Management
Capacity for Strengthened Impact
A high number of print media does not necessarily mean that these have a
thorough impact on the media landscape in a given country. This is true
in many African countries – and also in Mozambique. Among the core
reasons identified - there and here - is the lack of the needed general
managerial systems, experience and capacity:
A good and dynamic journalist can get a group of colleagues together and
start a newspaper. To begin with this is all that is needed. But as the
excitement of a new beginning wears off, the lack of adequate capacity
in getting funds together for sustainability, the lack of experience in
getting the newspaper effectively distributed to all potential readers,
and the lack of experience with keeping an editorial and graphic line in
place, which threaten the longer term sustainability.
The media project therefore April 9 launched the start of an important
component with an aim to strengthen the management capacity of five
selected print media, primarily outside of Maputo. This launch took
place after more than two years of planning, consultations with
important stakeholders in Mozambique, as well as contacts with
institutions in the Southern African region, soliciting best practices
and successful management capacitation schemes.
The result of this background work was the design of a management
capacitation methodology, based in a participatory planning process,
where the individual medium is guided by coaches through a participatory
planning exercise. The result of this is a strategic plan, which
identifies the direction in which the medium wants to develop, and it
takes a critical look at the present situation: the internal strengths
and weaknesses, as well as the external positive as well as negative
dynamics in respect to getting the medium thoroughly consolidated. Based
on this diagnostic exercise, involving all professional and
administrative staff, a development plan is designed. This plan includes
both on-the-job training activities, possible formal training
interventions needed, identification of crucial equipment needed and the
preparation of different sets of internal regulations, work flows, and
other organizational structures in support of a long term, calm
continued development process.
The management capacitation process will run until the end of the year,
and involves three crucial phases: familiarization, strategic planning.
implementation. The media involved have been identified through a
lengthy consultative and analytical process, and the result is that the
five media pre-selected based on the extensive set of selection criteria
are: Amanhecer and Faisca based in Niassa, Wampula Fax of Nampula, and
Demos and Vertical based in Maputo.
Assessing
Qualitative CR Impact
In July 2002 the Media Project received a first consultant report,
outlining a methodology for assessing the qualitative impact of our
community radio work. The follow-up to this report was foreseen to take
place some 9 months later, which is now. We have therefore contracted
Nelia Taimo to work with us – on and off – until the end of the year,
ensuring the implementation of an ambitious, yet realistic set of
applied research tools in the eight community radios UNESCO has helped
start from scratch.
The tools developed will measure impact of the radio and the reality in
which it functions in a variety of areas. The primary of these are: (i)
How and from where do different groups in the community receive
information? (ii) How do people see their community? Do they like to
live there? Have there been any changes in this? What are they
particularly proud of in their community, and how do they see solutions
to the major problems identified? (iii) What are the most important
health problems identified in the community? What about HIV/AIDS? Do
people see themselves in a position to change anything in this area?
(iv) How is the radio seen as changing things in the community- with
concrete examples, and finally (v) Has there been an increase in
people´s way of involving themselves in the community life – due to the
arrival of the community radio?
Besides from this assessment of the eventual social change in the
community itself, a structur-ed assessment of the life and organization
within the radio station itself will be carried out, with a view to
assessing actual community control and involvement, and sustainability.
A
Longterm CR Partnership Strategy
Sustainability can be seen as requiring (i) strategic direction and
planning, (ii) capacity to attract resources from a variety of partners,
(iii) and ability to manage the resources effectively.
In view of our work to strengthen the sustain-ability of the project´s
community radio partners, we have therefore developed an extensive
partnership strategy, including both national and international
partners. We hope to host a seminar with the international partners
during the month of May or June, while we work to implement the national
part of it.
CC
Tete Off for a New Start
While the Communication Centre in Tete has been showing an incredible
level of creativity and motivation, as well as a certain level of – for
here and now – self-sustainability, a more long term sustainability has
always been the big challenge.
During an intense and very focused General Assembly on March 14, the
first important steps to actually meet these challenges were taken in
two different ways: first of all a number of pertinent activities for
sustainability were identified and included in the strategic plan
discussed, and secondly the development of a joint, Tete-monthly will be
realized within the coming months. Working groups were formed to take
the realization of the important plans forward.
Mid
Term Review of Media Project
From our own world:
The media project hosted its phase II mid term evaluation team March
24-April 4. It was a constructive experience to be part of, and
interesting to see the factors focused upon by the review team (Peter
Erichs of Sweden for UNDP and Botelho Moniz on behalf of Government).
In the debriefing meetings with both Government partners and donors the
following core points were highlighted: The project was seen as
consolidated since phase I, fulfilling the objectives - and working with
methodologies facilitating profound change with partner institutions.
Very positive steps seen towards consolidation and sustainability were
reported.
The team referred to concrete impact of the project witnessed both in
Maputo and through its field visits to three of the community radios
started by the project (both within the radio and in the community it
serves), the communication centres, the three RM realities/delegations
visited and the training discussed in meetings with journalists in
Maputo and elsewhere
The project was furthermore seen as very dynamic and as having a good
capacity to adapt to the diverse realities where it is working with-out
loosing perspective and sight of objectives. The tripartite structure
above the project (Government, Donors, UNDP) will analyse the final
review report and meet during the first weeks of May to agree on steps
to take for the future, including the development of a possible final
phase III.
Media
Development Project
c/o UNESCO, P.O.Box 1397 Maputo, Mozambique
Tel. +
258.1. 498752/ 490840 Fax +258.1.498717
E-mail: unesco@mediamoz.com