Media Action Insight Blog Feed

Supporting media and humanitarian practitioners to overcome communication challenges

Nicola Bailey — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 09:55:07 +0000

Displaced young Syrians wait to receive humanitarian aid. Credit: Getty Images

The fourth commitment which humanitarian agencies sign up to under the states that ‘Communities and people affected by crisis know their rights and entitlements, have access to information and participate in decisions which affect them’. But for humanitarian practitioners, particularly those working in settings where humanitarian access is limited, sharing relevant, accurate information and ensuring communities’ needs and priorities are heard and acted upon can be easier said than done.

Research currently being conducted by ��tv Media Action to inform a new capacity strengthening project funded by USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs, is finding that humanitarian practitioners in the project’s three focus countries (Nigeria, Somalia and Ukraine) face various challenges communicating with communities affected by crises.

In Somalia, humanitarian practitioners we spoke to are facing challenges getting hold of accurate and relevant information themselves to be able to answer people’s questions, as communication and coordination between local and humanitarian organisations is a challenge. In Northern Nigeria, having capacity to communicate in the right languages to reach internally displaced people who often don’t speak the same language as the host community (see ). And in Ukraine, a recent in May 2022 identified getting information to people with limited access to digital platforms, as a critical challenge. Across the board, humanitarian practitioners feel their organisations have mechanisms in place to collect feedback from communities, but often these mechanisms are not known about, or not trusted by community members, and are therefore underused, especially by those who are illiterate, have limited access to mobile phones, or live in more remote areas.

Media practitioners we spoke to as part of the research said they face challenges getting access to information which is useful and relevant to their audiences, especially finding contacts within humanitarian organisations who are ready to answer audiences’ questions on air. Some also expressed frustration that they feel they are treated with suspicion by humanitarian organisations, or are contacted to distribute organisations’ press releases rather than create engaging and useful content for audiences. The research so far has found limited interaction between media and humanitarian practitioners in the project’s focus areas.

And these communication challenges are reflected at community level. A carried out by Ground Truth Solutions with recipients of cash and voucher programmes in Somalia found that 45% of respondents feel informed about available aid; and only 25% of respondents feel aid providers take their opinions into account when designing programmes. Community leaders within IDP camps we spoke to in Somalia felt that although they frequently communicate their communities’ needs to organisations during assessments, this information is rarely listened to and acted upon. A similar (2021), found that 48% of respondents do not know what aid is available to them, and 49% feel their opinions are taken into account by humanitarian staff. The found that 66% of participants say they need information about how to register for humanitarian assistance.

People gather to receive humanitarian aid in Sudan. Credit: Getty Images

��tv Media Action has extensive experience supporting humanitarian and media practitioners to communicate more effectively with communities affected by crisis. Most recently, in Bangladesh, where ��tv Media Action and have been training practitioners responding to the Rohingya Refugee Crisis under the ‘Common Service for community engagement and accountability’ project since 2017, we have found that trainees place a particular value on training and tools to help them communicate in Rohingya language. In a recent evaluation of the project, practitioners emphasised how training has helped them prioritize and develop communication and listening skills, which managers say has led to better community satisfaction.

“We were not sufficiently sensitive to the Rohingya community culture and there were also language barriers. Their perception of different issues were not clear to us. After getting training, staff have changed their methods, how they behave and talk to the communities.’’ Humanitarian practitioner, Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh

Where possible, ��tv Media Action’s approach is to train humanitarian and media practitioners together, building the understanding that both have a critical role to play in ensuring communities have access to information they need. As have also shown, a recent study with participants of ��tv Media Action’s ‘Lifeline training’ in Afghanistan found that the training helped bridge the gap and build understanding and connections between journalists and field practitioners, which they have been able to use in their work.

“The training has changed our relationship with media and journalists. By communicating with social workers and journalists, most of our communication problems are solved. Additionally, the training has increased our capacity in communicating with people in the communities.” Community health worker, Helmand province, Afghanistan

Over the next year, ��tv Media Action will be working with humanitarian and media practitioners in Nigeria, Somalia and Ukraine to support them to overcome challenges they are facing to communicate effectively with communities affected by crisis in these countries. Learning from the project will be shared and disseminated at country and global level.

Nicola Bailey is senior research manager for Asia/Europe at ��tv Media Action, based in London. Co-authors are: ��tv Media Action's Hodan Ibrahim, senior research officer, Somalia; Mohamed Yonis, project director, Somalia; Anu Njamah, head of research, Nigeria and Cian Ginley Ibbotson, project manager, Ukraine.

Read more about our humanitarian response on our website.

