developing effective education and awareness programmes

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVEEDUCATION AND

AWARENESS PROGRAMMESAN INFORMATION GUIDE FOR NATIONAL

DISASTER MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS

The South Pacific Programme Office of the United NationsDepartment of Humanitarian Affairs and the United Nations Department

for Development Support and Management Services acknowledges theassistance of the consultant, Ms Lolita Garcia in preparing this manual

for the South Pacific Disaster Reduction Programme (RAS/92/360)

June 1997

Guidelines for the Development of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

PREFACEThe occurrences of natural disasters in the Pacific Thismanual on "DevelopingEffectiveEducation andislands are not recent events. Their impact varies Awareness Programmes" provides the relevant in-considerably from one country or community to formation and guide for those involved in disasteranother. They are often considered as "God's will" management. It provides guidelines to enable dis-and therefore the affected people often have the out- aster managers to design, develop and implementlook that there isvery little they can do about it. This effectiveeducation and awareness programmes andis viewed a common attitude which usually results materials. It is primarily a tool for Pacific islandersin a dependence situation and gradual erosionofself- who are working with highly vulnerable communi-reliance at the individual and community levels. ties. If you are wanting to prepare and facilitateWhere this is prolonged, a "relief culture" is known awareness activities, this manual provides you withto have developed. However, it is known and docu- the logical steps of 'how to'. It is also helpful formented that the Pacific islanders have over the cen- those who want to develop, test, monitor and evalu-turies developed coping mechanisms which have ate education and awareness materials.enabled them to survive the impact of numerousdisasters. This does not mean that they did not ex- It is understood, of course, that organisations willperience suffering, deaths or devastation but they choose whichever course to take from these guide-nevertheless developed methods of dealing with lines which will meet the specific needs and the de-disasters which was part and parcel of their tradi- rnands of one's society or community. It is acceptedtionaI lifestyle. that there is no single universal solution that applies

to all societies. However, it is also recognised thatHowever, with the socialand economicdevelopment much but perhaps not all of the guidelines could becomes change in the ways people live and do things. useful once adapted to work within the frameworkThis also affects the way disaster is managed at the of one's society. This book is not an universal for-government and community levels. It is increasingly mula but a guideline to defining the plan, strategiesevident that in this modern era, there is a real need and organisation which may be the most appropri-to ensure that the vulnerable communities arebetter ate and useful for theparticular societyin which eachinformed and more aware of their own risk, and are of us live. Tome this is the real value of this book.better prepared to cope with disasters when theyoccur. Usually, the first response to a disaster situa- One of the goals of the International Decade fortion comes form the threatened community itself. So Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) 1990-2000)isif government officials, disaster managers, NGO that all countries should have in place disaster re-workers and those providing humanitarian assist- duction plans involving long-term prevention, pre-ance expect the susceptible communities tobe better paredness and community awareness. The produc-prepared and to be able to respond in a manner that tion and use of this manual is only the first step to-will reduce losses and suffering, an active pro- wards achieving this goal.gramme on education and awareness will be neces- Mid' fsary. The vulnerable communities must know the a 0 an 0 a atu,roles and responsibilities they have to play; govern-ment policies, disaster plans and operation proce-dures; relevant preparedness and mitigation meas- ~ures they are able to implement to reduce losses;andother appropriate disaster-related matters which af- -•.._--fect them.

S. LANG! KAVALIKUDeputy Prime Minister, Tonga

(II)

Guidelines for the Deuelopment of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

TABLE OF CONTENTSPREFACE (ii)

SECTION ONE

INTRODUCTION 5

FOCUS OF PROGRAMMES" , ,.., ,..", ,..", .., ,..,..", '"", .., ,..", ", ..' ", ", '" ..", ..",' '" " .. 6

OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMMES 7

MAJOR OBJECTIVES "'" ", "" ." ' "'" .., """ .., '..", ." ,"'" """'" .., '", ,,.", ", ", " ,." .,."" 7TOOLS FOR ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES '.."' ..,.., ', ..,' .., ,..',, .., ,..,,.", " .." ", ", "", "" .." ..',' ",.7

Awareness , ,., ,' , , " ', , '" .., ,..", ", .., '., .., ", ", ", ,., ", ", , 7Education ,' , , , , ", .., ", .., ", .., "" ", ", ", .."" , , 7

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS ..,..", , , , , , '..',' '..", ", ", " ", ..", 8PROGRAMME IMPACT" ", ' '..", , ,.., , ' ", .., ' ,..',' ', ", ' .., ", ", 8

Awareness , "' ", ".", ,..'".,, ,..'"." " .." '" '" '" ", ", ", ", ", 8Interest " , ".", '.", ..' , " .., ,.."' .., ,..,.,..' ,., ',, " ", ..", " ,., ,.,.8Desire ..", ", ', ,.,.., ,..,' ..,' " ..', .., , ,' , " ,..,,'., ',' ", ,., " .., , ", , 8Action , , '" ,..", ,,'.', , ,' .., ' ' '.."' .., ,,,..' ,' ,' ,., " ", "' ,, , 8

CHARACTERISTICSOF EFFECTIVEPROGRAMMES , '" ", ", ,..' ', , ' , " 10Hazard-specific ..,,' ' ' ', , , , ' , , ", .., ", ", ", ", , ' '" , 10Community-specific , , ", ,..,.,." ,..", .., ", , , "' ,' " ,,, ,,' ", , ,. 10Audience-specific , ,' , , '..', , ", " ", ", ", ", ,.' ",. 10Participatory "' ,' ,, , , , , " ', ..', " .." " , " " , ,,' 11Process-oriented , ,.., , , , ", .., , , ", ..'" ", , , 11Continuing , , ,.., , , ", ", ", '" ", ", ", , 11Institutionalised , ,., ,..,' .., , " .., " .." " ,.." , , ", ',' ,., ,.. 11

THE ELEMENTS OF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

SOURCE ", ' ", , , ' ' ,..", ", ", , , ", , ", , 12MESSAGE ", ", " ", , , : , , , , ' , , ", '" ", "' ,, , 12

Factors that determine the effectiveness of messages: ' 12CHANNEL , ", ", ", ,.,., ,..", , " ,..,' " ..', ,'.'.' ',' .., ,., ", ", ".,., ,.", ", 13RECEIVER..", , , ", ", , ,..", ,.., , , ", ",."", ", ", , ",. 13

1


SECTION TWODESIGNING A PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESSPROGRAMME 15

USINGTHEMANUAL ..", ", , , , ,.., , , 15PROGRAMMEWORKING GROUP , , , " .." ,..',.." " , ' 15OVERVIEWOFTHEPROGRAMMING PROCESS ,..' , , 15

APPLYINGTHE PROGRAMMING PROCESS 17

STEPONE -INVESTIGATE , 17What Should be Investigated 17Research Methods " ,., , , , ' , , 19Approaches to Gathering Information .., 19

STEPTWO - PLAN PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES , , 23Determine Communication Objectives , 23Define the Target Audience 23Audience Segmentation , , 24Decide on Desired Behaviors ofTarget Audience 24Approaches towards Obtaining Behavioral Change 25Media Mix ., ", 26Plan Implementation Arrangements , 27Timeframe and Budget 31

STEPTHREE- DEVELOPMATERIALS , 31Who Should Ddevelop the Materials? , 32What should de Developed? , 32Approaches to Developing Material , , 33

STEPFOUR- PRE-TESTAND REVISEMATERIAL 34Pre-Testing , , , ,., 34How to Pre-Test ., " , 35Approaches .." , , , , 37

STEPFIVE- IMPLEMENT 38Training of Disseminators , , , 39Dissemination of Communication Materials , 39Pilot Implementation , , 39Frequency of Dissemination , 40Approach to Implementation , 40

2


STEPSIX- MONITORING AND EVALUATION"." "" ", "' ..,,, ,,..' "" ' " """ " 41Monitoring " ',' ", ..'""" ..' ,..'"' ".'"" ,.."",, .., """", .., ,..", '"., ""' '""""", .."",,,"""",41Evaluation """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" .", ,.'" ""'" 42Approaches to Evaluation .', ..,'.','." ',.""".,' ,..'".""""" .."."",' '""' .."'.'" """' .."" ..'",.,,.,,,,.,'. 44

SECTION THREEMANAGING EDUCATION AND AWARENESS PROGRAMMES 46

POTENTIALPROBLEMSIN CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT " ", .., ,.." , , , ,", ", " 46Lack of Communication ,' ,'.'" '" ,,.",." """." """", """"""""" """'" """"""""""""""" 46Budget ..", ", ", .., ", ", " ',' """ ..,..', ..'""' ",' ", .., ", ',' ", ..",.,,,".46Staff ..", ", ",,,.,,,, ,,' ..' , '" ..' ' , ,..", .., """ ' """"'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' 47

KEYTO EFFECTIVEMANAGEMENT ..,..", ..' ,..' , , " ", ", ", ", ", ", ", ",.47PROGRAMME MAINTENANCE ,' .., """ ,.., ,.., ,.., ".", .., ', ..", ", ", .."" ",,,.,,, ..,,,,.47

APPENDIXTERMS OF REFERENCE 48

3


SECTIONONE

4


INTRODUCTIONThe first response to a threat situation should ideally In essence, education and awareness programmescome from the community itself,however experience are most effective when the following elements arewould in many cases show that this is not always present.the case. If we expect the community to respond to " ,warnings and community alerts which we as disaster • A ,vIable disaster m~n,a?ement mechanism tomanagers have spent considerable time and effort dnve programme activitiesdesigning - then the message is very clear. "Make A' t it t t f ddt', , • n m-coun ry cornrru men 0 un e uca IOnsure the communities are aware of the systems and d

. , , an awareness programmespohcy in place and, more Importantly, that theyunderstand them and are aware of their • Recognitionthat information must be transmittedresponsibilities and action that must be taken". in plain, simple but accurate language, with the

, ,. ,level of communication targeted to the level ofSimilarly, the political, pohcy and other seruor bli d ta di I d litpu ICun ers n mg anguage an 1 eracyofficials all need to be aware of the processes and 'procedur~s in place so that they can ~nsure that full • Regular reinforcement and convincingco-operation and support,are provided, not only presentation of hazard related information,?unng response operah~ns, but als~ for the particularly the vulnerability issues which areImportant development and Implementation phases associ ated with each hazard and itsof disaster management programme activities. characteristics

The strate~ies w~ u~e to achieve these objectives can • Development of freely available material whichbecategonsed WIthintwo broad areas; 1)Awareness, has been produced through community2) Education. Each of these two approaches will be consultationsdiscussed in depth throughout this manual, howeverit is important that the differences between the two • Personnel with the skills to handle community(in terms of what they are designed to achieve) are misapprehension and misunderstandings, toclearly distinguished, in order for the most counteract false rumours and ignorance and toappropriate strategies to be designed and provide factual reliable information that mayimplemented. save lives

1. AWARENESS: Aims to create an awareness of It should be made very clear, that education andspecific issues and, in doing so, motivates the awareness are not something which occurs when atarget audience to want to know more about the hazard threatens. They are an ongoing programmeissues or topic being introduced. Awareness which focuses upon specificmessages and activitiestherefore seeks to create a demand. It is important designed to ensure that community members canto remember that awareness alone will not reduce their vulnerability to hazards, by increasinggenerally create an informed and responsive their preparedness against threats.community.

Thekey for disaster management officialsis to ensure2. EDUCATION: Takes the process one step that the emphasis is placed on quality [of

further, with strategies aimed at achieving a programmes] and not on the number of differentbehavioural change within the target audience. programmes implemented. Furthermore, timing isEducation programmes generally work in a critical factor for the implementation ofsupport of awareness programmes and include programmes. Withmany developing countries facedactivities which are interactive and quite with the problem of limited funding and resources,specifically directed towards increasing the it becomes a "fire for affect" situation, so that theknowledge and understanding of specific issues programme theme is relevant to the existing issues.among the target audience. For example, cyclone programmes would be more

effective and credible if implemented during thecyclone season.

