The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 18 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

What Is AI? Film-Based Avian Influenza Initiative

0 comments
This initiative centres around a series of mini-documentaries created in Indonesia designed to outline the basics of avian influenza (AI) and its transmission. Created by the United States (US)-based Academy for Educational Development (AED)'s Avian Influenza Behavior Change Communication (AI-BCC) project, the film is at the centre of a larger, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-sponsored effort to train village chiefs in using the film to reach family poultry farmers and the public. An adaptation of the film was then created for the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) context.
Communication Strategies

"What Is AI?" draws on the medium of film as part of a strategy for raising awareness about avian influenza. Specifically, organisers originally prepared the 4 short film modules as public service announcements (PSAs), which may be viewed [in Bahasa Indonesia] online by clicking here. These modules were then linked together to create a 12-minute video/film called "What is AI?", which features animated graphics in an effort to clearly illustrate how the virus can transmit not only from bird to bird directly, but also how it can live in the environment and be transmitted indirectly as well. Subsequently, Laos adapted the original to meet that country's specific needs related to avian influenza; research figured into this process, as the film was pretested among a range of stakeholders and the provincial training teams that will be using the film as a training tool. According to organisers, further translations/adaptations may be forthcoming.

Interpersonal communication and print materials are also central to this effort, complementing the film as part of a training programme designed to build the capacity of local leaders to communicate with villages about avian influenza. Specifically, in all 17 provinces of Laos, "What Is AI?" is part of a training programme that also includes booklets, posters, and other materials that are provided to village leaders and chiefs for use in community meetings about avian influenza. Training of trainers (ToT) sessions involve such participatory tactics as mock trainings conducted with village leaders.

Development Issues

Health, Natural Resource Management.

Partners

AI-BCC. Also, Ogilvy acted as the production and design team for the original production. In Laos, the training package was developed as a joint project with members of the information, education, and communication (IEC) Task Force in Laos, the government, and United Nations (UN) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), led by UNICEF - and including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), CARE, AED and the World Health Organization (WHO). The film was dubbed and adapted into Lao by Lao Art Media (production firm).

Sources

Emails from Anton Schneider to The Communication Initiative on March 11 2008 and March 17 2008; and email from Dee Bennett to The Communication Initiative on March 17 2008.