�� Media Action Feed

A new 'dawn' for young people in Ethiopia

2023-03-20T08:24:30+00:00

Young people in Ethiopia are coming of age amid high rates of unemployment and political and social instability. They face gender, cultural, traditional and social norms and barriers when it comes to education, access to services, public and civil participation, and when looking for work - all of which contribute to a sense of frustration and hopelessness, and can hold them back from exploring new opportunities.

Our team has been working to gain a better understanding of young people’s aspirations, challenges, motivators, influences and needs when it comes to access to relevant services, education and training, health and wellbeing, job creation and employment.

Through our series Negat (Dawn), on radio and television, we are reflecting stories and experiences of young people as they deal with these challenges in their communities around Ethiopia. We focus on the barriers that hold young people back, and share the way they navigate and overcome these challenges to illustrate resilience, inspire their peers, and change negative public perceptions and attitude towards young people.

Find our radio programme on SoundCloud and the TV show on YouTube (links lead to third-party sites).

Meet some of our Negat team:

Newal Abubeker, radio producer and presenter

Newal Abubeker, presenter

"The concerns of Ethiopia’s young generation include education, jobs, and our wellbeing. For me, as part of this young generation, producing Negat was not just producing a programme about something I barely know. It was like exploring my own life. From the drama series we have produced, and from the contributors and guests we have talked with, I have explored my own environment, challenges, and opportunities. That is what makes producing Negat special for me.

"Through the characters in our Negat drama series, we have tried to reflect the lives of many Ethiopian young people. Negat creates a place where young people who are involved in volunteerism, apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, and art can share their experiences in education and in building a career path. Family and community members also share their thoughts on these experiences and goals.

"Producing Negat helps me to understand that, in their day-to-day life, Ethiopian young people face challenges that make them feel hopeless and unable to find work. The challenges are different from place to place. Their perceptions of work, of access to information, of unreachable opportunities and a lack of skills are some of the challenges that many young Ethiopians are facing.

"While producing the show, we have tried to cover such problems. We have tried to show possible ways to find opportunities and information, and ways that young people can develop their experience and skill. We have also talked with experts and officials on how government and society can create a better place for young Ethiopians.

"The very interesting thing about our Negat TV and radio programmes is that we have put a lot of hard work to make them interactive and entertaining. We believe that delivering the programmes in a very interesting and entertaining way helps us reach the heart of audiences easily."

Kirubel Shiferaw, TV producer and presenter

"As a young person, being involved and working on a project that highlights the challenges of employment, job creation, wellbeing, and other issues youth face in our country, and that points out ways to inspire and help them better explore their options, has been a very interesting learning experience for me.

"Our research findings were an important element behind the programme. They helped us to come up with a well-structured communication framework to design the episodes.

"We put a lot of hard work into planning and preparation, while setting specific communication objectives to address, and including contributors that resonate with urban and rural audiences.

"Traveling to places and meeting contributors, interacting with youth, producing the episodes, and the teamwork required to deliver our 12 episodes were what I most enjoyed from this journey. Of all the profiles we featured, a group of young people in Adama city who produce bicycles out of bamboo was the story that surprised me the most.

"One thing that I hope sets a good example for other programmes is our approach to gender inclusion on the show. We followed the ��’s 50:50 Project to ensure we fully included women and girls in our programmes. Female experts, decision-makers and role models were our advisors, and presented as part of our solutions.

"We also featured profiles of young people, young contributors and young decision-makers and experts - defying the old narratives that portray young people as the cause of a problem, and elders as part of the solution. Many young people in Ethiopia are fed up with this stereotype, and felt they were not being represented in shows made for young people. And I think that makes Negat unique and paves the way forward for future TV programmes."

Negat (Dawn) is broadcast on one television and one radio station in Addis Ababa, and one radio station in Amhara region, and accompanied by social media content. It is funded by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation as part of our ‘Engaging young people through media’ project, working to gain a better understanding of young people in the country: their aspirations, and what factors hold them back from succeeding in employment, and living healthy, active lives. Learn more about the project on our website. Read our research here.

Faces of Tanzania - a gender transformative photo series

2022-12-06T17:06:49+00:00

“My secrets to success are knowing yourself, following your dreams and never giving up!”

These are the words of Meena Ally, a former �� MA presenter and know a well-known media personality across the country. She is just one of the many inspirational voices our Niambie! (Tell me!) programme highlights. We produced this simple yet powerful advice to be shared with our online audience of over 400,000, but even me, the individual sitting behind the camera, cannot help but take her advice on board.

My name is Joseph Minde. I am Tanzanian by birth, but an African citizen by nurture. I grew up in Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and now I am settled and working in Tanzania. I have always thought of myself as a storyteller and to me the world is full of stories! Be it the people we meet or the things we see, these stories are not just meant to be told; they are meant to be felt. It is this “feeling” I strive for in all my work, as nothing is more powerful than a story.

I joined �� Media Action as a digital media producer in late 2020, excited to be a part of something bigger than me. And that is exactly what Niambie is! It is a multimedia show which targets youth between the ages of 18-35. Niambie uses multimedia and outreach events to create an equal Tanzania where girls can claim their political, social and economic rights.

Tanzania is very much a beautiful country but still an unequal one when it comes to matters of gender equality. This is why Niambie’s work, and the Faces of Tanzania series is so important: to not only show girls that they can achieve their dreams but to tell them that they have a right to!

Elizabeth and Rehema in Shinyanga, Tanzania by Joseph Minde for Niambie/�� Media Action (2022).

“A message to the girl and boy child! Have ambition, know your goals, and don’t let anyone pressure you!”

The words of Elizabeth (left). Elizabeth and Rehema are friends who had their dreams snatched away from them after they got excluded from their respective schools because of getting pregnant.

“My dad did not even want to talk to me after he found out and our relationship completely broke down,” Rehama says. She blames bad company and peer pressure for influencing her decisions.

However, Elizabeth and Rehema now have reason to smile, after a change in the laws here have allowed teenage mothers to return to school. Rehema is now reunited with her parents and hopes to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Elizabeth hopes to pursue a career in arts and crafts.

Aisha in Zanzibar, Tanzania by Joseph Minde for Niambie/�� Media Action.

Meet Aisha or as she is popularly known ‘Hijab DJ’ - the first woman DJ in Zanzibar. She fought stigma from her community and even her own family to become one of the most popular DJs in Zanzibar.

“The community needs to understand that the world is changing. People have different dreams, not everyone is going to be a doctor or a teacher. Some DJs will be born, some musicians will be born…”

Amina in Mtwara, Tanzania by Joseph Minde for Niambie/�� Media Action

“How can a woman change a tyre?”

This is one of the many statements that have been thrown at Amina. She doesn’t let it affect her.

“If you tell yourself you can’t do it, then that’s how it will play out. If you go in with confidence, then others will automatically respect you.”

Amina is a mechanic in Mtwara. It was her dream to become a mechanic ever since she was a child - a dream she has since fulfilled.

Judy in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania by Joseph Minde for Niambie/�� Media Action (2021).

Judy is a tour guide based in Moshi, Kilimanjaro. In a short space of time, she has moved from being a porter to being a tour guide for clients looking to scale Mount Kilimanjaro.

Despite her success, some of her colleagues are still hesitant to fully accept her. Her goals remain clear: continue working hard, be the boss of her life and eventually open her own tourism company.

“Just because I’m a girl, it doesn’t mean I have to work in a bar as a waitress or do household chores as others may expect. I am young and I have a thirst for success!”

Want to know more about these stories? Check out the full interviews on Niambie Tanzania’s social media platforms.

Niambie’s work and Tanzania’s story is still ongoing, but we hope that with each story we tell and with each voice we give a platform, we are building a more equal Tanzania. Be sure to follow the SBCC Summit in Marrakech this December as we look to tell Niambie’s story to the world!

