The Drum Beat – Issue 533 – Communication and Change News and Issues
March 15 2010
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This issue includes:
* Selected summaries from our EXPERIENCES section.
* CI ASSOCIATES support The CI Network.
* Highlights from the STRATEGIC THINKING section.
* ICTs for empathy? Please vote in our POLL!
* A few items from the MATERIALS section.
* Lend your voice! CI STORIES.
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From The Communication Initiative Network – where communication and media are central to social and economic development.
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This issue of The Drum Beat features a small selection of recent summaries available on The Communication Initiative website from 3 of our knowledge sections – Experiences, Strategic Thinking, and Materials – which illustrate how communication and media are contributing to positive development action, around the world.
Please send additional project, evaluation, strategic thinking, and materials information on communication for development at any time. Contact Deborah Heimann at dheimann@comminit.com
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EXPERIENCES
http://www.comminit.com/en/experiences.html
1. Radio All for Peace – Israel, Palestinian Territory
Intended for a wide audience amongst both Palestinian and Israeli communities, the programmes of this online radio station provide messages of peace, cooperation, mutual understanding, coexistence, and hope. Programming focuses not on politics, but instead on education, culture, and sport – in order to engage listeners in a thoughtful consideration of the people from the «other» community. For example, «Muhawalat (News Roundup)», a daily programme broadcast in Arabic, deals with different aspects of Israeli society and gives Palestinian listeners a perspective on Israeli life.
Contact: allforpeaceradio@gmail.com
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/270319
2. Star School Project – Namibia, South Africa
Over a 3-year period, the Star School programme holds 6 workshops for high school students in South Africa and Namibia with the main purpose of creating motivation and inspiration that will lead to healthy decisions and a healthy life in school, at home, and for the future. The programme is designed to inspire students to dream and have hope for the future, as well as to strengthen their self-confidence and self-image. The programme also intends to give students the skills and knowledge to: understand the consequences of unsafe sex; create behavioural patterns in which each individual takes full responsibility not to have unsafe sex; and create a new positive identity under the theme: AIDS-free – that’s me.
Contact: Siphile Mdaka siphile.mdaka@starschool.co.za OR siphile@mbonise.com OR Miriam Hamutenyamiriam.hamutenya@starschool.co.za OR info@starforlife.org
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/274158/347
3. Discussion With Family Members (DWFM) – Nepal
Implemented by the Nepal-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) SLISHA, this initiative is designed to educate and motivate community members regarding the importance of the rights of women and children in the context of holistic community development. The initiative draws on interpersonal communication activities and strategies in order to identify good practices/strengths that already exist in the community – and to promote them. Discussions, case studies, role plays, and demonstrations are designed to foster interaction and involvement of children (between 10 and 15 years) and their parents. SLISHA also facilitates the setting up of separate children’s groups. Every month, facilitators hold a meeting during which they discuss the situation, and develop lessons for the coming month.
Contact: Sangeeta Shrestha sangeeta@slisha.org OR slisha@ntc.net.np
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/269128
4. Filega – Ethiopia
This BBC World Service Trust radio drama portrays the «problems and pleasures» of living in a rural village in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Filega aims to engage and entertain listeners while stimulating debate about rural life and livelihoods. The drama reflects the practical, material, and social problems facing people in rural areas, such as access to water, food security, sanitation, crop management, early marriage gender inequalities in the household, environmental pollution, and the absence of good governance. The 18-part radio soap opera was developed in partnership with Ethiopian producers and actors, and organisers say that the process also built the capacity of these Ethiopian professionals to create and produce radio drama.
Contact: http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?m=50bd4f49cc61c64938524244cefaaf23
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/264156/306
5. Kids with Cameras (KWC) – Global
This NGO teaches the art of photography to marginalised children in communities around the world. The project is premised on the belief that photography can be an effective tool to ignite children’s imagination and build self-esteem, and may also transform the viewer. In short, KWC shares the vision and voices of marginalised children through exhibitions, books, websites, and film. It is also committed to furthering children’s general education by selling their prints and linking with local organisations to provide scholarships. The ultimate goal is to help children believe in the validity and power of their own perspectives, both within and beyond the camera’s lens.
