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After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
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Strengthened Partnerships... - Africa and Asia

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In 2003, the Population Media Center (PMC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) engaged in an effort to help private FM and community radio stations in Africa and Asia address HIV/AIDS and reproductive health issues. Following a needs assessment, two training workshops were conducted in the use of entertainment-education techniques to address reproductive health issues. The purpose of the programme was to give community radio producers and NGO representatives the tools needed to develop effective and compelling communications on HIV/AIDS.
Communication Strategies

The project began with a needs assessment of community radio station managers and NGOs in selected countries in Africa and Asia. A questionnaire was developed to assess the reproductive health information they provide.


Then organisers held regional training workshops in South Africa and the Philippines in an effort to strengthen partnerships among community radio networks and reproductive health agencies. The weeklong regional training workshops were held in Johannesburg, South Africa (March 2003) and Manila, Philippines (April 2003). Participants included members of local FM radio networks, as well as representatives from health and education, youth, and women's community-based organisations. Attendees at the South Africa workshop came from Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, South Africa, Mali, Namibia, Niger, and Nigeria; attendees at the Manila workshop came from Cambodia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. They were selectedbased on ongoing collaboration with UNFPA country programmes and the earlier needs assessment process.


During the workshops, participants discussed strategies related to the enhancement of radio programmes and the need for entertaining, accurate, and culturally relevent programming to address HIV/AIDS. Specifically, participants learned strategies for HIV/AIDS education using drama. All the participants developed plans of action to apply what they had learned, and several arenow planning projects in partnership with PMC.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Networking, Community Radio Development.

Key Points

According to organisers, "Community radio recognizes that the right to communicate is a fundamental component of development...In many parts of the world, the right to freedom of expression is still suppressed. Participatory types of communication are increasingly practiced in the face of numerous obstacles. Community radio provides a vehicle to disseminate multiple viewpoints and information to reach a large population through local participation and to promote positive dialog and change." These passages are part of a larger paper commissioned and copyrighted by UNFPA, entitled "Strengthening Partnerships among Local FM Radio Networks and Reproductive Health Agencies on HIV/AIDS: A Review of the Effectiveness of Local FM Radio in Promoting Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Gender Equity." Click here to download that paper in PDF format.

Partners

UNFPA and PMC implemented the project. UNAIDS and UNFPA funded the project.

Sources

April 7 2003 PMC press release "Radio Stations and Health Organizations from Five Asian Nations Gather in Manila to Learn Strategies for HIV/AIDS Education Using Drama", forwarded to The Communication Initiative by the Association Mondiale des Radiodiffuseurs Communautaires (AMARC); and letter sent from Kaija Helmetag to The Communication Initiative on September 29 2003; and programme page on PMC website.