Amplifying Voices helped set up the Umoja (Unity) station in 2016 and when two of our team members visited there recently, they were blown away by the impact this station has had since then.  Visiting different communities in the region, they heard many stories of how Umoja FM has become a life-line and seen them through war, Ebola, a refugee crisis and the pandemic.

The funding will help:

• Rebuild the Umoja FM studio, which has been damaged by weather, war and termites – see below
• Develop a solar-powered FM relay station to reach more communities with little or no access to reliable information
• Purchase two motor-bikes to help the team reach inaccessible areas
• Support regular community-engagement across the region
• Conduct training and monitoring visits

If you would like to help the triathlon reach 100% of their target, please visit the team’s funding page: Triathlon for DRC

The current studio, which has been damaged by weather war and termites, will be replaced by this…

Thank you for your generosity

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I am pleased to tell you that the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is satisfied that your organisation meets the charity test, and has entered it in the Scottish Charity Register.

We felt this was news worth celebrating – so we invited some local friends and some less local friends to join us for food and a presentation at a Pakistan themed event on May 20th in Duns in the Scottish Borders. We also invited our friend Hazeen Latif from Amplifying Voices Pakistan to come and present his work. Unfortunately Hazeen wasn’t granted a visa to travel to the UK, but thanks to Zoom meetings and a Zoom mixing desk, it felt almost like he was in the room. It was around midnight in Pakistan, but you wouldn’t have known it was so late because of Hazeen’s energy and enthusiasm for his work. He shared how a flood response in Nowshera evolved into the Bright Home project, a unique combination of sewing centres where women can access sewing equipment, vocational training as well as taking part in community-centred media training and production. People in the Duns meeting were able talk directly to Hazeen – asking some quite deep questions – and giving us all a chance to get to know the work in Pakistan better.

Hazeen joins us in Duns via Zoom

Members of the Amplifying Voices operational team and the UK board, who are all based in Worthing normally, joined us for the weekend. So we made the most of the opportunity and had an away-day on Holy Island (Lindisfarne) facilitated by Scott Brennan from the Community of Aidan and Hilda. Two friends from Duns came along too to help us develop stronger roots. Holy Island is a beautiful location, accessible via a causeway for two 6-hour periods every 24hrs – cut off by high tide for the rest of the day. We decided to stay long enough to be cut-off by the tide and leave the island late evening when the tide went back out. It was very peaceful and tranquil in the evening sun, with most of the tourists gone.

Amplifying Voices away day, May 2023

Holy Island is also a really important place in the early history of Christianity in Britain. We also found it a particularly poignant place. One of the earliest leaders to settle there, St Aidan, used very holistic practices which resonate with us. He was someone who was known for listening and understanding the communities he went to, working with their strengths, bringing along with him people with practical skills so as not to be burden to the communities, yet gently introducing ideas that would transform culture.  It would be anachronistic to suggest he was some kind of Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) practitioner, much as his methods look similar. The true history of St Aidan has probably been somewhat sanitised and romanticised over time. All the same his story and reputation formed a great starting point for reflecting on how we can better fulfil our mission to equip communities to take a lead role in their own transformation.

Lindisfarne at Sunset, May 2023

On one hand, registration with OSCR doesn’t actually change many things about our charity. We have been registered in England and Wales for 10 years this month. We will keep doing what we have been doing. But registration does allow us to be more active in Scotland in telling the stories of the communities we support. We could even facilitate an Amplifying Voices project here if opportunity arose.

My name is Johnny Fisher. I’m an Amplifying Voices associate based in Duns, in the Scottish Borders. Until now I’ve been working with our partners and supporters ‘from a distance’. With this registration, I can now work locally and I would love to speak to individuals and/or groups across Scotland who would like to hear how Amplifying Voices helps tribal groups to live together in peace, equips communities to access clean water, supports women to create new opportunities, and walks with families to move beyond gender-based violence. Contact me here to learn how you can join us on our journey.

