 |  |
| |
Test the media materials you have produced with the intended audience before duplication, distribution and use.
When field-testing materials remember that the materials are being tested, not the people asked to comment on them. There are no "right" or "wrong" comments. A herdsman is not "wrong" if he identifies a drawing of a sick cow as a dog. The drawing is "wrong". The graphic artist needs to redraw it to fit the farmer's image of a sick cow. Consult a number of people within the target audience to get a balanced view. No artist or radio producer should be embarrassed if the first drafts of media materials do poorly. The challenge is to adapt their skills to communicate with rural people.
Rural people often see illustrations in ways that are very different from people who live in towns. They may even interpret a drawing to mean the exact opposite of what you intended.
With a graphic artist on hand, show the illustrations to cattleowners. Ask them what they see. If they see something different from what you intend, ask their advice on how to make the drawing better. Have the graphic artist re-sketch the subject, on the spot, and try it again. In just a short time you will have illustrations which rural people understand.
The goal is to find ways to make radio programmes accessible, interesting and convincing for cattleowners.
The first radio programmes produced may need improvement, particularly for new audiences, such as migratory cattleowners. This is normal and does not reflect badly on the skill of the radio producer.
Play a tape of these radio materials to typical cattleowners. Ask them whether the programme says anything new or interesting? Is there a part which needs more explanation? Would it be better to use a different language? Are there other important subjects which they would like to hear discussed or explained? Do they think that other cattleowners will agree with the ideas expressed in the programme?
Use a systematic approach to prepare your communication campaign. It will be less time-consuming, less costly�and more effective.
1. Determine
problems that may arise, by discussing the PARC programme with key target audiences, especially cattleowners, and experts in contact with cattleowners and their families.
2. Identify different target audiences and important messages for each.
3. Select media which will best reach the audiences.
4. Consult national media producers (artists, rural communication experts, printers, radio and TV producers ) to make a media production plan and estimate the budget.
5. Make samples of media materials.
6. Field-test the sample materials, particularly with typical cattleowners. Revise the materials and produce more as necessary.
7. Duplicate the materials.
8. Train field staff and others in how to use the materials.
9. Distribute the materials to field staff and other organizations which have contact with cattleowners and their families.
10. Evaluate the effectiveness of the materials after several months. Ask field staff and others to recommend corrections and additions. Use this as a basis for media production next year.
After the majority of media materials have been produced, hold a national meeting on PARC at the beginning of the immunization programme. Here you can officially launch the campaign. Vaccinate and earpunch a cow to symbolize the launch.
The national meeting has four principal aims:
A government leader could be present to make a short declaration in support of the Campaign. Also, representatives from:
Provide everyone with an information sheet on the objectives and workplan of the PARC immunization programme in your country. Offer extra copies of the media materials (such as flipcharts, leaflets, posters, etc.) for use by personnel in various organizations.
For newspaper and magazine journalists, provide photos of PARC themes. (See the photos provided in this kit. Have more photos duplicated if you decide to use these images.)
Begin to plan and prepare campaign communication activities, if possible, at least six months before PARC vaccinations commence.
Have your media materials produced, distributed and ready for use well before starting immunizations. If it is not possible to produce everything on time, create the materials which have highest priority. Consult national media producers as to when they should begin work in order to meet your deadline.
| MONTH | |||||||||||||||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
| Pre-launch activities | Launch | Post-launch activities | |||||||||||||||
| Planning | |||||||||||||||||
| Production and field testing | |||||||||||||||||
| Duplication Distribution |
|||||||||||||||||
| Train users | |||||||||||||||||
| Field use | |||||||||||||||||
| Radio and TV broadcasting | |||||||||||||||||
| Press releases | |||||||||||||||||
| Campaign launch | |||||||||||||||||
| Media teams field trips | |||||||||||||||||
| More radio & TV production | |||||||||||||||||
| Evaluation | |||||||||||||||||
| More production graphic material | |||||||||||||||||
Campaign communication will need to involve the talents of many national media producers and their respectives media institutions.
National media institutions (such as educational rural radio) may be located outside your ministry. It is vital that national decision-makers link these facilities and personnel to the PARC national programme. You may need to make budgetary provision for their services.
To guide the efforts of the media producers, a communication officer should be designated to work directly under the PARC National Coordinator.
The job of Communication Officer is full-time in order to organize a national communication network for PARC. Also, he or she will be responsible for writing and creating ideas for many of the materials, as well as working with the national media producers. It may be necessary to recruit a communication officer from outside the veterinary services. If so, a budgetary provision may be required.
An adequate budget is required in order to carry out Campaign Communication - for production in media such as print, graphic materials, radio and television, for field travel, supplies and material, and for a PARC national meeting.
Budget formulation can be accomplished by the Communication Officer and national media producers. They need to plan the activities, the types and quantities of materials to be produced, and to estimate the budget.
This budget must be a component within the overall PARC national programme budget. See a plan for formulating the national PARC Communication Component (overleaf).
