SWHISA COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY July 12 th, 2010 Gabriel Sigler & Feleke Namaga Communication Team SWHISA

Principles of Communication Communication is a two-way process of giving and receiving information through any number of channels. Whether one is speaking informally to a colleague, addressing a conference or meeting, writing a newsletter article or formal report, the following basic principles apply:

Principles of Communication (Cont.) Know your audience. Know your purpose. Know your topic. Achieve credibility with your audience.

Principles of Communication (Cont.) Communicate a little at a time. Develop a practical, useful way to get feedback. Use multiple communication techniques.

Why A Communications Strategy For SWHISA? To publicize past, on-going and future works. To inform: Partner Institutions Stakeholders at all levels The general public (Ethiopia & abroad) To manage and shape the discussion of SWHISA activities.

Communications Plan To improve on SWHISA’s communication efforts, the following materials are planned for the coming year. Brochures Newsletters Leaflets Posters TV programs / Documentary

Brochure Size: 2 double-sided pages, folded. Languages: English, Amharic Contents: SWHISA objectives and outcomes Target Audience: PIs, Stakeholders, General Public Quantity: English / Amharic Production Schedule: Once this year.

Brochure (English Sample)

Brochure (Amharic Sample)

Newsletter Size: 2 pages Languages: English Contents: Each edition will feature a main story, a backup feature, & a “Bits & Pieces” headline section. Possible topics include: Household water harvesting and beneficiaries Irrigation schemes and beneficiaries Soil and water conservation activities (watershed) Trainings (Top-It-Up)

Newsletter (Cont.) Target Audiences: PIs, Stakeholders, Gen. Public Quantity: 500 Production Schedule: Quarterly Notes: The newsletter will also be available as an e-newsletter ( ed) & a downloadable PDF on the SWHISA site.

Newsletter (Sample)

Leaflet Size: 2 pages Languages: Amharic Contents: Created by experts as a reference guide for farmers and others on one specific topic. Topics may include: Installation and maintenance of geomembrane for rain water harvesting,

Leaflet (cont.) Site selection and establishment of HHWH System Improved potato production packages How to organize trainings for farmers Gender mainstreaming in irrigation development, etc.

Leaflet (Cont.) Target Audiences: Farmers, DAs, Woreda & Regional offices Quantity: 1200 Production Schedule: Throughout the year. Notes: A total of 10 Leaflets on various topics could be produced in the year.

Leaflet (Sample)

Posters Size: 1 oversized page Languages: Amharic & English Contents: Each poster will showcase photos of various SWHISA activities, including: Water Harvesting Structures Family Drip Systems Trainings, Workshops, etc.

Posters (Cont.) Target Audiences: PIs, Stakeholders, Farmers, Gen. Public. Quantity: 1200 Production Schedule: Throughout the year.

Poster (Sample)

TV Programs Length: Approx. 15 minutes. Languages: Amharic Contents: Paid for & conceived by SHWISA, the Amhara Region Mass Media Agency will produce these programs. The plan is to produce 4 programs on the following topics:

TV Programs (Cont.) Topics: Household water harvesting Impacts on the lives of the beneficiaries Capacity building activities (Top-It-Up) Soil and water conservation activities Target Audience: General Public. Production Schedule: Quarterly.

Documentary Length: Approx. 30 minutes. Languages: Amharic Contents: Paid for & conceived by SHWISA, the Amhara Region Mass Media Agency will produce this documentary.

Documentary (Cont.) This will be more in-depth than the TV programs, and will focus on numerous SWHISA activities. Target Audience: Farmers, PIs Production Schedule: Once this year. Notes: For both the TV programs and documentary, SWHISA will offer a guideline for the production to ensure full creative control.

Lessons Learned Introduction Another vital form of SWHISA’s communication plan is to document and distribute SWHISA’s lessons learned. There are many different interpretations of Lessons Learned, and many approaches on how best to document them.

Lessons Learned Definitions “A Lesson Learned is knowledge or understanding gained by experience that has a significant impact for an organization. The experience may be either positive or negative.” “A Lesson Learned documents the experience gained during a project. These lessons come from working with or solving real-world problems.”

Lessons Learned Definitions (Cont.) “A Lesson Learned is an experience or outcome of a particular course of action - either positive or negative - that is important enough to be communicated to one’s peers” “A Lesson Learned is knowledge derived from the reflection, analysis and conceptualization of experience that has potential to improve future action.”

Why Are Lessons Learned Important? Lessons Learned allow us to avoid repeating mistakes, and to focus on proven methods, thereby saving time, resources and energy. Lessons Learned should be documented when there is something to share or convey to various audiences.

Examples of Lessons Learned The following 2 examples of Lessons Learned are actual lessons learned by SWHISA, as reported in “Technical Manual for Family Drip Irrigation System”, compiled this year.

Examples of Lessons Learned (Cont.) Household plots around homesteads were better irrigated than those located further away…. In the year 2008, in the East Belessa woreda, some household plots located some distance from the home were completely/partially destroyed by wild animals. The Lesson Learned is that it is important to build a fence, using locally available material around the plot.

Examples of Lessons Learned (Cont.) The absence of cost sharing in Household Water Harvesting Construction resulted in poor ownership and sustainability. The Lesson Learned is that farmers’ participation and cost sharing are important for technological development, transfer and adoption.

Lessons Learned Vs. Best Practices Could be used interchangeably. Our interpretation is that they are a part of the same process, and can be categorized at different levels for different audiences. Ex: Policy Level Institutional Level Farmer’s Level, etc.

Lessons Learned Vs. Best Practices (Cont.) One way to interpret the difference is to use a puzzle analogy. The Lessons Learned would be the individual pieces of the puzzle; put together, they would reflect the overall picture of the puzzle (the Best Practice).

How To Document Lessons Learned SWHISA aims to collect and publish the various Lessons Learned over the course of this project. As such, documenting the Lessons Learned in each of your fields is vital. The following characteristics should be included in your documentation;

Lessons Learned Characteristics A lesson needs to be specific enough so that one can learn from it. No statement such as “Something must be done about it.”

Lessons Learned Characteristics (Cont.) It needs to be actionable – people need to be able to take action. “A better plan should be devised.” What better plan? What elements should go into the plan to make it better?

Lessons Learned Characteristics (Cont.) It needs to be a recommendation rather than an observation. “Farmers encountered such-and-such difficulties during project implementation.” Why did they encounter the difficulties? What would the recommendations be to avoid the difficulties?

Lessons Learned Submission Timeline SWHISA is looking to receive this documentation before the end of the First Quarter (late September, 2010). Each expert should send in the relevant Lessons Learned through their work / experience. Lessons Learned can be sent by to the Communications team.

Questions / Discussion Do we all have a general understanding of Lessons Learned? Are there any questions on documenting / submitting the Lessons Learned? Any other questions / comments?

Thank you!