Global community of professionals working in Communication for Development
By C4D Network
Communication for Development (C4D) promising practices are dialogue-driven interventions that lead to the sustainable improvement of living conditions for children and their families, particularly the most vulnerable. This booklet brings together four outstanding examples from Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Viet Nam, where UNICEF-supported interventions by governments and civil society organizations are bringing about positive change.
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By C4D Network
Abstract: The entertainment–education (E-E) strategy in development communication has been widely described as the panacea to development challenges in Africa. However, despite its growing application on the continent, E-E is still argued to be inhibited from contributing meaningfully toward development efforts. E-E interventions are argued to be hamstrung by their failure to embrace theoretical advances in development communication and E-E scholarship and for remaining rooted in the modernization paradigm. Using the social change paradigm as its framework, this article assesses the notions of development, change, communication, audiences, and education that underpin the conceptualization and design of Tsha Tsha, an E-E television drama that uses a novel cultural approach to address issues surrounding HIV and AIDS in South Africa. The data informing the study were gathered through a Focused Synthesis Approach and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The study’s findings show that significant efforts have been made by Tsha Tsha’s producers to bridge E-E practice and contemporary development communication and E-E scholarship. The data analyzed in the study show that Tsha Tsha’s notions of development, change, education, communication, and audience have been significantly remoored in line with the core tenets of the E-E for Social Change paradigm. The implications of the study are that more engagement and synergies need to be cultivated between E-E practitioners and development communication and E-E scholars if E-E’s full potential, in contributing to development challenges on the continent, is to be realized.
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By C4D Network
In April 2018, almost 1,200 people gathered in Indonesia for the Summit on Behaviour and Social Change Communication. Practitioners, researchers, donors, and leaders from more than 400 organisations travelled to Nusa Dua from the Asia Pacific region, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. This issue features ten papers prepared by Summit participants based on their presentations. They cover a range of challenges from using story-telling to help fishermen in Belize deal with threats to their occupations, and influencing adolescent girls and boys in India to address gender discrimination and stereotyping – to the use of social media to change norms regarding babies’ health in Malawi.
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By C4D Network
Rashawn Thompson, broadcaster and journalist, discusses the lessons learnt by Jamaican broadcasters through recent Chikungunya virus outbreaks, and how this prepared them for Zika, as part of a wider discussion around media development.
This event was held in July 2016 as part of C4D Network’s ‘Focus Sessions’ series.
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By C4D Network
The 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018 http://www.aids2018.org/) took place in July 2018 in Amsterdam. The theme of AIDS 2018 was “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges”, drawing attention to the need of rights-based approaches to more effectively reach key populations, including in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and the North-African/Middle Eastern regions where epidemics are growing.
Some of the C4D related conference sessions and abstracts submitted are listed below.
HIV and TB-related stigma and discrimination are important impediments to controlling the dual HIV and TB epidemics. A South African Stigma Index Survey was completed in 18 districts in South Africa. This study included over 10 700 participants who are HIV positive and who are older than 15 years, the largest of its kind in the world. Measuring stigma associated with TB was included in this type of survey for the first time. The purpose of the Stigma Index was to measure stigma and discrimination experienced by PLHIV and TB and to inform the development and implementation of national policies and programmes to protect the rights of PLHIV and TB.
Rates of HIV are increasing among the estimated 330,000 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam. Face-to-face outreach only reaches a fraction of at-risk MSM. A 2015 USAID/PATH Healthy Markets (HM) study found that 98% of MSM surveyed across four provinces regularly used Facebook, and preferred social media as a source of HIV and health information. HM and MSM leaders co-created a fun, sex-positive HIV prevention and service awareness, trust, and uptake campaign?“My Future, My Choice”?that utilized a Facebook community (Rainbow Village), online influencers trained as HIV lay testers, and an HIV service booking application (I Reserve), to allow for a measurable online-to-offline HIV testing-treatment cascade.
Repression of civil society is rising. In 2012-2015, more than 120 laws restricting civil rights were introduced or proposed in 60 countries. Governments are implementing legal, administrative and other measures restricting operations of non-governmental organizations, particularly those rooted in marginalized communities disproportionately affected by HIV. Repression tools include burdensome registration requirements, restrictions on basic freedoms (including peaceful assembly and online expression), physical attacks and imprisonment. Panellists will explore the impacts of civil society restrictions and human rights violations on the HIV response and they will discuss how HIV advocates can defend essential civil liberties.
In a world of exponentially growing data and new technologies, many new insights in behaviour can be discovered. These data insights inform us on how to design effective health intervention and new technologies allow for sufficient reach among the target audience. This session will showcase new innovative approaches in using electronic data to gain better insights in health behaviour and new communication technologies to better reach the right audiences with tailored information.
Traditional ways of working with women with HIV focus on their diagnosis rather than addressing their specific needs and guaranteeing their rights. Methodologies based on providing information are not enough for them to build both leadership and capacities for advocating on their rights. At the end of the workshop, participants will be aware of the value of empowerment methodologies based on gender and a human rights approach. They will learn about partnership potential among feminists, women with HIV and artistic movements. The workshop will be itself a space to boost networking and joint action.
Lived experiences and story narratives of people living with HIV particularly women Living with HIV have been pivotal in processes that design, plan, implement, monitor, review, and reform Policy, Law and programs that have impacted the lives of women and girls in the HIV and health response. Innovative approaches for packaging this information has always evolved as targeted Advocacy efforts are designed by women led organizations as well as stakeholders who work to address issues focused on women and girls access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. A presentation on the role of Women led community participatory research for strengthening evidence for desired change showing up-to-date impact will be combined with presentations by women leaders from Regional and country ICW networks and partners to share experiences, growth process and key lessons for supporting stronger community participatory approaches by donors and stakeholders
The Robert Car civil society Networks Fund (RCNF) is the first international pooled funding mechanism that specifically aims to strengthen global and regional HIV civil society and community networks across the world. This focus is in recognition of networks’ critical value and contribution to better health, inclusion and social wellbeing of inadequately served populations (ISPs), given their unique reach into and impact at community level.