Reaching millions transforming lives

BBC Media Action’s ability to carve out a space for challenging programming stands in contrast to the general decline in media freedom worldwide.

Independent evaluation

4 Introduction

6 Our global reach and impact

8 Providing a lifeline during disasters

10 Tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone

12 A bridge to safety in Bangladesh

14 Supporting peaceful elections in Kenya and Nigeria

16 Breaking political deadlock in Bangladesh

18 Securing services for vulnerable people in Tanzania

20 Increasing political participation

22 Building the evidence base

24 Putting women centre stage in Afghanistan

26 Sporting role models in Bangladesh

28 Strengthening media capacity in Palestinian Territories

30 Getting answers for all in Afghanistan

32 Bridging divides in Myanmar

34 Challenging exclusion in Nepal

36 Promoting maternal healthcare in Ethiopia

38 Improving mother and child health in South Sudan

40 Providing life-saving advice in India

42 Further resources

Contents

3

Introduction We believe in the power of media and communication

to help reduce poverty and support people to understand – and realise – their rights and responsibilities.

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To do this we work with our partners in countries around the world to: Strengthen the capacity of journalists and partner organisations Make programming that helps people to improve their lives through discussion and action

Support free and independent media that works in the public interest Show policy-makers how media and communication can help improve people’s lives

This booklet is a snapshot of our work in 14 countries in 2011–2016, funded by the UK’s Department for International Development.

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Our impact surpassed our ambitious goals:

Global reach – TV, radio and digital programmes reached more than 283 million people, often in marginalised communities

Built resilience to shocks and disasters – Our programmes helped vulnerable communities to prepare for, and reduce, risks to their health and livelihoods

Improved responses to humanitarian emergencies – We helped save lives when disasters struck, by equipping media organisations to share rapid, accurate information

Strengthened governance and accountability – Our political discussion shows gave 190 million viewers and listeners a platform on which to hold leaders to account

Improved maternal and young child health – Our programmes helped to make pregnancy and birth safer for women in countries with high maternal death rates

Improved media quality and capacity – We provided extensive mentoring to staff at more than 170 broadcast partners

This approach was extremely cost-effective. By working in partnership with more than 500 media organisations including eight BBC World Service language services, and receiving donated airtime, our work cost just 32 pence for each person reached.

Thanks to an extensive programme of research, we now understand better how change occurs, what motivates our audiences and the barriers preventing them taking action.

This means we have a clear understanding of how, why and when media and communication can make a difference to the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.

We look forward to building new partnerships to deepen our impact.

283 million people reached over five years through our TV, radio and online programmes

£20.3 million worth of airtime donated by broadcast partners

Our global reach and impact

6

Health Governance

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190 million people reached at a cost of 29 pence per person

93 million people reached at a cost of 24 pence per person

Evidence

Research shows that our programmes inspire people to get involved in political and civic life and had a strong impact on those who are usually less interested in politics.

Evidence

Research shows that our health programmes contributed to positive action as well as improved knowledge. In Bangladesh, women who watched our programmes were 2.5 times more likely to attend antenatal care and 1.5 times more likely to have a skilled birth attendant.

Nearly 9 out of 10 audience members said that our factual programmes helped hold government to account

We helped produce 672 national debate shows, leading to thousands of local debates

The number of regular viewers and listeners rose each year, reaching 77% of the total audience of our governance programmes

In Ethiopia, women who listened to our shows were more than twice as likely to recognise three signs that a newborn’s life is in danger

Fathers in Ethiopia and Bangladesh who listened to our radio shows were three times as likely to know how to look after a newborn baby

93m 24p29p190m

Providing a lifeline during disasters Our work has played a vital role in disaster

preparedness, and post-disaster relief and reconstruction around the world.

People crowd into a room to hear the emergency briefing. “About half of all structures in Kathmandu have collapsed,” says a spokeswoman. “The priorities remain medical help, food, water and shelter.”

It is the third day of an intensive “preparation for lifeline” training course in Nepal. Trainees are replicating the hours after a disaster, when an urgent need to get information to victims is matched by confusion on the ground. Such “lifeline” programmes can help people understand what has happened, where to find help and how to avoid danger.

As relief efforts progress, they can help people question leaders about their actions.

