#03 GlobalBC Outreach June2013

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www.ifrc.org

Saving lives, changing minds.

#03June 2013

Welcome noteWelcome to the third edition of the BC Outreach newsletter. In this edition, the BC team isproud to announce the launch o the Haiti BC Review 2012 which highlights the successeso sharing lie-saving inormation with aected population in Haiti. Enclosed as well areinteresting stories o creative and eective BC practices within National Societies aroundthe globe.

Readers, i you eel there are stories rom within your respective locations which should beshared, please be reminded that the ourth edition o Outreach is scheduled or publicationon 2nd September. Thereore kindly send your articles to [email protected] and an articleshould contain no more than 250 words with supporting photograph(s) and caption.

Thank you, enjoy the newsletter.

Valli Ponniah

Haiti benefciary communication

review 2012On 29th May 2013, the Haiti BC Review 2012 was launched. The review nds there has beenconsiderable success in sharing potentially lie-saving inormation with aected popu-lation. The IFRC BC programme in Haiti was established in response to the devastatingearthquake that struck the country on 12 January 2010 and it aimed to use mass mediacommunications tools to establish dialogue with communities, provide useul humani-tarian inormation, and support operational projects implemented by the Red Cross RedCrescent.

The review ound that 87.5 per cent reported receiving inormation rom the Red CrossRed Crescent, 88.5 per cent o these said the inormation they received rom the Red CrossRed Crescent was useul, 79 per cent said the inormation received was simple and easy tounderstand and 82 per cent said they shared inormation received with amily and riends.

It noted a growing number o people choosing to proactively access inormation rom theRed Cross Red Crescent themselves, as shown by the large numbers calling the TeleonKwa Wouj IVR system, the Noula questions and complaints line, and the Radyo Kwa Woujbroadcasts.

Mr. Alexandre Claudon, the head o delegation o IFRC said We are rightly proud o oursuccesses in Haiti, including helping more than 40,000 amilies move into saer placesto live, and reaching more than two and a hal million people with health and rst aidprogrammes. New communication technologies mean we not only have the opportunity,but also the responsibility, to do that more completely than ever beore. Todays report isan important step in identiying how we can move orward and include genuine two-way

News at a glance

Africa zone

Sierra Leone TERA Launch

America zone

Costa Rican Red Cross

Youth Radio Show

Haiti IVR system receives

one million calls

Asia Pacic zoneS Asa

BC in Afghanistan and

Bangladesh

Shelter programme by

Pakistan Red Crescent

Society.

Seas Asa

BC in Myanmar Red Cross

programmes

Paf Cooks Island Red Cross

with television station

Eas Asa :

Korean Red Cross Society

reaches multi-cultural

communities

Europe zone:

Azerbaijan Red Crescent

Society conducts beneciary

satisfaction survey

Haiti Beneciary

Communications (BC) Review

2012

Country

Updates

Announcement

GLOBAL EDITION


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2 /Beneciary Communication Outreach Edition 2, March 2013

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

CountryUpdates

Americas zone

The Costa Rican Red Crosss awardwinning online youth radio show

RADIO Cruz Roja Juventud (Red Cross Youth Radio) is

an initiative radio show started by the Costa Rican Red

Crosss Youth Programme. The station was launched inJune 2011 and this novel medium has been principallyadministrated by volunteers, generating special pro-grammes ocused on health, culture and the promo-tion o institutional capacities by giving listeners rsthand, real time inormation on the actions undertakenby the Costa Rican Red Cross.

Africa zone

TERA live in Sierra Leone: Using tech-nology to save lives

The Sierra Leone Red Cross and Airtel, the countrys

largest mobile operator, have teamed up to use mo-

bile phone technology to save lives in Sierra Leone.

Launched on 8th April 2013, the national society andAirtel aims to reach people nation-wide with lie-sav-ing inormation on preventing malaria. Using an inno-

vative location-targeted SMS system called the TrilogyEmergency Response Application (TERA); the societywill be able to reach 36,000 people in an hour, at thetouch o a button, with warnings o impending res orfoods, or outbreaks o disease.

