on airPutting HeartInto Women’s Issues in Chiapas

The drama, which centers around a love story, was written by two famed Mexican telenovela writers.

The story draws heavily from the experiences and daily lives of residents of Chiapas, as shown in this scene about new government programs to support farmers.

On January 25th, a new 35-episode telenovela, Mucho Corazón (A Lot of Heart), to promote gender equality, sustainable development and education of girls launched on Canal 10, the government-run television channel in Chiapas, Mexico.

The story features a young indigenous woman, Maruch, who suffers from harassment, corruption, racial and gender discrimination and a lack of opportunities because of her social class. Determined to see her father overcome alcoholism and to improve her own life, Maruch takes advantage of government programs for women and empowers others in her community to start their own tomato farm.

Media Impact Given Four-Star Rating!In January 2012 Media Impact was awarded the highest rating attainable by the esteemed, independent ratings organization, Charity Navigatorrecommendation for our work and programs at:

www.charitynavigator.org.

The television drama was born after the successful broadcast of a radio drama, Corazón de Mujer (The Heart of a Woman), last year. The radio drama, originally created for Chiapan audiences, has since been picked up on more than 50 stations in six countries. Similarly, the State Government of Chiapas, which co-produced both dramas with Media Impact, has signed distribution agreement to make Mucho Corazón available for free rebroadcast in more than 20 countries, including the United States and Canada.

To see clips from Mucho Corazón, visit our website: www.mediaimpact.org.

Spring 2012

Move over Clark Kent. There’s a new Superwoman in town.

Marco Rodriguez joined the Media Impact team as Communications Officer. Marco has extensive experience in graphic design and video editing, and has supported our work as an intern for the past year. We are thrilled he has joined our team and look forward to sharing his multimedia projects with you in the coming months.

that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will support the expansion of our My School – My Community program in the fall. My School - My Community is a classroom-based program that teaches youth to use communications programs, including a serial drama, talk show and campaign, to foster dialogue about problems in their school. We are currently working with six teachers in four NYC classrooms, two teachers in St. Lucia and one in

Media Impact is entering into a partnership with USAID and the U.S. Forest Service to launch a four-year, four-country program to promote climate change resilience, sustainable forestry and improved local livelihoods. As part of this program, the partners will create a 52-episode radio drama that will

Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. The drama will be complemented by local radio call-in talk shows and community action campaigns to promote last ing changes in knowledge, attitude and behavior.

In February, Media Impact supported the organizing committee of the 2012 African Cup of Nations to help shape the tournament mascot, Gaguie the Gorilla, into an ambassador for conservation. During the two weeks of Africa’s premier soccer tournament, we worked with local partners to produce and distribute more than 4,000 promotional t-shirts, hats and stickers to Gaguie’s fans; hosted ten conservation-themed discussions on Mbolo Gabon / Good

Dr. Will Banham is Media Impact’s new Programs Director . Wil l joins Brenda Campos in running our Programs Department after nearly eight years at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS)Global Conservation Program, during which time he led a capacity building program and developed approaches and partnerships to implement innovative and effective outreach and education within target audiences in and around WCS landscapes and seascapes.

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New Faces, New Places

For more information about these programs, please visit our website (www.mediaimpact.org). Be sure to check your mailboxes and inboxes for more information about these programs.

“We all win when we protect nature.” Gaguie paraded the banner above

championship game.

Phase II of the Our Voices project launched with this broadcast in Sucre.

Students in Peru (see right) participated in community fairs where they learned about sexual health and took home prizes, like this shirt.

My School-My Community Students produce give-away items that underscore the drama’s messages.

Please join us in welcoming Will and Marco to our team!

NEW PLACES:We are active in 30 countries!

NEW FACES:We are excited to welcome two new people to our team

2012 is proving to be a year of growth for Media Impact. We are currently working in 30 countries to empower local communities to address local issues, including sexual and reproductive health, climate change, biodiversity conservation, empowerment of women and girls and family planning.

