Fondation Hirondelle worked with WAHA (Women and Health Alliance) and academic institutions including the Addis Ababa University School of Public Health to design and test a podcast pilot project aimed at addressing high rates of intimate partner violence in vulnerable populations within Ethiopia’s Dollo Ado camp.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of violence in humanitarian crisis situations, but it often goes unreported and receives less attention than non-partner sexual violence in these settings. In 2017, Ethiopia’s Dollo Ado refugee camp saw the arrival of around 216,000 Somali refugees, who were registered in 5 camps with a significant gender-based violence (GBV) issue.
The project aimed to improve humanitarian practices by developing an innovative, ICT-based intervention targeting IPV among Somali refugee populations and delivering it via locally-produced podcasts. Specifically, the project generated new knowledge on risk factors for IPV in Dollo Ado refugee camps in Ethiopia and contributed to understanding how social networks and information-sharing channels are organised. This was accomplished through a unique approach that developed and piloted a user-designed participatory communication intervention in the form of podcasts targeting IPV in this setting.
The podcasts were produced locally and played at several locations within the camp, and were also saved and shared via Bluetooth technology in a phone-to-phone transfer available for first-generation mobile phones, and that works without voice or data connectivity. In the pilot phase, three listening centres were selected based on community members’ input on appropriate, safe spaces where the target population typically gathers. In one listening centre, project staff facilitated discussions with listeners after each broadcast of the programme.
As part of this project, Fondation Hirondelle designed and provided technical equipment for the listening centres, and recruited a senior radio trainer to work with a team of Somali refugees on producing a series of podcasts about IPV from August 2018.
The specific objectives of the training modules were to:
- Develop the podcast format
- Train community members
- Develop and test content through participative approaches
- Provide continuous mentoring
The project was implemented over a 24-month period from September 2017 to August 2019, and was funded by the World Bank and the Swiss Embassy in Ethiopia.