Sajana Timilsina, a producer at Nepal’s largest independent network of radio stations, put this training into action when earthquakes struck in 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people and destroying 3 million homes. “Our… journalists started broadcasting, knowing the assistance could be the difference between life and death,” she said.

Callers to the radio programmes often feared for their lives. “My baby is sleeping outside. I’m worried she could get pneumonia,” said one.

Together with partners like Sajana, we broadcast practical information (about purifying water and sources of aid and shelter) to guide and reassure them. One pregnant woman later told us, if it hadn’t been for these lifeline programmes, she would have been “frightened all the time”.

In multiple countries, our other broadcast outputs build on lifeline programming. In Nepal, our TV and radio discussion show Sajha Sawal (Common Questions) gave people recovering from the earthquakes a chance to question national authorities.

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Earthquake survivors in Bhaktapur Nepal search for their belongings among the debris

DAVID RAMOS / GETTY IMAGES

We trained 2,300 people in 18 countries in lifeline communication

In Bangladesh, our lifeline work led to a permanent Communication with Communities working group that is playing a key role in the Rohingya refugee response

Using social media to save lives Bangladesh experiences frequent cyclones. Yet people often fail

to evacuate because the risks and warnings are not clear. In Bangladesh, and in other disaster-prone regions, we use Facebook and other social media to help people understand safety warnings as well as sharing basic techniques to protect themselves in the event of an emergency.

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Tackling Ebola in Sierra Leone We helped save lives during the epidemic by

persuading people to take steps to protect themselves.

Medicine cannot cure fear or persuade people to change the way they behave. But communication can. When the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international public health emergency in 2014, we were already working with 40 local radio stations on the ground in Sierra Leone and able to respond quickly.

The biggest challenge in tackling Ebola was not healthcare, it was persuading people to change their usual behaviour – often in ways they considered unthinkable – asking them to avoid touching sick relatives and conduct funerals in ways that grieving people considered disrespectful.

In the early days of the outbreak in Sierra Leone, trust in officials was low but the BBC was a trusted name. Our national discussion programme Tok Bot Salone (Talk About Sierra Leone) helped people to make sense of the unfolding crisis, learn what to do and influenced the official response.

Our close relationships with local radio stations meant we could train producers to make programmes about Ebola in local languages, featuring local people – crucial in gaining their co-operation. Radio producer and BBC Media Action trainee Isatu Kamara summarised the impact of this, “[People] feel able to contribute. They feel that the fight is theirs. I feel I am doing the right thing.”

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Communication was the crux of the response to Ebola.

Kathy Hageman US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

In Sierra Leone, 68% of adults listened to our radio shows to learn how to stay safe

Our Ebola work expanded to include: local language health announcements, effective use of WhatsApp, a radio magazine programme and a radio drama in Sierra Leone and Liberia – and lifeline training in nine countries

Sierra Leone health officials monitor travellers at the border with Liberia during the Ebola outbreak

ZOOM DOSSO / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

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A bridge to safety in Bangladesh Bangladesh has 700 rivers, including one between the

village of Khajura and an evacuation centre to keep people safe during the country’s increasingly frequent cyclones.

One episode of Amrai Pari (Together We Can Do It) – our reality TV show that helps communities prepare for weather-related disasters – featured people in Khajura working together to replace a very narrow bamboo bridge. The bridge was impossible for the elderly and disabled, small children, pregnant women and cattle to cross. In the event of a flood or cyclone, these groups had to trek for half an hour or stay and risk death.

The programme showed how people can work together to achieve things against the odds. In just four days villagers and a professional engineer constructed a 75-foot bridge using local materials. Now, all 2,000 villagers can safely reach the evacuation centre in just five minutes and farmers can evacuate livestock to safeguard their livelihoods.

Audience research showed that nearly half of Amrai Pari’s viewers have copied techniques from the show. When executive editor, Shihan Zuberi was filming near Rangpur, he met viewers, including Mohammed Mostakand, who showed him a bridge they had built after watching the programme. When he and his friends watched the bridge episode, part of their village was cut off by floods. “We were really motivated,” he said. “Someone donated materials and the villagers chipped in to fund and build a bridge, using techniques seen on the show.”