You can also see my Instagram takeover of the �� Media Action account here – it includes some male champions striving for gender equality too.

Thanks for reading.

Stop the silent suffering of Somali girls

2022-08-01T10:29:46+00:00

A girl pictured in a produce market in Barawe, Somalia

UN figures indicate that over 90% of girls and women in Somalia have been subject to female genital mutilation (FGM). Discussions over FGM remain a taboo in many places in Somalia and the devastating health ramifications – including pain, bleeding, permanent disability, trauma and even death - remain prevalent.

The most commonly cited reasons for carrying out this harmful practice include cultural norms related to social acceptance, religious misconception related to cleanliness – including the belief that those who have not been cut are unclean or unworthy, and the preservation of virginity before marriage, while some believe that it is a rite of passage to adulthood.

Whatever the reasons given, FGM is a physical assault conducted on girls too young to consent, and a violation of their rights.

�� Media Action seeks to support people in understanding their rights. The level of FGM we are witnessing in Somalia is significantly alarming and I believe needs to be addressed from the grassroots to national level.

With support from German aid agency GIZ, we are producing radio magazine programmes broadcasting in all member states of Somalia through our local partner stations, to share trusted information about the harm caused by FGM and share the perspectives of health experts, religious leaders and survivors.

These �� Media Action-produced programmes include voices from all member states of Somalia, and all Somali dialects including ‘the Mai’, which is spoken in the South West state of Somalia. This helps builds a sense of belonging for all Somalis in relation to the programme, which is rebroadcast by seven local radio partner stations across the federal republic of Somalia and Somaliland.

The truth about FGM

The World Health Organization has created four medical classifications of FGM; level 3 is the most extreme and is also most prevalent in Somalia and Somaliland.

All classifications of FGM can cause complications at childbirth and increases risk of newborn death; other complications include fistula, bleeding, chronic pelvic infections, urinary problems and infections. FGM is often carried out under unsanitary and primitive conditions without anaesthetic, which causes severe pain, bleeding and swelling that may prevent passing urine and faeces.

We met Farhiya Abdi Ali when she featured on our weekly radio programme, Tusmada Nolosha (Lifeline). She described going through the painful FGM process:

"I am one of the many girls [who] encountered a lot of problems such as blockage of menstruation. I was taken to hospital and the only option was to open me by removing the stitches. If not opened [it] could have caused a bigger problem."

It is often believed that FGM can prevent girls from becoming pregnant. We featured Mrs Foosia Muse, a midwife at Hargiesa group hospital, in our social media clips about FGM, who clarified this is not the case.

"They believe that if the girl is stitched, she cannot be touched. But they are touched and some are brought to us stitched and pregnant. The small passage that you make for the girl for urination is the same passage that the baby enters the womb."

Our campaign in Somalia aims to reduce the incidence of FGM by connecting with people's emotions

Laws and religious perspectives

In our formative research, we also found that some mothers believed that FGM is a religious act, that a family that does not practice FGM will face stigma and the girl will be considered to be a non-Muslim.

"FGM is a huge part of the religion because it an act of worship, and a family that doesn't perform FGM on their daughters will be discriminated within the community," said a mother in Garowe, whose daughter has undergone FGM.

To help counter this, in Somaliland, the government introduced a fatwa which bans the practice of female genital mutilation in the country and vowed to punish perpetrators. The fatwa, issued by the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, pledges punishment for those who carry out FGM, and asks for compensation for FGM victims.

However, it does not clarify whether this compensation will be paid by the government or by those who violate the ban, and appears to be restricted to only the most extreme form of the practice.

This fatwa is so far only in writing. The practice of FGM has not stopped and as yet, there are no reports of fines, punishments or compensation given.

But Islamic clergy are divided on zero tolerance of FGM. Although they all agree that it is unreligious, most of them still support the ‘Sunna’, or Level 1 FGM practice; some see that FGM is part of religion, in the same way that prayer is.

Yet the Islamic religion prohibits anything that is harmful to people’s lives, and views differ among religious leaders. When we spoke with Sheikh Abdikadir Deria Adan on our programme, he said:

"It is not compulsory, as indicated in the Prophet’s teaching; nowhere have the wives of the Prophet spoken of or practiced FGM."

We realised that to reach zero tolerance for FGM, raising awareness on the harm caused by the practice was imperative. We also understood that religious leaders with academic, scientific and medical knowledge would be more likely to understand and help convey the risks.

Killing one to save thousands

In our radio drama, we created two characters who were sisters - Qamar and Amina - who hold contrasting views on FGM. In the storyline both Qamar and Amina have daughters who are of age for the practice. Qamar was preparing her two daughters for FGM, and she tried to convince her sister to bring her daughter for the procedure, too.

Amina was hesitant and seeks advice from her friend, a qualified nurse. The two of them tried hard to stop Qamar, who believed in the traditional myths, but their efforts failed. Qamar believed that as FGM was conducted on her great grandmother, her grandmother, her mother and herself, there was no way she was going to break the cultural chain.

Qamar went ahead and had FGM performed on her two daughters. As the drama progresses, listeners hear how the procedure on one of her daughters, Yasmin, goes wrong and they were unable to stop the bleeding. The women take Yasmin to hospital in an effort to save her life, but she sadly dies.

We know that drama has great power to help address cultural sensitivities and taboo topics like this by building empathy with characters based on real-life examples. Our research showed that stories and characters can help listeners to reflect on their own lives in a less direct way, and challenge entrenched gender norms.

"The death of the girl in the drama made me sad… this ending of the story can also be a lesson to mothers who are thinking of making their daughters undergo FGM," a young woman in Kismayo, who herself has undergone FGM, told us.

We hope that the death of Yasmin’s character in our radio drama will help save the lives of thousands of Somali girls.

Mohammed Gaas is Deputy Country Director for �� Media Action Somalia

Learn more about our work in Somalia here.

Developing media after civil war: How �� Media Action is working to support South Sudan's media

2022-05-03T09:44:26+00:00

In the months and years following civil war, media and communication have a central role to play in bridging divides, by providing space for dialogue, and building understanding and knowledge.

In South Sudan, tensions still flare despite the 2018 peace agreement that formally ended its multi-sided civil war. Yet the country’s media industry, so important in reconciling communities, is at serious risk. Early in 2022, a prominent South Sudanese civil society activist called on the donor community to fund media projects in the country, warning that media practitioners are quitting their professions due to the decline in funding.

Edmund Yakani, who heads the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation (CEPO), said that emerging media houses don’t last, due to lack of funding, censorship and the poor salaries associated with a media career in South Sudan.

Yakani’s statement is supported by our recent 2021 assessment of numerous media house partners as part of our Life in Lulu radio programme and associated activities.

Weeks or months without operating

We discovered that due to lack of funds, some media houses may go for days, weeks or months without operating. Others have had to cease operations completely.

These closures are not only associated with a lack of funding. Inadequate media knowledge and technical skills are also major factors. For example, some local media houses do not employ radio technicians, citing lack of budget for their salaries. This leaves presenters to multitask as radio technicians to close the gap – without the training and knowledge to do so.

Steps to address the challenges

Last year, through our Life in Lulu project, we selected 10 radio stations - mostly at national level - to partner with. All face many of the same issues, and have participated in sessions with two trainers: one focused on technical training, and one on building journalists' capacity in media and editorial skills more generally.

Our editorial trainer focuses on editorial policy and governance, content moderation, production skills, audience research, fact checking and information verification, safeguarding, and issues of disability and inclusion. The technical trainer, an experienced radio technician, covers in-depth knowledge of equipment maintenance, installation and management.

As part of Life in Lulu, �� Media Action is also donating radio equipment to our 10 partner radio stations to help smooth their operations; they are also paid for airing our Life in Lulu radio drama programmes.