We are particularly excited about the following programs:

NEW YORK CITY

WEST AFRICA

GABON

BOLIVIA

PERU

In the News…Media Impact has been making headlines this year! Since January, our work and Entertainment-Education methodology has been featured in several publications, including the World Bank Blog (http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/node/5887) and the New York Times “Fixes” blog (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/steamy-plots-with-a-social-message/). In March, we were featured as a Solutions Partner for the Newsweek & The Daily Beast-hosted Women in the World Summit.

Mexico. This fall, we will expand this work to include up to 15 schools in NYC alone. What Does Your

Support Mean?For youth in Peru, your support means knowing about their sexual and reproductive health and knowing where to access youth-friendly health services.

Earlier this year, nearly 400 students ages 14-18 from six schools in Huamanga, Peru were surveyed about what they learned from the UNFPA and Media Impact-produced radio drama Cuando el Amor Agarra (When Love Grabs Hold), and the accompanying talk show ZonAdolecentes. The results were impressive.

Of the students surveyed:

- 84.6% said they had heard of the Integrative Sexual Education promoted in the drama, as compared to 64% of students in the baseline. - Nearly 50% of students said they had heard of a regional initiative to create youth-friendly reproductive health services, most of whom (92.8%) heard of these services through the radio drama. - 87% of students who knew about youth-friendly health services were able to name a local health center, Huamanaga Hospital, as a place to access these services, and more than half (65.2%) participated in local health fairs.

We are very p roud o f these accomplishments. You should be too. Stay tuned to hear more about the lives around the world you change with your generous support.

The second phase of the Our Voices program kicked-off at a training workshop in February 2012. The

successful creation and broadcast of the Dark City radio drama in more than 40 radio stations around the country. The second phase of the program is geared toward generating community dialogue and action around the topics of pluralism and diversity, access to communication and civic engagement. 25 mentor

The new My Community – My Water

at training workshops around the country. This three-year program, executed in partnership with USAID, will address issues of water and sanitation, with a focus on the impact of water issues on women. The initiative centers around one centrally-produced soap opera, and will train local coalitions of partners in four regions of Peru to produce talk-shows to give local context to the issues. This on-air work is complemented by community action campaigns that encourage listeners to take action.

Morning Gabon (Gabon’s primetime morning TV show); and arranged for Gaguie and his dance troupe to parade a banner stating “We all win when we protect nature” around the

the tournament. Soon a series of “Gaguie’s World” columns will be featured in both of Gabon’s national daily newspapers. Even though the tournament is over, Gaguie’s work is not. We look forward to keeping Gaguie and his messages alive with community-based activities around Gabon in the coming months.

radio stations selected from the original participants will help guide new stations in the creation of radio magazine shows and community action campaigns. We are excited about this program design because it empowers former participants to train their peers. (See page 4 for a participant perspective.)

Marco Rodriguez joined the Media Impact team as Communications Officer. Marco has extensive experience in graphic design and video editing, and has supported our work as an intern for the past year. We are thrilled he has joined our team and look forward to sharing his multimedia projects with you in the coming months.

that the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will support the expansion of our My School – My Community program in the fall. My School - My Community is a classroom-based program that teaches youth to use communications programs, including a serial drama, talk show and campaign, to foster dialogue about problems in their school. We are currently working with six teachers in four NYC classrooms, two teachers in St. Lucia and one in

Media Impact is entering into a partnership with USAID and the U.S. Forest Service to launch a four-year, four-country program to promote climate change resilience, sustainable forestry and improved local livelihoods. As part of this program, the partners will create a 52-episode radio drama that will

Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. The drama will be complemented by local radio call-in talk shows and community action campaigns to promote last ing changes in knowledge, attitude and behavior.

