More about our work in Asia

Asia

Aangan ke Paar training for women in how to use mini-disk recorders
People living in poverty in Asia have access to a rapidly expanding range of media. Mobile phones are favoured by many of the less well off where access to the internet remains relatively expensive. Television is popular in villages where there is little power. Engaging with many kinds of media is not the prerogative of the wealthy.

Against this backdrop we are working with a range of partners, including national, regional and local broadcasters, media professionals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to engage new audiences.

Together, we are using mass media and communication to:

  • Improve sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health and prevent infectious diseases
  • Help citizens hold their governments to account and facilitate free and fair elections
  • Promote peace and conflict resolution
  • Help people improve their earning potential through education
  • Reduce the risk of natural disasters

In the process, we are helping to build and strengthen the Asian media sector through extensive media training programmes. More about our work in Asia

Context

Asia is home to two-thirds of the people on earth. Although the region is experiencing impressive economic growth, driven largely by unparalleled development in China and India, it remains home to half of the world's poor and malnourished, and they have needs on an incomparable scale.

  • One in 10 children dies before their fifth birthday in Burma, Cambodia and Pakistan
  • The number of women who die in childbirth in Nepal is 67 times greater than it is in the United Kingdom
  • Bangladesh is near the bottom of the corruption league table
  • Gender inequality is the norm in just about every country in the region

Our work by country

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, we are producing a ground-breaking political debate programme with a weekly audience of 7 million across television and radio. Over the next three years, we will be developing a major English language initiative, which will make innovative use of television drama and discussion programmes and language learning via mobile phones.

Burma

In Burma, we produced radio dramas and educational programming from 2003-2007 that delivered life-saving health information to Burmese listeners. More

Cambodia

In Cambodia, we ran a three-year mass media campaign to improve sexual and child and maternal health, and are still producing three radio discussion programmes about sensitive health issues, called ' Hip Hop Girl', ' Real Men' and ' Really?'. We have also produced a feature film about human trafficking and a training video and television programme designed to improve the management of the Commune elections in 2007. More

China

In China, we have trained visually impaired people to produce weekly radio programmes about disability issues. We have also trained and mentored documentary film makers to produce documentaries about disadvantaged groups in western China. More

India

In India, we have built an excellent reputation for our health work, including leprosy and HIV and AIDS. From 2001 to 2007 we delivered a mass media campaign that increased awareness of HIV and AIDS.

We also trained twelve rural women to act as ' citizen journalists' for a radio programme about HIV and AIDS in the context of women's empowerment.

Since 2006, we have been working to promote condom use among 48 million men in four states with the highest rates of HIV infection in India. More

We have delivered extensive journalism training across India. The training focused on improving the coverage of social affairs reporting, such as HIV and AIDS and the environment.

In 2007 we have launched a new initiative to strengthen disaster prevention and resilience in the Indian states of West Bengal and Orissa.

Nepal

In Nepal, we are producing drama and discussion programmes to facilitate social cohesion and understanding between communities, and to broaden participation in the political process, including in building a new constitution for Nepal. More

In 2002, delivered a mass media campaign to encourage better prevention and treatment of trachoma, an avoidable eye disease that can cause blindness. The campaign reached 98% of adults.

Pakistan

In Pakistan we produced radio drama and discussion programmes that raised awareness and stimulated dialogue around gender issues in Pakistan. More

Vietnam

In Vietnam, we are developing a national mass media campaign to raise awareness of the risk of HIV infection among young people, and to change attitudes towards people living with HIV and AIDS. More

In the past, we have also worked in Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.