There’s Bakar, the opinionated local carpenter and talented musician, who often feels free to dispense good advice, especially during the Covid pandemic. Orfoe is Saltville’s self-important chairman of the community bike riders who is always up for an argument; and then there’s Gibo, a young-man who’s had many so many setbacks in life he navigates his way on the street by getting hold of drugs from any place he can.

Bakar, Orfoe and Gibo are just some of the many characters in Freetown’s popular radio drama, which explores what happens when people make good (and bad) decisions about health and life issues.  Although Saltville only exists on the airwaves of our radio partner BBN, the plots for the drama come directly out of a community listening process in Freetown, known as ‘SALT’.

The 15 episode radio drama was designed not only to reflect the real challenges that people have been facing during the pandemic, but to stimulate further community conversations.

Street scene in Freetown, 2019

One enlightening feature of SALT community listening, is that a single seed question can lead to multiple different stories and topics that community members or households want to discuss. The SALT volunteers asked people they visited about learning to live with Covid and heard stories that wove this theme into different scenarios of real life in Freetown. When it came to plotting the radio drama, anonymised stories collected from these SALT visits were given to the producers. The producers then used the information to develop a plot that depicts specific interest groups or individuals relevant to the community.  Radio drama listeners have been shown to be more likely to consider new behaviours or attitudes if they identify strongly with the characters (Read this paper for a detailed study). So while the characters are fictional, their stories reflect stories of real community members.

Click play on the Audio Player below to hear a brief clip from Episode 1 of the radio drama which is in Sierra Leonean Krio.  This scene introduces the theme of Covid denial, interwoven with different views about self-employment.

If you don’t speak Krio, (or don’t have time to listen now), here is a synopsis of the scene,

Bakar is working on refurbishing a set of chairs and singing a nice song. A Councilor who is on his way to council comments on how good Bakar is at carpentry and singing. He jokingly tells Bakar that he should give up carpentry and become an artist so that he will become famous. Bakar tells him that he prefers to do his carpentry and if there is any luck for him, he will record some songs to see how people will receive them but he will not put carpentry aside. Councilor laughs and says Bakar is very smart and leaves. As he leaves, Gibo arrives looking and sounding as if he is high on drugs. Bakar stops working and ask him why after all the advice he has been giving him, he is still on drugs. Gibo denies and says that it is the system that is frustrating him as if those in authority do not care about the common man. Bakar tells him that he is always blaming others but yet still he does not make any effort to find some work to do. Gibo gives his opinion that there are no jobs for the youth to which Bakar responds by saying Gibo can learn a trade just like himself. He adds that he is always advising him to take good care of himself but even with Covid around, he does not take any precautions. An argument breaks out with Gibo saying that Covid does not exist. Orfoe comes along and meets them arguing. he immediately sides with Gibo saying that Covid does not exist and that Bakar always acts as if he knows everything when he does not know anything else but carpentry. Bakar retorts by asking Orfoe to tell him what he knows and Orfoe replies that he is the chairman of the bike riders in the community and therefore, Bakar should talk to him with respect. Gibo ends the scene by telling them to forget about the argument, after all he is the one who has the argument with Bakar and not Orfoe.

Later in this same episode, the writers also introduce several other characters in a series of scenes about street hygiene, the use of the health clinic, malaria prevention, and cooperation among religious leaders to fight against covid-19. Each scene addresses the life situation, while also introducing questions about Covid into the mix.

In this series there is an honesty about the dilemmas people face when confronted with controversies about Covid vaccines which was a major problem in Sierra Leone during the height of the pandemic (e.g. see this IGR Sierra Leone report on vaccine uptake and hesitancy). The radio dramas don’t provide neatly packaged solutions but provide information from respected sources woven into examples of difficult discussions that allow community members to make their own informed choices. Radio drama creates space to explore – and an appetite to do so.

SALT is a form of Ting listening in which teams of community volunteers visit households and neighbourhood meetings to learn from community stories and affirm local strengths. The letters S, A, L, T are used during team training workshops to stimulate conversation around words that illustrate SALT-y ways thinking and working … e.g. strength, story, support, affirm, attitude, appreciate, learn, listen, team, transfer. Visit Affirm Facilitators to learn about other communities using SALT approaches.