Contact: info@kids-with-cameras.org OR orders@kids-with-cameras.org
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/269020
6. Participation and Practice of Rights Project (PPR Project) – Ireland Eire
The PPR Project supports communities in using a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to address social and economic inequalities. At its centre is a coalition of groups and organisations who work to empower people by: holding introductory information sessions on human rights; equipping groups and residents with the skills needed to assert their social and economic rights; providing practical support in developing campaigns and strategies which seek to advance the implementation of international human rights standards in local communities; training community activists in the use of human rights tools; producing publications, including profiles of human rights violations in specific communities; facilitating information sharing and mutual learning through an international network; and hosting seminars and conferences linking the work of local residents and community activists with national and international human rights advocates.
Contact: info@pprproject.org
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/298668/348
7. CHIPAWO – Zimbabwe
Launched in 1989, CHIPAWO is an educational, non-profit-making trust that aims to benefit and empower Zimbabwean children through participatory arts education centring around weekly workshops in music, dance, drama, and media offered in pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, and centres in schools that include disabled children.
Contact: chipawo@mango.zw
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/135060/303
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CI ASSOCIATES
http://www.comminit.com/ci_associates/members
We’d like to highlight Search for Common Ground – http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?m=54aac2efaa44a30d8a5a7a62e5baa5ec – with gratitude for their continuing support of The CI Network, The Drum Beat, and all of our interactive platforms through their RENEWED CI Associates contribution.
Please consider joining these and other CI Associates who are helping preserve, sustain, and advance this growing knowledge sharing and social networking process. Many levels of participation are open!
For a full list of current CI Associates, please see
http://www.comminit.com/ci_associates/members
For details and to sign up, please see
http://www.comminit.com/en/ci_associates/ Thank you.
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STRATEGIC THINKING
http://www.comminit.com/en/thinking.html
8. Mothers as Movers and Shakers: The Network of Mother Centres in the Czech Republic
by Suranjana Gupta
This January 2009 paper explores the formation of a women’s civil society movement in the Czech Republic. Author Suranjana Gupta explains that this nationwide network of 252 Mother Centres is vibrant and expanding, and has a common vision of change – that is, to empower ordinary women to: negotiate for public space, finance, and equal opportunities; organise centres and manage their activities; engage in self-help; dialogue with government officials; and seek systems that respect and respond to family priorities. Gupta outlines several lessons for feminist organising and movements.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/284282/348
9. Videoconferencing and Low-cost Wireless Networks Improve Vision in Rural India
by Rebecca Laks
This August 2009 article examines the Aravind Eye Care System, which uses high-quality video conferencing and low-cost wireless technology to bring eye care to economically poor, rural communities in the eastern state of Tamil Nadu, India. At centres in remote villages that are equipped with basic equipment, patients first visit an ophthalmic assistant and then undergo a 5-minute video consultation with an ophthalmologist at an urban Aravind hospital. If the specialist deems an in-person examination or treatment at the hospital necessary, arrangements are made for a visit to one of the Aravind hospitals, where care is usually free. Aravind conducted an evaluative study in 2006 that found that 85% of men and 58% of women who lost their job because of eye problems regained employment after receiving treatment.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301452/307
10. Creative Communication for Behaviour Change Information Sharing Session
On November 10 2009, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) hosted an information sharing session for 36 people from 21 organisations interested in exploring creative communication for behaviour change in Vietnam. These presentations explore various initiatives using creative, child-centred approaches involving art, music, theatre, games, dance, and the like in an effort to help children and young people realise and internalise key issues such as health, sanitation, education, protection, and the environment. The meeting’s purpose was to foster the sharing of experiences and lesson learned among UN agencies and NGOs using creative communication for behaviour change – hopefully sparking possible collaboration and networking in the future.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307699
11. How Data and Information Contribute to Contraceptive Security
This October 2007 report from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, examines strategies for securing contraceptive security (CS) in the Latin America and Caribbean region. As this brief explains, interested parties from the public and private sectors in many countries in the region have come together to form Contraceptive Security Committees with support from USAID cooperating agencies. These committees have carried out policy analyses, informed decisionmakers of important findings, advocated for policy reforms and greater access among the underserved, and helped implement new approaches for achieving contraceptive security. One of the notable strategies: The CS committees hold periodic national and regional meetings, interact frequently to share information and analyses, and conduct specific study tours from one country to another.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308149
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VOTE!