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Bridge building in Bangladesh for the final episode of Amrai Pari (Together we can do it)

ISMAIL FERDOUS / BBC MEDIA ACTION

78% of our resilience programme viewers and listeners had a better understanding of how to cope with shocks and stresses.

In Bangladesh, nearly half of reality TV programme Amrai Pari’s 22 million viewers copied techniques they saw on screen, such as flood-proofing their homes or setting up a savings scheme to help them recover from floods, cyclones and other disasters.

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Supporting peaceful elections in Kenya and Nigeria Holding free, fair and peaceful elections is a test of a country’s stability.

Violence that followed Kenya’s 2007 national elections shocked the world. In Nigeria, where election officials were among hundreds killed in 2011, people expressed fears about of the break-up of the nation. As the next elections drew near, there was a collective holding of breath.

In both countries, careless media reporting and failure to moderate inflammatory views (particularly on the radio) had been accused of contributing to tensions. We knew that media and communication could, and should, be part of the solution but the stakes were high.

Our 2013 post-election research in Kenya showed that many felt the media had not acted as a “watchdog” for fear of stirring up violence. Our radio and TV debate show Sema Kenya (Kenya Speaks) was singled out as a show that held leaders to account. Viewers and listeners appreciated how the programme handled sensitive topics, such as land ownership – and the status of internally displaced people – in a balanced way.

In Nigeria, we tackled election-related tensions through our weekly programmes Talk Your Own and Mu Tattauna (Let’s Discuss) broadcast on BBC Hausa and with hard-hitting TV and radio adverts.

These programmes featured some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars to engage young people, who were seen as the likely perpetrators and targets of factional violence. More than 18 million Nigerians saw our “no violence, just vote” TV ad and more than 6 million saw our “turn up and vote” ads. Research found that these programmes spurred people to vote and that more than three-quarters of viewers and listeners remembered their central plea for peaceful elections. The 2015 elections saw the first democratic transition of power from incumbent to opposition party in Nigeria’s history.

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I used to be a political thug but, because of this programme, I have changed. As youths we are supposed to face our responsibilities.

Listener Mu Tattauna (Let’s Discuss)

94% of regular Sema Kenya audience members said the programme played a role in holding government to account

In the 2015 election year, our programmes and social media reached over 52 million people in Nigeria – more than half the adult population

Nigerian musicians in a scene from the “No violence just vote” public service TV advertisement

BBC MEDIA ACTION

15

Breaking political deadlock in Bangladesh Bangladesh’s economy is growing, more children are being educated

and life expectancy has risen. Despite this economic progress, Bangladesh is beset by frequent strikes, political paralysis and violence.

In early 2015 the opposition Bangladeshi Nationalist Party (BNP) staged a nationwide blockade of roads, railways and waterways after its fierce political rivals, the ruling Awami League banned a protest. Thousands of opposition activists were arrested and most BNP leaders were either jailed or fled.

In this situation agreeing to answer questions that had not been pre-approved, in front of a studio audience, was a risk for both sides.

The TV and radio debate show Sanglap (Dialogue) we co-produced with BBC Bangla was the only place where senior government and remaining opposition politicians came together to face questions from the public during this period of heightened tension. Before the recording, the political rivals huddled together, breaking the deadlock and paving the way for further talks.

By then Sanglap had been on air for 10 years, giving Bangladeshis from all walks of life a chance to ask politicians tough questions. The show addressed subjects ranging from the deadly Rana Plaza factory collapse to local mayoral elections and flooding.

When political violence threatened to derail a recording in the city of Chilmari, audience members phoned in to demand the recording go ahead, illustrating its value.

“ I believe the show had great impact at the policy-making level. There were many instances where we hadn’t thought about a particular issue, but after facing the questions we came to realise these problems did exist,” said BNP vice chairman Hafizuddin Ahmed. This view was echoed by the prime minister’s political advisor and 91% of audience members.

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83% of TV viewers and radio listeners said Sanglap pushed officials to provide information about their actions

In the 2014 election year, 35% of Bangladesh’s population tuned into the programme

Sanglap audience members raise their hands to ask a question

BBC MEDIA ACTION

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Securing services for vulnerable people in Tanzania How a radio show helped to hold decision-makers to account.

