The Drum Beat 47 - Emergencies and Disasters

Assessment Tools



1. The CGP Rapid Survey Method: A New Survey Tool for Broadcasters in War Zones - Audience surveys are important management tools for groups that create radio and television programs to advance peace, reconciliation, and resettlement in war zones. Yet these groups often see no way to mount field surveys of useful quality. In response to this need, CGP is developing its capacity to conduct or commission related pre-broadcast audience research and outcome evaluations.

Developed by Ed Palmer.



2. Defining the Partnership With the Media - explores the relationship between the media and conflict resolution. It finds that individuals and organizations should not marginalize or ignore the media because they influence public opinion, which, in turn, can influence government policies that might lead to conflict resolution.

Contact: Lina Maria Holguin lina_jy@ns.sympatico.ca



3. Forced Migration and Health Program - Through repeated assessments of health conditions, the development of surveillance systems and the systematic analysis of health data collected in the field, policy makers and program implementers were able to describe patterns of morbidity and mortality that were common to a variety of refugee settings. On the basis of these findings, an epidemiology of refugee health emerged. A set of 'best practices' began to emerge. The initial assessment is instrumental in guiding communication responses. By Ron Waldman



4. Medecins sans Frontiers - three books that provide guidance on assessing and taking action on health issues in emergency situations with implications for communication issues and roles: Refugee Health - An approach to emergency situations; Rapid Health Assessment of Refugee or Displaced and Populations; and Public Health Engineering in Emergency Situations



5. Children's Health in Emergencies: practical guidelines for health workers - by Health Link - provides practical information on appropriate policies and procedures to follow in the event of an emergency occurring. Explains what health workers can do in the early stages of an emergency, how management and prevention of childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and malaria differs in emergency situations, and how to work with communities and other organisations. Single copies are free to indigenous organisations in developing countries. Contact Coral Jepson jepson.c@healthlink.org.uk

info@healthlink.org.uk Website.



Programmes



6. Operation Lifeline Media - Mozambique - Responding to Information Needs of Flood Victims - Media Action International - Principle: Assisting victims of war or natural disaster is not just a matter of providing food, water, shelter, sanitation, or medical relief. Crisis-affected populations also need to know what is going on. They need to receive information on what is being done by international aid agencies, governments, and the military to help them cope more effectively with their plight. Disseminating relief and rehabilitation information to the more than 300,000 people, who have lost everything in the recent floods. Over 5,000 wind-up radios distributed.

Contact Gordon Adam gmadam@btinternet.com



7. Los Nuevos Vecinos - Columbia - "New Neighbours" - After the earthquake, radio, news press and television were used to promote conflict prevention and resolution, and inform generally about the reconstruction process. Commercial and community radio broadcasts and newspapers reached severely affected regions, while a TV program is design mainly to inform the rest of the country about the process of reconstruction.

Contact: Lina Maria Holguin lina_jy@ns.sympatico.ca



8. Civic Education - Somalia - This UNESCO project used a radio team to educate the public for peace and good governance in refugee communities. The project aims to contribute to the development of long-lasting, secure peace in Somalia through developing discussion among Somalis and agencies about culture of peace and good governance values, attitudes and practices.

Contact: Pamela Collett civedsom@unesco.unon.org



9. "Peace in a country at war" - Columbia - 60-minute documentary film looks at the tragedy of displacement and the hope of reconstruction and peace building in the middle a bloody war. Uses the methodology of dialogue to show images of those that suffer the war cut against the thoughts and opinions on peace and war of those that make the war. This is one of the components of a "peace building kit" to be used as a tool for reflection and learning about peace building, conflict resolution, and the use of dialogue.

Contact: Adelaida Trujillo adelaidatrujillo@cable.net.co



10. Simunye Media Dialogue Project - South Africa - born out of the conflict between Africa National Congress and Inkatha Freedom Party supporters. Members of both sides produced a video analyzing the conflict. The video was later shown to the leadership of both sides of the community and discussion centered around to what extent, and how, this type of intervention brings about peaceful change. The process structured the conflict resolution, and started building relationships between the parties.