And in case you were wondering – our Scottish registration number is SC052271

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The phrase that springs to mind is: “who is he that despises the day of small things?” It amazes me how much can be done with so little. I think of the bible story of the woman pouring her limited oil into jars that kept overfilling. This picture seems fitting for Amplifying Voices as their resources have had impact beyond what should be possible. How can such a small charity have the sustainable impact that it does?  I believe first and foremost it is due to God’s enabling, but this also goes hand in hand with something I’m really excited about.  That is Amplifying Voices’ community-centred approach to every project.

In the international development sector, placing local people at the centre of interventions is acknowledged as ‘best practice’ . It has different names like ‘people-centred’, ‘participatory’ or ‘community-centred’. But whilst it is recognised as best practice, application is not as easy as you would think.  Coming back to Amplifying Voices after my time away, I have been genuinely impressed, and encouraged by their ability to do what many other organisations struggle with – truly adopt and practice a community-centred approach.

Early discussions between Alex, Theo and Jon, setting up Amplifying Voices (then HCR UK)

One initiative that stands out for me is the ‘Adivasi Voices Project’.  Adivasi/tribal groups are an isolated, outcaste group often facing violence and rejection from mainstream Indian society. Many are deprived of basic facilities (food, clothing, education and medicine) with a low life expectancy. They feel marginalised and rejected by mainstream Indian society. Existing programmes often try and integrate them with the majority society, rather than allowing them to maintain their distinctive way of life.  Amplifying Voices helped its local partner, Seva, to successfully go against the grain with a project that places the Adivasi people right at the centre. They provided training, resources and mentoring support that was so successful, the team has become fully self-sufficient. Using Amplifying Voices’ community-centred approach, the Seva team worked with local Adivasi people to celebrate their strengths while identifying their needs, their desires, their hopes. Out of this community-centred dialogue, the ‘Adivasi Voices’ project was born, fully led by the local community team.  And as the project has progressed, more and more local Adivasi champions have joined the Seva team, building on their learning.

Through the project, formerly media dark villages now have access to critical health information and education.  And through mobile health clinics they have access to medicine and healthcare. An evaluation of the Adivasi Voices project showed impressive improvements in health practices, and a reduction in sickness. The holistic nature of the project really came through in the evaluation as villagers shared stories of improved health practice and a sense of empowerment through increased awareness of their rights.

The Seva team continues to monitor the project through regular community dialogue and regularly report stories of empowerment and lives transformed.

I loved this quote from one of the Adivasi village leaders:

“If you came to our village two years ago, you would be amazed by the many changes that have taken place. We have toilets that work, water that’s clean and our children are attending school. We feel different and we feel like we have found our voice.”

Whilst the Adivasi project stood out to me, Amplifying Voices’ other projects follow the same community-centred approach and have tangible, evidenced-based stories of individual and community transformation, many of which transcend the lifetime of the project.  I’m excited to be a part of the adventure again.

As one of the founders of Amplifying Voices in 2013, Theo Hannides is currently an independent consultant in the development sector. She recently rejoined the Amplifying Voices team to help strengthen the monitoring, evaluation and learning of the charity’s projects.

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Jon Hargreaves

As a lapsed pilot, Jon says that when he grows up he wants to fly aeroplanes. In the meantime he says he still has some important things he wants to do. Having worked in media in many different countries, Jon began collaborating with Dr. Ross James, founder of Health Communication Resources, to help disadvantaged communities and those facing crisis, find their voice through community-centred media. In 2013, along with his colleague Alex, Jon felt that so much more needed to be done to support these communities, that they set up Amplifying Voices as a charity in the UK. He says: In the last nine years we’ve worked alongside communities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and the thing I’ve loved most is to hear stories of how individuals’ lives have improved as a direct result of our work. When Jon isn’t travelling or working at the organisation’s Sussex-based office, you’ll often find him paddling along the South coast in his kayak.

Alex Stout

From working as an engineer on aeronautical communications systems in Scotland to heading up a media network in the Middle East, Alex has spent most of his life troubleshooting technical issues and finding innovative ways to improve systems. Following this practical philosophy through to holistic mission, Alex and Jon partnered together and co-founded Amplifying Voices in 2013. Though he finds it challenging to select a highlight of the last nine years, It was particularly satisfying to get Umoja FM on air. For a hurting, neglected community, taking a local vision to a practical reality of setting up and training volunteers to run a local station, broadcasting in the local language, speaking about local issues was incredibly exciting. When Alex isn’t busy sourcing media equipment or project managing, he’s usually tinkering or driving his 1985 Opel Manta. As a modern classic car enthusiast, he frequents car shows all across England.