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In the UK, 65% of the population are already fully vaccinated. Even so, people are recognising that Covid19 is not going away soon. For many of us, learning to live with Covid means thinking about vaccine boosters, finding ways to mix with others, and carefully reopening for business. In Sierra Leone, where the effects of Ebola are still being felt six years on and the fragile health system is still recovering, it is also clear that Covid will not go away quickly. However, only 0.5% of the population have been fully vaccinated against Covid and a further 1.7% have been partially vaccinated. In order to try and manage Covid, people are constantly adapting to changing rules for living, working and socialising with others. Any thoughts of booster vaccines are a long way off. Learning to live with Covid is a big challenge.

We are working with BBN in Freetown to re-invigorate the volunteer team who had been doing SALT^[1] visits in 9 communities that are facing severe social challenges and deprivation with limited state provision. The SALT visits were interrupted as lockdowns restricted the ability to visit homes or facilitate community meetings. Community and team members are keen to see these visits restarted. The team also plan to extend the visits to another large deprived urban community in Freetown. BBN is preparing to re-focus radio content. They continue to support community efforts to stay healthy, build up local services and to sustain livelihoods, while also encouraging improved take-up of the Covid-19 vaccine as it becomes more available.

So far, Sierra Leone has imported enough vaccine doses to vaccinate 10% of the population (over 800k doses, and more have been promised through the COVAX system). Ransford Wright, CEO of BBN, told us that some of the reasons why more people have not been vaccinated are based on fear or lack of reliable information.  In July 2021, a survey by SierraPoll found that:

• 38% of the Freetown population have said that they will never take a vaccine, 38% say they are willing and 24% are unsure.
• Because:
  • People do not have time or don’t know where to get it (33%)
  • People are afraid of the side effects and that some people will die after vaccination (23%)
  • People think there is no point taking the vaccine – they will just follow precautions (10%)
  • People believe COVID is a hoax or not a serious threat (9%).

This has been further exacerbated by a very prominent pastor dying recently after having taken the vaccine.

We are supporting BBN to create and broadcast radio dramas, radio announcements and social media videos to help challenge the rumours and fears surrounding vaccines. SALT visits both inform and increase the reach of the radio content.

[1] SALT is a community engagement process that sees change happening in neighbourhoods and service providers through listening to household stories that unlock local strengths and connect local aspirations. Read more about Amplifying Voices through SALT.

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Dennis is from the New England area of the capital. His neighbourhood is teeming with people. After hundreds of thousands flocked to Freetown following the civil war, people made do with homes lacking basic facilities like running water or electricity. Unemployment remains high, and the economy struggles on. Dennis could see the need but wasn’t sure what he could do.

Amplifying Voices partners with the Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN)* in Sierra Leone. Together, we’re supporting a community project named Amplifying Voices through SALT to strengthen community health, wellbeing, and resilience.

Gathering together a strong group of volunteers from the community, clinic, and churches, the SALT team goes out to seven areas of Freetown and regularly meets people in their homes. The team listen to people’s concerns, strengths, and hopes.

It was during one of these visits that Dennis met the team. The SALT ethos – Strengthen, Amplify, Listen and Transform – resonated with Dennis, and soon he became a regular volunteer.

Speaking to his community, Dennis was passionate to do something about the water situation in the New England district. But he knew he couldn’t do it alone. It takes a shift in community mindset to make lasting change.

Dennis began encouraging other young people to get involved. The SALT team, BBN, and Amplifying Voices continues to help people build on their strengths to influence change. BBN featured Dennis on a few of its radio programs, where he echoed local stories and challenges people faced with the lack of water. By representing his community, he invites others to become part of the change they want to see.

Since coming on board, Dennis has proactively engaged with the Ministry of Water to get access to more deprived settlements of Freetown. As a result, this has recently lead to the installation of several water tanks and wells.

Celebrating Dennis’ enthusiasm and example, the SALT team is reporting more community members engaging in these kinds of initiatives.

Stories like this encourage the other communities to invite the SALT team in, demonstrating the power of community-centred media to others. People are being empowered to champion their own social change.

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The featured image of this article is representational.

*BBN set up the SALT ministry in 2015 in response to the devastating Ebola outbreak which heavily weakened Sierra Leone’s already fragile health system. SALT is a strengths-based approach to improving health and promoting community healing, integrated with radio broadcasts.