Women over 60 are among the most vulnerable people in Tanzania. Well over half are widowed and unable to inherit or own property and land, so they have no income or source of food. Few have a pension and many live far from families who have migrated for work. What is more, their old age health problems are often exacerbated by poor nutrition in childhood, and frequent pregnancies earlier in life.

Tanzania’s National Ageing Policy of 2003 outlines the rights of older people to health and income security. But policies don’t necessarily lead to action. An investigation across three regions for our national radio discussion programme Haba na Haba (Little by Little), also broadcast on BBC Swahili, found that fewer than one in five health centres were giving older people free medication or priority treatment. The Department of Health said that no one was available for interview on this issue.

When the show went out, it struck a chord with listeners. The minister of health herself called and asked to be interviewed. She then visited Kyela district to see the situation first-hand. In a radio interview, she pledged to ensure the policy was correctly implemented. As a result, elderly people, in at least one local area, have seen positive changes at health centres including priority treatment for their peers.

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In other programmes you might just hear a one-sided story… but Haba na Haba balances both parties’ views.

Female listener Haba na Haba

Haba na Haba listeners were almost twice as likely as non-listeners to participate in politics

Nearly two-thirds of listeners said the show had improved their knowledge of local or national governance issues

Haba na Haba presenter Marygoreth Richard prepares to broadcast

BBC MEDIA ACTION

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Increasing political participation A successful political process is one where people’s differences and

competition for resources can be resolved fairly and peacefully.

When this fails, the alternative is often extremism, violence and corruption. The crucial first step towards greater, and more equal, political participation is for people to feel that they can have a say.

We support broadcast programmes that provide an impartial and trustworthy forum for discussion and influence power-holders and policy-makers.

These kinds of TV and radio programmes are far more than “talking shops” – they can spur people into getting more involved in the political process.

Our programmes provide opportunities for leading politicians from opposing parties to sit side by side and take spontaneous questions from ordinary members of the public, with a moderator who ensures they answer these questions clearly. This helps viewers and listeners feel it is worth investing in a peaceful political system.

Our research showed that our viewers and listeners were more likely to get involved in politics – such as raising an issue with a local leader, taking part in a community initiative or joining a political party. Crucially, they also felt they had the power to bring about change.

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Debate programmes aired on eight World Service language services: BBC Afghan, Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, Hausa, Nepali,Swahili, Urdu and hundreds of local broadcast partners

15–24-year-olds made up 53% of live audiences More than a third of our shows were recorded outside a major city, giving under-represented people a voice

A senior politician (cabinet member or equivalent) appeared on more than two-thirds of the shows

Wi Di Pipul producer Arnold Felix Elba interviews members of a BBC Media Action listening group in Freetown, Sierra Leone

GERALDINE SWEETLAND / BBC MEDIA ACTION

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Building the evidence base Media and communication can be used for

education or to spread hate, to bring people together or to sow the seeds of division, to challenge harmful social norms or reinforce them.

How people access information is being transformed by technology. Knowing who and what information to trust is becoming ever more challenging. The international community needs expert, evidence-based assessments to guide effective investment in media support.

BBC Media Action’s work is critical in this respect. Our policy team has analysed the media in fragile and conflict-affected states since 2007. Our analysis has helped revitalise debate around the potential for media to underpin a political settlement in Afghanistan.

We have played leading roles in UN, OECD and other international policy forums to improve support for, and understanding of, the role of independent media and communication in achieving development goals.

As international attention focuses on tackling violent extremism, our work has shown that independent media is invaluable in getting people talking across political and social divides. In an era dominated by media fragmentation, echo chambers and misinformation, our expertise is vital for anyone seeking to improve the health, well-being and representation of marginalised people, especially the poor, women and the young.

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Media – particularly when high quality and produced by a trusted source like the BBC – can have a positive impact on citizen engagement in governance and can influence positive health outcomes and increase resilience to shocks and disasters.

Independent evaluation

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Big data

Our research team surveyed nearly 100,000 poor and marginalised people over five years. We use insights from these nationally representative surveys to design initiatives to meet the needs of our audience members. This data and analysis is available in our easy-to-search data portal http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/

Putting women centre stage in Afghanistan Women are under-represented in public life including in the

media, and particularly on political discussion programmes.

Bibi Shirin was audience co-ordinator on our Afghanistan TV and radio debate show Open Jirga (Open Assembly) until 2017.