Sierra Leone is only the second country in the world tolaunch the TERA SMS system and the project has beengiven the ull backing o the countrys Vice President,Oce o National Security and Ministry o Health andSanitation. Vice President Chie Samuel Sam Sumana,explains: Last year our country was hit by the worst

cholera outbreak in 40 years. Simple inormation couldhave helped prevent some o the 300 deaths we su-ered. Working with the Sierra Leone Red Cross andthe telecommunication companies, we can make surepeople are armed with the knowledge and tools theyneed to protect themselves and their amilies.

Abubakarr Tarrawallie, communication director withthe Sierra Leone Red Cross, explains: This system willbe a real lie-saver. With the two-way communicationeature we can quickly assess the areas o greatestneed ater an emergency and respond to requests or

inormation on a large-scale. Harnessing technology inthis way is really helping the Red Cross to improve theeciency and eectiveness o our aid operations.

The radio project created by Red Cross youth volunteers in 2011/Cruz RojaCostaricense

I you have any queries on BC developments in Si-erra Leone, please contact Patrick Massaquoi [email protected]

IFRC/Africa

communication with communities in the way wework, something we know makes programmes moreeective, more ecient, and better suited to meetingthe needs o those we help.

The ull press release and review may be ound onthe ollowing link: http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-

two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/
http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/http://www.ifrc.org/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/haiti/report-shows-the-benefit-of-two-way-communication-after-a-disaster-62291/


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CountryUpdates

Asia Pacic zone

South ASiA

BC developments in Aghanistan &Bangladesh

Work to establish BC as a cornerstone of the Afghan

Red Crescent Society and the Bangladesh Red Cres-

cent Society is underway thanks to the generous sup-

port of the Swedish Red Cross. Technical visits to bothcountries resulted in advocacy workshops and a plano action has been developed or implementation. InBangladesh, the rollout o BC will ocus on disastermanagement, with a particular inquiry into using the

TERA system as an early-warning system or hurri-canes and fooding.

In Aghanistan, BC will be rolled out in conjunctionwith a our-year CIDA-unded Canadian Red Cross pro-gram Strengthening Emergency Relie and DisasterResponse Capacity o the Aghan Red Crescent. Assuch, the BC component will be included in all disastermanagement policies, procedures, standard operatingprocedures and trainings. This work will link up withcommunity-based communication mappings support-ed by the Swedish Red Cross. Additionally links will be

made with the ongoing work o the ICRC in order to en-sure sae access or the societys sta and volunteers,and the capacity to reach the most vulnerable popula-tions in times o a disaster or health emergency.

DonaldLouisJean/IFRCHaiti

I you have any queries on BC developments in theAmericas, please contact Enrique Guevara at [email protected]

Through this show, important activities and special op-erations have been announced and this has urther im-proved communication among the societys branches.In interacting with their audience, the volunteers usedsocial media, blogs and skype to open up spaces or di-alogue with their listeners during the live transmissiono the radio shows. In a recent review, it was revealedthat the radio show has approximately 136,000 listen-ers spanning over 15 countries.

The society received the rst place Youth Award romthe IFRC in the category o Bridging the digital divide-

connecting people through technology. The awardconsists o unding support in the sum o 5 thousandSwiss rancs or the station, technical support rom theIFRC and computer hardware.

Haiti Teleon KwaWouj reaches onemillion calls

733 Telefon Kwa Wouj is an interactive phone IVR

system in Haiti, establishmed in May 2012. Since the

launch it has grown in popularity across the countryand in March 2013 Teleon Kwawouj reached its onemillionth call, a mere 10 months ater it was rst in-troduced to the Haitian population.

This is a popular ree phone line on the Digicel net-work, which receives calls rom individuals enquiringon various issues such as health, disaster preparednessand other lie saving inormation. This automated two-way inormation line plays pre-recorded inormationon subjects such as cholera prevention, sexual healthand hurricane preparedness, and it is able to collect

caller eedback, conduct surveys and quizzes. Morethan 58,000 people completed surveys on their experi-ence o violence in their community, their satisactionwith their shelter and their livelihoods needs in 2012.

Donald Louis Jean is a 22-year old student living inPort-au-Prince, Haiti, who oten calls the Red CrossIVR number 733 when he needs inormation. TeleonKwawouj is a unique system. I dont know why no oneever thought to have it beore. Now even people wholive in secluded areas can get the inormation that theyneed, says Donald. Most o Donalds amily lives in a

remote area o Haiti called Point a Raquette. An areathat oten lacks radio and television reception, the IVRis a very vital resource which allows people to have ac-cess to up to date inormation.