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Communities in Sierra Leone are feeling it too. Ransford Wright, Founder and Chief Executive of our partner the Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN)* gives us an update:

‘Currently, we are on restricted movement in and out of Freetown. The major feeling in the community is still around mental health and economic challenges. There is no government bailout here, so making a living is a serious challenge.’

Wright says there has been a reduction in the sense of community togetherness and trust.

Physical distancing not only prevents people from seeing loved ones; it also heightens feelings of isolation and separation. Due to increased restrictions, the regular SALT project community visits have been stopped. Community members have expressed how much they miss these visits.

The SALT team of volunteers continue to reach out to their actively engaged communities. While Covid has prevented some community initiatives, new stories are emerging about the resilience people are showing at this challenging time.

SALT volunteers continue to help communities struggling through Covid isolation. This image was taken before coronavirus hit Sierra Leone.

Community-centred initiatives

In one of the nine communities, the Mohtomeh neighbourhood, a women’s group has started a cooperative to help each other through the crisis. Pooling together shared resources; they are distributing food, healthcare, and supporting small businesses. They are also actively caring for the most vulnerable in their community.

BBN radio has amplified their story as it is an excellent example of a community-centred initiative. Mohtomeh was an area decimated by the 2017 mudslides, but people have banded together to improve their community. BBN radio hopes to encourage other communities to start building up their initiatives again.

Feeling heard in a crisis

BBN is looking to start a new radio drama series to help communities. The radio drama will focus on relevant social issues, such as unemployment, poor mental health, teenage pregnancy, and water shortages. These are the topics that come up in conversations when listeners phone into BBN’s phone counselling service. Continuing to talk to, listen to, and support the local community members is more critical than ever.

Storytelling and radio drama work really well in Sierra Leone as it evokes a lot of listener response. In a context where many feel unheard, community-centred media helps people feel heard:

Someone heard my concern. It mattered. And they talked about it on the radio.

To read more news about our partner-led project in Sierra Leone, click here.

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*BBN set up the SALT ministry in 2015 in response to the devastating Ebola outbreak which heavily weakened Sierra Leone’s already fragile health system. SALT is a strengths-based approach to improving health and promoting community healing, integrated with radio broadcasts.

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Sierra Leone had its first reported Covid-19 case at the end of March 2020. However, in the first seven months of the outbreak, there were more malaria deaths than coronavirus deaths. People are increasingly distrustful of the government as the impact of Covid-19 has not yet been as bad the authorities said it would be.

In this context, rumours, fake news, and misinformation have been spreading, which have caused fear and panic. There is a general unease about transmission, following the Ebola epidemic that plagued Sierra Leone for two years. Some have suggested that coronavirus is a tool for the government to make money from the World Bank, while others believe it is a punishment from God or the result of 5G technology. Some believe that Covid-19 is a myth, and some think that African people are safe from the virus as it cannot survive warmer climates.

Dismantling misinformation in Sierra Leone

Our partner, the Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN), has been working hard to tackle misinformation and get the community talking.

BBN utilised Amplifying Voices’ tools to set up the ‘SALT’ project, and have been running it since 2015. SALT* volunteers have maintained regular contact with community members through telephone calls and WhatsApp messages to support them through the pandemic. Radio interviews have been conducted over the phone, keeping listeners well-informed of each community’s developing situation.

Providing essentials items amid Covid-19

Physical visits into the communities are now restricted. But volunteers have managed to reach several households to provide some practical relief. Sixty homes received bags of rice, locally-made washable face masks, and handwashing buckets with taps, helping people survive at this extremely challenging time.

By caring for the communities’ health and wellbeing, the SALT volunteers seek to build people’s confidence and resilience to address the challenges they face, like coronavirus. We want to ensure reliable information is being provided, constructive dialogue continues to occur, and community fears and concerns are heard.

To read more news about our partner-led project in Sierra Leone, click here.

*BBN set up the SALT ministry in 2015 in response to the devastating Ebola outbreak which heavily weakened Sierra Leone’s already fragile health system. SALT is a strengths-based approach to improving health and promoting community healing, integrated with radio broadcasts.