She said, “In the past a programme like Open Jirga would have been made entirely by men – there were never any women visible in the audience or crew. We changed this because a show about national politics should be representing all people.

“ Asking men in the studio audience to sit next to women is part of building equality in society so everyone is represented on the same footing. Over the past year more than half the people in our studio audiences were women. Not everyone accepts it in a conservative society like Afghanistan.

“ It was not popular at first – people were afraid and some complained. But when we sat them together they changed their minds. What women had to say was refreshing. They sometimes felt uncomfortable putting questions to politicians but they still found the courage to do it. Bit by bit, attitudes are changing.”

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Open Jirga ensured women in the studio audience had their say.

BBC MEDIA ACTION

I saw a woman with a burqa who asked a question. I know she may have not even dreamed of this day.

Audience member Open Jirga

Open Jirga listeners and viewers saw women’s participation as a unique and important characteristic of the programme

Viewers and listeners felt that Open Jirga showed that women are just as capable as men in holding leaders to account on important issues

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She took part in a special episode of our resilience-focused reality TV show Amrai Pari (Together We Can Do It) to help a community in Narayanpur. The area is waterlogged for several months at a time and people were finding it hard to grow food. The cricketers helped residents reinforce the banks of a pond and build raised vegetable beds to improve food supplies and incomes.

Khatun explained, “Usually we just give interviews for TV, but the format for Amrai Pari was different. It was really inspiring; we can do so much for people – especially for those who live in remote areas and are struggling… The programme also clearly showed that men and women are equal…”

“ I hope and wish that there’ll be more programmes like this… Female cricketers don’t usually get much media coverage, but in this programme male and female cricketers were given equal respect and airtime… I think broadcasting this kind of programme will inspire parents to encourage their daughters to play sports. And girls will be able to look at men as equals.”

Sporting role models in Bangladesh Salma Khatun is a member of the Bangladesh

national women’s cricket team.

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We give women a chance to have their say on equal terms. By 2016, 10 out of 14 presenters of our flagship political discussion shows were women and women made up 44% of our live studio audiences

Our publications – Making Waves, media’s potential for girls in the Global South, and Turn up the volume examine the complex reasons for women’s under-representation

We find ways to reach women, who often make up more than half the audiences of our dramas

Members of the national cricket team meet fans in Narayanpur

ISMAIL FERDOUS / BBC MEDIA ACTION

Strengthening media capacity in Palestinian Territories In 2012 we began a training and production partnership with

the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and BBC Arabic.

We co-produced two political discussion shows – Aswat Min Felesteen (Voices from Palestine) and Hur El-Kalam (Free to Speak) – to foster a culture of greater transparency in a volatile political environment by giving Palestinians more of a say in their governance.

During this five-year partnership, we produced programmes on subjects ranging from the brain drain among Palestinians to the lack of opportunities for people with disabilities. This gave a voice to people like 24-year-old Ahmad Dosh from a West Bank refugee camp, who confronted the minister of social affairs on Hur El-Kalam, to ask why – despite graduating from university – his disability prevented him joining a teacher training programme (he later managed to achieve his dream). High-profile guests included the then Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad and Dr Anan El Masri, former deputy minister for health.

Independent evaluators described our programmes as “a role model” for other political discussion programmes in the Palestinian Territories. Audience members and PBC staff noticed improved technical and editorial standards as a result of our partnership. This had a lasting effect, enabling the broadcaster to continue producing Hur El-Kalam after our partnership ended.

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On the set of Hur El-Kalam (Free to Speak)

WALID BATRAWI / BBC MEDIA ACTION

I learned not [to] be afraid about questioning an official. And if they evade the question, I can ask it again.

Viewer Hur El-Kalam, Gaza

Aswat Min Felesteen and Hur el Kalam reached 1.17 million adults in Gaza and the West Bank

83% of viewers said their understanding of governance had increased

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Getting answers for all in Afghanistan Deciding that presenters and panellists on our

TV and radio debate show Open Jirga (Open Assembly) would switch between Dari and Pashto was a bold move.

“ Several things divide Afghanistan, language is one of them… the 2002–2004 civil war was, broadly speaking, fought between speakers of two languages,” explained our former Afghanistan country director Shirazuddin Siddiqi. “We wanted to tackle the fracture lines head on. We wanted people to see it is normal for speakers of each language to sit next to one another.