PARC Communication Officer: Terms of Reference
|
Write a document which outlines the national PARC Communication component. This document will be the reference point for purposes of funding and implementing the activities. The Communication Component is considered part of the overall national PARC programme.
Description of the scope of your national PARC programme might include:
Identify which national groups must cooperate in order for the campaign to succeed. These might include farmers, migratory cattleowners, rural communities, local authorities, border officials, national policy-makers and veterinary field staff.
Identify which media and institutional channels must be utilized to inform, motivate and communicate with the national groups.
Specific objectives of the communication activities:
Describe various activities such as planning, media production, field-testing, duplication of materials, training media users, holding an official meeting and involving national journalists.
List the various media and activities and the estimated costs for each. These choices may be subject to adjustment as the actual communication work develops. However, by consulting printers, radio and TV producers, general costs can be estimated. (See Budget lines opposite.)
It will be important to evaluate the progress of PARC communication activities to ensure that objectives are being met. For example, the first report would cite a specific workplan, followed by reports on work accomplished. As the campaign progresses, obstacles should be reported as a basis for revising the communication workplan.
Categorize the budget by media and general activities. The following table lists budget lines indicating typical sorts of expenditures within each category.
Estimated cost
|
1. Printed materials |
1.1 Preparation Research and field-testing Field trip expenses |
2. Radio spots and programmes |
2.1 Research 2.3 Equipment and supplies |
3. Television |
3.1 Preparation Studio production for spots and programmes (using PARC video work-tape and/or local material) |
4. Newspapers and magazines |
4.1 Field trips |
5. Training for field staff |
5.1 Training time added to regular training programmes of field staff |
6. National meeting (Campaign Launch) |
6.1 Travel and subsistence for guests who must travel to the meeting. 6.2 Meeting hall and facilities 6.3 Information sheets and press releases (see 4.2 above) |
7. Office | 7.1 Equipment 7.2 Supplies |
8. Public address equipment | 8.1 Megaphones/public address systems for market day demonstrations, meetings |
9. Personnel |
9.1 Communication Officer 9.2 Secretary |
10. Contingency |
10.1 10 percent of total |
Rinderpest entered Subsaharan Africa in the 1880-90s and wiped out 80-90% of the cattle and wild ruminants across the continent. It was a social and economic disaster for anyone dependent on those animals for their livehoods.
Vaccines were developed to protect animals from the disease. During the years 1962-76 a regional rinderpest campaign (Joint-Project 15) was conducted in 22 countries at a cost of $51 million. Rinderpest was eradicated from most of Africa. It is suspected, however, that the disease persisted in one or two remote areas.
Rinderpest inevitably began to spread yet again, but many veterinary services lacked the manpower and resources to stop the disease. Between 1978 and 1987, nearly 20 countries reported suspected outbreaks. Some countries suffered epidemics which killed thousands of cattle.
Many countries undertook emergency action against rinderpest, often with international help. But it was generally agreed that without a coordinated regional effort, and upgrading national veterinary services, the war against rinderpest could not be won.
PARC was born in 1986. Initially conceived as a mass immunization programme, PARC developed other far-sighted goals to improve the national veterinary services and livestock production, as well as fight desertification. With the efforts and cooperation of all concerned, rinderpest will never again have the upper hand in Africa. have the upper hand in Africa.
Projected zone of PARC � involving as many as 34 countries. Although many countries do not have rinderpest, vaccination campaigns and other measures create sanitary cordons to protect borders and squeeze the virus out of existence. African laboratories are responsible for all PARC vaccine production, quality control, sero-surveillance and disease diagnosis.
The control and eradication of rinderpest is a first step towards the improvement of animal health services and livestock production throughout the region. This includes community participation in livestock development programmes, liberalization of livestock policies, decentralization of livestock services and protection of pastures against the danger of overgrazing and the encroaching desert.
National governments and their livestock services are responsible for implementing national PARC programmes.
Several international organizations are assisting.
Organization of African Unity � Inter-African Bureau of Animal Resources (OAU/IBAR)
Regional executing organization for PARC. Houses of PARC Coordination Units in Nairobi and Bamako.
Multiple responsibilities include: advising on strategies and policies, identifying external funding needed for national campaigns, setting up strategic vaccine banks, supporting emergency campaigns, holding border harmonization discussions, organizing research, organizing meetings, providing technical advice in all areas of the campaign.
European Economic Community (EEC)
Major financial donor for PARC. Assists in formulation of national PARC programmes and national institution funding. Provides technical advice for the rehabilitation of livestock and veterinary services, as well as for the control of desertification.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Provides technical assistance and training for vaccine production and quality control, disease diagnosis, sero-surveillance, cold chain maintenance, information systems and communication activities.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
In cooperation with FAO, provides resources and training for rinderpest sero-monitoring and diagnosis.
Office international des epizooties (OIE)
Collects and disseminates data on suspected disease outbreaks. Provides international regulations for import and export of livestock and livestock products.
World Bank
Provides funding and technical assistance for livestock development projects some of which also support rinderpest control activities.
Bilateral donors
Provide a variety of technical assistance and funding for livestock and veterinary services, including PARC.
| |