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HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT

Who are we? We work in the following countries: Established in 1999, BBC Media Action is the international development organisation of the BBC. We reach 100 million people each year, working with creative communication and trusted media to achieve positive change. We support the independent media so essential to democracy and development. We bridge divides, challenge prejudice and ensure people have access to information they can trust. We enable people to have their say, understand their rights and take action to transform their lives. Working with mass media, interpersonal communication and community mobilisation, we achieve impact at scale across our focus areas of governance and Sub-Saharan Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra rights, health, resilience, humanitarian response and gender Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia equality. We have expertise in fragile and conflict-affected Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, societies and environments where political, security or Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand other factors mean that media is one of the few options MEE: Algeria, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, available to reach and engage marginalised groups. Moldova, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT The importance of media and communication that people affected by crises want communication that is during a crisis easily accessible, locally relevant, practical, engaging, in a In a humanitarian crisis, people need to know what has language they understand and delivered through channels happened, how to stay safe, and where to find they trust. They also want communication to be two-way; food, clean water, and shelter. This is important they want their voice to be heard, to hear the voices to help them make informed, life-saving decisions and of others in a similar situation, and to be able to hold to support their recovery. They also need to be humanitarian aid providers and decision makers to account. able to connect with others and feel reassured. These needs are more difficult to meet when existing BBC Media Action has been supporting “Lifeline” communication systems are disrupted as a result of programming and other humanitarian communication a crisis. Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies striving to initiatives since 2001. Through systematic research deliver services are often too stretched to implement across our programmes we have found that media effective feedback mechanisms that respond to the and communication content can build knowledge, evolving communication needs of affected populations. connect people, provide psychosocial support, prompt discussion, build confidence and inspire Dedicated mass media and communication for action. Our work also offers an important platform for affected populations, informed by audience research communities to connect with aid responders to voice and an understanding of humanitarian needs, can help to their needs, to support coordination between save lives and alleviate suffering, especially when physical humanitarian actors and to improve accountability access to affected areas is obstructed. Our research shows around humanitarian service provision.

How we do it

Research Capacity Strengthening Local researchers seek to understand audiences’ We strengthen the ability of local and national media access, feedback channels, information media organisations and humanitarian actors and communication needs, barriers and to work with media and communication to meet influencers.This works alongside gender and power the needs of people affected by crisis. This includes analysis to inform our programming. Programmes facilitating stronger collaboration between the are monitored and evaluated to ensure they are media and humanitarian actors. This is vital for conflict sensitive, remain relevant and have maximum sustainability. impact. Production and Dissemination of Media Outreach: Community Mobilisation and Content Interpersonal Communication Creative, informative and engaging media outputs Following a crisis, many people may have limited are at the heart of our work. We use TV, radio, or no access to media due to their location, online and mobile platforms and produce a circumstance, gender or age. We use a range of range of factual and entertainment formats (such as outreach activities, such as discussion groups, dramas, magazine shows, discussions) to engage with live recordings or community events to engage audiences. We interact with our audience and achieve with excluded audiences. We also use face-to- greatest impact through interventions that combine a face communication to stimulate household and strategic mix of platforms and formats. community level discussion to empower populations to communicate their needs and hold humanitarian actors to account.

BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT Key Differentiators The following factors are key to our success in • and communication supports audiences to discuss achieving scale, sustainability and impact: issues with trusted others in order to increase • Trust: BBC Media Action is closely linked to the positive action. BBC, a global broadcaster which is trusted by • Understanding audiences: Formative research people across the globe, from the household and is vital to understand people, their communities village level, through to heads of government. and their external environment. We use • Creativity and high production values: We segmentation to understand specific audiences’ work in often very competitive media markets. needs, barriers and motivators and their key We harness the creative talent available from influencers – the people who can enable or hinder across the BBC, our other media partnerships and the uptake of positive behaviours and practices by local creative industries to develop content which our target groups. We also pay close attention to attracts, entertains and inspires audiences. understanding the role of social norms. • Reach and engagement: We reach millions • Working in partnership to maximise with our programming regularly, which is critical impact: We work with local and national media for impact. In doing so, our projects generate as well as governments, CSOs and humanitarian mass appeal and maximise impact using varied agencies. We partner with local community formats and platforms to produce emotionally organisations to extend the reach of our content engaging programming that stimulates discussion to those without media access and to facilitate on sensitive issues at scale. face to face discussion. We work with technical experts and academics to support the quality of • Beyond messaging: To affect positive change, we our programmes and the rigour of our research. go beyond sharing messages and information. Our Our work benefits from partnerships with the evidence shows that it is also critical that media wider BBC, including BBC World Service.

BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT Providing critical information our programmes with others. Among the Rohingya We have worked with local media partners and humanitarian refugee community in Bangladesh, listeners to Lifeline actors all over the world to deliver ”Lifeline” programmes programmes Begunnor Lai (For Everyone) and Shishur and other humanitarian communication including in Hashi (Children’s Smile) said they shared what they Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guinea, Haiti, India, Iraq, Jordan, had learned with their family members and neighbours, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, especially on hygiene, and encouraged them to take action. the Palestinian Territories, the Sahel, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Lifeline can take different forms Helped people to build confidence and motivation ranging from public service announcements (PSAs) and to take positive action bulletins, to magazine programmes and phone-ins for radio Mounting one of the first and largest communication or TV, or even drama and short films. After synthesising responses to the 2014 Ebola crisis, we developed mass research across six humanitarian emergencies we found scale, multi-media programming in Guinea, Liberia and that Lifeline programmes assisted listeners’ survival and Sierra Leone in order to support people to take positive recovery by addressing key information needs identified action. This included addressing factors exacerbating the by affected people. We found Lifeline programmes: spread of Ebola such as stigma around the disease and traditional practices. Programmes included radio drama Increased knowledge Mr Plan Plan and the Peep-oh driven by emotional In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, BBC Media storylines and engaging characters to build people’s Action produced a series of short videos to provide confidence to take action, weekly discussion programmes, Syrian refugees with information to enable them to and PSAs that dispelled rumours or provided advice make informed decisions, access support networks on Ebola transmission and treatment. We also played and to share their experiences. These were shown at a key role in the BBC’s Ebola WhatsApp information UNHCR registration centres in Lebanon and Jordan, service – the first “lifeline” humanitarian service to be and in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Research launched through the app. Audiences in Sierra Leone and showed that people had learned information that Liberia reported being motivated by our programme they could put into action such as the importance of to take preventative action, such as practising safe vaccinating children and seeking available support services. burials, avoiding physical contact and handwashing.

Provided psychosocial support Strengthening community engagement and People affected by the 2015 Nepal earthquake identified accountability to affected populations psychosocial support as a key need in their recovery. Our research across different humanitarian responses has Listeners felt radio programme Milijuli Nepali (Together shown that affected populations want governments and Nepal) helped them feel connected and contributed aid agencies to be held to account by the media. As part to a sense that they could do something to improve of a consortium with other humanitarian communication their situation. Reasons included the programme partners, since late 2017 BBC Media Action has been name, its practical, accessible information, its focus leading the implementation of the ‘Common Service on solutions, and inspiring stories of others affected for community engagement and accountability by the earthquake who had overcome problems. for the Rohingya refugee response’ in Bangladesh.

Connected people with others going through the The Common Service aims to strengthen same experience humanitarian agencies’ accountability and two- In Somalia, BBC Media Action worked with local way community engagement efforts in the radio partners to produce Ogaal (Be Informed), a response through several interlinked initiatives that: radio programme aimed at helping Somalis cope with • Improve Rohingya and host communities’ ongoing drought. Stories that listeners liked included access to reliable and useful information, an interview with a herdsman who learned to survive based on a strong understanding of their without livestock. They valued these stories as they information and communication needs heard from others affected by drought and could • Support humanitarian practitioners to engage and see that others were having similar experiences. communicate with Rohingya communities more effectively, in a language they understand Prompted discussion • Provide an independent platform through We have seen a positive correlation between discussion which to analyse community feedback and taking action across our work: we know that • and publish Rohingya communities’ needs, concerns people are more likely to take action if they discuss and priorities for humanitarian agencies to act upon.

BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT Activities have evolved according to needs articulated and concerns, the Common Service has contributed by communities and humanitarian partners, and include: to improving accountability within the response.