Stephanie Mooney

A busy mum of two young girls, Steph has always been involved in working with different community groups whether that is locally or internationally. She loves to be in conversation and relationship with people, hearing their stories, what they care about and working alongside them to deliver their community projects. Stephanie joined Amplifying Voices because: They engage with projects where the vision has been grown locally and they care about the voices that we don’t typically hear or value. Amplifying Voices approach recognises that these voices matter and when heard do bring positive change. When Steph is not working she is normally out and about with her family. In her limited spare time, she loves to read and is learning French. She was originally born in Montreal in Quebec, the French speaking part of Canada, and she wants to speak French fluently.

Iain Taylor

As a retired accountant, Iain continues to bring his wisdom and experience to the Amplifying Voices team through his role as administration manager. I joined the team because I sat in front of Alex at Maybridge Community Church and he asked me if I would be interested in helping out. Nine years later I am still interested. I love to see unexpected gifts arriving into our bank account- it’s always a highlight for me to get these monies into projects that will make a difference. Iain says he unashamedly collects map postcards and is passionate about football. Not many folks can say they watched England win the World Cup in 1966 in black and white from outside a TV showroom in Ross on Wye…. I can! Another little-known fact about Iain is that he once played in goal for Arsenal, which is a frightening admission for a Chelsea supporter.

Johnny Fisher

With an odd combination of career backgrounds – electronics, theology, and social action – Johnny likes making things better. But he finds that, unlike most electronic gadgets, people want much more involvement in decisions around improving their situations. He joined Amplifying Voices because I love the approach which really lives out a belief in our partners and their communities. The fix-it guy is still there – a highlight of the work is when partners ask us to get involved with things like setting up new equipment or doing a training workshop. Outside of work, Johnny enjoys walking his dogs on the moors or down by the river. During lockdown he moved to a very rural community in the Scottish Borders, which brought a number of new experiences and opportunities… like last winter when he joined a beating team at a local pheasant drive.

Alice Stout

Alice likes to describe herself as a storyteller – not in the sense of someone who concocts a fictional tale but one who can help tell other people’s stories that need to be heard. She loves to travel and explore different cultures, then write as well as share photos and videos that capture the essence of these people and stories. That’s how she ended up joining Amplifying Voices: Jon invited me to help document the progress of one project in India. Though I hadn’t visited the communities on the research trip, I could see the incredible impact of community centred media after seven short months. People were keen to see more change, and champion that change for themselves. That incredible story needed to be told, as do the other untold stories of transformation. Alice does enjoy writing in her spare time too, but when away from keyboards and screens she loves to take her little dog Riley on new adventures.

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Well done on your first half marathon! How’d you find it?

It was a bit daunting, if I’m honest. I signed up for the Farnborough Winter Half Marathon, which was pushed back to July due to Covid-19 (trust me to run a winter half in the summer!) It was a beautiful day, though. The track is set around the famous Farnborough Air Show – it was pretty cool setting off from under the husk of an old hanger!

I noticed when you all began running, everyone looked down at their wrists and started their smartwatches.

Absolutely! It was funny running around the bits of the track without bystanders because you could hear the various bleeps of watches — you could tell who measures in kilometres and who preferred miles!

How’s the training been?

Hard, but good fun! I’ve been doing interval training for the past few months. During the weekdays, I’ve done shorter distances mixed in with strength training. The weekends have been longer runs, anywhere between 10-18kms. And whenever possible, I’ve pulled dad (Jon) out onto the water to get some kayaking and core work in!

Jon and Amy making the most of UK sunshine with kayaking cross-training

Sounds like a good variety of stuff. With all of that pre-work, how long did your half marathon take you?

I ran it in 1:52:34. I was aiming for a sub-two-hour run, so I was pretty chuffed with that!

That’s awesome. Tell me why you dedicated your run to Amplifying Voices?

