The Drum Beat 4 - Communication and Change News and Issues

This issue of The Drum Beat focuses on communication interventions, programmes and
strategic thinking. The normal pattern with a balanced focus on Programmes,
People, Materials, Web sites, Featured on the Communication Initiative web
site http://www.comminit.com, etc - will be resumed in the next issue.

1. ENTERTAINMENT - Girl Child - Asia - UNICEF and partners have formally
launched Meena, the animated films and related communication activities on
girl child issues, in South Asia. Peter Ustinov narrated a 20 minute
documentary on Meena with a parallel drawn to overall child rights issues
and principles. Meena is also joining the UNICEF country programmes in
Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia and Bhutan as part of their
communication strategies. The Meena programme will be a feature of the
International Children's Day of Broadcasting. Contact Christian Clark
cclark@unicefrosa.org.np

2. ENTERTAINMENT/NEWS/INFORMATION - Peace - 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

3. NEWS/INFORMATION - Human Rights and Sustainable Development - Global -
OneWorld has relaunched its Radio Service which is a fully automated
Internet-based radio programme exchange. Any radio broacaster with an
Internet connection and an audio-capable computer is invited to join this
rapidly expanding global network - either to download available progammes
for local rebroadcast or to submit programmes. It's all free-for-use.
Contact Mark Lynas on mark@oneworld.org and/or
OneWorld site.

4. NEWS/INFORMATION - Cairo Plan of Action - China and Thailand - As part
of it's contribution to progressing the Cairo Plan of Action on population
and development the Rockefeller Foundation is interested in promoting
expanded discussion on the science and strategies related to population and
development issues. As one element of this the foundation has organised and
supported a visit to China and Thailand for journalists from leading media
organisations [13-21 October, 1998]. The background paper, highlighting
issues and themes that the journalists may want to consider, includes
reference to Thailand and China achieving similar reductions in population
growth rates but by very different routes. Contact Karen McAndrew
kmcandrew@rockfound.org

5. NEWS/INFORMATION/ENTERTAINMENT - Children's Education - Colombia -
'Ricon del Cuento' [The Story Telling Corner] is a 47 part television
series designed to promote a love for reading books in children 4 to 8
years of age. It is set in Alekos' house, the Ricon [corner], a "house full
of adventures, books and magic things collected and constructed during his
many years on the road as a painter, story teller, cook and writer..
amongst other things." Produced by Citurna, broadcast has commenced on
public television and the programme has also been distributed to 1500
schools in Colombia. Contact Adelaida Trujillo atrujillo@comminit.com

6. INTERPERSONAL - Safe Motherhood - Cameroon - Amungwa Nche from Bamenda,
Cameroon responded to a challenge from HealthLink's Child Health Dialogue
newsletter to design games and exercises that can be used for learning
about safe motherhood. Amunwa's idea, a variation on the game of snakes and
ladders can be seen in Issue 11 of this newsletter.
[N.B. HealthLink Worldwide is the new name for the organisation previously called ARHTAG]

7. COMMUNITY MEDIA - Community Radio - Health - South Africa - The National
Progressive Primary Health Care Network [NPPHCN] has commenced a project to
utilise community radio as a vehicle for community residents to be informed
about primary health care issues and to discuss their interests and
perspectives related to health care and health rights. Two of the central
activities are training health reporters in community radio stations and
support for locally produced programmes, in local languages on the priority
health issues in each community. Contact Gabriel Urgoiti
pphcmtc@wn.apc.org

8. COMMUNITY MEDIA/AWARDS - Agricultural production - Namibia - For
security reasons, during the Independence struggle in Namibia, the South
African government banned the growing of fruits and vegetables in Kavango.
Immediately following independence agricultural training programmes were
used to promote local growing - with little success. So Lihepurura [a local
NGO] and Oxfam worked together to fund 5 pilot farms and then organise
local agricultural shows. Awards and competitions were integral to this
strategy, covering everything from "Best Produce" to "Best Recipes Using
Local Produce". From the pilot programmes in 1990, there are now 400 small,
self-financing, commercial local market gardeners. Contact Chris Morry
oxfamcr@nam.lia.net

9. AWARDS - Health and Development - South Africa - The annual Soul City
Health Worker of the Year Awards were held on October 6th. The winner was
Mr Steven Masondo from Wakkestroom, Kwazulu Natal. Steven single handedly
established a primary school in his community; is currently involved in
court action for the right to land; and has commenced an adult basic
education programme with the community. These awards are judged by people
from within the Health field. This process provides a focus on the value of
work done by people working in health and helps to link community health
action with Soul City's mass media and schools work - with substantive
benefits to both. Contact Garth Japhet - garthj@soulcity.org.za

10. NETWORKS - Cinema - Africa - Over the last two years the list server on
Cinema in Africa has grown and developed. It provides information on new
resources related to African cinema and is a place to ask questions related
to development and cinema in Africa. Contact Steve Smith ssmith@dsr-inc.com
To join send a message to hub@xc.org and in the body of the text say
subscribe african-cinema-conference

11. STRATEGY - CHANGE - Global - CHANGE, the USAID contract to advance
strategic thinking and programme effectiveness in the area of Health
Communication in Developing Countries has been awarded to a consortium led
by The Academy for Educational Development [AED] and the Manoff Group. Thw
work will take place over 5 years with an expected budget of USD 22
million. Contact Elizabeth Fox efox@usaid.gov Scott Ratzan sratzan@aed.org
Marcia Griffiths manoffgroup@compuserve.com

12. STRATEGY - Knowledge and Development - Global - The Panos Institute has
written a detailed response to the recently released World Bank "1998 World
Development Report" [WDR] on Knowledge and Development. Panos asserts that
"the limited focus (of the report) represents a missed opportunity...while
the existence of information, communications and knowledge gaps is
critical, just as important is the capacity of people to adapt, assess,
evaluate, interpret, challenge and use the knowledge available..." This
paper can be obtained from Panos info@panos.org.uk

13. STRATEGY - Health Communication - Global - The Department for
International Development [DFID] in the British government held the initial
meeting of the group reviewing the best strategies for DFID in this area on
September 30th 1998. Contact Geoff Barnard G.W.Barnard@ids.ac.uk

14. STRATEGY - Communication and Social Change - Global - A network of 30
people from 26 organisations, covering community groups to international
organisations, have completed their Communication and Social Change meeting
in Cape Town, South Africa. Outcomes included: a definition of
communication and social change, including how it differs from both
development communication and behaviour change communication approaches;
descriptions of required progress in skills and delivery systems;
strategies for building support; and some initial evaluation indicators.
Plans were made to continue the network process. Contact Brian Byrd bbyrd@rockfound.org or Denise Gray-Felder
denise@communicationforsocialchange.org

This basic e-magasine goes to a network of 1600 people active in
communication and change programming with an emphasis on the developing
world. It is one aspect of the overall Communication Initiative strategy
and activities - click here. We welcome any material that you
wish to share through this network and process. Thank you.

Warren Feek - wfeek@comminit.com