Reach out to Communities

Reaching out to Communities.

Communication in developing economies has been along thematic areas like Education, Health and Security, normally these sectors take the larger part of the budgets and unfortunately some communities are organized around political inclinations. Development workers are challenged to look beyond these social groups that could blur other important social groups that need attention.

Challenge for Development partners and policy makers

The case of Uganda is interesting with a population estimate of 31 million, Total fertility rate of 6.7 births per woman. About 24% estimated to be using family planning methods and infant mortality at 76 per 1000 live births (Uganda Bureau of Statistics). Planners and policy makers are left with the challenge of devising appropriate communication strategies to reach the populace.

Some of the social segments that I would like to focus on are:
Those attending School
Formerly employed and informally employed
Employed in industry and those in Agriculture.
Those involved in Small and Medium Enterprises

I will focus on development communication techniques for these groups that policy makers don’t pay attention to. Development workers should package their policies and communicate them through these already existing channels. These channels have been created by the same environment as such share more commonalities and are easy to mobilize into functional units.

Experience in working with communities in Western, Eastern and Northern Uganda has shown that women and youth groups are strong and clear in knowing their roles in communities. These groups have gradually learnt to advocate for themselves and directly engaging policy makers in dialogue.

Emerging strong social groups (Women and Youth)

It is evident in all communities where NGOs are operating women and Youth Groups are increasingly pushing for their voices to be heard. These two categories always proudly identify themselves, clearly state their achievements, needs and challenges in the community. It however leaves me wondering why these two social groups have managed to develop such a strong identity in developing countries. The answer lies in our daily work as NGOs, UN and Grass root Campaigns by Politicians. Another reason would probably be that these social groups are dubbed “vulnerable” in developing countries as such partners channel resources to these social segments. However this does not explain their increasing awareness of themselves and their increased vigilance in development. I would personally attribute this awareness to the repetitive messages that are focusing on the youth and women that have over time been used in development programs.

I would also think that these two categories are probably very progressive in African social development interventions. Experience in working with communities in Kasese, Kyenjojo, Kibale, Kaberamaido and Kabale districts has shown that women and youth groups were evidently progressive in terms of Knowledge, attitude and Practices on issues concerning social development. It should however be noted that the ability to change behaviour is also influenced by the person’s self efficacy (Skills, abilities and motivation) which is a major influence to behaviour change.

Against that background knowing in detail the characteristics of social groups and strategically framing (framing refers to the construct of communication—its language, visuals, and messengers—and the way it signals to the listener or observer-) would yield better results in development communication as a strategy.

Based on Research by Development communication Experts, Knowledge, awareness, and attitudes are not enough to effect behavior change. Research has shown some of the strong predictors of behavior are emotions and moral convictions (Myers, 2003:7).- Marian Farrior

A growing economy like Uganda that has over 65% of its population uneducated is likely to maintain this structure of population for some more years, as such, communicating development issues should consider this fact and package information through those existing channels like Educated, uneducated, those involved in agriculture, industry etc.
While profit making companies have continuously identified and repetitively bombarded their market Segments with the same message thus creating public/individual identity and reinforcing individuals Convictions in consuming the same products, policy makers in development have not prioritized this technique in selling development ideas to communities.

Appeal to Emotions

Case study 1: Coca Cola continues to grow in sales due to mainly focusing its resources in targeting the younger generation; this is deliberately done through not only reinforcing adverts but creating a “young generation culture”. The company has been able to generally identifying the Values possessed the young Generation thus using them as channel (Pathways) for huge market campaigns. E.g. “Stay Bambuucha…”, or this adverts use the individual interests/ emotions as a drive way for marketing the products.

Appeal to Patriotism

Case study 2: On several occasions Politicians have encouraged communities to engage in Development initiatives in order for them to contribute to national development/ modernizations. - ‘Appeal to Patriotism’. Experience has however shown that usually the motivating factor for communities to pickup messages and act upon them is largely attributed to the credibility of the source. Sources such as Presidents, Ministers, and local authorities, Credible NGOs or Academicians in particular fields easily appeal to communities in developing countries.
Therefore arguments that are constructed to foster development by appealing to patriotism (National Development) may need to be backed by the source or rather be packaged to appeal to the values of the community. The question of Values is beyond the scope of this discussion paper. However development workers need to put in perspective that individual and community values are the easiest pathway to communicating development issues.