5

Guidelines jor the Development oj Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

FOCUS OF PROGRAMMES • ~lanning, Polic~ and Procedures.l~ many cas~stimely community response to a grven threat 1S

not achieved because members are not familiarWhen asked to develop education and awareness with the key planning, policy and operationalprogrammes, one of the most asked questions by procedures used by disaster managementworking group members is usually: "What do we officials.Ifwe expect communities to respond tobase our education and awareness programmes on?" directives from authorities, then they must beThere is no "one" answer to this, however it is informed of the issues (awareness)and have theirimportant to not just focus upon one issue. For knowledge increased to a state of understandingprogrammes to be effective they must address and accepting (education). This applies equallyimportant elements of the following: to post impact situations.

• The hazard and its characteristics. It is important • Mitigation and preparedness measures: Suchthat programmes do not just focus on the major programmes can either be generic (general)hazard (eg. Cyclones), but also identify other where they apply to the whole country, orassociated characteristics such as storm surge, specific,when the programmes are targeted at alandslide and flooding. Where hazards are particular audience in a province, district or"seasonal" such as for cyclones, the pre-season island. There are limitations with genericbuild-up provides a great opportunity for programmes, as they assume that everyoneemphasising or re-enforcing knowledge of hears, accepts and understands such messages.preparedness action. .. . ...

It is important for authorities to also distinguish• Community vulnerabilities. Programmes aimed between education and awareness and what they

at informing communities of specific aim to achieve, compared to that of operationalvulnerabilities to the specific hazards and their information systems, which is the information andcharacteristics (and more importantly the advice given out when a threat exists. The formermitigation and preparedness strategies that they facilitates effectiveresponse in the latter.can adopt to reduce the vulnerability).

6


OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION ANDAWARENESS PROGRAMMES

MAJOn OBJECTIVES that each type of approach has available to them, inK. order to achieve the key objectives of the programme

The main focus of education and awarenessprogrammes is dependent upon what they aim toachieve. Therefore the establishment of specific AWARENESSobjectives is an important first step in theidentification and design of such programmes. More We said earlier that the aim of an awarenessspecifically, education and awareness programmes programme was to motivate the target audience toseek to influence target audiences to accept new want to know more about the issue being promoted.issues, to motivate them towards adopting new It also serves as a "memory jogger" when thebehaviours and, more importantly, to assist them to knowledge of the subject matter is already known,maintain and sustain newly acquired behaviour. This but may be a little rusty. For example, it may havecan be achieved by: been a few years since a country has experienced a

. . . cyclone and, in such cases, awareness programmes• Increasmg kno,,:ledge .and understa~~mg of can refresh the memory through some specific

hazards and their associated charactenstics message about cyclone preparedness.

• highlighting risk and vulnerability reduction Awareness alone should never be considered as astrategies suitable tool when the objectiveof the programme is

• increasing the knowledge and understanding of focused upon seeking a more,responsi:~ con:munitykey planning, policy and operational procedures. through practical applica hon of mitigation and

preparedness measures. This approach assumes that• increasing the understanding and meaning of every member of the community knows about the

warnings and community alerting systems subject matter and, moreso, knows what action theyneed to take in order to reduce vulnerability, and

• motivating the communities to undertake when that action should be taken. Some examplescorresponding precautionary measures as the of awareness tools are listed on the next page.threat increases and warnings are issued

• Posters, flyers and brochuresQuite clearly a "prepared community" gives itself abetter chance of survival than one which is not • Other printed materialinformed and is unaware of survival actions. Thiscan only occur through repetitive interaction and re- • Pre-recorded television and radioenforcement by disaster management officials, announcementsgovernment departments and NGOs in a • Radio "talk back" showsconsolidated programme incorporating botheducation and awareness strategies. • Promotional materials such as balloons, fridge

magnets and colouring in books.

TOOLS FOR ACHIEVING EDUCATIONOBJECTIVES

In public education, interpersonal relationship (orEducation and awareness objectivescan be achieved face-to-faceinteraction) and field demonstrations arethrough a programme which employs several am~ng the best methods to approach a .ta~getchannels to reach a target audience. Let's now take a audience. However, these approaches are limited1 k at b th d d ti d th tools only to those who attend the sessions. Therefore, it00 a 0 awareness an e uca on, an e

7

Guidelmes for the Development of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

is necessary to incorporate the use of other forms of • Understanding of the social and environmentalmedia in order to supplement and broaden the direct impacts of hazards.interactions. This can be achieved through the useof radio, particularly with pre-recorded messages • Understanding of the societal structures whichand programmes and television where it exists. deal with hazards.

Printed material also serves as a sustaining • Ability to deal with hazards.information channel since thesecan be read each timethere is a need for reinforcement or be used as anongoing reference. Non-Formal EducationThe following list provides some examples ofeducation strategies. The list is not conclusive, as Non-formal education is any organised educationalthere will be many other options available within activity outside the established curriculum system,countries, which may only be effective within that and tends to be non-institutionalised; specific; shortcountry's environment: cycle and flexible. Examples include: Community

Education Courses, Workplace Gatherings, Field• Informal discussion and other direct interactions Demonstration, Extension Consultation, Workshops

and Seminars.• Training sessions to increase understanding and

provide clarification on printed and other audio Non-formal education may be more efficient in somevisual materials respect through its closeness to community needs

and their learner centred ness. It is also far less• Complementary radio and TV drama resource intensive.

• Community visits and field demonstrations

• Illustrated posters Informal Education• Other culturally and traditionally accepted ways

of knowledge transfer This consists of day-to-day learning experiencesoutside formal and non-formal systems and cannot

When we talk about education, there are three main be fully structured. This approach is dependent on:approaches or programme strategies which can beadopted in order to reach specific target audiences: • Networking.

• Word-of-mouth.

Formal Education • Reading newspapers.

... .. • Visitinghistoricalplaces (especiallyplaces ofpastWhen educ.aho~ IS mentioned, the first thing that disaster situations which have been preserved tocomes to mind IS the school system. The school has serve as reminders).the environment of learning and, since publicawareness tries to instil favourable habits and • Community channels like brochures, posters,behaviour which are achievable through learning, it pamphlets, radio programs, tv shows, video, andis recommended that this be done within the school film.curriculum. The curriculum could be designed toinstil in children the following:

• Positi~e at~itudes, ap.pro~riate sk~l~s a.nd IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONSbehaviours in community disaster mitigationpreparedness, response and recovery.

When implementing an education and awareness• An involvement in hazard and risk identification programme, there are several factors to consider:

and vulnerability reduction programmes.

8

• Programmes are time-bound, specificand media- also be effectively tapped because these could becentric. easily copied and multiplied.

• Effectiveness of small media as channels forpromoting disaster awareness

• Dissemination can be done through the PROGRAMME IMPACTintegration of folk, interpersonal and massmedia. By doing so, one can reach a wider Determining whether a programme will haveaudience and harness the power of interpersonal education or awareness, or education and awarenesschannels. Among the media employed are components depends upon what impact it istraditional forms such as puppet shows, rural designed to have on the target audience. Thetheatre, folklore -legends and myths. This form following overview will provide some guidance onof medium pays equal emphasis to other this issue, by way of describing the four key levelselements such as the audience and the message. of a programme impact:

• Use of popular culture. This determines to a largeextent how people, particularly the youth, act,speak and behave. Popular media include AWARENESSrecordings, music videos, television and films.

. For this type of programme, the target audience (in• Radio drama and adventure comics can take the general, everybody) is exposed to new concepts. An

place of traditional storytelling. Audio tapes can example is the display of posters which shows the

9


impact of a cyclone on a community. The assisting the communities and then just observingaccompanying illustrations portray that cyclonesare the communities, giving more and moreserious and that people should contact disaster encouragement.management officials for further information. Theposter creates an awareness but does not attempt to The common flaw in many national education andexplain matters in detail and does not give the range awareness programmes is tha t most. pr~grammeof preventive measures the community can take. managers stop at awareness. If the objective of the

programme is to do an education campaign, thenthe management will have to go all the way to actionwhere the desired behavioural change occurs. Once

INTEREST the interest level is reached, the programme shouldraise it to desire and push that desire towards action.

As theprogramme emphasis departs from awareness . ..towards education, the public needs to be guided, St0I;'pmganywhere m the m~ddle wo~ld not havethrough a variety of approaches, towards action. achieved the goalsof community education. ItwouldFrom this level onwards to the last desired level have created a vacuum and, therefore, whateverwhich is Action, the messages become more dema~d. was created by awareness-raising cannotpersuasive. Toarouse the interests of the public, the be satisfied.type of messages are those that would appeal to theaudience. Some messages could project the fearappeal or an emotional appeal, however one would CHAR A'CTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVEhave toweigh up the benefits (ifany) of this approach ngiven the cultu:~l and traditional beliefs ~f Pacific PROGRAMMESIsland communities. Amore favourable option couldbe to focus upon a more positive approach, byhighligh ting the benefi ts tha t communi ties / An effectiveand successfuleducation and awarenessindividuals would gain by adopting a more proactive programme is one that has achieved its set objectives.approach to disaster mitigation and preparedness. Such programmes are usually identified as havingThe need tobe given detailed explanation isaroused. the following attributes:

DESIRE HAZARD-SPECIFICThis stage is reached as a result of the messages that The programme is more effective if the materialsarouse needs. At this level, there is an urgent push developed focus on one hazard. Most of theto know what needs to be done. The public interest confusion arises from giving information whichis raised to a level that the urge to know about the crosses from one hazard to another.needed action becomes imperative. This is reachedthrough a series of repetitive contacts with people.This could be motivated through the giving ofincentives like recognition and other more concrete COMMUNITY-SPECIFICevidence of rewards.

The programme takes into consideration thevulnerabilities of the community to a specifichazarthmaterials and activities being developed in the

ACTION context of the community.

Toencourage the public to acquire new behaviours,visits and field demonstrations are required.Demonstration shows the appropriate behaviours AUDIENCE-SPECIFICand responses to stimulus. This is more evident indevelopment activities where communities are The programme design is customised to the type ofencouraged to construct a stronger shelter. The target audience. It addresses the needs of the targetcommunity workers, in teaching the communities, audience, the ethnicity,literacy leveland other factorsdo the tasks themselves, demonstrating the step-by- like media usage pattern, indigenous leadership,step procedures and then gradually drifting to tradition and culture.

10

Guilklines for the Development of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

PARTICIPATORY CONTINUINGPlanning and designing of the programme benefits The programme should not be in single bursts butfrom the inputs ofthe target audience/communities. rather should be done as a continuing activity orThe distilled wisdom of the elders in the community series of activities.The programme strategies shouldis used in developing the materials and producing vary with the times and the messages will also bemessages. The participatory approach tends to be based on a well-planned frequency of dissemination.successful since the participating community feelsresponsible for the success or failure of the

programme. INSTITUTIONALISED

Should be part of an existing institution to ensurePROCESS-ORIENTED continuity of activities and proper staffing.

Looks at the overall impact of the programme(quality) instead of concentrating on the productionof materials (quantity).


THE ELEMENTSOF THE COMMUNICATION PROCESSEducation and awareness as a programme is For messages that are intended to teach disasternormally implemented using communication preparedness actions, the messages tend to be morematerials. These communication materials will be so complex and longer. These messages are normallydesigned to achieve awareness, education and contained in pamphlets and find expression inattitude change. This could be achieved through a dramatisation and stage plays.communication process that transfers Message .. .(information) from a Source through a !:hannel The message must take into consideration:(medium) to the target Receiver (audience). di h bi

• au renee a Its• previous experience• literacy

SOURCE • current knowledge• level of arousal• time which has passed since the last message.

