We are working with a wide range of partners, including African media professionals, broadcasters, government agencies and NGOs to use media and communications to:
- Provide life-saving information in emergency situations
- Improve sexual and reproductive health, child and maternal health and prevent infectious diseases
- Help people earn a better living
- Facilitate free and fair elections and help citizens hold their governments to account
- Increase access to education
- Promote environmental conservation
- Strengthen the African media
Context
Thirty-four of the fifty-two countries classified as ‘least developed' by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are in sub-Saharan Africa. Only six African countries fall into the middle-income bracket.
The World Bank's 1996-2006 Governance and Anti Corruption Survey Report measures political stability, absence of violence, rule of law, lack of government censorship, control of corruption and the effectiveness and accountability of the governments in 212 countries around the world.
Twenty sub-Saharan Africa countries fall into the lowest quarter of all those countries surveyed.
Our work
Emergency response
We are working in Darfur, Sudan to provide life-saving information to 6.5 million people, including two million people living in the region's 85 refugee camps.
Health
We're working in Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and across Swahili speaking countries to raise awareness and change behaviour around sexual and reproductive, and child and maternal health.
We're co-producing radio and TV talk shows, dramas and public service announcements designed to encourage safe sex, improve reproductive health, increase HIV testing, and reduce the stigma associated with living with HIV and AIDS.
Governance and human rights
We are working in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda to strengthen the African media's ability to raise public awareness, understanding and debate about the mechanisms of ‘ transitional justice', including the activities of international tribunals, the International Criminal Court and Truth and Reconciliation Commissions.
We are working in Nigeria to train journalists to better report on how their government spends public money, and to mobilise public opinion around government accountability.
We have worked to strengthen the media's ability to ensure free and fair coverage of the elections in Tanzania, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and will be delivering elections projects in Angola and Sudan in 2008.
Education
Our weekly educational radio programmes and face-to-face tutorials taught more than 29,000 adults in Somalia to read and write. Many of these students were women and girls - unable to attend school due to conflict in the country or because of their gender.
We also worked in partnership with the Open University, BBC African Productions and the BBC Swahili Service to broadcast programmes about the importance of teacher training in Africa as part of a larger initiative to improve primary school education.
Livelihoods
We worked in partnership with the BBC Somali Service, the Africa Educational Trust, the European Union's Rehabilitation Programme for Somalia and a wide range of stakeholders in the country to empower people involved in raising and trading livestock. Our radio programme delivered the practical skills, technical knowledge and business awareness required to maximise incomes and improve livelihoods.