In February, Media Impact supported the organizing committee of the 2012 African Cup of Nations to help shape the tournament mascot, Gaguie the Gorilla, into an ambassador for conservation. During the two weeks of Africa’s premier soccer tournament, we worked with local partners to produce and distribute more than 4,000 promotional t-shirts, hats and stickers to Gaguie’s fans; hosted ten conservation-themed discussions on Mbolo Gabon / Good

Dr. Will Banham is Media Impact’s new Programs Director . Wil l joins Brenda Campos in running our Programs Department after nearly eight years at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS)Global Conservation Program, during which time he led a capacity building program and developed approaches and partnerships to implement innovative and effective outreach and education within target audiences in and around WCS landscapes and seascapes.

MA

RC

O R

OD

RIG

UEZ

DR

. WIL

L B

AN

HA

M

New Faces, New Places

For more information about these programs, please visit our website (www.mediaimpact.org). Be sure to check your mailboxes and inboxes for more information about these programs.

“We all win when we protect nature.” Gaguie paraded the banner above

championship game.

Phase II of the Our Voices project launched with this broadcast in Sucre.

Students in Peru (see right) participated in community fairs where they learned about sexual health and took home prizes, like this shirt.

My School-My Community Students produce give-away items that underscore the drama’s messages.

Please join us in welcoming Will and Marco to our team!

NEW PLACES:We are active in 30 countries!

NEW FACES:We are excited to welcome two new people to our team

2012 is proving to be a year of growth for Media Impact. We are currently working in 30 countries to empower local communities to address local issues, including sexual and reproductive health, climate change, biodiversity conservation, empowerment of women and girls and family planning.

We are particularly excited about the following programs:

NEW YORK CITY

WEST AFRICA

GABON

BOLIVIA

PERU

In the News…Media Impact has been making headlines this year! Since January, our work and Entertainment-Education methodology has been featured in several publications, including the World Bank Blog (http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/node/5887) and the New York Times “Fixes” blog (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/steamy-plots-with-a-social-message/). In March, we were featured as a Solutions Partner for the Newsweek & The Daily Beast-hosted Women in the World Summit.

Mexico. This fall, we will expand this work to include up to 15 schools in NYC alone. What Does Your

Support Mean?For youth in Peru, your support means knowing about their sexual and reproductive health and knowing where to access youth-friendly health services.

Earlier this year, nearly 400 students ages 14-18 from six schools in Huamanga, Peru were surveyed about what they learned from the UNFPA and Media Impact-produced radio drama Cuando el Amor Agarra (When Love Grabs Hold), and the accompanying talk show ZonAdolecentes. The results were impressive.

Of the students surveyed:

- 84.6% said they had heard of the Integrative Sexual Education promoted in the drama, as compared to 64% of students in the baseline. - Nearly 50% of students said they had heard of a regional initiative to create youth-friendly reproductive health services, most of whom (92.8%) heard of these services through the radio drama. - 87% of students who knew about youth-friendly health services were able to name a local health center, Huamanaga Hospital, as a place to access these services, and more than half (65.2%) participated in local health fairs.

We are very p roud o f these accomplishments. You should be too. Stay tuned to hear more about the lives around the world you change with your generous support.

The second phase of the Our Voices program kicked-off at a training workshop in February 2012. The

successful creation and broadcast of the Dark City radio drama in more than 40 radio stations around the country. The second phase of the program is geared toward generating community dialogue and action around the topics of pluralism and diversity, access to communication and civic engagement. 25 mentor

The new My Community – My Water

at training workshops around the country. This three-year program, executed in partnership with USAID, will address issues of water and sanitation, with a focus on the impact of water issues on women. The initiative centers around one centrally-produced soap opera, and will train local coalitions of partners in four regions of Peru to produce talk-shows to give local context to the issues. This on-air work is complemented by community action campaigns that encourage listeners to take action.