Contact Wiseman Ndebele ashokas@sn.apc.org



11. Peace and Community Radio - Somalia - NGOs and community radio stations are producing a series of radio programmes which will be broadcast throughout Somalia. The magasine programmes include interviews, plays, discussions and songs. The work is based on participation and feedback from community groups in Somalia and refugees in other countries. These groups also provide taped material regarding their activities for peace. Contact Pam Collett and Jim Lindsay mukinduri@form-net.com



12. Peace and Reconciliation Radio - A Memo of Understanding to develop and deliver a training program in the use of radio for peace and reconciliation has been agreed by Curtin University and Notre Dame University, Mindanao, The Philippines. A pilot course for radio producers is planned for next year. That course will be evaluated and expanded, and offered for delivery in other parts of the world.

Contact: Ross James rwjames@health.curtin.edu.au



13. Communicating hurricane preparedness for agriculture, forestry and fishereis in the Caribbean - "Hurricanes are a natural disaster that have become a fact of life in many parts of the world....adoption of preparedness and impact mitigation techniques requires culturally relevant and effective communication channels...communication strategy that links culturally appropriate instuction materials for the most vulnerable groups, along with greater public awareness... was viewed as having the most chance of being succesful." Highlights detailed experiences and best practices from the Caribbean. By Maria Protz - mekweseh@uwimona.edu.jm Website.



On-Line Discussions



14. Youth-4-Peace discussion list - explores the role of youth in peacebuilding and reconstruction. Objective is to develop project(s) on this theme that can be implemented by school networking initiatives. Focus is Africa although it does not exclude participation by other areas of the world.



Organisations



15. Children and Armed Conflict Unit - Protection and recognition of the legal and human rights of children in conflict are the main goals of this organisation. Communication strategies include providing information and guidelines regarding the impact of conflict on children to humanitarian agencies, empowering children through capacity building, and advocacy efforts. Contact: Federica Donati, armedcon@essex.ac.uk



16. Internews - expanding its operations relating to Africa including Emergencies and Disasters. Provides reports of the United Nations war crimes tribunal for Rwanda, surveyed the state of radio in Central Africa, and provided news coverage of massacre sites in Western Congo. Developing plans for an emergency response program which will provide television and radio reports from crisis zones. Other projects include the production of "Vis à Vis: Blue and Black", and "The Other Algeria," Website 1. Website 2.



Research and Development



17. Lifeline Media - 3-phased project of the International Centre for Humanitarian Reporting/Radio Partnership (ICHR/RP) that includes: field research to determine key players and innovative projects in media and peace-building; literature search to identify resources in the field; and an international workshop for media and conflict resolution practitioners.

Contact Loretta Hieber info.ichr@ties.itu.int



Analysis



18. FORUM: War, money and survival" - ICRC - To what extent do economic conditions bring about war ? Who profits from war and who loses out ? Does business thrive on war or help to promote stability ? Understanding the complex interactions between war and the economy is vital for humanitarian agencies which have to deal with the changing face of conflict. Contact Wendy Vermeulen wvermeulen@icrc.org



19. From ID 21

- Africa's wayward climate. Can information, risk management and disaster readiness outwit it?: Anne Thomson et al - SOS Sahel International - study casts light on how and by what channels perceptions of risk from El Nino were picked up by different players and what action they were able and willing to pursue in response.



- Shoring up against hard times: social vulnerability and environmental hazard in the Caribbean - Mark Pelling et al - social networks and the social capital upon which they are built become key resources in times of hardship, particularly for those individuals and communities excluded from accessing economic and political resources. But what exactly is social capital and can it be strengthened or shaped by aid agencies or governments to enhance security?



Edited by Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com.

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