Meet our partner - Good News Radio

Good News Radio team, South Sudan

Good News Radio was named Most Trusted Radio in South Sudan 2021, based on research by Internews South Sudan. It is led by Marial Deng, a multimedia journalist with more than 10 years’ experience, and operates under the Catholic Radio Network, a religious media entity managing numerous media houses across South Sudan.

It is difficult to manage a radio house in the fragile Lakes State, an area renowned for revenge killings and cattle raids. Marial describes it as a tough and stressful task.

“Apart from funding inaccessibility, you will find there are situations where the radio lacks some very important equipment. For example, currently, we are lacking a biometric door lock system, on-air light, backup transmitter, and new computers for staff,” he said.

“The station also lacks field relay live broadcast to broadcast live events, recorders for the broadcast journalist to conduct recordings and headphones for the on-air studio and the broadcast journalist.”

His staff need technical training on equipment maintenance and management, he said, and would benefit from training on more general reporting and content creation skills.

Marial added that the station also faces the challenge of a low coverage area; his station uses a 2.5KW transmitter that covers a 150-kilometre radius.

Still, he said the station has over 1.2 million listeners, according to the 2013 UNMISS assessment report – demonstrating the continuing importance of radio as a source of information, entertainment and connection in the country.

Meet our partner - Nile FM

Nile FM team, South Sudan

In 2013, the popular Malakal Town of Upper Nile was devastated by a series of civil wars that forced almost all of the town’s population to seek refuge at the United Nations Protection of Civilians Site (POC). Malakal POC is home to 31,095 internally displaced persons, according to September 2021 UN-IOM data.

Our call for applications to receive our training included radio stations from war-affected areas, and Nile FM – a humanitarian radio operating at the UN Hub – more than met the required standard qualifications. Originally managed by Internews South Sudan, Nile FM is now part of a local Community Engagement Network with support from international organisations, but struggles for sufficient funding.

Because of this, the radio station, which previously was run by more than 10 employees, is now operated by only three people. Dau Nyok, Nile FM station manager, says the institution lacks a lot of important equipment.

“We lack new computers for staff and a desktop for the on-air PC, field relay live broadcast to broadcast live events at the POC or at the Freedom Square, and recorders for the broadcast journalist to conduct recordings.

“Other missing equipment includes a studio console to improve quality and increase the number of phone lines and headphones for the on-air studio and the broadcast journalist,” said Dau.

Closing knowledge gaps

Good News South Sudan training

From October 2021 to March 2022, we carried out training to boost our partners’ future outlook and sustainability. These sessions were not limited to cities; three current Nile FM three staff and former seven employees in November 2021 attended a four-day training on editorial policy governance, safeguarding, disability, production skills and gender-sensitive reporting in Malakal Town.

Two senior staff from Nile FM were also part of five days of training on radio management, fundraising, sustainability and financial management, to help them generate funds and grow the institution in the absence of donors.

Nile FM staffer Aban Christopher said one of his main take-aways was from the safeguarding session. “This unit will help to protect myself and respect others, especially my colleagues, so that I don’t hurt them but instead take care of them while at work and at home.”

“As a journalist, the presentation on editorial guidelines was really important for my ethical growth. Secondly, the session on production was so good, because it will always make me prepare myself ahead of an interview or a program,” said female journalist Amani Ibrahim.

Journalist Malek Bol added: “The training has touched on a lot of very good things, especially what I really wanted to learn. The topic of gender sensitive reporting is a key, because gender issues are happening in our communities and we as media need to report a lot on that topic, so that our communities can change and even start prioritising issues for example taking girls to school.”

Quality in reporting

Good News Radio staff – of whom 10 attended our October 2021 editorial, safeguarding and production skills training – said the mix of theory and practical sessions has built their knowledge and skills.

“The training was excellent, and I have gained a lot from it, especially on topics such as considering inclusion when reporting, why it’s important to know the rights of people with disabilities not to be left out and ensuring equality when reporting,” said Monica Amesio, who presents a daily programme, The Evening Experience.

Mary Agum, presenter of Good Morning Lakes State – a daily current affairs programme – said: “Personally, the most enjoyable part of the training was production and content moderation sessions. This is simply because the skills will immediately help on how to improve my interviewing skills and others.”

Renewing our spirit

Station manager Marial Deng said the training had “renewed our spirit to work harder to deliver. I could see the staff so engaged and attentive during your presentation- meaning the sessions were interesting.

“Honestly, we have not been doing programmes on disability, safeguarding, although airtime is there for such programmes. The radio station staff will make use of the knowledge they have acquired,” said Marial.

With ongoing training, we are providing our radio partners with support to create editorial policies and in many cases, equipment to help them sustain their operations to provide trusted information and space for dialogue in this young nation.

Nile FM, South Sudan

About Life in Lulu

Life in Lulu is a peace and conflict resolution project aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence, tolerance, and stability among the people of South Sudan, through radio dramas and community mobilisation. Our radio drama explores the day-to-day lives of the inhabitants of Lulu village, an imaginary rural location in South Sudan.

The project also builds the capacity of our radio station partners, so that they are better able to sustain their operations, bring trusted information to their audiences and create space for dialogue.

The civic education, peace engagement and capacity building project is co-funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

Disability is not ‘inability’: girls making waves in Sierra Leone

2022-02-17T11:15:14+00:00

Madi Sefoi featured as a co-host on our radio show in Sierra Leone

“I sometimes used to sit and cry but then feel determined at the same time to change my situation from what society perceives [about] people living with disability – that we’re not able to do anything in life. Some parents [even] refer to their disabled children as ‘half pikin’ (half child),” Madi Sefoi tells our radio presenter Marian Tina Conteh.

In Sierra Leone, many people live with different forms of disabilities, but often girls in wheelchairs are seen begging from people passing by in cities around the country.

We met Madi on a production visit to the south of Sierra Leone for our radio programme Wae Gyal Pikin Timap (When a Girl Child Stands). Thousands of girls are out of school in Sierra Leone, so the show aims to turn up the volume on the barriers to education. Increasingly, we identify the issues for girls living with disabilities and give them the opportunity to tell their stories on air and discuss challenges.

We sometimes bring girls to our studio to present alongside our presenter, by acting as the presenter’s friend. We interviewed Madi as a co-host when we visited her province to record with our partner radio stations. She told us that growing up in Bo City (known as ‘Gari town’) wasn’t easy,

‘’I had to put up with the difficulties of going to a public school which was not disabled-friendly in terms of moving around the compound. I used to feel discouraged to be crawling among thousands of students.”

People living with disabilities faced lot of discrimination in their daily lives, she said. Often, families, communities, and society see them as a burden. Some people treat them with disrespect and sometimes mock, provoke, laugh, or call them names like ‘gbenkelenkie’ (bend foot), or believe they are a result of witchcraft or are a curse on their family.

“Transport to go to school and other places was always a nightmare for me because I had to be taken off my wheelchair and helped into it again. People look low at me and that makes me feel unhappy,” Madi continues.

She describes that she finished high school and took the West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) but unfortunately did not achieve the requirements for university. She wanted to re-sit but could not afford the entry fees for the exams.

Determined for change

“I decided to start doing something to raise money to be able to take care of myself and save some to fulfill my dream of re-sitting and going to college or do something meaningful in life,” says Madi.

She started plaiting hair for her family and because she was creative with different hair styles, she quickly had friends, family and new customers coming to see her every day. Her reputation grew, she told us people started calling her ‘Madi Sefoi the Bluffay’ (for us this means a lady who is well presented and immaculate), quickly she started earning enough to start taking care of her immediate needs such as food and clothes, and eventually enough to save for her next step.

After hearing an IT course advertised on the radio, Madi left Bo and traveled to Freetown to complete the course. She continued to plait hair to support herself and enrolled for a customer care training course back in Bo City. “I learned how to attend to people and how to manage my time as well,” says Madi. “With all these training experiences, I continue with my passion of plaiting hair… earning some income that I’m using to take care of myself and my immediate family.”