Saving lives depends on the credibility ofinformation supplied to communities. In many casesthe community will react on the basis of learnedknowledge integrated with recommendations at the FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THEtime of a threat. An effective education and EFFECTIVENESS OF MESSA'GESawareness programme must include a source which ,..has, over time, established his/her credibility withinthe communities.

For example, if a programme has been mounted to Message appealsincrease knowledge and awareness of the volcanicrisk on an island, then the source of the message The message should have meaning for the recipient,should be a volcanologist or a well known Disaster and should be relevant to their needs. ExperienceManagement Official, so that the community shows that logical appeals, are best suited formembers will have confidence in the information intelligent and sophisticated audience. Emotionalbeing presented. This source should ideally be the appeals attract the indifferent public.same person who will be issuing the warningsduring a real threat situation thus furtherstrengthening the linkages with the communities. In ,countries which are prone to earthquakes, trained DeINerysty!eseismologists provide materials on earthquakes suchas historical epicentre maps, seismic source zones The manner in which the message is packaged isand earthquake risk assessments. critical in attracting the attention of the intended

audience. More exciting and dramatised style makesthe message less difficult to process and thereforeattracts more viewing public. For children, theMESSAGE materials tend to be colourful and should show a lotof action. The materials should be executed in such

The type of message to be delivered depends on the a way that the children can easily relate to.level of expected audience response. For example,for material aimed at raising the level of awarenessor creating awaren~ss in the general public, the Organisation of materialmessages are short, Simple and catchy.The messagecan be expressed through written words, illustrations Th h Id f II I' I. . e message s ou 0 ow a oglca sequence e.g. tor pictures. One such example IS the message ..

. d i h F'" A P hi h messages dealing With problems or threats shouldcon~ame m t e IJlan ~areness oster w IC says also state the solutions." Disaster Preparedness ISCommon Sense".

12


Lenglh campaign, a combination of channels can be used.These include:

The attention span of the audience also ?ictates the • Broadcast medium _radio and television.length of message to be delivered. Children havevery short attention span and messages should not • Print medium - newspapers, posters, brochures,be longer than 15 minutes (in the case of puppet pamphlets, illustrated magazine.shows and plays). Materials that are intended forbusy people, like decision-makers, should not deal • Closed circuit television - video and film.with lengthy explanations. Concise and brief . .presentation of materials containing salient points • Inter-personal communication.should be sufficient.

• Traditional and indigenous medium.

Relnforcement1hrough repetition RECEIVERThe messages are repeated with a frequency that is •optimal to learning. Carefully planned audience The receivers are the members of the community andexposure to the message is advisable so that the other beneficiaries (direct or indirect) of therepeated exposure will facilitate learning and achieve programme. Factors to consider in defining thepositive results. However, favourable responses may receivers are:reverse if the audience is exposed to repeatedmessage for a prolonged period. • capacity factors such as age, education and

intelligence of the intended audience;

• demographic characteristics such as gender andCHANNEL ethnicity;

• individual differences such as personalities andThis is the medium through which the message is lifestyles; andcommunicated and, in an education and awareness

• cultural, traditional and religious beliefs.

I

13


SECTIONTwo

,

14


STEP FOUR: PRE-TEST.REVISE PRODUCE be adapted to suit the objectives of the education" programme and, at the same time, further explain

FINAL MATERIALS each step to follow towards an effective educationprogramme.

Pre-test the materials to ensure that the messages areclear, relevant, acceptable, persuasive andappropriate. Revise the materials considering the " .suggestions made during the pre-test. Following this FEEDBACK:After e.ac~step, It ISadvlsab.le to getproduce the final material. feedback. Feedback ISImportant because It allows

the source toknow and measure the degree ofsuccessin attaining the objectives (immediate or long range).Feedback also allows remedial inputs in the

STEP FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION communication process to further enhance itseffectiveness. Monitoring and evaluation are

Broadcast the radio and television spots or radio and functions of feedback and are important componentstelevision dramas with the frequency of airing in reviewing the effectiveness of existingdecided during the planning stage and at the programmes and the need for new programmeidentified times when the audience watches strategies.television or listens to radio. Distribute thepamphlets, illustrated magazines and other printed Th~ ~o.llowingillustration shows the chronology ofmaterials. Put up posters at identified poster points activities.and conduct small group discussions. Note that thefrequency of broadcasts (particularly for pre-recorded messages) will usually increase as a real CHRONOLOGY OF ACTIVITIES

threat situation increases.

STEPSIX: MONITOR AND EVALUATEStep One Step Two

Monitor the distribution of materials to ensure that Investigate Plan

the pamphlets really reach the target audience. Listento radio and watch television to ensure that theprogrammes are being broadcast according to pre-arranged times and frequency ofbroadcast. Evaluateto find out what the audiences learn and do anddetermine the extent of influence the materials arehaving. Step Six

FeedbackEachstep is discussed in detail in the ensuing section.To further assist the programme managers, thediscussion will include examples. Since the objectofthis manual is to promote the development andimplementation of public education and awareness( d t stonni " ) h .. Step Fivean no stopping at awareneSS-raISIng,t e majority Monitor and '

of the examples to be given are education examples. Evaluate

While most of the examples will deal with disasterprevention, mitigation and preparedness, they can

16


APPLYING THE PROGRAMMINGPROCESS

STEP ONE - INVESTIGATE WHAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED?

The investigation process is a logical first step as the Target Audienceresults of the research will lay the foundations forthe development of more comprehensive and Awarenesseffective education and awareness programmes.WOth t h h d Awareness programmes generally rely on members

1 ou sue researc, programmes may en up 0' 0

dd 0 th . dv in d 0 '11 of the target audiencets) to read and/or listen toa ressmg e wrong issues an ,m omg so, wi 0 0

f '1 t hi th 0 0 bO to messages. In this respect, answers to the followmgai 0 ac eve eir pnmary 0 jec ives, '11b 0 id 0 f 0 0 0

Wl e important consi erations or investigativeA number of strategies can be adopted with research:workshops, meetings and interviews being the most Wh tIl f lit ?

D id 0 h ld be zi h a are eve SOl eracy.common. ue consi eration s ou e given to t eworkload of the team members in deciding which What publications do they like to read?strategy to adopt.


Where are the major meeting places? Specific Characteristics. .• Knowledge

What access do they have to the different media(newspapers, television, radio) and how frequently • Attitudedo they listen or watch?

• PracticesWho are the most influential people that could beused to convey messages or be used on posters etc?

What are the number and type of languages used Communlcatlon NetworklChannel)and where they are used. Is there a common written

language which could be used? The information required to support an effectiveprogramme includes those that refer to the availableand acceptable link between the source of

Formal Education information and the target audience. Theinvestigation should then determine:

Formal education is specific in its requirements andtherefore the type of investigative research will vary • The credible and acceptable inter-personalaccording to the programme objective. For example, communicators. These communicators will beif the planner wants to pursue formal education, the trained become the local informant on hazards,following needs to be investigated: disaster preparedness activities and will also be

treated as the local conduit for real-time• Student's perception of hazards and disasters. information.

This applies to Primary, High School andUniversity Students (if appropriate). • The language(s) that the target audience

understands and can comprehend best of all.• Topics related to hazards and disaster

preparedness that are being taught in school. This • The channels (radio, television, written materials,requires curriculum review. film, etc.) that reach the audience most effectively.

• Existing resource books on hazards and disasterpreparedness.

Communication Resources• Teachers' knowledge level of hazards and

disaster preparedness. Investigative research should also find out the

S h 1'1 I f d available institutions and communication resources• c 00 seve 0 prepare ness. h h h bili ft at ave t e cap a I ity 0 :

• Conducting formative research

Non-Formal and Intormal Education • Producing information and educational materialWhen pursuing non formal or informal education . . . . . .programmes the following factors need to be • OrganIsm~ and mobihsing a t~a~ of fieldconsidered for analysing the target audience: workers for mter-personal communication. These

are mostly Government Organisations (GOs) andGeneral Characteristics Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) already I

• Demography based in the target communities.

• Socio-economic status • Education and Training (school-based resourcesand community-based NGOs that are already

• Traditional mitigation and preparedness implementing development and otherpractices community-oriented activities).

• Community decision hierarchy

• Access to media OUtputs ot Investigative Research• Traditionalleadership • Perception level of the audience about hazards

and their level of risk to the different hazards.

18

Guidelines for the Development ofEffeclil'e Educatioll alld Ar/'arelless Programmes

• Sources of information about hazards and RESEARCH METHODSpreparedness measures that the target audiencethinks are credible. Anumber of research methods, both qualitative and

• Identification of acce table local inter-personal quantitative, are useful. Research takes time and. t p requires some training of the staff on researchcommumca ors. . .

methodologies and result interpretation. It IS not• The identification of appropriate language{s). always necessary to carry out costly surveys that

require large sample sizes and highly trained• Prior experience of the audience in awareness enumerators.

materials.Investigative research should not be dismissed as

• General and specific characteristics of the target unnecessary. As it serves as the backbone of theaudience. programme, the planners/organisers should have

the base data in order to develop the most• ~radit.ional beliefs about hazards and disaster appropriate communication plan, with the view of

) situations, influencing the target user.

• Most acceptable and accessiblemedium to reachthe audience (radio, television, brochures,posters, etc.) APPROACHES TO GATHERING

• Most appropriate time for group discussion or INFORMATIONcommunity meetings.

Thereis unfortunately no "one" approach which willfit all country needs. What the manual attempts to

Table 1. Different research methods.

RESEARCHMETHOD DATACOLLECTED COST nME STAFFNEEDED CHARACTERISnCS

Householdwrvey ProportionotlhetOigel Expensive,lequires Atewmonthsto: !.Trainedinterviewers 1.Goodtr periodicevakJationofpopulationwifhspecific largesamplesizeto 1.Desig1 2.Fieldsupervisors behaviourorknowiedgechangesbeliefsandbehaviour bestatisticolly questionnaire 3.statisticians 2.Canbebiased(respondentswhodo

significant 2.Pre-test 4.Dataanalyst notunderstandthequeshanornotwiiling3.Colectdata torespond)4AnalysedataSWrnereport

FocusglOUpdisClnSion Trendsinbeliefs.attnudes. Costotfacilitator 1.Sl<iliedbcllnator 1.Comeupwithpersonalperceptionof(FGD) perceptionsonacertain dependsonthe specifictopics.ideasandfeelingsabout

topicot ahomogenous numberot meetings specificis9Jesgroup and incentives 2.Gooaopportunitytodiscussfreely

Jj (cashorinkind)to specificissuesamongpeersenticeparticipants 3.Resuttsmoynotbeapplicableto lhetoattend entirecommunity

, InterceptinterViews orgetaudiencereaction Reasonable 1.Dependentan !.Trainedinterviewer 1.Goodforanon-fhe-spotpre-testingofonandperceptionon lhel'IJl11berof communicationmatenaiscertaintopicsormaterlais interviewees 2.9Jperficial

In·deplhinclViwa Deeperunderstandingof Expensive !.Timeconsuming !.Trainedinterviewers 1.Usefultr gettingprivateopinionS0 ainl9lViews perceptionsandOpinions selectgroupespeciallyhard-to-reach

eXp/essedcilringtheFGD audience2.Specific

19


display is two examples which represent both ends desirable, In any case, the team needs to meet to agreeof the scale. It will be left to country officials to on the following:determine where they fit within this scale in respectto needs, resources and other essential criteria, • What needs to be investigated?

• What kind of data is needed?