Conclusion

In conclusion if social groups are identified and deliberately targeted with consistent information but also packaged into an identity group. This strategy would reduce the cost of resources used in development campaigns because the individual abilities and motivation of these groups would come to play.

It should be clear that the social segments I am referring to largely depend on the structure of the population. These range from, Educated, non Educated, Sex, Agriculturalist, industrialists, those above or below a particular age, etc… what social segment to use as a driving force for a development campaign should be based on an assessment and after studying the character of population structure. After selecting the social segment to use a communication strategy should then be selected.

Compiled and Written by Edgar Walter Byaruhanga, Executive Director (DIA)

1. Research Materials; Human arrangments,An introduction to sociology Allan G Johnson
2. Psychology and You: McGraw - Hill
2.

Let The Figures Speak!!!

Do you need a good reason for land Reforms?
Do you need a good reason to develop the informal sector?
Do you need a good reason to support Research and Innovations at the community level?
Do you need a good reason to attract Huge Investment?

AND

Do you need more Schools, Teachers and Hospitals?

LOOK AT THE FIGURES, THEY TELL AN INTERESTING STORY…….

“I am Yumbe District, I housed 99,794 People in 1991 and in 2006 my population is projected to 338,200 People. I must say that my land has not increased and services have not changed much………….but my population is increasing daily.”

STORY FROM YUMBE DISTRICT 2006

Compiled and Written by Edgar Walter Byaruhanga Exec Director Development Initiatives Africa

FOOD SECURITY or WHAT???

Communities in Uganda have built these Granneries as a food security intervention based on their traditional knowledge.



I wonder What Materials are Used to build these huge food granneries?



This practice basically thrives on the environment of the community. They use Reeds, Cowdung, dry grass and mud,to plaster the walls.



Is it important?

• Talking to experts in livelihood this culture promoted a number of economic initiatives in African Communities that you cant find now.
  
  They were are store for food, This would ensure the scurity of the family irespective of the size.


• It was relevant especially in times of drought


• The women who have been traditionally marginalised in most communities were safe and less dependant on the daily income of the men to sustain their children.


• These Baskets have also been a store for indegnous seeds


• Commmunity Pyschology experts say that this culture of saving food in the granneries prepaired all families to plan for their families, in a way this culture promoted planning for families and prepaired communities for possible flactuations in harvests.


• Child protection experts would certainly say that access to food is imperative in the development process of a child.

Granneries in a Modern perspective

Development theriorists have argued that this practice is at odds with growing consumerism Culture . Some of the remotest communities with vast fertile chunks of land have amassed small retail shops that sale food to the same geographically located communities at low prices. This trend also presposes granneries to be a backward method of food storage.
Environmental Implication
This practice poses a threat to the environment however to a minimal extent.
The other implication is that communities after all these years of civilisation have not developed or advanced this food storage technique to another form. This therefore encourages dependency on the Environment for sustainability of communities.

Security for Indegenous Seeds

The current world Challenge of extinction of indegenous seeds is largely due to the brakedown of this tradition in several communitie of the world. The growth of multi nationals such as mosantos, etc. and the increasing Droughts, Disasters and the ever increasing populations in the world is threatening the seed security.
My thoughts on this would be that Governments and Development partners should do more research about this practice. The Micro level activities of each community certainily affect the Macro Economy of the country.
A detailed discussion on restoration of Traditional Food security mechanism and the effect it has on the quality of the people of a given community would be an interesting one.



HOW TO Communicate this Information????

The other major challenge that development workers and governments are facing is how to communicate some of these Development Concerns.
In a discussion with some of my partners: They asked me to link "granneries" to Development concerns such as Child protection , economic Development.


Complex information to be digestable and well packaged for the mental faculties of several Developing communitie might require alot of thought, resources and creativity that is un limitted.
This calls for creative methods and understanding the micro level habits of each commuinity to actually benefit them or even attempt to engage them in dialogue.

Each Development Concern poses a new challenge that requires creative methods of capturing the attention and the minds of the various communities.


Written by Edgar Walter Byaruhanga Exec Director Development Initiatives Africa(DIA)

Livelihood initiatives

LIVELIHOODS


Based on personal experiences, and research. Development initiatives is currently working with Artist to produce and deliver a livelihood song to encourage youths and the Ugandan population to save for the future. A song that shall be translated in two in English and Luganda to reach Several Youths shall be launched in Kampala.