The Drum Beat – Issue 610 – Creatively Addressing the Need for Clean Water
April 16 2012
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This issue of The Drum Beat reflects on creative uses of communication strategically addressing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues in honour of World Water Day, held annually on March 22, as well as initiatives and strategies throughout the year. The emphasis of this newsletter is on education-entertainment (edutainment) approaches and other creative strategies as a means to emphasise the importance of universal access to clean water and safe sanitation and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
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This issue includes:
* CONTEXT: water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
* Recent World Water Day EVENTS drawing on dialogue, film, and music.
* Use of MUSIC to address WASH and environmental issues.
* Where to go for MORE about WASH and edutainment approaches.
* Creative RADIO for WASH.
* CARTOONS/ANIMATION/FILMS for gender-sensitive WASH.
* Please help SUSTAIN The CI.
* SPARKING YOUTH CREATIVITY around WASH.
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From The Communication Initiative Network – where communication and media are central to social and economic development.
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CONTEXT
1. Water: A Global Dialogue that Must Continue
by Philip Lee
From this March 21 2012 blog: «Water scarcity already affects every continent and more than 40% of the people on our planet. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water stressed conditions….[T]he provision of clean water is uneven and worldwide almost 800 million people still drink dirty water. 40% of those without access to improved drinking water live in sub-Saharan Africa….The biggest challenge for safe sanitation is India, where more than half of the population, 626 million people, do not have access to a toilet. ‘Civilization has been a permanent dialogue between human beings and water,’ said Paolo Lugari, founder of the ecovillage Gaviotas in Colombia. Now is not the time for silence!»
http://www.comminit.com/clickthru/39352ccb1fe0a2aa11281cbe66c61377?node=
2. Traditions, Poverty and Community Dialogues for Safe Practices: Inclusive Approaches for Behavioural and Social Change Communication
by Nasir Ateeq
The author of this May 2011 paper observes that, in certain areas of rural India, «even if the households have toilets they are not used by all members of the households. If female members use a toilet then male members of the household don’t want to use the same toilet. In those cases, female members quietly give in to the patriarchy – stop using the same toilet, leaving it for the male members to use, and consequently go back to open defecation….In such social and cultural contexts, communication and social mobilisation strategies need to be based on a thorough research and community need assessments.»
http://www.comminit.com/children/content/traditions-poverty-and-community-dialogues-safe-practices
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WORLD WATER DAY EVENTS
3. Last Call at the Oasis
In Washington, DC, United States (US), to mark World Water Day on March 22 2012, the Social Change Film Festival & Institute (SCFFI), the Water and Sanitation Program, the World Bank, and International Finance Corporation held a panel discussion, reception, and advance screening of «Last Call at the Oasis» from Participant Media. «This documentary illuminates the vital role water plays in our lives, exposes defects in the current system and shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects.» Featuring activists, water experts, and social entrepreneurs, the film «posits that we can manage this problem if we are willing to act now.»
http://www.comminit.com/clickthru/9a9486bb0fa9c17d4a6241bbf772894b?node=
4. Water: The Global Challenge Of Our Future
The Melody for Dialogue Among Civilizations Association (MDACA), in conjunction with the Center for Global Affairs, hosted a music concert (March 22 2012) and conference (March 23 2012) in New York City, NY, US, to raise awareness about the global water crisis and to address this question: Can a world with exponential population growth and an insatiable demand for water be sustainable? MDACA notes that: «The water crisis consumes more lives yearly than all the wars and AIDS-related deaths combined, yet it isn’t well-publicized.» The multicultural concert «Music for Water» featured the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York Virtuosi String Quartet. The conference featured a number of keynote speeches, panel discussions, presentations by students, a film screening, Q&A sessions, and a musical performance. A key theme running through the conference was the power of music to transcend its traditional role as entertainment and to go beyond – persuading policymakers of the!
ways in which water is an education/gender issue, an energy issue, an international law issue, a technology issue, a public health issue, and a conservation/environmental issue. One panel focused on the role of culture, media, and arts in public advocacy. Qatari and US students presented student-led films on water issues.