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CountryUpdates

Reviving lives o benefciaries inPakistan

The shelter programme run by the Pakistan Red Cres-

cent Society successully incorporated BC componentwithin its programme in building resilient shelters.Identied beneciaries were provided with timelytechnical know-how and support in building their ownshelters. IEC materials (i.e. brochures & posters) wereproduced in local language, and the development ocommunity notice boards were set up to display ben-eciary lists and the contact numbers o relevant

departments should there be any queries rom thecommunity.

Shelter Brochures distributed in Basti Dasti, Hanjrai Ghair Mustaqil DrmiyaniFlood Operations 2012 during, And Safe Shelter Awareness trainings

I you have any queries on BC developments in SEAplease contact Caroline Austin at [email protected]

IFRC/Myanmar

SouthEASt ASiA

Myanmar Red Cross Society actionstaken ollowing a BC assessment

A BC assessment of information needs of displaced

communities in Rakhine, Myanmar has been under-taken. The survey, which interviewed 100 people acrossour camps, aims to provide a better understanding owhat communications channels are open to the camppopulation and how they preer to receive inormation.Follow up on the recommendations rom the report areongoing with some key disaster preparedness activi-ties now underway.

Myanmar Red Cross Society radio broadcasts targets toreach Rakhine communities which lay in the potentialpath o Cyclone Mahasen. Playing twice a day on Py-insawaddy FM and Mandalay FM, the radio spots pro-vided a variety o tips and advice such as stockpilingood, clothes and medicine, and listening to the radioor updates.

New disaster preparedness posters have also been cre-ated with teams testing the posters in the villages andcamps to see i they are easy or people to understand.The posters, created by a local cartoonist, rely on im-ages to share simple advice and messages and areaimed to reach those who have diculty reading and

also children within the communities.

I am working with Pakistan Red Crescent Society as aShelter Technical Ocer since the 2010 Flood Opera-

tions in Punjab province. The societys BC programmehas remained very helpul or reviving the lives obeneciaries through its use o dierent mediums inproviding timely and accurate inputs, either in orm oproduction o IEC materials, community notice boards,ace to ace sessions, and suggestion boxes (or bene-ciaries to provide eedback), Haz Muhammad Ahmedsaid.

Sae shelter brochures distributed among beneciar-ies during training sessions, have played a vital rolein giving them awareness and knowledge regarding

building shelters. As most beneciaries are illiterate, acomplete set o technical instructions depicted in pic-torial representation o dierent segments o shelterconstruction have remained benecial or them. Ben-eciaries utilize these inormation in construction o

shelters and even in some cases without the help oany technical experts, says Ahmed.

I you have any queries on BC developments in SAplease contact Louise Taylor at [email protected]


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CountryUpdatesCountryUpdates

PAciic

Cook Islands Red Cross Mangaiabranch television station

In an island initiative between the Cook Islands Red

Cross, Mangaia branch council members and a num-ber o enthusiastic volunteers, they modied a satellitedish, purchased several hundred old styled televisionaerials and subscribed to one pay television account.This setup allowed each household on the island toview the one pay television channel.

Ultimately it was realised that or a modest cost, theone pay television eed could be cut. By introduc-ing a simple camcorder, the island could produce a45-minute evening news bulletin. This includes localannouncements regarding weddings, birthdays, schooland church activities. The societys branch oten usesthis platorm to promote Red Cross events and to hostundraising appeals this is provided ree o charge asit is recognised as a community service.

The Mangaia branch runs specic segments using thisplatorm to disseminate inormation on a) what to doin advance o the cyclone season (Weather Week); b)early warning guide and reresher; c) reinorcement othe evacuation procedures ollowing a cyclone warn-ing; d) health topics such as HIV, rst aid and more.

Anthony, the technical man behind the scenes saysthat this is denitely something that other islandscould replicate; provided they were willing to buy abig enough dish which costs around $1500 CHF, andanother $1500 CHF or decoders and other equipment.The equipment and modications can be locally und-

raised without much eort given the multiplicationeect o a ew hundred households and the island-ers enthusiasm to watch live sports matches. This isa highly eective tool in contributing to communityresilience, social inclusion and creating greater com-munity awareness.