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I have been in a period of self-isolation for over a week as my husband had developed a persistent cough. Was it Covid-19? I am not sure.  Testing isn’t easy to access and we certainly do not want to pass this virus onto others. We are following the government’s advice by self-isolating for at least two weeks – but we cannot yet fully predict how long this will go on for and what may be different going forward in our everyday life. We know we haven’t yet reached the peak of the outbreak in the UK and we know lots of people also having to self-isolate. It is a scary time and I sense people’s anxiety around me. This situation is completely unknown for many of us – we are having to live our lives very differently and are trying to establish a ‘new normal’.

As we entered self-isolation, I started thinking about what could encourage me through this time. I remembered a story from Ebola (1) survivor, Aliu, who I met in Sierra Leone and whose story stayed with me. Even in the darkest of times, facing grief and trauma, Aliu had hope and reached out to others. He was in a holding centre, a treatment place for Ebola survivors, and around him people were sick and dying.  Even in the midst of this terrible situation, Aliu continued trying to help others, encouraging them not to lose hope.  Aliu was able to survive, overcoming stigma and further health challenges. Aliu’s story can be heard on the link below.

Aliu was able to rebuild his life and came out stronger as a result of his experiences.  It is my hope that we will be able to rebuild after this crisis and that in these difficult times, I will be encouraging my friends, family and community. I have been touched by people reaching out to others and offering to provide food and care to the vulnerable and housebound in their communities. I also feel so much admiration and respect for the health workers who risk their lives everyday to treat patients who need their care. Aliu and these people give me hope and encouragement.

HCR has set up a Facebook group for people to share their stories of how you are coping during the various government lockdown measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Record and share your story!

(Browse HCR Covid-19 resources and communications advice)

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Another community in Freetown, Sierra Leone is benefitting from the Amplifying Voices through SALT project (AVS)! Young people in Sammy Town have taken up the challenge to repair the damaged roads in their neighbourhood following a chance encounter with project volunteers. Sammy Town is a community in the hills overlooking the centre of Freetown.

Two months ago, a leader, Pa Joseph, from Sammy town was visiting relatives in nearby Sumaila Town. While he was there a team of volunteers working with HCR’s partner, BBN, came by on their house to house SALT visits. During the conversation, the leader heard the story about Sumaila Town residents taking action to repair their own roads. Intrigued by the positive impact, he took the notion back to Sammy Town to explore whether they could emulate that example and improve life in their own community. Sammy Town youths quickly galvanized resources through household contributions and started work repairing their beat-up roads. Two months down the line, Pa Joseph came to a SALT Plus community meeting organized by BBN. Beaming with smiles he proudly narrated the story of how the community-mobilising initiative was beginning to take root in Sammy Town and the road work is near completion.

SALT volunteers listening to community stories. Freetown. BBN, 2019

Freetown has grown fast since the civil war ended in 2002. Many new neighbourhoods were built around informal road systems. Poor road surfaces make it very difficult for residents to travel to and from work or to access markets outside their own community. Without vehicle access, people with limited ability are confined to their homes. It gets much worse during the rainy season. Repairs to road surfaces will improve safety and quality of life for hundreds of families in a community.

 

Amplifying Voices through SALT

In 2016 HCR supported BBN to start up the Amplifying Voices through SALT project (AVS), in partnership with Feba UK and Affirm. SALT is a community listening process which leads to better relationships and improved services within neighbourhoods (including more effective radio programmes!). Revitalised community confidence often leads to community-led development initiatives.

 

SALT Plus

Interviewing community member for radio show. Freetown. BBN 2019

In January 2019, facilitators from HCR and Affirm introduced the BBN teams to SALT Plus, which extends the listening process beyond household visits to

community wide meetings. SALT Plus helps community members to channel their strengths and resources in response to challenges they can face together.

Sharing community stories on the radio, in SALT or SALT Plus meetings, often results in the process transferring from community to community. If Sammy Town adopts the SALT process, it will become the 8th Freetown neighbourhood activated through the Amplifying Voices projects.

 

AVS on the Radio

BBN want to produce a radio drama series that will encourage more communities in and around Freetown to follow the examples of these pioneering neighbourhoods.

HCR and is seeking funding to support the AVS project. You can come alongside BBN and the SALT volunteers by donating to the project here.

