This project aims to involve all categories of youth to create awareness on hygiene and sanitation issues affecting our community. Efforts made by the government NGOs to give the Kenema City a facelift. Because young people are fond of mobile phones, it will be a good opportunity to use this channel of communication to adopt environmental cleaning. This project intends to sensitize 55% of the youth population on promoting behavior change in the township. This is done by using mobile phones, internet, Face book, MP3, Digital camera, Bluetooth etc. Their voice, views and opinion would be heard
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Kenema City
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The project will be directly working with young men and women. However, for a wider dissemination of information, the radio program will target people in all categories.
The role of youth in developing this proposal is important in that they were consulted on the issues affecting our community. After series of brainstorming and focus group discussions, it was resolved to put more emphasis on environmental sanitation.
Only 40% of the population has access community communication. Being that we want to hear more voices of youth, the project will be timely to involve them in order to discuss the problems facing our community and finding solution.
It is certain that 15% of the population are familiar with computer and internet facilities with a clear understanding of their uses.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
A total of fiveyoung men and women will be on our team to help implement the project. They specialized in certain disciplines as follows:-
Isata H Kannehhttp://www.facebook.com .She is a teacher in the social sciences and work with both junior and senior secondary school pupils.
JestinaBockariehttp://www.facebook.com .She is a health field agent who works with mothers, and youth, where access to communication is a major barrier.
LahaiTucker http://www.facebook.com . He is a trained and qualified specialist in computer, internet and other methods of sharing information through different medium.
Bockarie A Sahrhttp://www.facebook.com. A renowned Community Mobilizer that can influence people from all walks of life to use the social network
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The project will provide youth with detailed news and information about environmental issues and allow them make decisions. These can be done through radio, internet and mobile phones.
The media output will make an effort to reconnect viewers and listeners with real concerns that they care most about, in a way that treats them as citizens with the responsibilities of self-government,
The citizen media aims to develop more democratically active youth. By providing expert comment on specific environmental issues. The result is there will be better informed youth and more effective media coverage,
The project focuses on storytelling through which the various participants produce and disseminate stories. Students, line ministries officials and other health actors will be engaged.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
The AHEAD S/L has identified partners in the implementation process. These partners are
• Students from the polytechnic who are very outspoken about issues affecting their community,
• Local Authorities like chiefs and traditional leaders who are familiar with mobile discussions and who will further influence people in their communities to adopt best practices.
• Women, Children and Youth happen to be the main audience for the mobile discussions.
The project will work in close collaboration with the Kenema Government Hospital, the District Health Medical Team {DHMT}, Local Council Authorities, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation etc., all with different backgrounds in community development.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
The project will train 50 participants directly, through mobile phone storytelling and news production. The beneficiaries will include student’s women and children, Local Authorities, environmental sanitary officers, council. The trainees serve as ambassadors in their respective communities with a common goal of sharing information, in order to improve the health situation.
Students from the polytechnic, Local Authorities, Women, Children who are very outspoken about issues affecting their community are given the privilege to deliberate among themselves on issues that are pertinent to their well being. Selections are made among them to discuss a wide a wide range of issues .Later; they will continue to give feedback by bringing out the realities discussed and the resolutions made.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
The technologies, tools and media that we will focus on when training are mobile phones with sophisticated modern features. The correct use of USB device, hard drive, SD Card to other memory storage, thus using internet with smart mobile phones, all this different ICT technologies serve as a test case for uploading and disseminating current information to various community people on health.
Partners involve will adopt different skills such as, communication skills, Computers operation skills, information gathering and processing skills,
Mobile phone is the most appropriate for this project because it is the widely used technology among youth, women and children.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
The facility is Lukay’s Community center which is 3miles away from the heart of the town; it is purely for youth entertainment which has a big hall and well-furnished interior, with diverse facilities .such as a 3.5KV generator which supplies electricity for 24hrs; 200 plastic chairs, a Video with mixer and amplifier facility that captures the attention of the populace, the center has a well organized structure with a good running restaurant, DSTV and internet café on full time service.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
The current relationship with the community with whom we plan to work is cordial because it is the community people that owns and manage the affairs of the organization.
The organization has existed since 2008, as a CBO it is well registered with council, and the line ministries, our operations are recognized as a result of awarding their certificates to us, with their full involvement in the implementation of the project. As a CBO funded by women, children and youth, through which the general youth population has benefited, with their full involvement in the project implementation.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
In the implementation of the project certain challenges are identified, Kenema as a city has moderate electricity supply especially during the dry season, mobile phone user highly depends on hydro electricity for the recharging of their phones, which is not supplied on a daily basis leaving mobile phone uncharged.
Lack of Government will power to take prompt and appropriate action on recommendations made; this is because government is very slow to act. Through this project it will endeavor to work with other social networks to lobby government to take decisive actions on resolutions made. In this regard the project will work with the umbrella youth serving agency the National youth Commission, to ensure that youth views and opinion are upheld, documented and praticalized nationally.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
The project`s impact will be monitored on a joint basis using a monitoring work plan. During the first two months of implementation, a checklist will be drawn to know how progress is being made. The process will be participatory, for a clearer understanding of the goals of the project, three monitoring reports will be written based on “What the issue is, when it started, why is it going the way its going, How to modify or correct the situation, where to go from here and What is the next step forward. “
The Project will define success or determine if we are achieving our goals by analyzing the level of mobile phone usage, the level of involvement of the youth and the feedback derived from activities. By making these analyses, we will evaluate whether we are succeeding or not.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
The implementation of the project activities will start on the 1th June to the 23December 2014, the project will be implemented in six month period.
1. Project sensitization tour with Stakeholders and participants engagement meeting.5th June, 2014.
2. Workshop training in story telling by mobile phone and internet.9th to 10th July, 2014.
3. Mobile phone media/radio discussion Programm, 12th every month in 2014
4. Midterm project report. 29th September 2014.
5. Refresher meeting. 15th October, 2014.
6. Publication of different health stories by other social network. 10th of every month, 2014.
7. Collaborative evaluation of the end of project 5th December, 2014.
8. End of project progress report to donor. 12th December, 2014.
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Project sensitization with stakeholders and participants engagement meeting
• Hall rental $45
• Refreshment $ 300
• Stationery $ 50
Workshop training in story telling by mobile phone and internet.
• Hall rental $45
• Refreshment $ 300
• Transport refund $200
• Stationery $ 50
• 250 Unit Top up card $ 6
• Mobile phone $ 200
Mobile phone media/radio discussion Program,
• Radio discussion $150
• Refreshment $ 12
Midterm project report.
• Top up card for modem $40
• Airtell modem$ 70
• Second hand Desktop computer $380
• Digital Camera $110
Midterm refresher meeting
• Hall rental $45
• Refreshment $ 300
• Stationery $ 50
Coordinator Expenses
• Meetings $30
• Transport $ 24
• Stationery $24
• Refreshment $ 36
• Light bills and rates $ 30
GRAND TOTAL 2,497
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
The Rising Voices can support us: by connecting us with different partners, and also presenting our project in your website. We need annual general Support of the project.
Contact name
Contact name
Bockarie Amadu Sahr
Organization
Association for Health, Education, Agriculture and Development in Sierra Leone