“ We have the same ills, weak governance and conflict, but we also have the same assets in common.”

At the time Afghanistan was grappling with questions of national identity and unity. Many people feared the onset of civil war as international forces withdrew.

The state broadcaster offered programmes in each of Afghanistan’s official languages, Dari and Pashto, but very few programmes featured both languages interchangeably.

Open Jirga’s presenters (BBC journalists Daud Junbish and Ismael Saadat) and panellists switched fluently between Dari and Pashto and helped people understand the questions and topics being discussed by rephrasing them in simple language.

Deliberately broadcasting bilingual programmes sent a message that Open Jirga aimed to help all Afghans resolve their common problems.

The programme aired on the national TV station RTA, the BBC Afghan Service and 67 FM radio stations. During 93 episodes the programme addressed issues including extremism, women’s rights, religion and politics. Presidents Ashraf Ghani and Hamid Karzai both appeared on the show, taking questions from the studio audience.

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Open Jirga aimed to help all Afghans resolve their common problems

BBC MEDIA ACTION

Someone asked me how an ordinary person could dare to question a president. I explained that this was Open Jirga, where everyone could ask his or her question.

Audience member Open Jirga

83% of Open Jirga’s listeners and viewers said the programme helped hold government to account

Audiences felt that Open Jirga was relevant to all Afghans, and that using both Dari and Pashto increased audience engagement

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Bridging divides in Myanmar How a drama is addressing political, religious and

cultural difference.

For millions of regular listeners across Myanmar, quarter to seven on Friday evening is time to tune into the Tea Cup Diaries.

The radio drama is set in a teashop, one of the few places in the country where people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds gather. We created the show to bridge cultural, political and religious divides and get people talking about them.

Drama is an effective way to do this – listeners relate to compelling characters and feel able to talk about sensitive topics when discussing storylines.

In 2012, rapid political and social change and greater media freedom suggested a positive future for Myanmar. But ultra-nationalism and discrimination against minority religious groups, particularly Muslims and the Rohingya community, have intensified since then. In 2015 the country’s new race and religion laws restricted interfaith marriage and reproductive rights.

By 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people had fled to Bangladesh amid escalating violence.

In a challenging context, the Tea Cup Diaries remains on air twice a week with a new funder. Radio listening groups give audience members a rare opportunity to discuss issues around minority groups and challenge negative perceptions.

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Recording an episode of Tea Cup Diaries in Yangon

BBC MEDIA ACTION

Though people have different religions, it’s fine if they have an understanding [of each other]. I know that only after listening to this drama…

Listener Tea Cup Diaries

Tea Cup Diaries attracted more than 5 million regular listeners

Research revealed that listeners to Tea Cup Diaries had more positive attitudes towards people from other religious or ethnic groups

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Challenging exclusion in Nepal Democracy arrived in Nepal more than 25 years

ago but power remains largely in the hands of male Brahmans, Hill Hindus, and urban Newars.

Women, Dalits (formerly known as “untouchables”) and indigenous ethnic groups still face social, political and economic exclusion.

Our weekly audience-led debate TV and radio programme, Sajha Sawal (Common Questions), brought people from all groups together with power-holders to discuss issues that concerned them. For one episode the production team and presenter spent six days living in the Musahar community in southern Nepal. A former minister from the area and a public health expert spent two days there too. The programme’s editor Dipak Bhattarai stayed at the home of Pramila Mushahar.

He said, “I was astonished when she spoke to camera and accused her son’s teacher – who was from an upper caste – of coming to school drunk.”

Viewers could see that discrimination prevented most of the 100 Dalit children from the community from going to school, that the 25 households did not have a single toilet and that many people were illiterate or denied citizenship rights.

“ I am not from that community,” said the presenter Bidyha Chapagain. “But for several days I ate, sat and slept alongside them. It was a remarkable way of ensuring that unheard voices were heard.”

Bringing national attention to these issues led to discussion by parliamentary committees and efforts by the district education authority to stamp out discrimination. The programme also prompted action by civil society and local community members. Youth groups offered help to children who were afraid to attend school, an NGO started working with the Musahar community and volunteers donated money to educate the Dalit children.

