By empowering citizens who do not have access to mainstream
media we play a critical role in enabling them to access opportunities
that improve the qualities of their lives.
MTC
is funded by the Media Development Diversity Agency (MDDA)
to train and support community radio stations to produce
quality programmes that reflect the needs of their listeners
and to facilitate partnerships with local stakeholders
in order to effect behavioural impact.
Stations
involved in previous training programmes include
Western
Cape
Radio
KC
Valley
FM
Radio
Zibonele
Eastern
Cape
Radio
Vukani
Northern
Cape
Radio
Riverside
Radio
Teemaneng
KwaZulu
Natal
Radio
Maputaland
Mpumalanga
Radio
Bushbuckridge
Limpopo
Radio
Mohodi
Radio
Moletjie
Moutse
Community Radio
Gauteng
Radio
Soshanguwe
North
West
Vaaltar
Community Radio
CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
We
are funded by the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme
(SKEPPIES) to work in collaboration with community radio
stations Radio Namakwaland, Radio Kaboesna, and Radio
NFM in the Knersvlakte and Roggeveld areas of the Western
and Northern Cape. This project focuses on sustainable
development balanced with the need for positive impact
positive on conservation.
Programmes are produced in collaboration with organisations
such as the Surplus People Project, various government
departments and local municipalities as well as small
business developers who are implementing projects that
have a conservation focus.
HIV
AND AIDS
CENTRAL
KAROO REGION
The
Provincial Government of the Western Cape’s Department
of Social Development has funded MTC to implement a comprehensive
HIV and AIDS project in Beaufort West and surrounding
towns.
A research –based media campaign that includes regular
HIV and AIDS programming on Radio Gamka, a newly established
community radio station in the area will be implemented.
The radio programmes complement and form part of a broader
health and social initiative with community based carers
that focus predominantly on youth.
CAPE
WINELANDS AND OVERBERG REGION
With
funding from the Health Department, the Foschini Group,
the National Lottery Board and Juta & Company, MTC
implemented a programme that centres on building capacity
of women living with HIV. Together with a partner NGO,
Grassroots Educare Trust, MTC trained women living in
the informal settlements of two small farming communities
of De Doorns and Paarl in skills that allows them to provide
Early Childhood Development services in their own communities.
A permanent ECD structure was erected at the Sibabalwe
Primary School in De Doorns with funding received from
the Big Tree Foundation Department. The project will be
further sustained with financial support from the Departments
of Social Development and capacity building and mentorship
through the Department of Education.
HEALTH
PLANNER
For
six consecutive years, from 2004 to 2009, MTC has produced
a Health Planner for managers working across a range of
health programmes within the Department of Health.
The purpose of the Health Planner is to assist managers
to take cognisance of the broader strategic vision of
the Health Department and to plan their programmes consistently
and realistically within that broad framework,
It is a printed Year Planner that highlights significant
health days and provides useful information that can serve
as a reference guide. The “handbook” also
doubles-up as a diary and is therefore very popular with
health managers.
METROPOLITAN
HIV AND AIDS WORKPLACE PROGRAMME
MTC
worked with the AIDS Solutions Unit of Metropolitan, to
update the “AIDS BASICS” component of the
Red Ribbon portal hosted by Metropolitan. MTC was briefed
to do a desk-study to compare similar HIV and AIDS web-sites
and to develop appropriate content for lay people, including
Metropolitan staff members, as well as school-going youth
requiring material for assignments and/or personal information.
Metropolitan’s team of web-designers incorporated
this information into the existing portal. For more information
on this project visit www.redribbon.co.za
We
were also contracted by Metropolitan to assist the Stellenbosch
HIV and AIDS Network to promote the “Eight till
late” Clinic for working people as a part of Metropolitan’s
“Live the future” initiative.
Recently we have worked with Metropolitan to compile the
text for an HIV and AIDS Cellbook. This is an innovative
project that will allow people who would not normally
have access to libraries and the internet to access accurate
information about HIV and AIDS. By texting HIV to the
number 32709 at a cost of R1 per sms, people will have
access to much-needed information. The project was completed
in March and is now available for download.