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There is much to celebrate! The project is actively working in 7 communities in Freetown with a strong group of volunteers from the community, clinic and the churches who regularly meet with people in their homes and their communities to listen to and appreciate their concerns, their hopes and their strengths. This way of working is generating positive local actions by the community themselves. People are seeing their potential and ability to create change in their own lives and community not waiting for outside help to fix everything. In three years we have witnessed tangible, measurable and material changes including pipe borne water, feeder road construction and community centre construction. Some intangible changes though significant have been improved dialogue between stakeholders, stronger participation in community projects and improved social capital of the community volunteers we work with. Through drama and magazine programmes on radio, our local partner, Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN) is amplifying the stories from these communities to highlight what people care about, to generate further action by other key people and encourage other communities to have hope.

With HCR, BBN is going deeper.  Ransford Wright, CEO of BBN says:

We have started going further and engaged in our first community meetings. We are moving into the next phase and we have a big vision where we will reach further and deeper. With our communities we want to bring out the more hidden voices in our community, we want to address poverty and build community cohesion.

BBN (Believers Broadcast Network) is a large Christian Radio Station and counselling centre working with churches, local people and health facilities to strengthen people’s resilience, health and well- being by promoting effective engagement with service providers and using the radio to amplify Voices in the Local Community. SALT is an acronym meaning Strength, Amplify, Listen and Transformation. The project was started to support post Ebola recovery by promoting healing after the epidemic.

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The Amplifying Voices Project was set up in 2015 as a collaborative venture between HCR (now known as Amplifying Voices), Feba UK and the Believers Broadcasting Network (BBN), a Christian radio station in Freetown.  BBN forms multi-stakeholder teams with partners including churches and local health clinics to visit people in their households and local communities and listen deeply to their stories, challenges, hopes and concerns.

These conversations with people feed directly back into radio programmes developed and broadcast by BBN. There is a twice-weekly show called Amplify that uses and responds to community voices and there is also a monthly radio drama produced to deal with sensitive issues identified such as sexual violence, rape, teenage pregnancy and ‘sugar daddy’ relationships.

Listeners and those involved in the visits see themselves as agents of change. The conversations shared and issues raised in the radio broadcasts are leading the community to take practical action to protect women and girls.

Scarcity of water and the vulnerability of girls collecting water were identified as major concerns, as men targeted girls and this was linked to high levels of teenage pregnancy. Djibrillah, a team member, said: ‘Girls used to go to the streams to collect water.  Water Tanks were installed so now this has reduced the need to fetch water and this has reduced teenage pregnancy.’ In another community they put in streetlights to improve the security for women and girls.

The project is also helping women and girls in relation to education and employment. A radio journalist and counsellor involved in the project said the following about *‘Patience’, a regular listener to the Amplify programme: ‘She was a lady who thought everything was lost and was intimidated by education.  Now she is very engaged. We encourage them and let them know they have something inside of them. All is not lost. She is about to complete her education.’

By working with the community to improve the safety and security of women and girls and to encourage them into education and employment, this work is having a transformative impact on the lives of people in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

*Not her real name

Image: Amplifying Voices Project team members on their way to visit a community in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

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HCR is working with a large Christian Radio station and counselling centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the “Amplifying Voices” Project.  This project, which was launched by Feba UK, is increasing the engagement of local people in conversations with their communities, which are amplified by radio broadcasts that address the health and wellbeing concerns of local people to promote positive long-term change. The project is giving space for people who are marginalised. People who have been waiting to be heard for too long.

Mr Kariou, started his own business and development organisation in 2013 called Friends of the Poor. He came to Freetown from the provinces.  He built a pushcart and started to do door-to-door waste collection to improve sanitation and cleanliness in the area. He shared money and got a tricycle – and more young people came on-board and he helped them into employment.

Mr Kariou cares deeply about women’s empowerment and wants to create jobs for women. In the slum areas where he does his collection, over 50% are unemployed. Many are single mothers with no opportunities to go back to school. Mr Kariou teaches tailoring, soap making and micro-finance to start a business. He believes by doing this that he can help empower these women and the local community.

Mr Kariou was able to go on the radio through the Amplifying Voices project to share the good that is happening in his community and to encourage other people to get involved in his work. Since the radio interview, more people are showing an interest and getting involved: ‘More people are coming together to share the concerns of their community. We meet more and are now working together’.

In Sierra Leone and across Africa, radio is a powerful tool to raise awareness of gender violence and give women a voice.

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