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A Sajha Sawal audience member questions the guest panel

BBC MEDIA ACTION

87% of Sajha Sawal viewers and listeners realised they had more in common with people from different ethnicities, religious or social groups than they previously thought

The Sajha Sawal Facebook page attracted nearly 1.8 million ‘likes’, indicating a high level of audience engagement

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Promoting maternal healthcare in Ethiopia Why gaining the support of husbands is key to making

pregnancy safer.

How to get men interested in what is seen as a staunchly women’s issue? That’s the challenge our radio production team rose to in rural Ethiopia where the death rates of mothers, and babies in the first month of life, are some of the highest in Africa – and where giving birth in a health facility, which greatly increases the chances of a safe delivery, has never been the norm.

We knew that many of these deaths could be avoided – but only if women had the support of their husbands. So our radio production team did something different to get men’s attention. They decided to get men doing something usually seen as women’s work – in this case, baking bread.

In one episode of our radio programme Biftuu Jereenya (Dawn of Life), the male presenter, encouraged by his female co-presenter, tried to make injera, an Ethiopian flatbread usually made by women, live on air. His attempt failed spectacularly but he laughed it off and gained a real appreciation of how hard women work.

The episode resonated with male and female listeners and inspired them to think differently about their roles. Many men told us they had never thought about how hard a woman’s life is, or that women should do less heavy lifting when pregnant.

Listener Hessen Beshire started going to antenatal check-ups and helping his wife more after listening to our programmes. “I thought husbands were only supposed to work in the fields,” he said, “but I decided to fetch the water and help with other work when my wife is pregnant.”

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A family in Ethiopia listens to our family health show

BBC MEDIA ACTION

14 million people – half the adult population in three states – regularly listened to Biftuu Jereenya or its sister programme Jember (Maternal Light)

Male Biftuu Jereenya listeners were three times as likely as non-listeners to know how to prepare for a safe birth and how to care for a newborn baby

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Improving mother and child health in South Sudan In South Sudan, one in seven women dies giving birth.

Three in four adults cannot read or write and the same number do not have access to health services.

In an environment where state support is negligible and almost two million people have been displaced from their communities, listeners to our radio programme Our Tukul have taken significant steps to keep their families healthy.

Siti Sebit, a mother of two from Juba, said listening to Our Tukul taught her to access antenatal care early in her pregnancy. She also learned about exclusive breastfeeding, how to prevent diarrhoea and how to make an oral rehydration solution for her babies. “I Iove listening to Our Tukul because I learn a lot,” she said. “I encourage my neighbours to listen to it because whenever their children get sick or they have a health problem they come to me. I keep telling them that I learn all this from Our Tukul, so they should listen to it too.”

One mother from Torit told us that she and her husband chose to wait the recommended two years between pregnancies after listening to Our Tukul. Another said that after listening to the programme she was able to stop her birth attendant from washing her baby immediately after birth.

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Siti Sebit is interviewed in Juba, South Sudan

BBC MEDIA ACTION

The most important thing I learned from the programme is that you should breastfeed your baby for six months without giving them food or water.

Pregnant listener

Our health programmes reached 1.8 million people in South Sudan – 13% of the adult population

More than two-thirds of Our Tukul listeners (78%) said they learned what a woman and her family should do during pregnancy

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Providing life-saving advice in India India has one of the world’s highest maternal death rates.

We created Mobile Kunji (which means guide in Hindi) and Mobile Academy – a phone-based training course for health workers – to tackle this problem.

Frontline health workers in India are usually women with a basic education, a heavy caseload and inadequate training and materials. Mobile Kunji and Mobile Academy aim to boost health workers’ skills, confidence and status, and improve healthcare. Mobile Kunji is deck of 44 illustrated cards, containing information for each stage of pregnancy and post-natal care.

Each card carries a unique, seven-digit number that the health worker can dial on a basic mobile phone to play audio advice to the family she is visiting. This advice is delivered by a friendly female doctor character and reinforces advice given by the health worker.

“ It’s an old cliché that we’ve sent a mission to Mars but have one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates,” said Priyanka Dutt, our director in India. “These innovations are not just about technology, they are about touching millions of lives on an unprecedented scale.”

