BBC Media Action Case Study BBC Somalia Lifeline Radio Project (2009) Prepared for CDAC Network Media and Tech Fair, March 2012 Introduction Following the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has been without an effective central government. Years of fighting between rival warlords and an inability to deal with famine and disease has contributed to an acute humanitarian crisis causing the deaths of up to one million people. In 2009, BBC Media Action (then BBC World Service Trust) responded to a spike in conflict and ensuing displacement with a six-month Lifeline radio project. The project was funded by UNICEF, IOM, UNFPA, UNHCR, and UNOPS and consisted of a number of activities, including: Formative research – A series of 24 focus group discussions were held with IDPs in 10 camps across the three regions of Somalia with both men and women. Discussions explored media consumption patterns (e.g. sources of information in camps, radio listening habits and programme content) and existing knowledge on critical issues such as immunisation, migration, risk posed by unexploded ordnances / landmines, and HIV and AIDS. Message briefs developed – Partner agencies were consulted to identify the most pressing information for audiences. The production team then planned a series of radio programmes that responded to these information needs. Capacity building of Somali radio producers – The production team recruited for the lifeline programme received intensive training on humanitarian media. Packages for the first three programmes were produced as part of the training in Hargeisa. Production and broadcast of 18 weekly 30-minute programmes – Lifeline radio programmes were broadcast on the BBC Somali Service, through shortwave transmissions and FM relays. Programmes were comprised of testimonies from the affected population, timely announcements (e.g. vaccination campaigns), packages with theme-specific information, and drama skits focusing on select issues. Listening Groups – To extend the reach and impact of information that was presented in the radio programmes, listening groups were set up and run by the Women’s Development Organisation (IIDA) and their partner organisations in 32 different locations in Puntland and South and Central Somalia around specific target audiences. Facilitated, guided discussion around the Lifeline radio broadcasts provided a platform to discuss issues covered by the programmes, share ideas, and reinforce the Prepared for CDAC Network Media and Tech Fair, March 2012 1 information provided. Eleven outreach workers from Puntland and South and Central Somalia were trained, who then trained listening group facilitators for 60 groups (separate for men and women). Monitoring and Evaluation – In order to assess the impact of the programme on target audiences, focus group discussions were used to gauge effectiveness and appropriateness of messages incorporated into the Somali Lifeline programme. What Worked – and Why Based on data from the focus group discussions conducted to measure impact, the radio programmes and the related activities were deemed successful in positively impacting the listeners, primarily in two ways: Increased knowledge and behaviour change: Participants in focus groups had an increased knowledge of health and security issues from listening to the Lifeline programme and had extensive information on recall on issues such as immunization, breastfeeding, HIV and AIDS, migration, landmines, sanitation and hygiene. Feelings of empowerment: Participants in focus groups indicated that they felt more confident undertaking daily tasks that would have been daunting before. They also reported that they had a greater understanding of the value of education and had a more positive outlook about how they were able to impact their own future. The project was successful in accessing conflict-affected areas and discussing sensitive topics. This was in credit to the Somali production staff, which was very challenging. One programme on child soldiers required a producer to travel to a remote area and ask about uncomfortable issues. This required extensive negotiating and careful editing of the final programme. In the end, the programme was able to raise a very difficult subject on air, with direct input and voices from the affected population. The training was carried out under extremely difficult circumstances as the security situation in Hargeisa deteriorated after people were killed outside the parliament during demonstrations. For security reasons, training had to be temporary moved from the BBC Media Action office to the Mansoor hotel. Security issues face all aid agencies working in Somaliland and Somalia. Having a competent high risk team, a strong national staff to inform decisions, and flexibility within programme plans is imperative. Setting up and running listening groups was particularly challenging because of the security situation in South and Central Somalia. Given the extremely short start-up period and the security challenges, the listening groups started after the first broadcast had gone on air. In response, seven lifeline programmes were therefore copied on cassettes and distributed to the groups to ensure that they could listen to those programmes which were broadcast prior to the set-up of groups. Challenges The biggest challenge to the Somali Lifeline project was securing and managing funding. Despite significant efforts, it wasn’t possible to secure substantial funding for the project. Many aid agencies with limited funding did express support for the project and offered what they could to help get Lifeline programming off the ground. While it was positive to have broad support from various agencies, it was very difficult to manage and coordinate the objectives and interests from multiple funding agencies simultaneously. This challenge was exacerbated by the limited timeframe, which was six months in length. Consequently, a significant proportion of management time was spent on the project that could have been diverted to other activities. A second, and somewhat minor, challenge was the name of the programme in the Somali language: Tusmada Nolosha. Follow-up research with the target audience found that it was not a commonly used Prepared for CDAC Network Media and Tech Fair, March 2012 2 expression and was therefore not easily understood and well-remembered by many listeners. (A subsequent lifeline programme for Somalia in 2011 launched in response to the drought used a different name). Lessons Learned Realistic expectations about what content a Lifeline programme can cover is important: Donor agencies had very clear agendas for the topics they wanted covered in the programmes, which was very helpful for production. However, it also presented some challenges. For example, BBC Media Action had to work with the agencies to ensure they understood the BBC’s role, which was to provide balanced information and opportunities for discussion, not just directing listeners on how to behave. Aid agencies need to be better prepared to provide information to affected populations via media: It was often difficult to get timely announcements from the agencies for broadcast to the affected population. When it was provided, it often did not have enough detailed information to be useful to listeners (e.g. place and timing of immunization clinics). Suggested messages from aid agencies were often very long and complicated, requiring significant editing by the production staff. This can cause significant delays and increases the risk that certain information is not prioritised correctly. For more information about the Somali Lifeline project contact: Lisa Robinson, Senior Adviser, Humanitarian Response and Resilience, BBC Media Action Email: [email protected] Prepared for CDAC Network Media and Tech Fair, March 2012 3 .