http://www.comminit.com/clickthru/986ec01cc9f102a2fdbe4a257f0c6919?node=
* See also this upcoming series of events:
World Bank Web Series: Rural Water Supply – every Tuesday, through June 12 (9:30-11:00 a.m. Washington, DC, US time)
http://www.comminit.com/clickthru/b05ca3e6d62d8e3b695bfc1adad4618e?node=
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MUSIC TO ADDRESS WASH
5. Water Music Project
Water Music’s approach centres on highlighting and sharing the beauty of clean, healthful water in an effort to communicate its significance – and to remind citizens and policy makers worldwide about what we lose when we abandon or neglect efforts to sustain this natural resource. Water Music offers concerts, art exhibits, and other events – many of which centre around «Water Music», a book that features 100 colour photographs accompanied by writings and contributions of 66 musicians from around the world who have creatively responded to the meaning and value of water in their lives.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/water-music-project
6. Orquesta Mitote
This community-based project uses music and theatre to promote community awareness about the importance of the environment in human development and the connections that humans have with nature. In each community, a group works together for several weeks learning about environmental responsibility through concrete actions individuals can take, such as the creative reuse of material destined to become litter. Then, there is a public presentation of the results of those weeks of work, embodied in a concert and a theatrical soundtrack. This, according to organisers, is «essential for the community to participate in the process and became owners of it.»
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/orquesta-mitote
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SEE ALSO: The Soul Beat 192 – Communication for Hygiene and Sanitation in Africa – February 23 2012
http://www.comminit.com/africa/soul_beat_192.html
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RADIO CREATIONS
7. Handwashing Initiative (HWI)
Coordinated by the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation program (WSP), this project is focused on learning how to apply behaviour change communication (BCC) approaches to generate widespread and sustained improvements in handwashing with soap at scale among women and children in Peru. The project team developed a communications campaign featuring a superhero named Super Jaboncín (SJ) – «Super Soaper» – who gains the power to fight germs by adding soap to water. To bring SJ to life, three 30-second radio spots were developed. The SJ concept also forms the basis of events such as: fairs with games for children, live theatre, and kiosks with demonstrations and advice for mothers on where to place soap and how to set up a handwashing station.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/handwashing-initiative-hwi
8. Pilika Pilika
Created by Mediae, Pilika Pilika was a radio soap opera broadcast in Kiswahili in Tanzania from 2004 to July 2011. It aimed to spread awareness about issues relating to sustainable rural livelihoods such as home hygiene and community water management, gender issues, and local rights and responsibilities at the village level. One episode dealing with WASH issues told the story of how Mawazo, a key character, falls into his poorly maintained pit latrine and then has to walk for hours to the river to clean up because the water pump in the village was broken. The edutainment drama was followed by a discussion programme that explored some of the issues raised in the show through the views of rural children, farmers, and a panel of experts.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/pilika-pilika-busy-busy
9. Angel Water [Agua de Angel]
A collaborative effort between PCI-Media Impact and Red de Desarrollo Sostenible (RDS) – Honduras, this radio serial began broadcasting on Radio Nacional de Honduras on May 22 2009 and ran until 2010. Angel Water’s storyline focused on environmental conservation, especially issues related to water. More than 50 community leaders were trained on media production skills; local volunteers between the ages of 12 and 70 wrote, recorded, produced, and hosted the show. Every Friday night after the episode aired, a pair of volunteer hosts put the soap opera in context by interviewing local environmental experts, discussing the issues with listeners via phone calls and text messages, and interacting with the programme’s mascots, who reportedly became local celebrities themselves. The team also sponsored a variety of community events to promote the radio show and its messages, such as a 2-day street fair that included a recycled-materials fashion show, traditional foods, and exaggerat!
ed characters that towered over guests on stilts.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/angel-water-agua-de-angel
10. Nepal WASH Radio Campaign
From June to December 2010, the WASH Radio Campaign in Nepal reached communities living in remote districts. A total of 5 community radio stations aired weekly, locally adapted WASH radio episodes in selected districts with low water and sanitation coverage. Each programme included what was intended to be a stimulating drama, flash news on WASH, interviews with members of the public, catchy jingles, a quiz of the day, and either an analytic feature or an interactive discussion panel. The campaign also initiated discussion among decision-makers and community representatives, mainly addressing the public’s right to water and sanitation, budget allocation, equitable disbursement, and use of sanitation at the local level.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/nepal-wash-radio-campaign
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FILM/CARTOONS/ANIMATIONS FOR GENDER-SENSITIVE WASH
11. Population 7 Billion: It’s Time to Talk
As world population passes 7 billion, this global advocacy campaign uses communication tools and strategies to inspire people to address the substantial pressure on natural resources, including water, from population growth. One of the campaign’s partners, Population Media Center (PMC), is helping organise community screenings of the film «Mother: Caring for 7 Billion», on college campuses across the US. The film explores the role that empowering women and girls and strengthening reproductive rights plays in the effort to improve human rights around the world, also showing the audience how to move humanity toward a more sustainable relationship with the Earth.