Approach -1 : One Month Duration • Who will do the investigation?

• When should the data be submitted?

WhoisInvolvedf-- Assignments Once the answers to the above questions are known,TheTeam 1.Gatherdocuments the team could proceed with the investigation.

2 Decideonthescopeofinvestigative Researchers could be hired to conduct the dataresearch theri h ld th iseb 'I bl3 Engagetheresearchgroup/Decide ga ermg or,s au e expertise e avai a e among Itoconducttheresearchutiiisingthe the team members, da ta gathering could be done byprogramm

testaffti' designa ted staffwith the guidance of the team expert.

1\ Approvehequesomore ,The following documents could be obtained fromavailable sources:

Part of Step 1could be done through a workshop or National policy guidelines (e.g. Disaster Manage-a series of meetings, Due consideration should be ment Policy Guidelines or Health Policygiven to the workload of the team members in Guidelines or Development Policy Guidelines)deciding whether a continuous two- to three-day R t Ethni it d t b I' f b t, , ,epor s on ICI y an curren e re s a au aworkshop IS feasible, or afternoon meetmgs are ifi t ' ( titi , t d ithspeer IC 0PIC e.g, supers I ons associa e WI

hazards)

Guidelines far the Development of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

Languages used by different target audiences. Approach - 2 : One meeting durationRadio listenership (could be available at the radio

stations) and broadcast coverage.Who is Involved - Assi~nment

TV viewership (available at the local TV stations if 1.TheTeam 1. Dlscusstheproblemthatneedstoexisting) and broadcast coverage. be addressed by the programme

2 Agree on what needs to beBroadcast rates for government projects resear~hed(whohavedupHcating. machines, who can draw. who

. have talents to tell stories.etc),Broadcast schedules for government projects. 3. Identify information sources

P ., f .. th te d th 4. Give assignmentsnnter s rates or printing e pos rs an 0 erprinted materials.

Production cost (for radio, TV and closed circuit'. television). In the case of a small Team with scant resources, the

team can start the work by calling a meeting to!l Hazards assessments (be it health hazards, natural discuss issues related to the following:

hazards, environmental hazards, securityhazards or technological hazards). • Discuss the needs

Existing education and awareness programmes • Identify who can helpwhich could be used as a model in designingthe campaign. • Advise where to get the necessary information

Information on comn:unity-~ased activities ~hich For a small area of coverage where the general andcoul~ be used for integrative approach (piggy- specific characteristics of the target audience arebacking), already known to the Team, there is little need to

Human and technical resources which are needed undertake a thorough research to establish theto conduct small group discussions. characteristics of the target audience.

Output of research groups. The following checklist maybe used in lieu of., . investigative research:Inventones of available communicators .

Media equipment and expertise.

Available distribution services and delivery What to Find Outefficiency ( like how reliable the postal serviceis). Are there other groups in the community doing

public education and awareness programme?Existing and available public awareness materials

which could be adapted to local situations. If answer is yes, then:

If some of the data needed is not readily available, it Who are they?could be included in the survey to be conducted forthe project. Other information which could be What is their focus?

k obtained through investigative research is:Did they do an investigative research?

-'" Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP)of the target . . .audience with respect to the objective of the Can then findings be useful?programme. I . ibl ". b k"?s It pOSSI e to piggy- ac .

Public perception about the subject of the educationprogramme

Demography Other QuestionsWhat are the local resources (human and material)

To serve as guide to the team and the programme which can be tapped?staff, the following information checklist (Table 2)can be used by simply filling-in what is applicable. Who can be consulted for advice?

21


Table 2. Information Checklist.

INFORMATION INFORMATION AVAILABILITYREQUIREMENT

InformationAvailable Informationnot available(Sourceof Information) (Proposedsourceof information)

1. National Policyon (the subject of theprogramme).

I

2 Common and traditional beliefs andpractices (about the subject of the tprogramme).'

3. Other education and awareness tiprogramme (past and current).

4. Human and Technical Resourcesfor ftraining.

5 Media production facilities(printing, tradio, film,TVetc.)

6 Surveyon radio listenership.

7. Preferred language of the materials.

8 Are there local TVstations?

9. What are the costs involved in TVproduction and airing of TVspots?

10. What are the costs involved in radioproduction and airing the radioprogramme (government and privaterates).

11. Targetaudience knowledge (aboutthesubject of the programme).

12 Audience demography (includingliteracy level).

13. Existingcommunity-based develop- .ment and other activities. i

t

14. Community-based NGOsand orqonso- rtions. ~Io

15. National and area-specific hazardsassessment.

16. Traditionaland Official leadership

17. Targetaudience attitude towards thesubject of the programme.

Depending on the identified information requirements, the Team can decide to add additional items to the suggestedchecklist.

22


Are there sample awareness materials available in • Adoption of a recommended behaviour,the community?

Example of education and awareness objectives:Answers to the these questions will be used to planthe programme.

Access

STEPTWO PLAN PROGRAMME • 70% of targeted adult population has received a- pamphlet about hazards (cyclones, floods and

ACTIVITIES earthquakes, etc.),

• 50% of targeted adult population asked forA plan is essentially a guide to the team who will be additional information.designing, developing and implementingcommunity education and awareness programmes,It outlines a clear and feasible goal and the means Exposureby which the goals can be achieved. This plan is notstatic. It is meant to be revised over time to suit • 80% of the targeted adult population have heardcurrent needs. Revision is also based on monitoring e~ght ?isa~ter management radio paneland evaluation normally done mid-way and end- discussions m the last three months.of-project. A plan should include:

• 90% of the target population have read the• Programme objectives brochures and pamphlets about hazards and! or

preparedness measures.• Definition of target audience

• 75% of the target population have seen a TV• List of desired behavioural change commercial about disaster preparedness,

• Approaches or methodologies to be adopted

• Mix of channels to be used to deliver messages Knowledge• Implementation arrangements • 70% of the target audience have knowledge of

what action should be taken at the beginning of• Timeframe and budget the cyclone season, during an actual cyclone

threat and immediately after a cyclone haspassed.

DETERMINE PROGRAMME OBJECTIVESAn objective should be: Adoption

M . fl· 70% of the households in the targeted• eanmg u iti '11 t . d h b '

R I, ti d ibi h t b I' h d communi es WI rim trees an s ru s, pnor to• . ea IS c, escn Ing w a can e accomp IS e th t t f th 1within the resource constraints e s ar 0 e cyc one season.

: Clear, so that it is ea~y,to un~erstand , • 70% of the target rural population will takeMeasurable, so that It IS?os~Ible to momtor and preventative measures to protect root crops whenevaluate whether the objectives were met or not a cyclone warning is issued.

• Consistent over time, it should not be changedfrequently in order to achieve continuity fromawareness to adoption of behaviour.

DEFINE THE TARGET AUDIENCE~ Objectives can be best stated in terms of:

A (t '1 d di ) Defining the audience is based on the results of the• ccess 0 materia s an me iurru. ., , ,E Investigative research completed In Step One. Most

• xposure to message. . t t i t kn th inz of di. Impor an IS 0 ow e groupIng 0 target au renee• K~~wl~dge of ~lsaster preparedness and in order to address the needs, the gaps and the

mitigation strategies.

23


present Knowledge Attitude Practices (KAP). Typical decisions. They should also be knowledgeable abouttarget audiences may include: Politicians and policy- disaster mitigation and preparedness. A goodmakers; Disseminators of information (village elders, example of this is the disaster preparednesschiefs, church leaders, or school teachers as in the programme in Vanuatu where the village chiefs arecase of formal education); Students, youth and in-charge of informing their community memberschildren; Adult population; or All of the above. about the cyclone situation and are given a cyclone

season checklist of things to do when cyclone alertsare given.

An Example of a Target Audience Thus, we see that in a public education andawareness programme, our audience can be divided

Students into two main groups:

A decision has to be made when disaster • The target audience to whom the messages arepreparedness should be introduced in school. directed and customised to their needs.Frequent interaction and co-decision-making withschool officials would be effective in arriving at a • The information disseminators and inter-decision. Knowing the characteristics of school personal communicators within subgroups ofchildren, the age they leave school and traditional audience.responsibilities given to children at home wouldserve as good guides in determining at which level

the topic of dis~ster preparedn~s~ will be introduced. A'UDIENCE SEGMENTATIONAt the same time, school officials and classroom 1"11. 1'\teachers would be able to identify the simplicity or .. .complexity of treating the subject to be taught. For The audience IS further segmented mto homogenousexample, simple lessons should be introduced in the sub-groups based on the result of Step One. Theylower levels and becoming more complex towards could further be sub-divided according to: rural/the higher levels. urban; geographic location, cultural groups, literacy

level and gender.

Segmenting the audience has been very helpful toAdult population of a hazard-prone community determine the best channel through which the

message could be delivered and to tailor the messageThe primary audience is the adult population. to-best fit the audience.Prioritisation of target adult population could bebased on hazard - vulnerability assessment. Whilethe mass-based awareness programmes tend to reachall the population, alternatives covered by non- DECIDE ON DESIRED BEHAVIOURS OFformal education can initially b~ concentrated on the TARGET A'UDIENCEmost vulnerable adult population, 1'\

Defining desired behaviour helps design an effectiveprogramme.

Supportive audienceThose responsible for influencing decisions toundertake mitigation and preparedness activities. tv Ies f De I ad BehaviInvestigative research should be able to identify who ~amp 0 Sf ourthe supportive audience is.

• To incorporate disaster mitigation in theireveryday activities. ,

Secondary audience • To evacuate to cyclone shelters or safe structures(especially if the house is considered unsafe) .It

Those who are delivering front line services like the when a destructive cyclone becomes imminent. trelief providers (both government and non-government), the policy-makers and the village • To habitually listen to radio for cyclone warnings.chiefs (traditional and social) whom the communityadult population looks up to for guidance and critical • To ensure that the workplace and the house

environment are safe.

24


In order to achieve the desired changes ofbehaviour, strategy to achieve behavioural change. Showthey should: destruction of properties and deaths that would

make people think and want to know more on• be easy to practice; what to do in order to avoid disaster situations

" ' from occurring. This may not be a culturally or• have resources available 11\ the commumty; and politically correct approach and thorough

b ff ti research on this form of message should be• e e ec lYe. ,conducted dunng stage one. It may pay to ensure

There are constraints that could inhibit changes in that messages are focused on more positivebehaviour or adopting recommended behaviour. issues.Step One identifies the reason(s) for not adopting Thi dl ' ide i P ttirecommended behaviour. Some of these reasons can • If y, IS to proVl e incentives. u lz:g-Upabe found baskin the followin questions: logo on house,s, :hat practice disaster

y g g preparedness activities has been proven as aIs there lack of information? motivation for the occupants of the house to

become role models in disaster preparedness.Are skills available but not utilised? Other people arebeing recognised by using them

as leaders in disaster preparedness andIs there enough motivation? mitigation activities.Awards that are given to the

, " most prepared village is one way to encourageIt i~ important t~ know, th

latcchhangeIShdifficult ,to people to co-operate in disaster preparedness

achieve but not impossib e. anges t at requlfe ti itiff d howinc i di ac VIles.continuous e orts an not s owmg imme late

change become extremely ?ifficult to achieve and • Fourthly, the programme emphasis should~ould become, f:ustra~lI\g for programme appeal to the target audience. More particularlyimplernentors. This ISespecially true forhazards that it should clearly identify that by undertaking theare rare. For instance destructive earthquakes are not action, they will be increasing their resilience toannual occurrences and therefore itwould take some the hazard and in doing so will reduce theirti,meto see fruits of~ehaviou~al changes. Pe~p~ewill vulnerability and keep their families safer.If theyeither forget or the mterest WIlldecrease.This ISalso cannot seeany value in what they arebeing askedtrue for co~ntries which ~re not often vis~ted by to do, then it is highly unlikely that the approachcyclones (like the Repubhc of Palau). Unhke the will be successful.presence of an active volcano (although the volcanomay not erupt frequently), there is no physical • Fifthly,the programme needs to show the linkagereminder for an earthquake or cyclone occurrence. between hazards and community vulnerability.