What are the challenges facing young people in East Africa?

Alasdair Stuart — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 14:05:48 +0000

Alasdair Stuart shares the challenges faced by young people in Tanzania, Somalia and Kenya and outlines how they themselves think the media can help.

“Life becomes better for just a few – your neighbour owns ten cars but you don’t even own a bicycle.” (Arusha, Tanzania)

“Adults, the government, businessmen and parents have no confidence in us to bring new ideas or trust us in doing thing.” (Puntland, Somalia)

“Extremist groups are an option for some young people because they are fed up with the hardships of life.” (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)

These are just some of the things young people in East Africa told us when we asked them about the challenges they face. Speaking to over 400 young people over the course of 42 focus group discussions held in Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania, it became clear that they had to contend with an array of difficult feelings, perceptions and environments.

What do young people think are the main obstacles in their lives?

Many young people find themselves caught in a prolonged period of stagnation (‘’) between adolescence and adulthood. They are unable to reach the milestones of adulthood, such as moving out of the parental home, having a secure job, enjoying financial security or being in a position to support a family of their own. Young people told us they struggle to get ahead in life because of unemployment, a lack of access to education, poverty, corruption and nepotism.

Not only do young people feel unable to achieve what society expects of an ‘adult’ or realise their own ambitions, they also feel disenfranchised and frustrated with the political system. They also have the sense that they are largely excluded from decision-making processes, neglected by politicians and unable to do anything to address the issues they face because there are too many barriers in the way. These factors all combine together to fuel a crisis of youth identity.

Within all three countries, there was also evidence of a growing sense of an inter-generational ‘divide’. Young people feel that the older generation deny them access to opportunities, stop them having a say in how society is run and generally look down on them, while some older people view young people as apathetic or ‘trouble-makers’.

Our research also revealed societal divisions that exacerbate feelings of marginalisation and discrimination and fuel ‘us and them’ narratives. For example, young Somalis reported having to navigate a number of divisions, based on tribes, clans and different regional identities (Somaliland, Puntland and South Central). In Tanzania, there were between supporters of the ruling and opposition parties. Kenyans experienced splits along religious, ethnic and tribal lines, with Muslim, Somali and Somali-Kenyan communities feeling marginalised and against.

In addition, young people live in societies in which violence (including criminal violence committed by gangs, political violence, ‘mob justice’ and gender-based violence) is increasingly normal. We were told that violence was common in communities and that young people were frequently exposed to it – and sometimes participated in it.

What solutions are young people pursuing and why?

In such environments – where economic and political opportunities are limited – violence is a ‘way of life’ for some young people. It allows them to carve out an identity and an income, in a context that otherwise frustrates such efforts. Life was seen as so difficult for some young people that their peers understood why they might turn to ‘illegitimate’ means of improving their situation, such as criminal gangs, illegal migration or ‘violent extremist’ groups. These options represented some of the only viable, rational and financially prudent ways of getting ahead.

Interestingly, almost all young people felt that the key reason someone would join a violent extremist group would be either economic (such groups provide ‘employment’ and far greater than is otherwise available) or due to dissatisfaction with the political system. Young males were thought to be more vulnerable to becoming involved in violent extremism than females, as they were seen to place more value on financial security and employment. Religion was not thought to be a significant motivating factor for most East Africans who join an extremist group.

What alternatives do young people think the media can offer?

To an extent, the media contributes to and perpetuates some of the challenges facing young people. Modern communication and global media have created ‘unrealistic’ lifestyle aspirations that many young people feel they fail to meet. Some of those we spoke to also felt that media coverage often lacks balance, scapegoats certain groups and glamorises violence, further worsening the societal divisions and normalisation of violence mentioned above.

The young people we spoke to would like the media to feature positive but realistic role models of young people who have managed to find legitimate routes to success. In a similar vein, they would also like the media to provide useful and practical information to help them take advantage of the opportunities that do exist; for example, by offering advice on their rights, accessing employment support and how to start a business. Ultimately, young people want a media that provides concrete advice, rather than just rhetoric that fails to address the obstacles they face.

They want a media that gives them a voice, helps them to have their concerns addressed and holds leaders accountable for improving their situation. They want the older generation to understand their challenges and involve them in addressing them, and they think the media can play a role in making this happen. Can the media play a role in fulfilling these expectations, and contribute to a more positive future for East African youth? The answer remains to be seen.

Read more:

is a Research Manager at ��tv Media Action. Alasdair managed the research across East Africa for this project, and currently manages ��tv Media Action’s portfolio of research across Somalia, Kenya and Zambia.