![The Drum Beat]() Ebola Networking and Resources – The Drum Beat 680 |
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| A Launching Point for Communicators: ECN |
| ECN houses Ebola-related social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) materials, as well as other resources and tools intended for people working in the fight against Ebola. The online portal «is populated with more than 120 resources, including not only SBCC materials like posters, brochures and infographics, but also Demographic and Health Surveys of affected regions, customized maps and peer-reviewed journal articles. The site is responsive to mobile devices and optimized for low bandwidth situations. It includes an RSS feed of Ebola-related news that is updated in real time.» It features – to cite only one offering – blogs such as this: |
1. Ebola Is Real: Using Theory to Develop Messaging in a Health Crisis
by Lisa Cobb |
| Cobb articulates the distinction between messages around Ebola and the behaviour change they may or may not evoke by drawing on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). A message such as «Ebola is real – if you get it, you’ll die!» according to Cobb, «doesn’t respond to the fact that when we are confronted with scary, threatening things that we can’t control we tend to put our head in the sand and pretend the threat doesn’t exist. This all-too-human tendency is described by the EPPM. The theory, however, also gives a solution: although we tend to respond to fear of things we can’t control with avoidance, we respond to fear of things we can control with action. This small bit of theoretical understanding clears the way for a new message: ‘Ebola is real! Seek care and you can survive!'» EPPM is not the only SBCC theory; Cobb cites Theory Picker, which is a tool that compares the user’s description of his or her behaviour change challenge with major components of 6 behaviour change theories. [Dec 2014] |
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| To echo the above thinking about messaging, related to the importance of community engagement, some CI bloggers say: |
2. Ebola’s Legacy Can Be a Thriving Community Health System
by Raj Panjabi |
| «Ebola survivors, including mothers and sisters who are often community caregivers, can be a key component of Ebola response. Not only do those who recover have an intimate stake in curbing the epidemic, but they also show us it is possible to have Ebola, and survive. A survivors’ network makes it clear that Ebola doesn’t have to be a fatal disease.» [Oct 2014] |
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3. Ebola Epidemic in Sierra Leone: What is not going on right?
by Ibrahim Sesay |
| «It is very glaring that all communications approaches as regards the epidemic are being handled by the newly created National Emergency Response of Ebola based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. They are not only serving as the only national hub for emergency response, but they are also responsible to put out information for sensitization programs. I think communication should be decentralized, and traditional leaders and local council structures should be incorporated. The community people themselves should be empowered through their local leaders to initiate ideas to communicate to their subjects and families. These traditional leaders still command enormous respect in their various localities and they are very influential agents for change in this epidemic.» [Dec 2014] |
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| What you are seeing here is only a small sampling of the Ebola content you can find on The CI and Soul Beat Africa sites by clicking here. |
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| Radio-Related Blogs on Ebola from BBC Media Action |
4. Fighting Ebola: now it’s personal
by Mustapha Dumbuya |
| «I was frightened and depressed by my mother’s phone call. For the past six months, I’ve been producing radio programmes to give people information about the Ebola virus and encourage them to follow healthy behaviour related to prevention and treatment. I strongly suspected my uncles, aunts and cousins had died of Ebola. It took me all my powers of persuasion to convince my mother not to visit her family, not to go to a burial or to touch any dead bodies, until I found out more….What I discovered upon contacting old friends, medical people and fellow journalists in Port Loko, shocked me. Even enlightened, educated people were talking about witchcraft, saying my family was cursed. [Jan 2015] |
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5. In the Ebola crisis, information is aid
by Caroline Nursey |
| «Some Sierra Leoneans are still in denial that Ebola exists. It is understandable to blame strange deaths, which seem incomprehensible, on witchcraft. And dangerous rumours spread quickly, such as that drinking salt water, rum or even chlorine can prevent or cure the disease. So we are making programmes in the national language, Krio, and training local radio stations to make their own programmes about Ebola in local languages: what it is, how it is spread and how to keep people safe.» [Nov 2014] |
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6. Help where it is needed most
by Kirsty Cockburn |
| «Our team of 43 in Sierra Leone has been working hard to ensure radio broadcasts are providing people with information they need to help tackle stigma and to provide timely and reliable advice about transmission and treatment. Their aim is to keep people informed.» [Nov 2014] |
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7. Tackling fear of Ebola on the airwaves
by Mariama Khai Fornah |
| «In my work as a radio producer I have heard stories of people recovering from Ebola, only to face terrible stigma, making it difficult for them to get on with their lives….After a radio programme in which we had given advice about Ebola…, I took a call from a man called Mustapha Kamara, a 37 year old cocoa farmer…[whose] greatest fear…is that if he catches the virus, his entire household could become infected….But listening to our radio programme – Kick Ebola Nar Salone (Kick Ebola Out Of Sierra Leone) had helped changed his mind. He told me that he now understands that survivors of the strain of Ebola virus present in West Africa are unlikely to contract the same strain again and once they have fully recovered do not pose a risk to others. Just as importantly he understands how to help protect himself and his community.» [Oct 2014] |
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8. Safe burials will save lives
by Olabisi Olu Garrick |
| «Every Saturday this month we’re producing a [radio] show addressing one key theme to combat the spread of Ebola. We want to hear the worries, concerns and questions direct from our audiences who send us text messages. On the topic of ‘Safe Burials Save Lives’ we were bombarded by texts such as: «Should my family members also dress up in protective clothing as they stand by the graveside? …So many organisations have come here to fight Ebola but still no success. Why?»….We ask the questions, the experts answer with best advice on preventative measures. Through the airwaves, an audience hungry for accurate and trustworthy information gets life-saving information and encouragement to adopt new habits.» [Nov 2014] |