Moreparticularly it needs to address key aspectsFor this reason, public education and awareness ofhazards and how communities can take actionprogrammes should become an integral part of day to reduce vulnerabilities, Communities need to- to - day activities. Practising safety measures and be convinced that hazards and more particularlyactivities geared towards safety should become part disaster situations are not "acts of god".1f thisof the social fabric. Hence "enculturation" is also logicisnot evidenced, then a change ofbehaviourrecommended. will not be attained.

These approaches can be summarised as:

APPROACHES TOWARDS OBTAINING • Emotional - factual examples about disasterBEHAVIOURAL CHANGE preparedness.

• Fear - deaths and property destruction.'\ There are several ways by which change can be " .

achieved. • Incentive - disaster safety kits,

.1 · Firstly,the education and awareness programme • Appeal- safety from hazards.can make an emotional appeal to the public by, .giving it factual examples about disaster • LoglC-tea~~t~etechmcala~pec:-,ofhaza~dsandpreparedness and mitigation. vulnerabihties as contnbutmg to disaster

occurrence.• Secondly, fear is another moving and potent

25

MEDIA MIX effectivein influencingpeople are schoolofficials,church leaders, development organisations or

After the target audience has been defined and village groups.approaches chosen, then the most effectivechannels Id II bi ti f hi' d h

I d Th .. ea y, a com ina on 0 c anne s ISuse as eacare se ecte. e appropnate media are selected h different i hb d as a 1 erent Impact on t e segments of our targetase on: di F' diau renee, or instance, posters, ra 10, television or

• Characteristics of media inter-personal used in isolation, will not be aseffective as a mix of these channels, with the final

• Characteristics of the audience choice depending very much on the characteristics. .. of the selected audience..The following guide may

• Campaign objectives assist working groups in the final selection of. channels for their programme:

The media most usually used in a disastermanagement education and awareness campaignare:

• Broadcast media: radio and television Radio• Print: posters, brochures, pamphlets, Radio is a very importa~ttoolfor promoting di~aster

newspapers, and illustrated magazine preparedness and creatmg hazard awareness in thepublic. It reaches the largest audience of all media ~

• Inter-personal (face-to-face):this involves well- (electronicand print). Radioprograms (drama, spots,trained communicators or information interviews, documentaries, interactive audiencedisseminators such as disaster officials, relief participation) which are well-designed and lworkers, community leaders and village chiefs. adequately placed in broadcast schedule becomeThese communicators act as motivators to induce competitive and cost-effectiveways to communicatebehavioural change. Others who are equally information and advice to the public.

26


T levi Ion Table 3 gives the advantages .and disadvantages ofIe S the different channels which may be used as.. communications tools.In many countries, television is a communication

medium mainly for the urban population. Whil~this The media mix that will apply to informal educationlimits the television coverage to rural dwellers, it has inasmuch as formal education is implemented in thegreat potential as a complementing medium to radio. classroom environment. Non-formal education isTelevision can be used to arouse emotions and fear similar to formal education in the sense that it dealsthrough the use of visuals. with an organised grouping of audiences where a

resource person or a communicator takes the lead inthe discussion of the chosen topics.

l Films and Video Hence, for non-formal education, attention is les~onthe media mix but more on the support matenals

L These are alternative media that provide needed to reach the audience. Audio-visual materials!'f entertainment while educating the public. Many are still recommended to complement the discussion

development programmes have extensively used and lectures." films and videos to reach target audience. . .,

For informal education, the choice of media rrux isdependent on:

Publlcatlons 1.Audience characteristics.

I f 2 Hazard and vulnerability situation.Information brochures/pamphlets are usefu or .introducing hazards and promoting community- 3. Other identifiable constraints.based disaster preparedness. The text must bewritten in simple language, should not be too Seebox on page 27forexamples of media mix choicestechnical and needs to be well illustrated. The for special target audiences.brochures are meant to introduce new concepts to alarge number of people and therefore need to be

translated into various local languages. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS

The choice of arrangements depend on:Posters• Short and long-term commitment

Two types of posters are commonly used in aprogramme Motivational posters and Instructional • BudgetPosters Motivational posters create an interest for C . ti

. • ommuruca on resourcesthe target audience to know more and normallyprovide details as to where to ~et more information. Several options have been found to be effective in

\ Instructional posters alread~ give the prob~ems~nd implementing a public education and awareness~ the solutions. An example is a poster which 8l~es campaign. Options are:'" illustrated instructions on what to do before, dunngI and after a cyclone.

Ins1ffutIonaliseInternet The Disaster Management Officeshould manage the

. need for, and development of, education andAs the internet becomes more accessible to awareness programmes. National Disasterorganisations, homes, outer island or ~emote Management Working Groups or Committeescommunities it will become a very good medium for should be assigned the task of developing andboth awareness and education programmes. Other implementing the programmes and should form theuseful applications of internet are reasearch and for priority focus for skills development training in thisaccessing opinion sharers. field.

27

Guidelines for the Develapment of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

Table 3.

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Radio 1. wider audience 1. not enough to teach skills2.cost per unit target audience is 2.no interaction between speakervery low and listener3.providescurrent information 3. no immediate feedback4.reaches those who cannotcome to structured training

Television 1.can be used repeatedly 1.no face-to-face interaction t

2.reaches large and scattered between viewer and ",audience communicator3.can create a mood or show 2.very high production costemotion usingpictures,music and 3.limited televisioncoveragewords 4.Limited power supplieson some4.can transmit reality with high islandsfidelity5.can make complex ideas andabstractions more concretethrough the useof examples anddemonstrations

Filmsand video 1.bigger audience impact 1.high production and operating2.ideal for complex messages costs3.can showsequence of activities 2.requireselectrical power whichshowing the model of desired may not be available in outerbehaviour islands

3.few people benefit per showing(especially true for video showingwhere a maximum of 50 people isthe ideal size)4.resource limitation such as filmprojector,video monitor and largescreen

Publications(brochures, 1.appropriate for detailed and 1.limited to literate audiencepamphlets, and posters) lengthy technical materials 2.messagescan readily be

2.allows re-reading and ignored •contemplation

(

Collaborate additional resources reduced. This should bedetermined during step one.

"Piggybacking" is a term which is gaining more and Fo a ple: The Department of Health which maymore recognition, particularly in developing ha~:: :ajo~ campaign on a range of h~alth issuescountries where resources and expertise are limited. 0 ld b re uested to share their expertise andIf there are other institutions which already have an experiences.Turther health officials working withon-going campaign, it is recommended to such campaigns can'be useful resource persons oncollaborate. The advantages are that the target disaster management campaigns.audience will be increased, and the requirement for

28


M Adutt Urban Dwellers In or close to the Capttal CityIn urban areas close to lhe capital, there is a proliferaffon of informaffon sources. Because of the good mix of media available, thechoice of communicaffon will be dependent on the general habits of the urban populaffon. Urban dwellers may prefer watchingtelevision over listening to radio.

A good mix will include:

I Printed materials ( posters, flyers and pamphlets) - in addiffon. safety tips could be included in the telephone directory Wheninform::rtion isplaced in specialised publications that cater only to lhe few the authoriffes should call attenffon to this.lf the informationdeals wilh earthquake survi\Ol tips,then all information coming out of the seismological office should include a one-liner announcingthat 'earthquake survival tips can also be found on page.4 of the telephone directory", The same should hold true for cycloneprecautionary measures that appear in special publications.

! I Radio and Television - the frequency and time of broadcast should be carefully planned. If the target audience are householdheads, it isbest to air the radio/TV spots or drama in the evening when people are home from work.While it istrue that most workingpopulations also listen to radio news in the morning, more often than not they are rushing out to reach lhe workplace on time. Thetime and frequency of broadcast will be dependent on the audience listening habits.Thisshould be addressed by the investigativeresearch.

I Inter-personal communication - discussionson disaster management issuescompetes with other major present-day concerns likedrug abuse, AIDS,environmental degradation and everyday issuesof survival.Thus,small group discussionsshould be well-timedJoensure an interested audience, this should be done at the approach of the cyclone season when there isan identified need forInformation or after a devastating earthquake elsewhere, not necessarily In the South Pacific, which creates a demand to knowabout the seismic situation in the area.

Meetings could be co-ordinated with the work ollicials so that employees are not taking extra time out to participate in small groupmeetings.

M Adutt RuraWillage AudienceI Radio - is still the best means of communicating messages to the general public. If radio transmission isnot good in the villages,

especially in the outer islands,other communicaffon channels should be used in order to ensure the message reaches the identifiedtarget audience.

I VUlage theatre groups - which dram::rtiseor act out the messages.Thisisvery entertaining and would be attractive to the audience.The actors should be given training and a special script should be written. While this Ishighly recommended. this takes lime, effortand financial resources to organise. Besides,the touring actors will need financial support.

I Field demonstrations - on disaster mitigation and preparedness could become an integral component of on-going developmentactivities In the villages. ~ integrative approach or 'piggy-backing" isused. take care lhat disaster topics should be given equaltime and exposure.

)I Group discussions - should be complemented by ffip charts and audio-visual materials (if resources permit). Role playing and

simulation exercises are good vehicles for learning. ~ has been proven !)lat in lhe village levels,especially for groups of audiencewilh low literacy level. learning could be achieved by 'v.ctching" and 'practising" rather 1han by 'reading" and' doing".

I Useof local disseminators (like lhe village elders) - it ishighly recommended that disseminators are well-known to the communityand could identify wilh lhe problems inherent to the communit¥They know lhe habits, the custDms and couid identify lhe bestapproach to motivate community members.

I Films and vldeo.lf resources will allow it (e.g. electricity), filmsand video also create lhe desired impact. Besideslhe entertainmentthese media offet they could present the topic utilising localised events.When localisation isdone, lhis proves to be very expensiveto produce, since each film or each video will be specific to lhe village showing lhe disaster situation. the hazards, lhe specificvulnerabili«es and the possible mitigation and preparedness activities lhat could be done given the local situation. Folms andvideo also have a short'sheW life" and become outdated easilyForcountries which have one language and hazards common toalilhe islands.this may not be an issue.National issuescould apply to the outer islands as well.

29


Contract-OUt consider the conduct of investigative research,pre-testing and evaluation).

Engage a private institution ,or a university to • The programme materials (printing costs, designdevelop the programme. The disaster management t h t hi t TV d R diff . I I h hni I' f d' cos s, P 0 ograp IC cos s, an a 10o icia scan supp y t e tec tea Input 0 isaster d ti t fil d vid d ti t. " pro uc on cos, I m an VI eo pro uc ion cos,management and the rest of the programme activities t d th tre d ti t)

b d b h . .,. puppe s an ea pro uc Ion cos .can e one y t e pnvate Institution,

A I f . ,. hi h h develooed • Size of the audience to be reached,n examp e 0 an Institution w ic as eve opedisaster communication materials is the University • Implementation approach.of South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. They have all theresources needed for developing communication A summary of budgetary considerations are givenmaterials. Another institution is the South Pacific in Table4 below.Media Centre which does the communication

• programme for the United Nations Population

Programme. STEP THREE - DEVELOP MATERIALSTIME FRAME AND BUDGET The development of material for an educ~tion and

awareness programme has been made easier by thethorough research conducted during step one of the

Project Duration development process. Now it is time to get started

The project duration is dependent on the activitiesnecessary to achieve the programme objectives.Thetasks are:

Table 4,• Validation research ( Additional audience

analysis, media analysis, communications ACTIVITY EXPENSE REQUIREMENTnetwork and resource analysis).

