Fondation Hirondelle is collaborating with several health organizations such as WAHA (Women and Health Alliance International) and academic institutions including the Addis Ababa University School of Public Health to design and test a pilot project using radio podcasting to address high rates of intimate partner violence among vulnerable populations in the Dollo Ado Camp in Ethiopia.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of violence in humanitarian settings, but it often goes unreported and receives less attention that non-partner sexual violence in these settings. In Dollo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia, where an estimated 216,000 Somali refugees are registered in five camps, gender-based violence (GBV) is an important issue.
The project aims to improve humanitarian practice by developing an innovative, ICT-based intervention targeting intimate partner violence among Somali refugee populations and delivered via locally developed podcasts. Specifically, the project will generate new knowledge on risk factors for IPV in Dollo Ado refugee camps in Ethiopia and will contribute to understanding how social networks and information sharing channels are organized. This will be done through a unique approach by developing and piloting a user-designed participatory communication intervention in the form of podcasts targeting IPV in this setting.
The podcasts will be produced locally and played at several locations within the camp, but also saved and shared via Bluetooth technology, in a phone-to-phone transfer that is available for “first generation” mobile phones and doesn’t necessitate voice or data service connectivity. In the pilot phase, three listening centres will be selected based on community members’ input on appropriate, safe spaces where the target population typically gathers. In one listening centre, project staff will lead facilitated discussions with listeners after broadcasting the session. This will allow us to explore the effect of active engagement with the material.
As part of this new project, Fondation Hirondelle will design and provide the technical equipment for the listening centres as well as hire a senior radio trainer to work with a team of Somali refugees to produce a series of podcasts on intimate partner violence, starting in August 2018.
The specific objectives of the training modules are to:
- Develop a podcast framework
- Train community members
- Develop and pre-test content using participatory approaches
- Provide ongoing mentoring.
The overall project is implemented over a 24-month period since September 2017 and is funded by a World Bank grant and the Swiss Embassy in Ethiopia.