Mobile Kunji demonstrates how technical innovation can make a lasting difference in a cost-effective way. It has reached millions of families across India, with a positive impact on the health of mothers and babies. It has won multiple awards, including the GSMA Global Mobile Award, the Vodafone Mobile for Good award and the FICCI Healthcare Excellence Award.

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A frontline health worker in India dials up information on her basic mobile phone

BBC MEDIA ACTION

Mobile Academy trained 7,580 frontline workers in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha states

The Indian government has included Mobile Academy in an ambitious national scale-up of health programmes

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BBC Media Action data portal http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/

This open-source data portal contains searchable survey data, analysis and in-depth reports from 13 countries.

Multimedia

Why we use media for development http://mediafordevelopment. bbcmediaaction.org/

Research reports and briefings In-depth evaluation, data and survey

results from our projects

Policy briefings Analysis of the role of media and

communication and recommendations for policy makers

Practice briefings Insights from our projects and tips for

future practice

Multimedia Films, online courses, infographics and

further resources

Governance and rights

Research reports and briefings

Strengthening accountability through media in:

Afghanistan http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/research/reports/asia/afghanistan/evaluation

Bangladesh http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2016/09/Bangladesh-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Kenya http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2017/07/Kenya-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Myanmar http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2016/07/Myanmar-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Nepal http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2017/07/Nepal-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Nigeria http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2017/07/Nigeria-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Sierra Leone http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2017/07/Sierra-Leone-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Tanzania http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2017/07/Tanzania-Country-Report-2017.pdf

Can media affect political participation? http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/ assets/uploads/2016/07/Political-Participation-Research-Briefing.pdf

Practice briefings

Inspiring political participation: lessons from the media http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/practice-briefings/participation

Doing debate differently: media and accountability http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/practice-briefings/doing-debate-differently

Turn up the volume: empowering women through media http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/practice-briefings/gender-and-governance-empowering-women

Multimedia

Gender and media http://genderandmedia.bbcmediaaction.org/

Policy briefings

Media and communication in fragile states http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/ publications-and-resources/policy/briefings/policy-fragile-states

Curbing corruption in fragile settings http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/briefings/corruption-in-fragile-settings

Media’s potential for girls in the Global South http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/briefings/policy-girls-media

Further resources

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Health

Research reports and briefings

Improving reproductive, maternal and child health in:

Bangladesh http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2016/09/Bangladesh-health-web.pdf

Ethiopia http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/research/reports/africa/ethiopia/maternal-child-health

South Sudan http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/research/reports/africa/south-sudan/maternal-child-health

Practice briefings

Rethinking communication for maternal and child health: lessons learned from the Shaping Demand and Practices project in Bihar, northern India http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/practice-briefings/shaping-demand-and-practices

Using media and communications to respond to public health emergencies – lessons learned from Ebola http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/practice-briefings/ebola

A bigger splash – partnering for impact – lessons from BBC Media Action’s work to improve maternal and child health http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/practice-briefings/a-bigger-splash

Policy briefing

Coming of age: communication’s role in powering global health http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/publications-and-resources/policy/briefings/role-of-communication-in-global-health

Multimedia

Global health stories life-changing communication http://globalhealthstories.com

Resilience and humanitarian response resources

Research reports

Strengthening resilience through media in Bangladesh http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2016/09/Bangladesh-resilience-report-web.pdf

Building resilience: how research has been used to evaluate a media and communication approach http://dataportal.bbcmediaaction.org/site/assets/uploads/2016/07/Building-Resilience-research-report.pdf

Multimedia

Lifeline programming: online training course and resources aimed at journalists and aid agencies https://www.bbcmediaactionilearn.com/ course/view.php?id=187

Contact us

bbcmediaaction.org

media.action@bbc.co.uk

+44 (0)207 481 9797

Find us on social media

@bbcmediaaction

facebook.com/bbcmediaaction

bbcmediaaction

Registered office: Broadcasting House Portland Place London W1A 1AA United Kingdom

Registered charity (England & Wales): 1076235

Company number: 3521587

Copyright: ©BBC Media Action

Front cover image: In Bangladesh a member of the studio audience poses a question to the panel during a recording of TV and radio discussion show Sanglap (Dialogue)

BBC MEDIA ACTION