“Disability is not inability”

On our show, Madi told her story. She said people living with disabilities need people to give them attention, support, and encouragement. People should include girls living with disabilities in opportunities that are available to others – in her words “…our disability is not inability. Girls living with disabilities are greatly in need of those opportunities”.

She went further during her Wae Gyal Pikin Timap interview and called on government to address the issues of people living with disabilities, especially girls, to create more opportunities that are accessible and disabled friendly.

Inviting girls like Madi onto the radio programme helps shine light on the issues girls are facing as part of our project called Every Adolescent Girl Empowered and Resilient (EAGER). We identify issues affecting girls who are out of school, including those living with disability, and give them the opportunity to discuss and tell their stories, and most importantly to share their creative solutions.

Meeting Madi was truly inspirational. She featured in an episode called ‘’Disability not holding girls back’’ and we know by inviting young co-hosts on the show it’s helping other girls. Last year, our research found listeners find the programme engaging and they like Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap because it features girls in relatable, real-life situations about issues relevant to their lives, as well as potential solutions. I believe it is how our programmes focus on inspiring and empowering girls which makes the difference.

--

Mariama Sesay is a Senior Producer for �� Media Action, Sierra Leone

Learn more about the EAGER project here
Read our new commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion here

When life imitates art: a love story on and off radio

2021-07-07T09:39:54+00:00

�� Media Action’s radio dramas in Somalia are deeply rooted in local life and culture, with convincing storylines that resonate. Read about how real-life began to imitate art with our actors Najah and Moukhtaar, who played a married couple in our Talo iyo Tacab (Trial and Triumph) drama, part of our Somali Women’s Economic Empowerment and Transformation project funded by NORAD - and are now happily wed themselves.

Najah Mohamoud Jama and Moukhtaar Mohamoud Abdi first met in 2016 in the �� Media Action studio, as they voiced roles in our radio drama Malmo dhama manta (Better days than today), part of a youth project supported by the multi-donor Somalia Stability Fund to support media development and media’s responsiveness to youth in Somalia. Moukhtaar, who is now 29, played the role of Ahmed, a young man who owned an internet café, while Najah, now 27, played the role of a young married woman named Asha.

Later, as part of our Somali Women towards Economic Empowerment and Transformation project funded by NORAD, they played the role of husband and wife in Talo iyo Tacab (Trial and triumph). Najah played a young woman named Hodan who meets and later marries Faysal, played by Moukhtaar, a young man who lives with his mother and sister. In the radio drama, Faysal and Hodan meet at university, start an online business during the coronavirus pandemic, fall in love and marry.

"The role I played in the programme reflected me. It was as though I was given the right character, because the changes that took place with Faysal were exactly the changes that took place in me," said Moukhtaar. "Often, our listeners call in to ask what will be in the next episode. Some of them, after hearing about our marriage, called it an encouragement."

Najah adds: "The programme has played a vital role in encouraging women to make decisions about their lives and that they can do business and compete with men."

Making waves

Talo iyo Tacab is part of our national radio magazine-style programme, Making Waves, which aims to support women in Somalia to develop their knowledge, confidence, and financial literacy, so they can take full advantage of economic opportunities. Broadcast via the �� Somali Service, as well as via five local broadcasters, the show features engaging drama and discussion content to positively influence the value placed on women’s economic role in society – both at the household and community level – and challenge harmful norms holding them back. It also provides women with practical information on business opportunities and available financial services, such as grants and loans, to help kick-start their careers.

Talo iyo Tacab shows young people that women can become successful entrepreneurs and contribute financially to a household, just as men can. Their storyline has been popular in part because it is challenging stereotypes and norms found in traditional society. "I have learnt that women can do what men do, it is just a matter of believing in themselves," says Najah. "I have friends who have changed their behaviours in life and self-development, after listening to the programme."

Real life romance

Meanwhile, Moukhtaar and Najah found real-life beginning to mirror the storyline – they became engaged in early June and married shortly after. In this, they, too, challenged cultural norms, in which mothers advise their daughters on whom they should marry. "The acting made me feel that I can surely lead my own home and only with Najah. I felt as a real family man while I was in the �� Media Action studio," Moukhtaar said.

The highlight of their colourful wedding was a song written for them by their radio drama colleague Sa’eed Ibrahim Dool.

"I was really moved by the courage of the two young actors and words started forming in my mind describing the situation, which I immediately put on paper," Sa’eed said.

The popular Somali singer Sahra Ahmed Abdillahi , also known as Sahra Ileys, who also performed in the radio drama, sang the song at their wedding: "I will give my heart in singing the song written for the couple."

Mohammed Gaas
Deputy Country Director
�� Media Action Somalia

Find out more about our work in Somalia here.

Period talk in South Sudan: community volunteers inspire change for women and girls

2021-05-26T15:18:42+00:00

It was a turbulent 30-minute flight from Juba to Torit, in a small plane. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery from my window seat, green hills, valleys, groups of thatched huts, roads and lanes, before we landed on the rough gravel airstrip, which is dusty during the dry season and very muddy during the rainy season.

I had travelled to Torit for training as part of our sexual and reproductive health and rights project. We run community mobilisation in partnership with civil society organisations by training supervisors and volunteers to implement activities at the grassroots level. Through our listening groups, families and communities come together to listen to our radio programme, Let’s Talk About Us, have discussions and find solutions to address issues they identify.

The factual 15-minute radio programme aims to dispel common misconceptions about sexual and reproductive health, to tell people’s stories – both positive and negative - and feature health experts. The topics talk about men and women, their relationships, their bodies, and their health, addressing harmful norms and misinformation on family planning, sexually transmitted infections and menstrual hygiene; power dynamics among couples, especially about who makes decisions, and gender-based violence.

My job is to support and train volunteers and supervisors who implement our community mobilisation outreach activities. I have been doing it for nearly three years and have had the chance to travel to various locations across the country. I have learned a lot through this job. For example, before listening to this program, I assumed that when a girl starts to menstruate, she is ready to conceive and to give birth, regardless of her age. I did not know that her body is not fully developed, and she could be at risk of complications during delivery.
In some communities in South Sudan, when daughters start to menstruate, they are immediately prepared for marriage. I also used to believe that it is the woman’s eggs that determine the sex of the child, and that when a woman gets married, if children are not conceived, it is all her fault. Listening to experts and life stories on the radio programme has changed my thinking for the better. Now I feel free and empowered to share what I have learnt with others, so that they can also make informed decisions.

On my visit to Torit, I was overwhelmed to meet Eunice, a volunteer in her 40s, who was very enthusiastic to learn, and energetic in actively leading and participating in the discussions. The team seemed equally surprised and pleased to meet me, and not someone from the UK, which I think they may have expected. Eunice quickly had the community group engaging with and responding to her. In her work, she distributes radios to families and follows up with them to ensure they have listened to Let’s talk about us episodes. She interacts with these families twice a week, and collects feedback for the research team’s data analysis, to help improve and develop the project.

A community discussion in Wau, South Sudan

Eunice introduced me to Patricia, a 37-year-old single mother, who is a regular listener to the programme. Patricia told me about the challenges she went through in her marriage and living with a physical impairment.

“We lived a happy life at the beginning, but it was very short. The relatives of my husband blamed him for marrying a lame woman. They considered their brother to have brought a curse in their family,” Patricia said. “They kept blaming him for marrying me until one day, in 2008, my husband told me that he was going for further studies. Then he went for good in 2020. He went back to his wife in Wau.”

Patricia’s resilience amazed me. Saying “disability is not inability,” she described her work with the South Sudan Ministry of Education in Eastern Equatoria, how she is studying for a degree in human resource management, and how she earns extra income through small business to support her two children – a boy and a girl - to go to school.