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9. Powerful and trusted: why radio is needed to fight Ebola
by Caroline Nursey |
| «During the three day stay at home that the Government initiated to help check Ebola, Media Action colleagues made three hours of Krio language programmes every day broadcast over 40 radio stations across Sierra Leone providing information….The 3,500 text questions received from audience members showed the level of their engagement. But making such programmes is difficult. Poorly made programmes could do more harm than good. For example, phone-in shows are popular and cheap to make, but could help spread myths if those who phone in share false remedies….So the Media Action team in Sierra Leone is running workshops for the staff of radio stations across the country where journalists can explore how best to make programmes in local languages for local people that help overcome Ebola. These stations rebroadcast the Krio language national programmes that we make, but the best results will be achi! eved through their own programming that meets the particular local needs of each community.» [Nov 2014] |
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10. A man with a plan: using drama to tackle Ebola
by Yvonne Macpherson and Radharani Mitra |
| «We decided to use the power of drama, because drama can portray the conflicts and challenges people are confronting when faced with Ebola. This was the genesis of Mr Plan-Plan, our main character [in a radio drama]. Mr Plan-Plan is an itinerant trader, a wise fool, who champions ‘having a plan’. He presents stories of what he sees around him: families torn over what to do when someone falls sick, friends misunderstanding each other, relationships being threatened, emotions boiling over, communities fighting to hold on to tradition and rituals. In Mr Plan-Plan and The People, a series of six mini dramas, we see how a plan helps people navigate their way through Ebola.» [Jan 2015] |
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| Entertainment-Education Video Resources from Africa |
| 11. Africa Stop Ebola – Song and Video |
| This song is a message to citizens about what they can do to help stop the spread of Ebola in Africa. The lyrics include messages of caution and comfort, warning people not to touch the bodies of the sick or deceased, and encouraging people to trust doctors, wash their hands, and take proactive steps if they feel the symptoms of Ebola. [Nov 2014] |
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| 12. Explain Like I’m Five: What is Ebola? – Video |
| This video explains the basics about Ebola using basic terminology, easy-to-grasp concepts, and an element of humour to add entertainment value. It features 2 adults discussing Ebola with three 5-year old children, talking about what Ebola is, how it is spread, and what can be done to fight it. As the adults explain the disease and the current outbreak in West Africa in easily understandable language, the children also share their own thoughts and ideas, often with humorous results. [2014] |
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| Additional Online Resources for Communication Practitioners |
14. Ebola communication tips for health officials
by Claire Hooker and Julie Leask |
| Amongst «the risk communication lessons our health officials and political leaders should be mindful of when they engage with the public about Ebola» that are outlined in this blog (which includes links to several resources) is this suggestion: «If we want people to follow directives about behaviour, to self-report illness, or voluntarily observe isolation, then they need to trust that health-care officials are acting in their best interest. Leaders should focus on the qualities that build trust [PDF format]: competence, objectivity, fairness, consistency and empathy. These qualities are communicated through what is said – and not said – but also through actions and timing.» |
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| 15. Ebola Deeply News Site |
| This online web portal and news site is designed to provide accurate and timely information about Ebola, with an emphasis on providing context and countering misinformation. «Our goal is to build a better user experience of the story by adding context to content, integrating expertise in science, health, and public policy with a range of voices on the ground. Our team is committed to a collaborative and solutions-driven model of journalism, surfacing new insights and elevating voices with knowledge to share.» |
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| 16. Ebola Response Anthropology Platform |
| This online platform is designed to give an anthropological perspective to assist in disease control efforts in Ebola-affected countries, providing information about local cultures, belief systems, and practices in the context of the Ebola response. «The aim is to enhance current efforts to contain the epidemic by providing clear, practical, real-time advice about how to engage with crucial socio-cultural and political dimensions of the outbreak and build locally-appropriate interventions.» |
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| 17. Ebola Resources for Health Workers |
| This resource centre collects information, tools, and approaches gathered from contributing members to share with Ebola health care workers, often for delivery via mobile devices and printable materials. Information on the site can be searched by subject areas, resource type (brochure, factsheet, poster, etc.), tools, language, and country. The centre provides a space to «connect with contributing members to engage in the science, protocols of practice, methods of training, and other ways organisations can respond. The materials and approaches contained in these pages are meant to be useful right away as well as adaptable to local considerations of language, culture, and health system structure.» |
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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 – Partners: ANDI, BBC Media Action, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Breakthrough, Calandria, Citurna TV, DFID, FAO, Fundación Imaginario, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (FNPI), Inter-American Development Bank, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, Oxfam Novib, PAHO, The Panos Institute, Puntos de Encuentro, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, STEPS International, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, The Wellcome Trust, World Health Organization (WHO), W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
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.
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 additional project, evaluation, strategic thinking, and materials information on communication for development at any time. Send to drumbeat@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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Blog de Octavio Islas 