Anchoring Awareness in the Community - Handicap International

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Train by doing During training for animators in Somaliland, the goal was not to ask them to learn by heart the contents of a thick guidebook, but to know how to use it for the house-to-house awareness program. In this way, the animators themselves “taught the lesson”. They were divided into small groups and each group had a subject to work on. They were given time to prepare, then each small group presented a complete awareness session before the entire assembly. The assembly was expected to react to the proposed session and discuss how to improve its contents. Know how to say what’s wrong During the project, conflicts or communication difficulties were sometimes encountered with partner associations. Discussion and listening allowed overcoming them. In particular, after a series of misunderstandings with the partner association in the Afar region (Ethiopia), a meeting was organized during which Handicap International was able to present all the points it considered unsatisfactory in the implementation of activities and the partner relationship. All remarks were then taken into consideration by the partner and further relations with the partner were based on mutual trust and exchange. Delegate more or less Links with the partner association depended heavily on the context and on geographical proximity. In the regions where the Handicap International team was present, it worked very closely with the partner association and supported it in daily management of activities. It was not possible to ensure the same level of assistance in the Afar region (Ethiopia), located at a distance requiring many hours to reach by car. Therefore, in this region the partner association implemented activities with a great degree of independence with regular visits from Handicap International every quarter. Find regular occasions for discussion Each month, the partner association sent in a monthly activity report for all animators and each quarter, a narrative and financial report describing activities undertaken. After receiving the quarterly report, the Handicap International project manager visited each site, even those that were far away, in order to spend time in the field with the animators and their managers. Each quarterly visit was the occasion for the partner association and Handicap International to discuss together strategy, problems encountered and perspectives. Join forces to enable ambitious action At Hargeisa (Somaliland), a number of NGOs participated in the creation of a youth center, which offered a leisure area with different games (table soccer, billiards, ping-pong, sports field, etc.). The participation of different association stakeholders, both local and international, enabled installing a library, a dozen computers with Internet access, education on health topics and, in particular, in the framework of a project led by Handicap International, development of awareness on the topic of AIDS, with the presence of leader-advisors. 30
3. Creating an awareness environment Part 2 1. Varied visual communication tools d Use existing tools that have shown their worth d Communicate where others are not already present d Choose media adapted to lifestyle d Make information available to all d Target priority subjects without trying to be exhaustive d Have the tools validated by different partners d Test the process before generalizing it d Promote broad distribution of tools created 2. Popular radio broadcasts d Test the impact of the first broadcasts before continuing d Transmit messages using community voices d Respect gender to reach women more effectively d Vary broadcasts to avoid boredom d Make the message a “habit” by giving it a story line d Choose prime-time broadcasting d Evaluate impact from the beginning 3. Use of traditional group exchange d Use cultural habits for increasing awareness d Leadership techniques to make people think d Choose busy public places 4. Festive events to convey the messages d Involve health authorities for greater impact d Announce to attract d Use the know-how of existing associations for animating the event d Mix modernity and tradition to raise awareness d Adapt awareness events to the audience d Encourage testing through “positive life” testimonials d Use humor to raise awareness d Make realer than real by demonstrating d Use high-impact testimonials d Ask questions to make sure d Use powerful symbols In parallel to the house-to-house awareness program, designed to raise awareness by bringing in-depth knowledge of the disease to the home, an environment of collective awareness was created in the community. First, various communication tools were designed so that awareness would be visible in different places and contexts. At the same time, in some regions the project took inspiration from collective traditions of exchange, which are anchored in the culture, in order to adapt them to the awareness program. Finally, festive events centered on musical concerts or circus shows were used to create animated gatherings for attracting crowds. These were ideal for raising awareness in playful, varied ways. 31
Page 1 and 2: LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE: KNOW-HOW A
Page 3 and 4: Contents Introduction 04 P a r t 1
Page 5 and 6: Context and Methodology Part 1 This
Page 7 and 8: 2. An ambitious project Part 1 Alth
Page 9 and 10: homes and implying community leader
Page 11 and 12: A VARIETY OF LEARNING-FROM-EXPERIEN
Page 13 and 14: Implementing Know-How Part 2 1. Dar
Page 15 and 16: ADAPTED AWARENESS METHOD The choice
Page 17 and 18: has come as a “dagou” (meaning
Page 19 and 20: COMMUNITY LEADERS AS FACILITATORS T
Page 21 and 22: people to receive the animators by
Page 23 and 24: Through house-to-house awareness de
Page 25 and 26: ANIMATORS AND AWARENESS DEVELOPMENT
Page 27 and 28: INVALUABLE DOUBLE SUPPORT FOR ANIMA
Page 29: STRENGTHENING PARTNER ASSOCIATIONS
Page 33 and 34: of 40 radio programs broadcast over
Page 35 and 36: HIV/AIDS in Somali, which were well
Page 37 and 38: FESTIVE EVENTS TO CONVEY THE MESSAG
Page 39 and 40: 4. Carrying out more precisely targ
Page 41 and 42: SUCCESS STORY: BAR OWNERS ACT AS RE
Page 43 and 44: To learn more… In this document,
Page 45: Handicap International 14 avenue Be

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