This charity is particularly close to my heart. I love the passion for seeing peoples’ lives transformed through the support of their own local communities. I love that it is ‘grassroots’, empowering the communities to identify their own key needs and face them head-on – many voices coming together as one. I love their creativity in finding culturally relevant solutions to meet each identified need – addressing issues such as health, social injustice, education, and so many more.

With that answer, I’m sure you had plenty of people supporting you!

The support and generosity have been astounding. When I set up the fundraiser, I set a goal of £500. Last I checked, we’ve collectively raised £1,730, and that’s without gift aid. I am overwhelmed by the incredible support from family and friends and glad that it’s all going to help Amplifying Voices.

It’s a tremendous collective effort. Thanks, Amy!

Would you like to become an #AmplifyChampion for Amplifying Voices?

We want to celebrate supporters who go over and above, helping us realise our vision to see communities live life in all its fullness. Have you been telling people about Amplifying Voices? Have you raised some money for our projects through a bake sale? Or maybe running is your thing, too! Or, if you’d like to do something and need some support, we’d love to hear from you. Email alice@amplifyingvoices.uk, and we’ll get you on your way to becoming an #AmplifyChampion

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Our previous name, ‘Health Communication Resources (HCR)’, reflected our roots in health promotion. However, in the UK and Pakistan, we wanted a name that helps people visualise what we do. We needed a name that connects our use of media with how broader change happens in communities; to be a bridge between the concepts.

Bridging the gap with a new name

We continue to pursue the same vision as we seek to see communities live life in all its fullness, free from poverty, injustice, and conflict. ‘Amplifying Voices’ helps epitomise our process of equipping communities to speak out and be heard in order to take the lead in their own development.

Our role is to come alongside communities and listen. It’s then we can empower people to find what media solutions work in their local contexts. We help train them on how to utilise tools and strategies to their full potential so that the communities themselves can champion positive social change. This is our approach in every partner-led project, and so it seemed fitting to have a name that grasps the concept.

What is a partner-led project?

A typical community-centred media project brings together community members, service providers, and media organisations to create content. The media content can be anything from a podcast talking about dental hygiene benefits to an informal chat where a community member shares their story. It’s designed to tackle issues that are raised by the community. This, in turn, gets people talking about their ideas and opinions and helps people hear others’ hopes and concerns. 

Our partners then use trusted communication channels to broadcast or distribute the content, to help them play a key role in mobilising inclusive, community led-initiatives. 

New name, but still part of a wider family

Amplifying Voices continues to be part of the international HCR family. Our Australian team will continue to be known as Health Communication Resources, as it reflects the well-established history of strong relationships with Australian public health service providers. 

As our vision and values remain unchanged, we continue to be a family sharing a common commitment: we’re taking the same approach in using community-centred media to further our mission.

What’s next? 

We are currently working with eight international projects, where community-centred media is making a positive impact. Exciting developments are happening in each of them, and we’d love to keep you updated as part of our supporting community! Click the yellow subscribe button on the top banner of this page (or scroll down a little further) to sign up for our newsletter.

Thanks for joining us in this new chapter of Amplifying Voices!

The post A new name for a new era appeared first on Amplifying Voices.

Stephanie Mooney

Stephanie has been working with communities and community development for 18 years, with extensive experience of supporting health and other networks and projects across Tanzania and other parts of Africa. She has worked in partnership with a number of local charities, local government and other key stakeholders to develop and improve services for the community, helping them respond effectively to local need.

Stephanie has an MA in Diplomacy, Law and Global Change, is a qualified neighbourhood mediator and holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution. She has worked in local government as a senior monitoring and grants officer, and been responsible for the leading partnership teams with two other organisations.

She is married to Bernie who works for the National Health Service and they have a delightful two-year old daughter.

Johnny Fisher

Johnny hails from Scotland and is married to Kristine and they have two children.  For the last four years Johnny has been working for another media organisation facilitating audience engagement and project strategy workshops in India, Bangladesh, Central Asia and the Middle East.   As an electronic engineer Johnny worked as and Systems Engineer and Hardware Engineer for major commercial companies, before becoming a support worker for homeless people in Edinburgh.  He later moved to Austria to work as a church and community leader supporting migrant workers and refugees.

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