Research Salaries• Develop the materials TransportationCost

Expenses• Pre-testing and revision of materials Fbstage

Questionnaire Preparation• Mass production of the materials Supplies

Data Analysisand Interpretation• Training of classroom teachers and other

dissemina tors Production Cost Designand PhotographyPrintingCast

• Distribu tion of the rnaterials to schools and other FilmandVideo Production (inclUdestalentco-operating disseminating groups, institutions fees.e~uipment rental. props and otherand individuals prof~onalfees) . .

RadiOand TVProduction (Includes talent• Monitoring activities fees and equipmentrental)

Elf Training TransportationCost• va ua Ion Expenses

PI .. d tr t (I h I ti venue Rental• an revision an s a e~ on y w en eva ua on TrainingMaterialsresults recommend reVISIOn). Salaries

DistributionCost CourierFbstage

Budget Transportation and PerDiem

The over-all project budget is dependent on: Broadcast Cost RadioandTV AirTime(consider frequencyof airing the radio and TVprograms)

• Type of research to be done (the cost should

31


on the actual development of the material. The WHAT SHOULD BE DEVelOPED?following questions need to be addressed: •

The materials to be developed differ depending onstrategies adopted. These are shown in Table 5.

WHO SHOULD DEVelOP THE MATERIALS?The best people to develop the material are those Table 5.who either know or work within the target audiences(such as members of National Disaster Management APPRQl\CH MATERIALSTOBEDEVELOPEDWorking Groups, that is Government Departments,NGOs, Red Cro~s,and oth~r agencies). Many gro~ps FORMAl _ textbookslack the technical expertise to prepare material, EDUCATION - teachers manual(reference book)however, the important issue is for the content to be - flipchartsright and then to have a professional co-ordinate the - clossoorn postersf· I k f" hi t h Th idi -Internetma artwor or InIS mg ouc es. e gUI mg +- _principles for teams are:

NON-FORMAl - posters1. Make certain materials are in a language the EDUCATION - il~ustratedmagazinesandbrochures

. . - fllpchartstarget audience understands. ThIS not only -disseminators reference materials.applies to the local dialects but also in the use ofidiomatic expressions. Some idiomatic INFORMAL _iIIuslrated magazines .brocheres filmsandexpressions are unique to a place and therefore video tapeswill not mean anything to other places. - radiojingles,radio spot and radio drama

- television programmes (TVspots and paneldiscussion)

2. Relate the facts about hazards to human _posters and flyersexperience rather than relying solely on statistics. -live theatre (stage play/puppetshow)People are more likely to be aroused by the -promofional~terral-suchasba!lons,. f tion if h t d d th stlckers,colourrngIn booksandT-shlrts.in orma on I t ey come 0 un erstan ey arepersonally to be affected.

3. Make materials as locally specific as possible.While it is interesting to note that other areas also Useful pointers to the development of the differentare affected by similar occurrences, the materials types of material for a campaign include:would have a bigger impact if the viewer / readercan readily identify with the situation presented.

4. Provide graphic descriptions of disaster impacts For Postersto help people understand the reality of thethreats and the effects. • Should dramatise a single idea like

"preparedness is safety"5. Use actual pictures of disaster situations. Visuals

are the strongest motivators to viewers/readers. • Should attract attention from the distance (at leastBesides catching the interest of the audience. 10 metres away)Extreme care should be taken if considering the . "use of graphic photographs depicting people • Use VIsuals to deliver messagesuffering. Be sensitive to cultural and personal Sh ld b bl. • ou e memora eIssues.

• Should show benefits6. Use the same message repeatedly. If a catchphrase is coined for the awareness campaign, useit in all the materials prepared for the campaign,be it in posters, radio drama or pre-recorded RadIo/lVSpotmessages.

• Should begin with an attention grabber like thesound of a raging cyclone/video of a strongtyphoon destroying houses and crops.

32


• Should ask the listeners/viewer to take action. communities. The results of these tests are then. . . analysed, with the necessary modifications made

• Should be direct and explicit. according to the identified needs.

• Should present one idea. 3. Production of final materials. Once the final• Sh ld k th l' t /. t f th modifications have been completed the materialou rna e rne ns ener viewer par 0 e ... .it ti can be sent for final design and prmting. For the

si ua on. fi . d hirst campa1gn, mass pro uction s ould be kept• Should carry the same preparedness slogan as to the minin:um cost effecti~e. nur:nber, so that

in other materials. further reviews and rnod ifications can becompleted after the first 6 - 12 months, and thenmass production can be implemented fordistribution to a wider audience. This saves

Brochure!PamphletsN!sual Aids wastage

• Should use illustrations and photographs to The ~istof activities in Table 6, o~tput and resou~eemphasise the point. ~equ~e~ents could serve as guide to the Team m

identifying tasks that need to be executed in the• Should show people displaying desired production of materials.

behaviour.

• Should be organised and follows a logicalsequence. APPROACHES TO DEVELOPING MATERIAL

• Should matCh. graphic and language facility of Approach. 1 : Three Monthsthe target audience,

• Should carry the same preparedness slogan forrecall. WhoIs Involved __ Assignments

Given the guideling principles and pointers, the 1. TheTeam • BrieftheconceptartistsontheTeam should be in a position to commence the 2. ProgrammeStaff objectivesofthecampaigndevelopment of the materials. But their involvement 3. RadiolN • PrCNidethe technicalcontentin the development may stop at the communicators ofthematerialstobeconceptualisation, thinking of messages, choice of 4. Printers developedphotographs and other visuals to use. The writing 5. Artists • Preparesample(dummies)ofof radio and TV scripts should be left to the experts 6. Languageexpert posters.flyers.brochuresandand the actual printing and production are best left otherprintedrroteriolsto commercial printers and other communications • Approvethe contentexperts. (message).andmaterialslay-

outand produceproto-typeAs described before, there are three stages in thematerialsWrite radioandTVdevelopment of materials. These stages are scriptsordramascripts(inchronological and therefore, should be done caseof theatregroups)according to the sequence presented here. • Approvethescript

• Producethematerials1. Development of prototype materials (sample

materials). Different versions of posters, radioand TV spots, and the other materials are . .produced so that the target audience can choose Step Two would have decided the type of materialsthe most acceptable. to be ~eveloped for the ~a~paign.In developing the

materials, the characteristic of the target audience2. Pre-Testing and review of materials. Once the will have to be considered and the means through

example material has been developed, they are which the messages would reach the target audience.pre-tested for validity within the targeted The message should be tailor-made for them.

33


Table 6. Sample activities, output and resource requirements.

ACTIVITIES OUTPUT RESOURCEREQUIREMENTS

I.Conceptualise ideas tor the multi-media I.Script tor radio,Tv. and illustratedrmterials I.Radio and N scriptwriters2.Script tor filmand video 2.Creative artists3.Prototype postersand flyers 3,Technicalexpert4.StoreyboardforN spots 4.Comrnunication expert5.Storeyboardfor video

2.Approve the concept Finalscriptsand materialsfor production ProgrammeManagement

3. Finish the production of multi-media Mulfl-mediamaterials 1.Radioprocacnon equipmentmaterials 2.N producflon equipment

3.Commercial prinflng facilities

4.Prepare the disseminatorshandbook Referencematerials Technicalexpert

Approach·2 : One Month STEP FOUR· PRE· TESTAND REVISEMATERIAL

Who is Involved r-- AssignmentTheTeam 1.Prepa~ethe campaign PRE. TESTING

matenals

Pre-testing means getting the reaction from the targetaudience to the sample material produced. Thisinvolves exposing the target audience to the material

The plan from Step Twowould have identified w~at being tested. The general objective of pre-testing isneeds to be done and the team can start preparmg to evaluate the effectiveness of materials and thethe materials. This may mean modifying existing materials' ability to deliver the message to the public.programme materials to adapt to the local situationor preparing a new set of materials. Pre-testing aims to save time and money by ensuring

that the materials are acceptable and easy toPrinted materials may be replicated using understand by the target public. It also reducesmimeographing machines. If duplicating machines frustration on the part of the programmeare not available, it may be better to engage in management by reducing the risk that the audienceinformal discussions aboutthe topicbeing addressed will just ignore the materials because of non-by the programme. Government field staff, Village relevance.Leaders, NGOs and Church Leaders can make gooddisseminators of information given the necessaryexposure to the topic.

What needs to be established?Pre-testing aims to test the materials on the followingeffectiveness indicators:

34


• Message comprehension and recall - Do they • Message persuasion - Does the message reallyunderstand the message? Is it easy to remember convince the audience to do what they are askedthe message? to do?

• Message acceptability - Is there anything in the • Message clarity - Are the messages clear?material that the audience cannot believe?Is thereanything offensive in the materials? Some programme managers hesitate to pre-test

because of the cost it involves. It is highly• Message relevance - Do the people relate to the recommended that they do in order to ensure

message? The pictures? The story? Do they feel acceptable materials that are easy to understand andthat the message is really intended for them? have high degree of persuasion.

• Overall physical appearance of the printedmaterials in terms of colour used, photographsand lay-out, size of letters and size of posters - HOW TO PRE· TESTAre the letters big enough?, Are the colours nottoo loud?, Not too soft? Are the pictures so grim Any of the research methods recommended for Stepand repulsive that people refuse to look at them? One are equally appropriate to pre-testing. If the


budget allows it, a complementary pre-testing materials, one by one, being tested. After a fewapproach is recommended. Researchmethods found minutes of exposure (usually the facilitators decideto be effective are the household survey and focus on exposure length depending on the characteristicsgroup discussion (FGD).Household survey tends to of the respondents), they are asked to react to thebe costly,takes time to develop the questionnaire and ma terials. The facilitators steer the discussionanalyse the results. Open-ended question on (especially for FGDs) guided by a pre-testedsuggestions to improve the materials are proven to questionnaire. Usually two or more groups arebe difficult for the respondents. organised to pre-test the same material. It is

important that reactions are obtained after eachFocus group discussions are the most practical material. Otherwise, the respondents willjust choosemethod of testing materials. About 13 to 15 and that's it!respondents forming a homogenous grouprepresenting the target audience or a segment of the Experience also shows the audience tends to choosetarget audience, are exposed to the materials one by the materials they have seen last, especially if theone if more than one material is subjected to test. versions are very similar to each other. (Hence, it isAfter the exposure, facilitators distribute self- advisable that materials really differ in all respectsadministered questionnaires. After the respondents except for the messages they carry). The trick is tohave answered the questionnaire, the facilitatorstarts rotate the materials. If audience A has seen poster Can open discussion about the materials. last, then audience Bwill see poster Blast and so on.