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/309183/307
Should ICT be used to enhance the development of empathy in young children? If yes, how? If no, why not?
* YES. It can show them stories of the lives of other children through video and blogs.
* YES. It can provide «hero» stories of those working for change, particularly in the lives of children.
* YES. It can connect them with other children through adult-arranged social networking, live chats, or «email penpals».
* NO. Young children should not be encouraged to understand others through ICT because it is not developmentally appropriate for them as a tool.
* NO. Young children should not be encouraged by adults to understand others until they present questions of their own based on face-to-face contact with others.
* OTHER. Explain in the comments box.
VOTE AND COMMENT at http://www.comminit.com/en/node/309183/307
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MATERIALS
http://www.comminit.com/en/materials.html
12. Farmers’ Rights Resource Pages for Decision-Makers and Practitioners
This website is a resource for Farmers’ Rights (FR) as they are addressed in the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. FR are about enabling farmers to continue their work as stewards and innovators of agricultural biodiversity and about recognising and rewarding them for their contribution to the global pool of genetic resources. This website has been developed as a tool for decision-makers, practitioners, and others involved in the realisation of FR. It is also intended as an information source for researchers and others interested in farming and advocacy.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308194/306
13. People Building Peace
This collection of stories, available both in print version and online, showcases stories of how civil society has made a difference in conflict areas around the world. The online collection, from the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and the European Centre for Conflict Prevention (ECCP), includes case studies from the publications People Building Peace I (published in 1999) and People Building Peace II (published in 2005), as well as new stories added to the website since 2005 that have not appeared in print.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/271040/348
14. Development in Practice Special Issue: Citizen’s Media and Communication
The examples and analyses in this December 2009 issue of Development in Practice (DIP) seek to foster a more coherent grasp of the social, cultural, and political processes that make citizens’ media transformative by «redefining norms and power relations that exclude people. Local ownership and control of their own media can allow people to reshape the spaces in which their voices find expression.» Until April 30 2010, DIP is enabling free full-text access and reduced price print copies of this special issue.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307984/2754
15. UNESCO OER Toolkit: A Guide for Participating in the International Open Education Commons
Created in October 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) OER Toolkit is a Wiki resource for academics and institutions – with a special focus on developing countries – who are interested in participating in open education projects. According to UNESCO, the toolkit is a work in progress. As the OER world develops, the document should change and evolve: «It’s a wiki and you can edit it!»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307720/307
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TELL US YOUR STORY!
Through CI Stories, we are seeking stories of how members of The CI Network have used The CI to support their work, connect with others in the network, and/or highlight their work with demonstrated positive impact on their organisation or work.
* Have you had discussions with colleagues based on information you found through The CI?
* Have you found materials or contacts to support a new project through The CI?
* Have you distributed CI information to your communities in order to help inform them of what other communities are doing around similar issues?
* Etc…
View stories submitted by others here: http://www.comminit.com/en/cistories
Please tell us your story. Go to http://www.comminit.com/en/node/add/cistories (NOTE: you must be a registered, logged in user to submit a story)
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The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative Partnership – ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Founder, Soul City garth@heartlines.org.za
Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com
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The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.
Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI’s Editorial Director – Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com
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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