Patricia told me her favorite episode of Let’s talk about us was about puberty and body changes in young boys and girls. The episode featured a lady who was surprised when she first saw menstrual blood and didn’t know what it was. She thought that maybe she got pierced by a nail in her buttocks. Patricia says she doesn’t want her daughter to be surprised when she sees period blood in her panties one day. She already understood the need to talk to her children about bodily changes, but she said she did not realise that talking to them about this at an early age - before the changes starts to occur – was advised.

After listening to the programme, she spoke to her children, and she told us her daughter responded and said that a female senior teacher had been talking to them at school, too. She already knew that big girls at school were always given pads.

I related to Patricia’s story because of my own personal experience when I was growing up. My mother never shared any information with me about bodily changes, or even what to expect at a certain age. The day I saw my period had begun, I was very confused and could not approach my mother, because I had never heard that ladies menstruate. It is considered taboo for mothers to discuss menstruation with their daughters. Instead, I spoke with a friend who was older than me, and who had already started her period. She guided me on what to use and how to keep clean, including changing sanitary pads three times a day or even four times, depending on the flow of blood.

After feeling more knowledgeable about talking to her children, Patricia expressed interest in hearing more episodes and said she decided to take the radio to her workplace, so that her colleagues can listen too, and be empowered to make their own decisions about sexual and reproductive health and their rights, after learning the facts from experts and hearing real people’s stories.

I’m happy Let’s talk about us is shining a light on the issues that women and girls face in South Sudan, and it is good to see how it is inspiring change. There is much still to do, and many taboo topics to address. For instance, many husbands will send their wives back to their families if they give birth to too many daughters – but not if they have many sons. Newly created episodes are helping spark discussions around the sex of babies, and through the programme, listeners are informed of how babies are conceived and how the sex is determined.

Looking ahead, our community mobilisation activities around Let’s talk about us will go beyond providing knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights. We plan to broaden our focus to changing attitudes and perceptions about how women, girls and people living with disability can freely access services and build themselves a brighter future.

The radio programme Let’s talk about us forms part of our project, Amplifying Women’s Voices, which is supported by Global Affairs Canada. Find out more about our work in South Sudan here.

Supporting public interest media in Ethiopia

2021-05-05T08:53:36+00:00

It has been just two years since Ethiopia proudly hosted Unesco’s annual World Press Freedom Day conference, a moment of pride and hope for the country’s media landscape.

Much has changed in those two years – as it has for media around the world. Political, legal and especially economic pressures are making it more difficult for independent media everywhere to survive. Ethiopia's economy has been severely affected by the global pandemic, and both public and private media organisations are reporting significant advertising revenue losses. They are also facing additional operational costs to ensure the safety and security of their journalists.

Yet, while the pandemic has intensified media's financial struggles, it has also unleashed an infodemic of false and misleading information, which makes reliable media all the more important in ensuring people can access information they trust.

So, how do you support public interest media in a country such as Ethiopia? �� Media Action is leading Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development, funded by UK Aid and working across Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and Bangladesh, to help tackle some of these challenges.

A diverse group of partners

Here in Ethiopia, PRIMED is working at several levels. We have identified several media outlets already producing valuable public interest content, and we will work with them to help them make that content even better, by helping them raise their ethical and professional standards, and helping them engage more strongly with their audiences so they understand and serve them better. We will also work with them to develop effective and sustainable business models, and strengthen their management skills, so they can become more financially viable and better able to resist shocks and pressures, while still remaining independent and impartial in their content.

Our partners so far range from well-known TV stations to a small community radio station – a diverse group whom we hope will, in turn, go on to inspire others to follow suit, and even encourage the next generation of journalists. These have been validated through careful audience research, which has demonstrated that Ethiopian readers, viewers and listeners already consider them more trusted than other local media outlets, and that they make a positive contribution to public discourse. And we have found that many journalists, media and internet platforms already show real commitment to high ethical and professional standards. The hope is that by helping these partners to become more successful, the bar will be raised for all media outlets.

PRIMED is also working at the sector level, strengthening institutions and organisations that can help improve the operating environment for media: advocating for legal reforms, helping raise ethical standards, and developing effective mechanisms for self-regulation. Organisations such as the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), the Editors Guild of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Community Radio Association and the Ethiopian Media Council all have a role to play in professionalising robust, independent, impartial media.

All of our partners in PRIMED share the hope and conviction that shoring up the foundations of independent, impartial, trusted media in Ethiopia is possible, and fundamental to the country’s growth and development. Solid institutions are not built overnight, but in time, through strong partnerships. On this World Press Freedom Day, we have celebrated these first steps toward stronger public interest media in Ethiopia.

Mihret Aschalew is project manager in Ethiopia for Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development, a consortium led by �� Media Action and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. This blog is based on her presentation to a World Press Freedom Day webinar hosted by International Observatory of Human Rights.

“I want my voice to be heard” – how young radio co-hosts are pushing for gender equality in Sierra Leone

2021-03-05T13:46:35+00:00

Tamu, a guest co-host in �� Media Action’s girls’ empowerment radio show, Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap

“The best person to advocate for a girl is the girl herself,” says 16-year-old Tamu in Sierra Leone.

Tamu is co-presenting on a special episode of �� Media Action radio programme Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap (‘When a Girl Child Stands Strong’) to mark International Women’s Day 2021. The episode looks at this year’s theme - #choosetochallenge - through the eyes of girls: how girls see inequity in Sierra Leone, which everyday difficulties and imbalances most affect them, and how they would like those around them to stand with them on calling out these issues.

As a guest co-presenter, Tamu works alongside the show’s regular presenters, conducting interviews, helping to choose guests and introducing themes and segments.

Life can be tough for girls in Sierra Leone, who tend to have lower school attendance and higher drop-out rates than boys, as well as a high incidence of early marriage and early pregnancy.

The girls talk about inequality in education, where girls are not sent to school as frequently as boys, and the distribution of household chores which tend to fall to girls, as well as more serious issues like rape and early marriage.

Some girls in Sierra Leone say they don’t feel able to talk about inequities and challenges with adults around them. But in her role as co-presenter, Tamu encourages girls to find their voices and speak out, and calls on others to stand with them against inequality:

“If you try to advocate for yourself, then other people can come and help you. We can’t stand up on our own – we need everyone to stand up with us. But if we girls just sit back, people will think that we are okay with what is happening to us - when in reality we are really not okay.”

When a girl stands strong

Tamu is the latest young co-presenter in �� Media Action’s girls’ empowerment radio show. Produced nationally, and broadcast weekly on over 60 radio stations in Sierra Leone, Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap is the show which sees the world through the stories and experiences of girls.

It aims to create a more positive and supportive environment around marginalised girls in Sierra Leone – particularly those who are not in education - by showing audiences what girls can achieve when they are valued, listened to, encouraged and given more equal opportunities.

(L-R): Ramatoulai, a guest co-presenter; Marian Tina Conteh, the show's regular host; and Wurroh Jalloh, a young footballer. This photo was taken in Kenema District.

It is a girl-led, girl-centred format that marks an innovative new approach to girls’ empowerment. “As a young girl, I wanted my voice to be heard,” says 17-year-old Mary, another recent co-presenter.

“Society thinks that it’s best to make decisions for us - but it’s the opposite. I hope parents, caregivers, and society listening to the programme will change their mindset about girls and will give girls the right and chance to make decisions.”

Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap focuses less on problems and more on solutions – including ideas and solutions which girls have found for themselves. The approach is changing the way girls are seen in their families and communities.

“Whenever I listen to the programme, I call to other children around the community - not just my daughter – to come and listen to the stories of their colleagues,” says one mother in the rural district of Kono. Her own teenage daughter has dropped out of school, but she feels inspired by the girls voices she hears in the show. “I love the program as they interview girls to tell their stories,” she told the �� Media Action research team.

Choosing to challenge – by girls for girls

A father who listens to the programme calls his teenage son to join him when the show comes on: “The children they use to participate on air are very bold and I like that a lot. In fact, I use that to motivate my son. The most interesting part of the programme for me is when they involve the kids in it. It is very important, and it is a motivating factor for most kids around the district.”