• Communication materials continuously developed Preparedness and building capacity of media, to meet Rohingya audiences’ needs, including weekly humanitarian actors and government audio programmes, short videos and animations, and Getting timely, relevant and accurate information to pictorial printed materials. Materials are available people affected by a crisis is far more effective if key for anyone to download, and agency staff and actors, including media practitioners, humanitarian volunteers use them to share important information workers and government are prepared and with refugees at information hubs, community trained to do this. To equip them with the necessary sessions, and in over 1,300 weekly listening groups. knowledge and skills, BBC Media Action has carried out • Training aid agency staff, volunteers and emergency preparedness work, including training more community leaders in relevant topics, including than 1000 practitioners in 28 countries as well as at the effective community engagement, accountability, headquarters of humanitarian and media institutions in Rohingya language and culture and listening group London, Geneva and Rome. Our work has built valuable facilitation. Since the beginning of the project, over 2200 relationships between practitioners across these practitioners from 84 agencies (of the estimated 130+ fields; we have supported media and humanitarian actors agencies responding to the crisis) have been trained. to understand, plan and put into practice ways they can • Providing language and communication work together more effectively during crises. Trainees guidance to humanitarian agencies, including how have leveraged these relationships in crisis situations, to communicate with Rohingya communities on collaborated and ensured the communication of vital, specific topics such as cyclone preparedness as accurate, information to the people who needed it. well as language tools including a Rohingya glossary. • Conducting frequent and ongoing research As part of the 2014 Ebola response we trained to understand Rohingya and host communities’ more than 400 participants from government, perspectives and concerns as well as their humanitarian organisations and the media in communication preferences and information needs. 10 countries at risk across West and Central Africa. • Operating a collective feedback analysis Research respondents felt the training had improved service, collating and analysing data from agencies’ their capacity and confidence to communicate with feedback databases. These data sources inform their audiences about Ebola, and many participating the production of a fortnightly What Matters? organisations launched their own ”Lifeline programming” bulletin. By regularly publishing community needs, immediately after the training. More recently, we have concerns and priorities, the Service seeks to been working with the IFRC and Red Cross National influence agencies to use insights to develop Societies on an epidemic and pandemic preparedness more programming rooted in communities’ needs. project, conducting training for media, the Red Cross and • A Foresight Service, which aims to help humanitarian governments in Indonesia and seven African countries. practitioners prioritise community concerns, views and opinions when planning for some of the key challenges In Nepal, emergency preparedness training provided to our facing the Rohingya response in coming months. own local team and the BBC World Service enabled us to respond together within hours of the 2015 earthquake Community level research found significant progress in the to broadcast Lifeline programmes to people in immediate provision of practical information to Rohingya refugees need. In partnership with hundreds of local partner living in camps in Bangladesh. In an information needs radio stations our Milijuli Nepali (Together Nepal) radio assessment in July 2018, 84% of Rohingya refugees said programme provided affected populations with practical, they have enough information to make decisions about actionable information for survival and recovery. The their daily lives, compared with 23% in October 2017. fifteen-minute programmes were broadcast twice a day on Evaluations have found that the communication materials the BBC Nepali Service, national broadcaster Radio Nepal, are widely used in the response, and humanitarian on 400 other radio stations across Nepal and online. This practitioners appreciate the Common Service for its collectively reached 2.1 million people across the country. flexibility and adaptability to support more effective Training for local media enabled them to make Lifeline communication by agencies. Evaluation findings suggest that programming for their communities, including how to stay by continually drawing attention to community priorities safe during aftershocks and protect against new hazards.

BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT BBC MEDIA ACTION | HUMANITARIAN CAPABILITY STATEMENT Find out more: progdev@bbc.co.uk Follow us on social media: @bbcmediaaction

Front page: Rohingya Muslim refugees who were stranded after leaving Myanmar walk towards the Balukhali refugee camp after crossing the border in Bangladesh’s Ukhia district on November 2, 2017. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via ©Getty Images). Page 3: Milijuli Nepali: A man and a woman being interviewed whilst rebuilding their home following the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes. BBC Media Action. BBC Media Action. Last Page: Milijuli Nepali: A woman being interviewed following the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes. BBC Media Action.

BBC Media Action is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1076235) and a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (no. 3521587) at Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, W1A 1AA.