Thesame should be done for radio and TVmaterials.In addition to the over-all reaction to the materials,the facilitator will also solicit suggestions and While it may be decided to use the same audience torecommendations on how to improve the materials. pre-test all the materials, it is recommended to use

one group for the poster, another group for theTo pr~-test, it is advisable to have. a few examples brochures and illustrated materials, another groupcarrymg the same messages. For instance, Two or for the radio and again another group for the TVthree types of posters carrying essentially similar plugs. The reason for doing segregated pre-testingmessages using different lay-outs, colours, is that people easily get tired especially if they werephotographs and different letter sizes. These need asked to really assess the materials, guided thoughnot be printed commercially, and could be the the assessment may be.products of desk artworks. If comic magazines orillustrated materials are to be mass-produced for When respondents are asked to answereducational purposes, again they should be questionnaires (self-administered), it is advisable toproduced closest to the final form. use close-ended questions. It takes longer to frame

the questions and think of all possible answers, butAbout two or three versions of radio plugs/spots it helps the respondents.should be recorded. Again, they should carry thesame message. The two versions may have different In getting suggestions, it is better to use open-endedformats, musical background and different voices questions. However, careshould be taken that all the(male or female). Pre-testing will help identify which respondents understand what is required of them.of the versions will be the most effective.The sameapplies to TV plugs/ programmes. For small group discussions, it is recommended to

supplement the discussionwith a questionnaire. ThisWhile it is true that producing sample materials for is to get everybody's input as some may have thepre-testing may entail extra costs and thereforecreate tendency to dominate the discussion therebyadditional financial burden to the programme, it preventing the others to contribute as well. Theassures the programme management that the facilitator will have to be very alert to notice this.materials to be mass produced are acceptable andeffective. The research alternatives that have been discussed

in Step One can also be used in pre-testing. Table6Theway some of the pre-tests areconducted involves gives a summary comparison of the different pre-asking the respondents to answer a few questions test methods to guide the team in deciding whichregarding the subject of the materials prior to method they might want to use.exposure. Then they are immediately exposed to the

36


Table 6. Pre-test methods.

IndividualSelf-administered .. GROUP:FO<?usGroupquestionnaires InterceptInterview Interviews

Purpose Toobtain individualreaction Toobtain quantitative Toobtain in-depthto communicationmaterials informationabout materials informationabout materials

Application printmaterials printand audio-visual printand audio-materials visualmaterials

and otherartworks

No.of Respondents 100-200ideal size enough (100-200)to 13-15'per group.minimumofestablishresponsepattern two (2)groupsper type of

respondents

Resources printmaterials 1.Structuredquestionnaire 1.Facilitatorsguide2.Skilledinterviewer 2.TrainedfaciITtator

questionnairespostage 3.Taperscorder orVCRfor 3.TaperecorderorVCRforaUdiO-VIsual audiO-Visual

Advantages 1.lnexpensive 1.Can testmanytypesof 1.Quickanalysis2.Widereach (ruraland materials 2.Coversmultipletopicshard-to-reachaUdience) 2.Fast 3.Gathersmoreopinion in3.easyand usuallyquickto 3.Easyto analyse one goaccomplish 4.Inexpensive

Disadvantages 1.Lowresponserate 1.Samplesrestrictedto those 1.Toofew respon-dentsfor2.May requirefollow-up presentin location consensus3.May nof be appropriate 2.Respondentsmay not be 2.Could be expensiveifforthosehavingdifficultyin representativeof the target incentivesare needed forwriting audience attendance4.Nocontrol overrespondentsexposuretomaterials

APPROACHES ~ooch-2

Approach· 1 : FourMonths Who is IIIYOIved f-- Assignment DurationTheTeam 1. Get reactionson ~ One day for Pre-

Who is Involved - Assignment mciterlals testing. 2. Decide what to ~ One month for

1. TheTeam • DeCidewhere t?,pre-test reviseor to retain revision2. ProgrammeStoff • Engage the faClUtatorsor the research3. ResearchGroup group

• Orientthe facilitatorand/or the researchgroup on the objectives and the When it is probably not practical to engage a researchcontent of ~e materi?1s . . team to pre-test materials, the following offers a less

• Preparetocdltat~s gUide.ques~na~e intensive and in many cases a more practical lower• Appro.'e the gUlde questionnolre ' ,• Conduct Pre-testing end of the scale approach.• bbulote and analyseresults• Meet to discussthe resultsand decide

which of the suggestions could be Do. T",..Nconsideredtakinginto account budget r1e-I~lIngconstraints

• Make the necessary revisionson the Once a set of materials for pre-testing becomesmaterials available, gather a group of people who are not

37


involved in the production of materials. Five to six It is highly recommended that members of the(5-6)people would be sufficient to test the reaction national disaster management office or workingto the materials. The materials will be tested using groups take an active role in such programmes,the same criteria as Option 1. The meeting doesn't particularly as the authenticity of the message beinghave to be long. Just give the people enough time to givenwill be enhanced by the credibilityof the sourcelook at the materials (especially if these are posters), (messenger). Similarly, the use of pre-recordedor listen to the radio plug (if part of the media mix). messageswhich canbe broadcast at regular intervals,

is another method of ensuring that the message isGet their initial reaction to the materials, as this not misinterpreted by announcers.usually serves as the guide to whether the materialswould be effective or not. Community-based disseminators of information

would have been identified by this time. Similarly,they ought to be given training especially on thecontent of the materials and, where possible, beSTEPFIVE· IMPLEMENT provided with some reference material which theycan consult from time to time.Sinceit is the intention

The process by which education and awareness that the p~sters and o.thercomm~ication m.aterialsprogrammes are to be implemented or launched crea~ean mter~st which ~an easily be sustaI~~d byshould have been determined back in step two ~avmg ~ readily accessible source of additional"developing the plan". Programmes which involve information.use of the radio and television as channels, there will I th f t thi t b d . th tr . .. n summary, e Irs ng 0 e one IS e airungbe a ~eed to thoroughly brief manageme~t and staff of disseminators. However, before training is(particularly the announcers) on the subject ~atter attempted, the materials to be disseminated shouldof the message so that they become more than Just a alr adyb available considering that they will form''I" ." eel 1 1

Ip service . the basis of the training effort.

Guidelines for the Development of Effective EdlU:ation and Awareness Programmes

TRAINING OF DISSEMINATORS schedule ( time and frequency of airing) for eachof the messages,

Formal Education • Community-based disseminators - posters (with location of designated poster points );

Training of classroom teachers - the teachers will brochures and pamphlets for distribution inbe given the technical training on understanding identified reading centres and for householdhazards and disaster preparedness. At the same time, distribution; tapes of radio materials and videothey will be trained on how to teach the subjectusing ma terials as discussion tools and also forthe recommendation contained in the Teachers' distribution to other potential disseminators.Manual. This training will be coupled with classroomdemonstrations using the lesson plan and the Materials that will be disseminated through otherchildren's textbook. This is to observe whether the conduits will have to be sent either by post or byteachers are able to follow instructions contained in courier. These materials should be accompanied bythe lesson plan, distribution instructions. It is easier to distribute the

reading materials to a target audience. However, careOrientation of school principals and school should be taken that the posters are displayed atsupervisors - the school authorities will be given this designated locations. These may include:orientation in order to appreciate the subjects beingtaught in the classroom. • Bus terminals

• Church bulletin boards

Non-Formal and Informal Education • Market places and Post Offices

• AirportsTraining of community based disseminators on thecontent of materials and the general information on • Places where people normally converge likehazards, disaster preparedness and meaning of VillageHalls, Clinics,Court Houses and Schools.warnings and community alerting systems. Specialinstruction on how to use the materials is also given. It is recommended, though, that a member of the

programme staff be sent with the materials just toThese disseminators can be drawn from a number establish a personal link with the disseminators,of sectors and include village chiefs or respected Experience has shown that this personal link is aelders in the community; development workers or good base for efficient distribution of materials. Ifcommunity organisers who are already this is not possible, then regular link throughimplementing community-based development communications should be established. This isprojects; NGOs and government field workers like especially true for materials that are distributedagriculture extension officers, clinic nurses, school seasonally for effect.Disseminators in outer islandsteachers and others with a close community may forget about the materials and the time ofaffiliation, distribution if the link is severed.

DISSEMINATION OF COMMUNICATION PILOTIMPLEMENTATIONMATERIALS C id ' h ld b ' t 'Ionsi eration s ou e gIVen 0 pi otB thi ti th hi' th ter i 1 d d implementation. As has been mentioned, they IS ime, e c anne s m e ou er IS an s an '"th t t ld h b id tifi d th approach and materials should be pilot tested. Thiso er arge areas wou ave een I en ie as ey , , . ,h ld h tt d d th lent ti trai or requires selecting areas which are representative ofs ou ave a en e e onen a on rammg. 10 , , ,

di ib ti t th di inat ld the target audience, for example, matenals intendedsave on istri u on cos s, e isserruna ors cou "b t d t ith th teri 1 f for urban dwellers should be pre-tested In select~ n~qu~s e 0 carry WI em ma ena s or urban areas.distribution. Example:

• R di , f di Pilot testing is for a fixed period (say for a period ofa 10 announcers - copies 0 ra 10programme , , ", tt t ( , f t if db th three to SIX months), Expenmental media mIXcanm casse e apes or m a orma speci ie y e ,', ,di t t' ) d f th b d t be done at this stage, PIlot testmg IS also evaluatedra 10 s a IOn an a copy 0 e roa cas, ,

for effectiveness,Basedon the evaluation results, the

39


dissemination approach and the media mix may message gets the public exposed to new concepts,have to be modified. If the pilot campaign is deemed and new ideas like the technical aspects of tropicaleffective, then more materials will be produced and cyclones. During the cyclone season, messagesnation-wide or region-wide implementation is done. contain reminders on the meaning of the various

. . terminology and specificlinkages such as the stagesSome programme implementors do not subscribe to of a community alerting systems and recommendedpilot implementation due to the high costs, and preparedness activities for each stage.demands on both time and resources. Pilotdissemina tion programmes are however The implementor of the programme should plan theencouraged, as they have been proven to be very dissemination phase very well because over-effective in ensuring the message reaches the target emphasis of issues may result in negative impactsaudience in a manner which increases the likelihood such as loss of interest instead of the desired arousalof them being understood and adhered to. of interest.

The implementor should know when the pre-recorded messages or radio jingle have lost their

FREQUENCY OF DISSEMINATION impact. This is the time when inter-personalcommunication should be started. Someone

The messages are not delivered all at once. The sufficiently trained on the subject shouldobjective is to change attitude and behaviour, this is complement the programme with some livedone through a series of messages. The initial broadcasts and discussion on the subject manner.

APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTATION

Who is Involved - Assignments Duration1.TheTeam • Identify local ContinUing2.Local Disseminators disseminatorsand inter- dependent on the3.Training personal communicators. objectives (for4.Staff .. awarenessraising,It.5.Radio/N stations • Conduct an orlentotlon might take two - three6.Programme Staff briefing to local months of continuous

diss~minatorsand/or exposure,forradio announcers and N education it isbroadcasters. continuing with well

• Identify poster points. ~~~~~~ use of

• Agree on distribution plan.

• Decide frequency ofradio and N broadcastand time of broadcast.

• Distributematerials,air theradio andlV spots/drama,and conduct fielddemonstrations,and smallgroup discussions.

40

The village elders (chiefs) and members of the villagecouncil are shown filmson the possibleeffects of cyclonesto their village.Special emphasis isplaced on the hazardSTEPSIX· MONITORING AND and its associated characteristics, and outiining ways and

means by which the affects of the hazard could be mitigated.EVALUATION Thevilloge chiefs are requested to organise a Village meetingand talk about the film. Brochures ore circulated to

G complement the information provided by the film.The villageMONITORIN elders develop a cydone preparedness plan which calls for

secondary warnings to be disseminated to the communityMonitoring s~rategies.are employed to iden~fy any upon receipt of a cydone warning. Different groups whichproblems which ma~ impact upon the effech~en~ss are pre-assigned to toke the lead for \OI'ious preparednessof the programme, WIththe results of the momtonng activities are mobilised to Undertake preparedness tasks.process used to improve and or correct messages,material and distribution channels. For the most Somple'guideposts':effective feedback, monitoring should be conductedfrom the outset and continued as the programme • were the brochures distributed?development passes from one step to another.

• Wasthe film discussed?One method which has been used with success has. ?been to use" guideposts" that serve as indicators on • Do the village people understand the message.the e~fectiveness or viability of th~ program~e • Did they organise groups to take the lead forplannmg elements. An example of this approach IS preparedness activities?given the box across:

Monitoring the project this way would make it easy tounderstand the successand failure of the project and shouldserve as guide for subsequent efforts.

