Closing the physical distancing gap

Despite Covid-19, Amplifying Voices’ partner, Community Development Centre, Uganda (CDC) continues to bring communities together. CDC’s Soot Semee project uses community-centred podcasts to overcome physical distancing challenges caused by the pandemic.

Physical distancing not only prevents people from seeing loved ones, it also exaggerates the separation between people from different community groups. Barnabas Samuel, from CDC told us that the lack of regular face-face interaction between the host communities and refugee communities has led to an increase in misunderstandings or even conflict between people from the two communities. Before Covid-19, Ugandans and South Sudanese would meet each other and socialise in the market areas. This had helped to build trust and common understanding, but it is not happening at the moment. When people have gone out to the farming areas or to collect firewood, they sometimes encounter people from the other communities and misunderstanding or suspicion has led to conflict.

So, with support from the Soot Semee team, community members started making new content to help the different groups understand each other. Refugees are making content that discusses some of these issues. They tell their stories about why they might need to be in the areas where host community members are. Ugandan community volunteers are also taking voice recorders to their own communities to let Ugandans tell their side of the story.

People can hear the podcasts on speakerboxes which have been distributed in the settlement area, Others download the content on to mobile phones.

In feedback Soot Semee has heard that the refugee community is beginning to understand more about why the incidents are happening and how to prevent them. Some host community members can also listen to the speakerbox content, but at present most of the speakerboxes distributed by Soot Semee are in the refugee communities where the need has been greatest.  Soot Semee hopes to enable more host community members to hear the Soot Semee podcasts, either via mobile phone downloads, or by getting some more speakerboxes to the host community.

This is a critical time in which trusted communication channels and opportunities to listen to others are much needed.