The majority of people in the world do not have reliable sources of food, income and employment. Half the world - nearly three billion people - lives on less than $2 a day. Over two-thirds of them rely on small-scale agriculture for their food and wages.
Unable to make ends meet, 852 million do not have enough to eat and more than 8 million people die each year from abject poverty.
Having a job doesn't guarantee a way out of poverty. Jobs with salaries often trap workers, not just because of poor pay, but also because of long hours, insecure contracts, or no provisions for illness, injury, maternity cover and child care.
Our approach
We believe that people need skills and knowledge to improve their livelihoods. We use radio, television, the internet and mobile phones to provide people in poverty with useful, practical information.
Our mass media programmes also build knowledge, change negative attitudes and practices and help people learn new skills to make better, more sustainable livings.
Our programmes are developed through interaction with our audiences and in partnership with media professionals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in developing countries. This approach ensures that the information we provide is accurate, relevant and useful.
We complement our mass media programmes with face-to-face learning, developed and delivered in partnership with governments, educational bodies and non-governmental organisations.
Because we recognise that interpersonal learning is an essential component of education, we build peer-to-peer and practitioner-to-peer interaction into our work. For example, we work in partnership with local NGOs to create 'learning groups', where groups of people listen to our programmes and then discuss them together or perform learning activities with help from trained facilitators.
Tackling the cause of poverty
We also help the media and NGOs in developing countries to create an environment in which the rights and needs of poor people can be met.
Specifically, we use mass media to:
- Provide a platform to explore issues and raise discussion around learning
- Influence knowledge, attitudes and behaviours
- Address barriers to learning and earning livelihoods
Examples of our work
In Afghanistan, our radio programme 'Village Voice', which is part of the 'New Home, New Life' series, provides practical information to rural audiences on issues such as reconstruction and rebuilding homes, agriculture, livestock, clean water and social issues - such as dowries. More
In Somalia, we have used a combination of educational radio programmes broadcast on the BBC Somali service and informal learning groups to provide relevant knowledge and skills to all those working in the livestock sector. Over 60% of the BBC's mass audience in Somalia regularly listen to the programme and 144 learning groups meet regularly, attended by both men and women. More
In Bangladesh, we are working on an initiative to use popular TV formats, radio and mobile phones to enhance English language skills throughout the country. Our mass media programmes will complement a significant teacher training programme, as well as formal classes in schools. Our aim is to improve livelihoods by making English language learning accessible to millions of people. With English as a tool for better access to the world economy, this initative will contribute to the economic growth of Bangladesh.
In Ethiopia, we used radio drama to stimulate discussion and debate about the challanges facing rural communities, including: access to water and food; deforestation and soil erosion; poor sanitation and hygiene; gender relations; sexual and reproductive health and early marriage. More