As well as the national show, �� Media Action journalism mentors are also training and supporting 18 local radio stations to produce their own local versions of the show – with the aim of showcasing local examples, services and solutions to help generate and spark community discussions around the issues raised.

It’s a first step towards changing the media culture in Sierra Leone, to put more voices of women and girls on air - and to allow girls themselves to lead discussions around girls’ empowerment.

For the girls who have taken part in the programmes, it already feels like that change is happening.

“Being on Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap was like being part of the new era already unfolding - and it felt great!” says 19-year-old Millicentia Boateng, another previous co-presenter. “Discussing girls’ issues is an inspiration especially to myself - to do more, live more and inspire more. I hope people who've heard me on the radio look at things from my eye’s view and protect girls.’’

Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap is part of the EAGER project – which is funded by UK Aid from the UK government. Learn more about the project here.

(L-R): Marian Tina Conteh, presenter of Wae Gyal Pikin Tinap, with 13-year-old Aminata - a student and musician. This photo was taken in Kono.

How Somali women are supporting the country’s economy – and its future

2021-03-02T12:22:54+00:00

In Somalia, traditional gender roles and cultural norms run deep, and women running small businesses have often done so out of circumstance: widowhood, divorce, or a family that is otherwise struggling amid high rates of unemployment. In these situations, women frequently support their households by selling market goods such as tea, charcoal, vegetables, milk or khat leaves.

But these cultural norms are changing, as a growing number of young Somali women returning home from abroad go into business to attain financial freedom and to maintain control over their own lives.

This is a clear indication that with time, entrepreneurship by women will play a key role in the growth and economic transformation of Somalia. Tax collected from these small businesses can play a vital role in the country’s economy. And this shift in gender roles in business can, in turn, lead to further transformation of the role of women in society.

Training for the future

I am proud to be leading a project that is training 400 women in entrepreneurial skills for formal and informal business, including some of the most vulnerable groups in our society, and to encourage men to back them in their endeavours.

Somali women meet in an entrepreneurial training session. Photo credit: �� Media Action

Our aim is to enable women in Somalia to overcome the barriers they face in accessing the labour market, and so tackle the hardships that result from poverty, conflict and a clan-based culture which promotes strict male hierarchy and authority. Religious and cultural limitations also impact women’s role and societal status.

Our project, Somali Women's Economic Empowerment and Transformation (SWEET), helps enhance business skills, builds networks, and overcomes cultural myths and norms around the status of women in the community, in part by including religious leaders in our discussions. We also provide Somali people with public platforms to discuss issues surrounding women entrepreneurship, including success stories from role models, and the cultural norms that hinder women’s success in the business world, through our Facebook and Twitter pages and our work with five local radio stations, producing localised programmes in their regions.

Celebrating real-life successes

This local work is accompanied by a national radio drama featuring real-life success stories of women in business, and how they overcame negative myths and cultural norms; it also invites audiences to interact by discussing ‘dilemma’ questions.

For instance, Fardaus, who is 24 and the proud owner of a boutique in Hargeisa, told me that her aunt helped her to convince her father to agree to her business, and support her financially to realise her dream.

"The more my business grew, the more I became independent," she told me, smiling. "I have also inspired many young women in setting up small businesses.’’ Faurdaus is a university graduate with a degree in computer science; she now hopes to build on her success with a chain of boutiques in cities across Somaliland.

Despite all the challenges women entrepreneurs encounter in Somalia, they are showing that they are up to the challenge of being skilled business operators, often while also balancing their more traditional roles.

By encouraging dialogue among men and women, providing information on business opportunities, training in financial management and ‘soft skills’ like customer relations, and providing access to business networks and financial services, we believe these women are empowered for a better future for themselves and for their community and society.

SWEET is supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) - learn more about the project here.

Supporting independent radio in Zambia

2021-02-11T12:18:21+00:00

In Zambia, sometimes the greatest challenge to independent radio is simply staying on air.

We have a lively media scene here in Zambia, although editorial standards are not always high, and most small community radio stations struggle to make ends meet. Among their many challenges are frequent power cuts which may last for up to eight hours a day – jeopardising programming, audience loyalty, and precious advertising space and revenue.

They also struggle with low salaries and high staff turnover. They often lack insight into who their audiences are and what they need to hear, and don’t have the capacity or knowledge to market their programmes more effectively.

Part of our focus in our Radio Waves project is working with 14 community radio stations, right across the country, to help them overcome these challenges and become more economically sustainable, while bringing higher quality content to their audiences. We work using the editorial standards of the �� to train and mentor journalists to ensure they are delivering impartial, accurate programmes that resonate with their audiences. And we focus particularly on helping them reach younger people, so they can participate in democratic processes, and hold decision-makers to account.

Understanding challenges

We work with them on audience insight and surveys, help them develop effective ways to get feedback for improvement and new ideas, and help with marketing so that they are better able to draw in advertising at a fair price for the market. And we encourage them to consider alternative power sources, learning from those that have turned to solar panels as a more sustainable source of power than generators. Each time, our work and our approach is tailored to that specific context – before we can support them effectively, we need to understand the challenges and who the stakeholders are.

A journalist at �� Media Action radio partner KNC Radio in Kabwe, Zambia.

Now that Zambia is deep in a second wave of COVID-19 infections, our local radio partners face even more complex challenges.

Advertising has dropped even more as small businesses fight to survive and larger ones redirect their spending. And small production teams are trying to continue their programmes while keeping themselves safe, working on rotation and spending more on telephone and Internet when they cannot interview people in person. In one case I know of, a radio station had to pause production when its entire production team tested positive!

But I also know small radio stations are making a difference in their communities. Before joining �� Media Action, I was one of their mentees, at a radio station in the south of the country. So I understand how critical these voices are in providing important information that people need for their day-to-day lives, as well as platforms for debate and discussion.

The power to speak and be heard

What I find most inspiring is seeing communities speaking up about their concerns and holding leaders to account. At one radio station, we were able to inspire a group of young listeners to join a debate broadcast to ask questions of local decision-makers. After this, they realised they could be a part of the solution and formed a youth co-operative, working to improve the community, helping each other with loan applications for starting businesses, and having follow-up meetings with local councillors on issues of concern.

Young people began to realise they have the solutions – they just needed an impartial platform to allow them to challenge cultural norms and ask questions of elders and decision-makers. Radio gave them the voice and the power to speak and be heard.

--

Radio Waves is funded by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida).

�� Media Action’s work in Zambia is providing a foundation for learning in PRIMED - Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development. This �� Media Action-led consortium, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, aims to support independent media and deliver ground-breaking research and learning on what is most effective in creating sustainable media.

Media at scale during a pandemic – COVID-19 in Nigeria

2021-02-05T17:35:39+00:00

The past year has been an incredibly challenging time for journalists and programme makers across the world. I remember telling my team in Nigeria at the outset of the pandemic in February 2020 that what we communicate to our audiences may save lives.

It was a daunting and uncertain time. The Government of Nigeria responded quickly with an unprecedented “stay at home order” in several Nigerian states.

The lockdown order immediately put the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians at risk. The prices of staple goods started increasing as people across the country prepared to stay at home to curtail the spread of a disease that, at the time, had only 131 confirmed cases and two reported fatalities. For many, it was hard to understand why such action was necessary. Meanwhile, misinformation and disinformation spread across the media with many claiming that COVID-19 was not real.

Given Nigeria's population of over 200 million people, we knew trusted media and communication were critical to counter misinformation and rapidly reach people with life-saving information. �� Media Action immediately pivoted our existing national brands, Talk Your Own in Pidgin and Mu Tattau Na in Hausa, to provide accurate health information.