I you have any queries on BC developments in Pacicplease contact Aurelia Balpe at [email protected]

EASt ASiA

Korean Red Cross helps multi-culturalpopulation with basic inormation

A few decades ago, South Korea used to be one of the

worlds most homogeneous societies. But now, thatis rapidly changing with up to 400,000 multiculturalmarriages and many thousands o other migrants, in-cluding reugees, have swelled the population. For theKorean Red Cross, communicating with these commu-nities, whom they seek to help, has become an impor-tant issue.

We are doing a lot o work to provide courses in Kore-an language and culture to the new arrivals, to make iteasier or them to communicate. But at the same time,we have to recognize that Korean can be a challenginglanguage to learn and we need to help those who havenot yet mastered the language to obtain basic inor-mation or their welare, says KIM Jeongju o KoreanRed Cross Project Planning Team. A good example othis is an inormation brochure aimed at migrant com-munities. In addition to Korean and English, this bro-chure contains basic inormation in Chinese, Mongo-

lian and Vietnamese languages which is used by manymigrants living in the capital.

This programme is known as the Windmill o Hope,in which the society aims to match its volunteers withthose that need help. It targets migrant communitiesand multicultural amilies centered predominantlyon oreign women, married to Korean men. The so-cietys outreach to these amilies includes helping toacilitate visits to their home country and educationprogrammes to women beore they arrive into SouthKorea.

I you have any queries on BC develop-ments in EA please contact Francis Markus at

[email protected]

IFRC/Korea


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CountryUpdatesCountryUpdates

www.ifrc.orgSaving lives, changing minds.

For more inormation, please contact:

Will Rogers

Global benefciary communication coordinator

Tel: +60 3 9207 5788 | Mobile: +60 19 323 2480 |

E-mail: | Skype: willrogers-1

International Federation o

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

IFRC Asia Pacifc zone

The Ampwalk, Suite 10.02 (North Block)

218 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur,

MALAYSIA. Tel: +60 3 9207 5700

Europe zone

Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society benefciary satisaction survey

After the 2012 earthquake in Azerbaijan, the relief op-

erations commenced to cater to the needs of 3500 af-

fected people (700 families). Ater this relie operationceased its operation in late August, a beneciary satis-action survey was initiated and implemented by theAzerbaijan Red Crescent Society with support rom theIFRC. In general, beneciaries were asked about theirneeds and were inormed about the distributions. Twothirds o the interviewed people stated that only theRed Cross asked them about their needs and that dis-tributed items met the basic needs o the assisted per-sons, and that the assistance arrived in time and wasuseul or the beneciaries.

The biggest value o conducting the survey was that itcomplemented the analysis on output or outcome lev-el indicators by the voices o the people assisted and

managed, showing the very essence o the Red Crosswork which is improving the lives o individuals.

Beneciary satisaction surveys represent one o themany communication and disaster response tools be-ing increasingly used in Red Cross Red Crescent disas-ter response operations not only to better target theneeds o aected people in uture disasters, but also topromote an environment o accountability around theoperations. By establishing eective eedback mech-anisms with communities, such tools support pro-gramme monitoring, help increase transparency and

improve community engagement, not only during theinitial assessment but also in the ollowing phases othe project cycle.

The ull article may be viewed at: http://www.ifrcmedia.org/blog/kosovo-scaling-up-community-engagement-during-

and-after-disasters/

Please contact Giovanni Zambello [email protected] or a copy o the ull report.
http://www.ifrcmedia.org/blog/kosovo-scaling-up-community-engagement-during-and-after-disastershttp://www.ifrcmedia.org/blog/kosovo-scaling-up-community-engagement-during-and-after-disastershttp://www.ifrcmedia.org/blog/kosovo-scaling-up-community-engagement-during-and-after-disastershttp://www.ifrcmedia.org/blog/kosovo-scaling-up-community-engagement-during-and-after-disastershttp://www.ifrcmedia.org/blog/kosovo-scaling-up-community-engagement-during-and-after-disasters

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#03 GlobalBC Outreach June2013