Morning Gabon (Gabon’s primetime morning TV show); and arranged for Gaguie and his dance troupe to parade a banner stating “We all win when we protect nature” around the

the tournament. Soon a series of “Gaguie’s World” columns will be featured in both of Gabon’s national daily newspapers. Even though the tournament is over, Gaguie’s work is not. We look forward to keeping Gaguie and his messages alive with community-based activities around Gabon in the coming months.

My Community – My Water

at training workshops around the country. This three-year program, executed in partnership with USAID, will address issues of water and sanitation, with a focus on the impact of water issues on women. The initiative centers around one centrally-produced soap opera, and will train local coalitions of partners in four regions of Peru to produce talk-shows to give local context to the issues. This on-air work is complemented by community action

friendly health services.

Earlier this year, nearly 400 students ages 14-18 from six schools in Huamanga, Peru were surveyed about what they learned from the UNFPA and Media Impactradio drama Cuando el Amor Agarra (When Love Grabs Hold), and the accompanying talk show ZonAdolecentes. The results were ZonAdolecentes. The results were ZonAdolecentesimpressive.

Of the students surveyed:

- 84.6% said they had heard of the Integrative Sexual Education promoted in the drama, as compared to 64% of students in the baseline. - Nearly 50% of students said they had heard of a regional initiative to create youth-friendly reproductive health services, most of whom

radio stations selected from the original participants will help guide new stations in the creation of radio magazine shows and community action campaigns. We are excited about this program design because it empowers former participants to train their peers. (See page 4 for a participant perspective.)

Voices from the Field: Addressing Diversity through Dialogue

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DOUBLE YOUR GIFT

Sandy Guillet is an Our Voices participant from Cochabamba, Bolivia. Our Voices is a national program to promote plurality and diversity, access to communications and information, and citizen participation

from around the country hosted Entertainment-Education radio talk shows featuring the program’s radio drama thriller, Dark City. Now in its second phase, the program is empowering even more stations to create talk shows for the drama and to participate in a national community action campaign to raise awareness about the issues.

Sandy’s radio station, Radio CEPJA, introduced innovative

program. By partnering with other radio stations, Radio CEPJA engaged school children in classrooms and youth at the city’s central market in meaningful discussions about diversity and plurality and

Sandy was selected from more than 30 applicants as one of six mentors for the new stations participating in the second phase of the program (see page 3). Her goal is to help the new stations develop engaging talk shows to discuss the issues presented in the drama and to help implement a national Our Voices campaign in her region.

Our Voices program.

“The community mobilization component of the methodology was very important for us because we believed that the messages of the radio drama needed to go beyond the broadcast, that they should generate an effect, a reaction in the listeners. Because of this, three stations including ours -- Radio CEPJA, Radio Kancha Parlaspa and

Radio CEPRA -- decided to work together, to unite our efforts, our ideas, our expectations, our hopes with regard to what we could accomplish in the community by working together to promote citizen participation, the right to access communication and information, plurality and diversity. One project we did together with youth from several classrooms at schools from the southern and northern zones of Cochabamba. The small encounter turned into a huge forum for debate in which the youth and adolescents shared their stories about plurality and diversity, answering the question: “How do we feel in relation to others?” They said sometimes we exclude people because they are from the right or the left, tall or short, speak an indigenous language or one that is different from our own, or wear black or pink clothes. We had a nice experience because we worked with a group of people that is excluded from conversations about these questions, these issues – plurality and diversity. The youth were able to suppress their feelings from their own negative experiences to look for solutions to their problems. And the radio drama Dark City, which many people listened to, achieved, motivated, incentivized these youth to respond to another’s story by saying, “That also happened to me. If you propose a solution to this problem, I can follow your example, or I choose another path, but let’s build solutions together.”

Broadcasts in the central market promote audience interaction.

Correspondents gathered opinions from listeners to incorporate in the broadcasts.

Thank you for your support!

PCI-Media Impact -- 777 United Nations Plaza, 5th Floor, New York, NY, 10017 USA -- 1.212.687.3366 -- www.mediaimpact.org

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