But with a ban on domestic and foreign travel, we were not able to travel to our partners, or to invite some contributors to our studios for recordings. Nor were we able to invite our 130 trainees to Abuja for face-to-face trainings. Internet outages were a constant challenge when remotely interviewing contributors and our producers often stayed awake until the early hours of the morning to conduct interviews when their Internet bandwidth could maintain an uninterrupted connection.

We featured health experts and remote interviews with health workers on the front line; COVID-19 patients in isolation and those who had recovered; community leaders, religious leaders, and of course regular Nigerians across the country, providing them with a national platform to share their experiences and ask questions directly to decision-makers. We took extra care to be inclusive and give a voice to traditionally marginalised audiences who often suffer more in humanitarian crises, such as women, people living with disabilities, and older Nigerians who are particularly at risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms.

A minibus became a mobile recording studio when it was safe to meet contributors during the pandemic

We also pooled our experiences working on COVID-19 globally across �� Media Action, and the �� World Service. Our health advisors used these insights to develop a handbook and a series of trainings for journalists who suddenly had to become experts on COVID-19 and Lifeline communication.

And, across ten states in Nigeria, we trained and mentored 130 journalists and producers on how to responsibly communicate in a public health emergency. “I learnt to be able to generate ideas that are relevant to the moment,” reported one trainee. “I learnt the value of data, timely data, consistent data, and correct data. I learnt there is value in getting correct data.”

What is more, we did all of this whilst most of Nigeria was under lockdown. Curfews were being imposed; many were suffering from an immediate loss of income and people wanted to know where and how to receive aid.

More worryingly, misinformation and disinformation were and are still rife – our current research has shown that 55% of people still believe in one or more myths about COVID-19.

Reaching millions at a time of critical need

Following audience research conducted in December 2020, we estimated that our radio programming reached 40.6 million Nigerians, or 35% of the population, during a time of critical need. Three in five (61%) Mu Tattau Na listeners and half (49%) of Talk Your Own listeners told researchers that they did change their actions as a result of listening.

In Kaduna, a man who listens to Mu Tattau Na told us “…listeners know how the program played a vital role in creating awareness… this is what you are supposed to do before you go out, how you wear the face mask, how to wash your hands and how to practice social distancing. Again, when you have a symptom of fever, what you are expected to do”.

Another woman, also from Kaduna, told researchers “they confirm information before they air it. Also, they are sourcing the information from �� and honestly �� doesn’t tell lies”.

Media at scale in a pandemic

Seeing our hard work pay off and make a difference to our audiences has given us a burst of energy to drive forward into 2021 – it feels good to know those late nights and our coordinated efforts have contributed to saving lives.

But we also know that great challenges are still before us. Nigerians are experiencing fatigue with the pandemic, and are less likely to take precautions to protect themselves. This is a serious concern given that, at the time of writing, the number of daily cases is around 2,000. At the peak of the first wave, the number of cases did not exceed 900.

Misinformation and disinformation persist around the pandemic. Our research shows that 25% believe that COVID-19 is a plot to divert public money and, perhaps even more alarmingly, 16% do not believe COVID-19 is real. What is more, we also know – from research and from our own work in childhood immunisation in the north of the country - that Nigerians have mixed feelings about vaccine uptake. Research conducted by SB Intel in Nigeria reported that 40% of Nigerians would not accept a COVID-19 vaccine if given the option. With the mass roll-out of vaccines scheduled for Nigeria later in 2021, I worry that even if vaccines are made available to Nigerians, this misinformation and hesitancy will hamper the country’s ability to curb the pandemic.

With news about the vaccine everywhere, Nigerians are already forming opinions and sharing their views with others. We cannot afford to wait – our work must continue to inspire people to carry on with preventative actions, while getting in front of this challenge to ensure success in vaccine uptake. As Africa’s most populous country, and its largest economy, the health and success of the entire continent depends upon it.

Kaleem Khan is �� Media Action's Country Director in Nigeria

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office support our national radio projects - Talk Your Own in Pidgin and Mu Tattau Na in Hausa. Learn more about the projects here.

Continuing the fight against COVID-19 in Ethiopia

2020-11-13T14:38:10+00:00

Amid unrest and pandemic fatigue, our Ethiopia team is working to deliver trusted information about COVID-19 as well as inspirational stories about how people are coping. Our social media producer Annis Tefferi gives us the behind-the-scenes view.

I joined �� Media Action earlier this year as the pandemic was beginning, when we were just starting to understand the huge impact it would have on our work and on our society. Since then we have worked through a six-month national emergency, and adjusted under difficult circumstances to continue providing trusted health information in multiple languages in Addis Ababa, and in Amhara and Tigray regions.

Our work on COVID-19 is focused on three areas. The first is on the virus itself – how it is transmitted, how to protect yourself, symptoms and how and when to seek treatment, and how families and communities can best care for each other and cope in this difficult time.. We are examining the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of women and girls. And we are raising awareness about misinformation, to dispel and counter the dangerous rumours that circulate about COVID-19.

We are creating public service announcements, social media content and a new radio segment covering all these themes. We are also supporting partner radio stations in Amhara and Addis Ababa with our Lifeline training, so that they are better able to report on the pandemic, check their facts and share trusted information, and stop the spread of misinformation. Our hope is that these radio stations are better able to serve their audiences with what people need and want to know.

A man washes his hands in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Credit: Getty Images

Public interest media are essential in the pandemic to reach a wide audience with trusted information. Radio is still the most powerful format in Ethiopia, as many remote and rural communities otherwise have no access to media at all. Our support for our partner radio stations helps ensure these communities receive reliable information.

But in urban centres, Internet use is exploding, especially through mobile phones and among young audiences. We are proud that our new Facebook page, launched earlier this year, already has more than 11,000 followers, and we are working hard to make sure we can reach audiences and engage wherever they access information most.

The biggest problem we face now is that people are tired of hearing about the pandemic, and some are even beginning to forget about the importance of using face masks and physical distancing. The six-month state of emergency declared to control the virus has been lifted, although COVID-19 prevention measures remain in place and are required for people who run businesses that attract large numbers of customers.. The initial fear and panic seem to have passed. People are much more worried about their livelihoods, everyday social issues and security amidst the possibility of further unrest. It is almost as if the pandemic has been forgotten.

But we are still at risk. As of November, we have had more than 100,000 reported cases till November, although the figures may be underreported as people do not always have access to testing. In rural areas in particular, access to water is often difficult, so it can be hard to practice regular handwashing with soap.

As we pay more attention to the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives and livelihoods, and how they are coping, we continue to remind audiences across all of our outputs that COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, and that it’s still important to wash hands regularly, maintain physical distancing and wear face coverings. We constantly challenge ourselves to ensure all our stories are engaging and memorable to grab people’s attention! This is an exciting part of the job.

When we started off, we worked on a series of stories about ordinary people supporting the most vulnerable in their communities. One was about a woman who is highly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of a lung condition, and how a group of young entrepreneurs in Addis Ababa ensured she was able to stay at home while continuing to make a living by supporting her in a bead-jewellery-making enterprise. Her products were collected from her and sold online, with the proceeds returned to her to look after herself and her daughter. That was really inspiring, to see how people can support each other to get through this pandemic. I was touched by this story and to date it remains my favourite.

Filming the ride-sharing service for women, by women, in Addis Ababa. Credit: �� Media Action

Another story that I feel strongly about is a film about a new women-led ride-sharing company, whose drivers are also all women, and how they are working to keep drivers and passengers safe. This start-up success is a positive story of women’s economic empowerment at a time that is especially difficult for women and girls, because of disruptions to education and employment, and increased risk of domestic violence.

The ultimate joy and pride for me comes from the fact that my work will provide people with information that helps them and their families and communities stay safe, while dealing with the impact of the pandemic on their everyday lives.

It has been a challenging time to work in health communication but we know that it’s important to continue. It will take help from every part of our society to control the virus and our work is helping to remind people that they need to be aware of its impact, and to continue to protect themselves as best they can.