41

.Guidelines for the Development of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

A monitoring plan should be guided by the following 3. Do random checking by conducting house visitsquestions: WHAT, WHO, WHEN, WHERE and and ask whether they have been exposed to theHOW to monitor and evaluate: materials and how.

An independent group may be hired to monitor thedistribution/ dissemination of communication

'M1at to Monnor materials especiallyin places which arevery far fromthe programme headquarters. While it is beneficial

Monitoring generally includes examining: to utilise the programme staff, it is cost-effective tohire local monitors. So long as they are given the

• What's happening to the materials during the instructions and a monitoring list, nothing shoulddevelopment stage?Are they being produced as go wrong.planned?

• Are the materials being distributed?. . EVALUATION• Are the radio and TV programmes bemg

broadcast as scheduled? Evaluation is the process of comparingretrospectively the relevance of:What was intendednow? Why? For Whom? and What in fact

How to Monnor happened?

. . Evaluation of short-term project exposure is usuallyThe programme staff assigned to momto~ the based on the objectives of the project. Whilepro~res.s of ~he programme. sh.ould be gIven behavioural change cannot be achieved over short-m~mt~nng gUldellI~es~nd .momtormg sheets. Some term exposure, the effectivenessof the approach andguidelines for momtormg mclude: the materials could be assessed based on achievable

objectives set at the beginning of the education andawareness campaign.

Development of Materials Theevaluation should ideally be implemented aboutAlways refer to the agreement between the producers three to six months after the programmes haveof the materials and the Team.The agreed delivery commenced or materials have been disseminated.of the finished products is usually stated in the The same evaluation focus applies to the evaluationagreement. Frequently call for a meeting with the of pilot implementation. With evaluation we areproducers for progress reporting. This way, any trying to find answers to the following questions:problems that might delay the production can be .immediately resolved. Has the target audience seen and/or read the

materials? Heard the radio programmes?

What have they learned from the material?Distribution of materials . . . .Are they domg or practIsmg what the materials say?1. Listen to the radio programmes or pre-recorded

messages at the times that have been arranged Which of the media are the most effective?with the radio station. If they are not being airedas agreed, then refer the matter to the Which of the materials have the desired impact?management of the stations and request I th I ti helos d termi h. . n summary, e eva ua on e ps e ermme suecorrective action. issues as the:

2. Request the disseminators of printed materials Eff ti f materi I. . • ec veness 0 ma ena ssubmit a progress report to have a baSIS formonitoring. The progress report will reflect the • Acceptability of the medianumber of materials distributed, whendistributed and where distributed. • Impact of the programme

• Effectivenessand acceptability of source

42


It has been mentioned that large scale evaluation is Ageneral guide to the Teamis given in the followingexpensive. One way of reducing costs associated questions:with evaluation, is to include evaluation questionswithin existing surveys as additional questions. How will you evaluate the programme?While this is cheap, it takes some time to get results, . .as they will have to be given at the same time as the • Focus group discussionparent survey. • Intercept interview

• Household surveyAnother cost-effective way of evaluating a • Additional questions inserted in on-going orprogramme is to gather small groups of people from existing surveysdifferent target areas and discuss the campaign. A . "structured questionnaire is used for the discussion. Who will conduct the interviews?Technically the research methods recommended for Who will be interviewed?pre-testing can also be used for evaluation. FGDsand Intercept Interviews are recommended methods. What is the sample size (number of people to beFor the intercept interviews, the evaluator goes to interviewed)?places where people congregate and conducts theinterviews. Since people are busy and have a special When will the evaluation be done?purpose for congregating in one place, thequestionnaire should not be too long. Where will the evaluation be done?


APPROACHES TO EVALUATION Approach· 2

Approach· 1 :Durationof the monitoringshouldbe th th 'I t t' Assignment Duratione same as e program Impemen.a IOn 1. Monitortheproject 1. Monitoring

period and duration for evaluation, about three 2, rv:~:impact by ~~ring project

months. engaging target 2 Evoluaffononeaudience to a month afterdiscussionabout the materialsarematerials disseminated

Who is II'NOIved I-- Asslgment1, ll'e Team • Monffor the distributionof printed2. Programme Stoff materials3. Research group • Monffor the airing of radio and N

spotsor drama (ffme and frequencyof a!ring) A special sub group can be assigned to monitor the

• DeCKlewhat to evaluate? progress of the project and provide regular feedback• Decide the type of EMlluoffon

researchto be used (household to the r~st of the Team. Where there are budgetarysurvey? intercept interviews?or Focus constraints, use the team members through theirGroup Discussion?) respective organisations to evaluate the impact of

• Conduct orientoffon briefing to campaign. The evaluation should be guided by theEMlluators/reseorchteam programme objectives set at Step Two. Find out if

• Prepare the guide questionna~e the objectives are achieved, then the programme is• AppIcNe the guide questiomoire successful. If not, find out where it failed. These• cbon

bOOlotclMnduotionlyse Its findings will facilitate the introduction of corrective

• u ea ana resu• Decide what changes winbe made measures.

44


SECTIONTHREE

45

.Guidelines for the Development of Effective Education and Awareness Programmes

MANAGING EDUCATION ANDAWARENESS PROGRAMMES

Before any work is done, the management POTENTIAL PROBLEMS INmechanism of the education and awarenessprogramme needs to be ide~tified, As outline~ in CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENTthe step two of the programmmg process -planning.most countries now have established either viabledisaster management committees or working groups LACK OF COMMUNICATION RESOURCESwhich are comprised of government agencies, NGOsand Red Cross personnel. They are therefore very Step one of the process (Investigate) should haverepresentative of the key community support identified whether the working group would havesystems and are ideally placed to develop access to institutions, public or private, which couldcomprehensive education and awareness provide support in the following areas:programmes.

• ResearchIn many cases (but not always), the National DisasterManagement Office would take the lead • Production designmanagement role for ensuring education and ,. , ,awareness programmes are developed. The person • Graphic design and pnntmgor organisation which actually manages the design T '" icati kill. • rammg In commuruca IOnSISand development of the programmes may be entirelydifferent and in many cases is. The programme • Broadcasting (radio and tv)managers do not have to be an expert in educationand awareness, nor should they necessarily know • Scriptwritinghow to write radio/tv scripts, conduct interviews,or design posters. They should however, have a • Stage plays and puppet showsthorough knowledge and understanding of disaster ., .. ,management in order to monitor the technical • Prmtmg facilitiescorrectness of the materials. • Recording facilities

!f the campaign, is to be ins~itutio~alised, ~he first Whilst these may not be readily available, theJobof the campaIgn manager ISto hire technical staff following agencies may be of some assistance:who will assist in the design and implementation ofthe campaign. The technical staff will consist of • Government Departments (e.g. Health,people with experience with developing education Education, Information)and awareness programmes and material, andideally (but not essential) have received some • Universities or Annexesintroductory training in disaster management.

• Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)If the campaign is to be a collaborative endeavour,then the manager, should identify from within the • Red Crossworking group or committee those members best R di d f I ,. S ., ., • a 10 an ie eVISIOntationsSUItedto take the lead m the followmg areas:

R h • Resources in the private sector• esearc

• Planning

• Production and Dissemination BUDGET• Monitoring and Evaluation In addition to having a committed team, access to

financial resources is a critical factor. Funding is

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required for all the steps of the programme KEY TO EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENTdevelopment and in particular the development ofmaterials. Whilst many developing countries do nothave access to national financial support, there are • A manager who is committed to the tasks of themany alternative sources of funding available. These programme must monitor each step of the designshould be identified and approached during step and development process.one. A show of support or commitment of funds at . .this stage will provide guidance as to how • T~e tasks of a supervisor are eno:mous and as itcom rehensive the programme can be. will usually be done on a part-time ~asis, they

p will need the full support of the working group.

• The delegation of tasks to team members

STAFF

Apart from the private sector, it is.~ighly unlikely PROGRAMME MAINTENANCEthat staff can be employed to specifically work onan education and awareness programme. The "staff"will be drawn from the working group or other In any programme, it is important to ensure that allsectors with particular expertise in this field the implementation requirements are in place.

Someone should be assigned to make sure thatIf the program is to "piggy-back" with existing posters have been sent and put up in designatedcommunity development or health programmes, the places. Part of the reasons why a communitymaterials could be distributed through the education and awareness programme fails is due tomanagement of these programs. Thevital component insufficient exposure to materials.is for the management to monitor and keep track ofthe material. The plan should make provisions for "maintaining"

a well-run programme, including the postimplementation phase.

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APPENDIXTERMS _OF REFERENCE

Title: ~~~manual will contain, inter alia, instructions

Consultant on Public Education and Awareness • how to disseminate information on nationaldisaster plans, particularly aboutpreparedness, mitigation and response

1 k arrangements,

as s: how communi . h .• ow commuriities can Improve t err own. . preparedness

Under the general supervISIOn of UNDDSMSand in close collaboration with the Chief • how to prepare awareness material forTechnical Advisor (CTA), the Consultant will specific hazards,prepare and submit a manual for disastermanagers, NGOs and other organisations in • how topre-test and evaluate these materials,Pacific Island countries that will enable them todesign and carry out effective public education • how to design and conduct public disasterand awareness programme, activities and awareness activities, andmaterials. ,• techniques that are appropriate to differentBefore commencing his/her work on this forms of media (printed information,assignment, the Consultant will prepare and posters, radio, TV,video).submit to the Chief Technical Advisor, copy toUNDDSMS, a work plan containing a time A regional workshop will be organis,ed to trainschedule and outlining necessary consultations people how to use.the manual. For this purpose,and travel req irements. the Consultant will prepare a draft manual. In

W s finalization of the manual, the Consultant willAs part of this assignment, the Consultant will take into consideration the impact of theanalyse current levels of public awareness about workshop and comments made by thenatural hazards, assess current public education participants.programmes and recommend ways to increase ..their effectiveness. To ensure the The Consultant WIllsubmit the manual to theappropriateness of methods that are C'~Awithacopyt?UNDDSMS. The Consultantrecommended, the Consultant will liaise with WIll ~ls,o submIt. t~ UNDDSMS a reportthe UNDHA South Pacific Programme Office, contammg ,de~cnptlOn of the work done,Suva, Fiji, and the SPC Media Centre about comments, findings and recommendations.media resources in the region, and about theaccess to information provided to peoplethrough these media. BackgroundThe manual will need to take into account the 1ft"wide range of potential users and the cultural norma Ion:diversity and variety of hazards within thePacific region. To this end, the consultant may Public education and awareness is an integralpartially draw upon programmes and other part of national disaster management plans inmaterials that have been successfully applied the Pacific Island region and aims to betterin the Pacific region and in developing countries inform the public about known hazards andwith similar disaster-related issues.

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iI


improve the consistency and effectiveness of relatively c.heap .way to .. diss~minatetheir response to disaster. information, literacy m the .PaclfIcvanes fro~

high levels in some countnes to low levels inPacificIsland disaster managers have indicated others. Radio reaches most communities andthat it is a priority to improve the dissemination video is rapidly growing as a means ofof information about natural hazards and communication,but TVservicesare still limiteddisasters, particularly to the general public. to a few urban communities. Other ways ofThere has been a considerable volume of information transfer are through publicinformation produced about disasters and activities and through the work of governmentmitigation measures - such as national disaster workers and NGOs. The challenge is to findplans, national building codes, etc. - but there cost-effectiveways to disseminate practical andis little effective transfer of this information to up-to-date information to all sectors of thepeople in the community, parti.cular~y~hos~in population and that people can act upon.rural and outlying areas. WhIle prmtmg ISa

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developing effective education and awareness programmes

Documents