The Drum Beat 120 - Communication and Change News and Issues

PROGRAMMES

1. Information Village Project - India - this project of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, linked 10 villages near Pondicherry with computers, providing information on health, crops, weather, and fishing conditions. The new technology tools use local languages and a multimedia format that allow all to participate. All centres were created due to community demand. In most villages, there are no telephone lines and there are frequent power breakdowns. The project uses hybrid wired and wireless communication links using telephones at one end and Motorola VHF dupleix devices at the other. Contact [email protected]

2. Famili Blong Serah - Vanuatu - A radio drama series produced by Wan Smolbag Theatre to promote positive attitudes toward reproductive health issues. The impact of the series was assessed through feedback from a weekly quiz set up in health centres, surveys and focus group interviews. Promotional materials used during the series included posters, stickers and t-shirts which were given out to health clinic workers who helped to facilitate the quizzes as well as to weekly quiz winners. Promotional materials were distributed around the country by Peace Corps volunteers, field officers of the Vanuatu National Council of Women, the Turtle Monitors and Shell service stations, where stickers were offered to private vehicles, buses and taxis.
Contact [email protected] OR [email protected]

3. Popular Education Collective (PEC) - Zimbabwe - PEC began in 1983 with the primary aim of making information on democracy, business management and other social development issues available in simple English that could be easily understood by adults with basic education. In its current civic education programme PEC is conducting community-based workshops in Masvingo and Manicaland. The workshops are on good governance, choosing effective leaders, citizen participation, non-violence and tolerance, transparency and accountability. Civic education materials such as posters, leaflets, T-shirts, stickers etc. will be produced on the above topics. Contact Elijah Chiwota [email protected]

4. Strategy Development to Improve Maternal and Newborn Survival - Nepal - The Maternal & Newborn Health (MNH) Programme is providing technical assistance to the National Health Education, Information & Communication Center (NHEICC) in Nepal to standardize key safe motherhood messages, and is contributing to the development of the National Safe Motherhood Information, Education, & Communication (IEC) Strategy. They are also producing prototypic materials including posters, fliers, comic books and radio PSAs that address the strategy.
Contact Stephanie Suhowatsky [email protected]

5. Internet Training Centres Initiative for Developing Countries (ITCI-DC) - Global - The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has launched this multi-million dollar project aimed at closing the gap in Internet and "new economy" skills in developing countries. Under the initiative, ITU plans to establish 50 training centres to provide skills in Internet Protocol (IP) networking and services by July 2003 in existing non-profit institutions in developing countries. It is expected that the centres will also function as incubators to help small and medium-sized enterprises to develop Internet-related services. Contact [email protected]

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DB Classifieds - Vacancies will be issued Nov 21.

Contact Carey Hooge [email protected] for details on including your vacant posts in this publication.

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6. Healthy Mother/Healthy Child Results Package (HM/HC RP) Smoking Prevention Campaign - Egypt - HM/HC RP carried out qualitative research on beliefs and attitudes associated with adolescent smoking to provide the basis for development of a school-based smoking prevention campaign. The campaign includes a School-based Programme and Media Materials - 2 TV spots, 1 poster, and 1 workbook. Contact Dr. Hani Samir [email protected]

7. National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) - United States & Global - uses web-based processes and interpersonal exchanges to bring together people and groups who actively practice, promote, and study inclusive, high quality conversation about issues such as civil society, participatory democracy, public engagement, political inclusion, restorative justice, organisational development, institutional change, and conflict.
Contact Sandy Heierbacher [email protected] OR [email protected]

8. Bank of Ghana HIV/AIDS Preventive Education Programme - Ghana - launched in May 2001 and planned for a period of 24 months, aims at increasing the personal risk perception among the staff and their families towards acquisition of HIV infection and thereby promoting behavioural change. Various activities have been organised - Lectures / Discussions; Focus Group Meetings; Posters; Hand Bills; Newsletter; Audio Visuals; One-on-one or Group Counselling; Hotline Telephone Service; and Drama.
Contact [email protected]

CHANGE THEORY

9. REFLECT - an approach to adult learning and social change that fuses the theory of Paulo Freire with the methodologies of participatory rural appraisal. Enables groups to develop their own learning materials by constructing maps, calendars, matrices, diagrams or using forms of drama, story-telling and songs, which can capture social, economic, cultural and political issues from their own environment.

STRATEGIC THINKING

10. Planning a Role for Private Practitioners in TB Control: Obstacles & Opportunities - Health & Development Initiative - India conducted personal interviews with 25 private practitioners of Amritsar District of Punjab State of India, who treat patients of Tuberculosis on regular basis. The objectives were to assess the load of TB patients in their practice settings, determine their current level of involvement with National TB Control Program (NTP) and explore the avenues of possible communication and collaboration with them. Contact Dr.Dinesh Kumar [email protected]

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TVE International has been commissioned by UNEP to prepare a communications strategy that will lead to a Global Public Awareness & Education Programme to Sustain the Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Phase Out. In preparing this strategy, TVE will gather case studies of successful communications campaigns and programmes that have led to behavioural change in health, human rights, social development and environment.

TVE seeks information, analyses, documentation and opinions from communications and environmental organisations/professionals. Deadline is Nov 30. Contact Nalaka Gunawardene [email protected]

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LINKS

11. AMANITARE (African Partnership for Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights of Women & Girls) - to support the work of African NGOs to prioritize and promote issues of sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls in their national public policy agendas.

12. Communities Responding to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic (CORE) Initiative - provides assistance to community and faith-based groups in developing countries. The initiative focuses on awareness raising and information, education and communication efforts; reducing stigma and discrimination with respect to persons living with HIV/AIDS; and enhancing care and support for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

EVENTS

13. The Communication for Development Roundtable will be held in Managua, Nicaragua Nov 26-28 2001. This is organised by UNFPA in partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation and UNESCO and facilitated by Panos. The aim is to examine, discuss and assess what has been learned in the field of HIV/AIDS communication strategies (particularly in relation to evaluating communication interventions), and identify what needs to be learned to tackle the epidemic effectively.

14. II Congreso Centroamericano de ITS/VIH/SIDA - Primer Encuentro Nacional y II Centroamericano de personas positivas will be held in Guatemala, Nov 13-17 2001. Contact Philippa J. Lawson [email protected]

15. The Trading Culture Conference will be held in Sheffield (UK) July 18-20 2002. This will be an International Conference on the themes of the ‘indigenous’ and the ‘exportable’ in film and television culture.

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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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