http://www.comminit.com/global/content/population-7-billion-its-time-talk
12. Cartoon Calendar Highlighting the Critical Role of Gender in Water and Sanitation
From the World Bank Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), this 2012 calendar features cartoons for each month depicting water and sanitation challenges from a gender perspective. The goal is to use a vivid visual medium to call attention to and change poor service quality. Each month’s cartoon features a caption with facts and/or information, such as this one: «Giving power to women at the local level through political representation has led to increased provision of public goods, especially in water supply and sanitation.»
http://www.comminit.com/democracy-governance/content/cartoon-calendar-highlighting-critical-role-gender-water-and-sanitation
13. Sibo Book Series
This series of African illustrated children’s science books features the energetic young girl character Sibo. In the book «Sibo Saves Water», «Sibo starts thinking about water and where it comes from. She realises what a precious resource it is and finds out how water gets into our homes. Her concern leads her to discover ways to conserve water around the house.» As of March 2012, an animated «Sibo and Friends» television series is on its second run on ETV in South Africa on Saturday mornings.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/sibo-book-series
14. Darfur is Dying
This edutainment initiative from mtvU, in partnership with the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and the International Crisis Group, revolves around a narrative-based activist video game. The player begins by choosing from a number of Darfurian characters and then is tasked with fetching water for the camp. As the instructions read: «Your character then dashes across a barren landscape, clutching an empty container. Along the way, you have to dodge trucks filled with gun-toting militiamen. If you are lucky, you will make it to the water pump, and then back to the camp. If you are unlucky and get caught, you are told what happens to your character. For example, a player learns that a young boy is likely to be killed or kidnapped by the militias, or that a young girl is likely to face rape and abuse.»
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/darfur-dying
15. Esquadrão da Prevenção (Prevention Squad)
Population Services International (PSI) Angola launched this multimedia campaign to raise awareness about malaria and water-borne illness prevention among children. It features cartoon superheroes on television and radio, in print materials, and in person, who protect children from malaria and water-borne illness. According to organisers, the cartoon characters have already reached the hearts of children, who are «playing» the superhero roles and telling their mothers they can’t drink the water because Capitã Certeza hasn’t made it clean.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/prevention-squad
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Help Sustain The CI
Become a Communication Initiative Partner
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/263701
The CI Partners (a) collectively provide the strategic guidance and direction for The Communication Initiative – ensuring that it meets the overall development priorities and needs of the communication and media community and (b) provide significant resources to support this overall initiative.
Current CI Partners: http://comminit.com/en/node/263701
Please contact Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com if your organisation is considering providing this significant level of support to The CI.
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SPARKING CHILDREN AND YOUTH INVOLVEMENT AND CREATIVITY AROUND WASH ISSUES
16. The Vietnam Handwashing Initiative
Created by the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), the Vietnam Handwashing Initiative aims to reduce disease and mortality through a BCC programme to promote handwashing with soap among caretakers of children under 5 and among primary school children aged 6-10 years. Ten cartoon strips were printed in the weekly national children’s «Youth» magazine and made into animated cartoons shown on a nightly children’s television show. In addition, children’s games were used in schools, and «Five Clean Fingers» was designed to be sung by mothers and grandmothers. A set of guidelines and an instructional DVD were made for training teachers about how to play the games as an addition to existing lessons on handwashing with soap.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/vietnam-handwashing-initiative
17. Creative Hands: Schools Programme
Creative Hands (formerly «Circle of Love», or COL) is a schools project of the Puppetry South Africa (UNIMASA). In the period 2009-2011, COL focused on environmental education – specifically, the issue of water. First, a series of workshops is conducted that emphasises design and construction of puppets, as well as input from subject experts about future thinking, environmental education, youth, facilitation techniques, and improvisation. The resulting production is designed to be a highly mobile, no-tech, short-form communication mechanism that uses theatre and puppetry to engage stakeholders and deliver messaging about the environment.
http://www.comminit.com/entertainment-education/content/creative-hands-schools-programme
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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kier Olsen DeVries.
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The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative Partnership – ANDI, BBC Media Action, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CIDA, Citurnas ldta., DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (FNPI), Ford Foundation, Heartlines, Imaginario, Inter-American Development Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, Ohio University, Oxfam Novib, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, World Health Organization (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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