.

3. New Technologies - The ACACIA project is designed to 'test the proposition that Information and Communication Technologies can have significant transformational effects in the developing world'. A partnership between IDRC and The African Information Society Initiative [AISI], it seeks to discover and demonstrate how sub-Saharan African com munities can use information and communication in solving local development problems. Website or email acacia@idrc.ca

4. Journalist Training - The UK Government have announced The Steve Biko Fellowship programme for promising African journalists. Up to 30 will be supported for 4 years. It is a partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of Jourrnalism in South Africa. PANA coverage is on click here or email enquiry@dfid.gtnet.gov.uk

FEEDBACK - requests for comments, ideas and discussion

5. Communication Funding Policies - The Department for International Development in the UK have asked The Institute for Development Studies at Sussex University to help them think how [and indeed whether] it should be supporting communications work, as part of the overall health and population strategy. Focus will be on interventions at the 'grassroots' and practitioner end of the spectrum, where communication work impinges most directly on the lives and well being of poor people. For more information and to input your suggestions and perspectives please contact Geoff Barnard on GWBarnard@ids.ac.uk

6. Radio Programming Quality Standards - UNICEF Uganda are interested in receiving information on how organisations [broadcast and development] assess the quality of radio programmes related to development issues. '... would love to get any information available on how to go about introducing an appreciation of 'quality' programming. Responses to Keith Wright on kwright@unicef.org

7. Quality Standards: Communication and Change - At the general level of quality standards for communication, development and change interventions, a group convened by USAID, facilitated by The C.I, developed a draft set of standards. Though specifically related to health, nutrition, population and HIV/AIDS focused communication interventions they have potential for application across a number of issues. Such a set of standards could help everyone from communities to funders in assessing proposed programmes and strategies. The one page draft is presently being reviewed. Your input would be much appreciated. For a copy please email wfeek@comminit.com and indicate the software you use.

FEATURED ON THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE WEB SITE

8. Interview [click on INTERVIEW] Aida Opoku-Mensah, soon to depart as Director of Panos Southern Africa, reflects on the importance of stimulating debate, media pluralism, communication work with rural women and farm workers and the future direction for communication and social change activities in The South.

9. For Review [click on FOR REVIEW] Alfonso Gumucio Dagron, newly appointed Chief Technical Adviser of Tierramerica on The New Communicator.

10. The Hot 5 [click on HOT 5] Gordon Adam from the Creative Radio partnership with 5 pieces of data that highlight the value and contribution of radio to development.

11. News [click on NEWS]
Hotlinks to 12 contemporary newspaper articles on issues relevant to communication and change

12. Programme Descriptions and Impact Data [For general access to these click on here for Programme Descriptions, click here for Impact Data
 

• Programmes - with an emphasis on radio - Use of Radio by Women [Nigeria]; Radio Health [Bolivia]; Ask Sophead [Cambodia]; Radio and HIV/AIDS[Zimbabwe]; and Sexwise [BBC World Service]
   
• Impact Data - again with an emphasis on radio - Health Cassettes [Mali]; Radio Communication project [Nepal]; Measles Communication [Philippines]
   

13. Planning Model - [click here, scroll index] The "P" process from Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs

PEOPLE - new opportunities and challenges

14. Zane Ibrahim the manager of Bush Radio, a leading community radio station in South Africa, has also become the volunteer coordinator of ABCs [ The Association of Broadcasters for Child Survival ] - a network of radio stations commited to supporting child health and development formed at the recent Broadcasting and Child Survival Conference. Zane is on email bush@gem.co.za

15. Kunda Dixit is the Director of the Panos South Asia office, based in Kathmandu. This new office's activities include: regional seminar on investigative reporting; media initiative on transboundary water issues and media gatekeepers conference. Email address panosktm@mos.com.np

16. David Andrews is the new President of Population Communication International. PCI specialises in working with local organisations to make well researched and popular soap operas on population and development issues and to mobilise the creative broadcasting community - producers, script writers etc - to reflect those issues responsibly in their mainstream productions. Email address dandrews@population.org

17. Steven Miller has been appointed Group Vice President: International at Children's Television Workshop, producers of Sesame Street, Risky Numbers and other educational television and radio productions. One of his areas of responsibility is co-productions with local broadcsters to reflect national issues and conditions. An increasing number of countries around the world now undertake local co-productions with CTW of their programmes. Email steven.miller@ctw.org

18. Recruiting - Panos is inviting applications for the post of Director of Panos Southern Africa. Panos works throughout the region with media and policy makers, civil society organisations and international agencies to stimulate informed public debate on key development issues. Applications are invited from national or long term residents of SADC countries with an extensive background in media, information and communications. Exceptional candidates from other African regions with excellent knowledge and experience of SADC countries may also be considered. For more information fax Panos in London - 44-171-278-0345 or email jills@panoslondon.org.uk

WEB SITES - new or just noticed

19. The Journal of Health Communication is now available on the Web - cilck here. For more information contact editor Scott Ratzan on sratzan@smtp.aed.org

20. PATH [The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health] has a communication feature on it's web site - click here or contact Scott Wittet on swittet@path.org

21. H.E.A.V.E.N. [Help. Educate. Activate. Volunteer.Empower. Now] is dedicated to promoting and supporting volunteering - website. Contact Wendy Dubit on wdubit@aol.com

22. The Leland Initiative is a $15 million USAID initiative to bring the benefits of the global revolution to people of Africa, through the Internet. The web address is click here or email leland.initiative@usaid.gov

MATERIALS

23. Health On Air - a practical guide to producing health eduction programmes on radio. Sections on needs assessment, selecting information, pretesting, programme formats, scheduling, monitoring, evaluation and others themes. Builds on best practice and includes many brief case studies from around the world. Written by Gordon Adam and Nicola Harford. Available from Health Unlimited - email ae161@dial.pipex.com fax 44-171-582-5900 [UK].

24. Puppets with a Purpose: Using Puppets for Social Change has recently been produced by UNICEF. many practical examples of the use of puppetry. Sections include Puppets with Power; Getting Started; Puppets and Children; Puppets in Action; and others. Also on video. For more information contact George McBean on gmcbean@unicef.org

 

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.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com