The Lifeline communication in the COVID-19 pandemic project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and running in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Police reform: how media is addressing security reform in Nigeria

2020-11-13T14:04:49+00:00

Amid the End SARS protests and political unrest sweeping many states in Nigeria, Project Manager Damian Ihekoronye describes how �� Media Action Nigeria’s creative team are working to facilitate dialogue and accountability between Nigerians and their police force. Our ‘E fit happen’ series, which depicts what an ideal police force might look like and what it might take to get there, has gone viral across Nigeria, with millions of views that have sparked debate on the necessity of police reforms and accountability.

When we started the Security and Justice Reform Programme in late 2017, our formative research indicated that challenges around police reform were deep and entrenched: budgets were not transparent, security institutions were male-dominated, and human rights violations were seen as part of the job. These issues made Nigerians afraid to discuss police reform publicly, including in the media.

Many Nigerians held entrenched biases about the police, based on their negative experiences. I also had unconscious bias towards the police, due to some ugly experiences of my own and I wasn’t the only one. Many of my colleagues shared stories when we sat down for our first production meeting.

Using media to address security reform was entirely new territory, and highly sensitive. It was difficult for media organisations to talk about the accountability of uniformed men and women to Nigerian citizens.

“Police is your friend’’

This is the slogan the police here have tried to use to win the confidence and trust of the people, but it has not taken root. People just didn’t trust the police and are more likely to associate them with corruption, intimidation, brutality and bribery. Our national programming aimed to foster informed, inclusive, and constructive public discussion and dialogue to bring about change – and we knew it would be a challenge.

We started by conducting rigorous research in five focal states of Lagos, Borno, Enugu, Kano and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – to gain insight into audiences’ perceptions, knowledge and understanding of the issues.

Our research team in Abuja found only 25% of respondents said they had confidence in police to prevent crime. A young male in rural Enugu told our researchers, “For the policemen, you have to ‘settle’ (bribe) them before they carry out operation no matter what”. And only 5% of survey participants were concerned about security issues. Socio-economic issues including poverty, unemployment and the lack of social amenities came first.

So how could our programmes address an issue that was clearly a ticking time bomb, but not a top priority for most people? Should we approach it with confrontational conversation and blame? These options felt risky and unlikely to drive positive change.

We decided to leverage our flagship Nigerian radio programmes Talk Your Own and Mu Tattauna (Let’s Discuss) because our audience research indicated that they were listened to by at least 3 of 10 research respondents across Nigeria.

We facilitated informed, inclusive and constructive dialogue for public discussions. We moderated conversations between top police officials and the public across our radio, TV and social media platforms.

We created ‘Kommando’, a visual and audio comic skit that used humour to engage with audiences about sensitive topics such as bribery or harassment of women in general by police. This popular comedy helped lessen people’s fear of discussing these problems in the media and we saw audiences begin to connect to the real issues.

Policemen and women also enjoyed the 'Kommando' skits and shared them widely amongst their colleagues. A young man in rural Borno described how he didn’t used to go to the police. “..Now I have been encouraged by the programme that I can visit the police station with my head up high and leave there the same way.”

Changing the narrative – "E fit happen"

Given the underlying public distrust towards the police, to engage Nigerians in solutions-based discussions about police reform we employed an aspirational approach to our programming.

Our focus on reform, moving away from antagonism to how things could get better was a novel way of approaching security reform in the Nigerian media.

We launched our "E fit happen" multimedia series also known as "Yana cya Yiwuw" in Hausa language. "E fit happen" is both a question (Can it happen?) and a belief (It can happen).

The "E fit happen" TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs) challenged citizens to envision the kind of police they wanted and to engage authorities in constructive dialogue, discussions, and conversations from an informed position. The media content showed that accountability, proper funding, public trust and training are all needed to achieve the desired police force.

Our combined radio, TV and online content reached approximately 5.8 million across the project focal states of Lagos, Enugu, Kano, Borno and FCT. And the high performing online content reached 2.2 million Facebook users across our two language handles - �� Media Action Naija and Arewa.

Demands for action

Exactly two years since we launched this series, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Nigeria in the #EndSARS protests against police brutality, in a dramatic call for change.

I’ve seen the E Fit Happen videos go viral, with many shares, likes and millions of views sparking debate on the necessity of police reform. Despite the turmoil witnessed during the End SARs protests, at �� Media Action we look forward to the opportunity to continue to bring Nigerians and duty bearers within the security services together to continue to engage in constructive solutions-based discussions on police reform in Nigeria.

Damian Ihekoronye
Project Manager, Security & Justice Reform Programme (SJRP)

The project has been delivering national programming across Nigeria to foster informed, inclusive, and constructive public discussion and dialogue around security and justice reform. The project has been supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the British High Commission since December 2017.

Conflict, flooding and now coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia

2020-07-31T10:19:25+00:00

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 increase across Africa, and the World Health Organization warns the pandemic is accelerating, we fear the novel coronavirus is spreading within and from densely populated urban areas on the continent. Rising cases in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu are especially worrying, which is already disrupted by years of conflict, and struggling to support thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs).

Recent flooding has also increased the number of internally displaced people into urban areas, creating the perfect environment for infectious disease such as acute watery diarrhoea and measles. And there are concerns that the virus will further spread, unnoticed, in congested camps.We at �� Media Action are still working to ensure programmes and training continue to help support the most vulnerable members of society.

We’ve started this by working to ensure the safety of our staff in our Somalia office, especially production teams and contributors, without compromising our programmes’ quality or audience engagement. We provide handwashing stations, sanitizers, gloves and masks at all times, and keeping distance is also observed by everyone in the office. Most of our staff are advised to work from home, observing safety measures including avoiding public transport and visiting crowded places.

In our work, we have adapted in part by conducting remote mentoring with our partner stations throughout Somaliland and Somalia. Our production teams have adopted new formats that allow the incorporation of COVID-19 related themes in their programmes. The teams collect questions from our audiences, which are then answered by health, traditional and religious experts. Drama programmes are now examining how characters change their behaviours in light of COVID-19.

Somalis have adopted a ‘keep distance and hygiene’ slogan, ‘Hay Taban Hays Taban.’ But maintaining distance and sticking to strict hygiene rules is a huge challenge in the warm social culture of the Somali people. The traditional elders advise others to avoid traditional greetings, which include hand-shakes and embracing. They also advise newly appointed Sultans (Traditional leaders) and Agils (traditional chiefs) to avoid sipping milk from one shared pot at traditional ceremonies, as they would normally do, but rather use different containers instead.

Our programmes welcome religious leaders to give an Islamic perspective on COVID-19. They convey very encouraging messages through examples from the Holy Koran, such as how quarantine was practiced when a town was infected by cholera; those in the town remained in lockdown and those outside the town did not enter. They ask their congregations to perform ablutions at home, to pray in the mosque at a distance of 1.5m apart, and to put cloths down to avoid faces touching the carpet.

Religious leaders put more emphasis on COVID-19 in their Friday sermons and advise congregants to adhere to the WHO and Ministry of Health directives. They also dispel misinformation, amid common beliefs that COVID-19 cannot affect Muslims, or that it may be cured by spices, khat or camel milk.

Health experts are providing good preventive messages to our audiences. But we still face challenges, particularly in rural communities where it is not always understood that gloves and masks are meant for one person and one-time use.

These are difficult times for the people of Somalia, who are already suffering not only from flooding and conflict but now an outbreak of locusts. The country’s health systems have been impacted by decades of civil war, without the intensive-care hospital beds needed for a serious COVID-19 outbreak. Amid these many challenges, information can save lives: providing people with the tools to understand how to help protect themselves, and when and how to seek treatment.

Mohammed A. Gaas
Deputy Country Director for �� Media Action in Somaliland and Somalia

�������� Media Action Feed