ASPEN
PHARMACARE
Aspen
Pharmacare, the largest manufacturer of anti-retroviral
medication in South Africa, contracted MTC to adapt the
information in their HIV and AIDS Employee policy into
a user-friendly format that would encourage staff to read
the document and maximise their use of benefits stipulated.
The document was reworked into a pamphlet that is easy
for employees to understand both their rights and responsibilities.
FOSCHINI
GROUP
The
Foschini Group launched an HIV and AIDS workplace programme
in August 2006. The implementation of this project was
outsourced to three partners viz. QUALSA, OCSA and MTC
for Health as part of an integrated HIV VCT initiative.
MTC was contracted to implement a media campaign to encourage
and motivate employees to take advantage of this employee
benefit.
In order to develop a communication campaign that
focused on the needs of Foschini staff across South Africa,
it was agreed that MTC would conduct focus group discussions
with staff in the three provinces of Western Cape, KwaZulu
Natal and Gauteng. Focus group discussions frequently
used as a qualitative research method to determine attitudes
and perceptions and are designed to gather information
from lay people. The goal in organising focus groups is
to investigate concerns, experiences, attitudes and beliefs
related to a clearly defined topic – in the case
of the Foschini Group, a Voluntary Counselling and Testing
(VCT) Campaign as part of a broader HIV and AIDS workplace
programme.
The results of these focus groups helped to shape
the implementation of the components overseen by QUALSA
and OCSA as well as to guide the VCT communication campaign.
Posters, messages on payslips, inserts in the FAMFARE
staff magazine and a motivational DVD outlining the purpose
and benefits of the VCT campaign were conceptualised and
produced. These were distributed to all Foschini Group
Stores in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.
PATHFINDERS
INTERNATIONAL
A
24 page booklet “ Termination of Pregnancy –
It’s your choice”, was developed and produced
for Pathfinder International. Final product was delivered
in February 2009 as per contractual agreement.
ACTS
SA
We
have been contracted by ACTS –SA to conduct focus
group discussions with clients in 4 geographical areas
to probe issues relating to proposed media development.
The results of the focus group discussions will inform
the content of VCT pamphlets and posters that ACTS –SA
is hoping to develop in 2009.
ASSOCIATION
FOR VOLUNTARY STERILIZATION OF SOUTH AFRICA (MARCH
2008)
We
designed the artwork for a billboard for AVSSA Voluntary
Sterilization that were erected in Khayelitsha, Mitchell's
Plain and Worcester. This message was reinforced in advertisements
that were placed in community newspapers.
UNIVERSITY
OF WESTERN CAPE
Together
with UWC's School of Public Health, MTC developed a handbook
for women from farming communities to assist them in maintaining
a personal record of significant health matters in their
lives and to guide their choices on lifestyle and health
service utilisation. This booklet was conceptualised in
collaboration with the Western Cape Health Department
and has been distributed to women across the province.
The handbook was produced in English and Afrikaans as
part of a pilot project and later adapted for Xhosa speaking
readers.
UNIVERSITY
OF CAPE TOWN
From
1998 to 2006, we trained UCT’s fourth year medical
students to develop appropriate print and radio material
as part of a broader Health Promotion module.
WESTERN
CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
COMMUNITY
POLICE FORUMS
MTC
worked with community police forums (CPFs) in Khayelitsha,
Bonteheuwel and Diep River in the Western Cape Province,
to develop a media campaign that will help to market CPFs
and to help them bridge the communication gap between
police services and the communities that they serve. MTC
consulted with the CPFs to determine their training needs
as they pertain to health issues e.g. trauma counselling,
First Aid etc. This project was funded by the Department
of Community Safety.
DIARRHOEA
CAMPAIGN
Working
in conjunction with the Western Cape Provincial Health
Department, MTC developed a print and radio campaign to
raise awareness about the high infant mortality rate resulting
from diarrhoea related illnesses in babies and young children.
The project took into account all agencies currently working
on this health problem and included environmental health
specialists, medical staff and community health workers.
The project allowed for community interaction and participation
through “phone-in” radio programmes.
VITAMIN
A SUPPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME
Working
together with the Integrated Nutrition Programme of the
Western Cape Health Department, MTC developed a media
campaign to raise awareness about the importance of Vitamin
A supplementation with mothers and care givers of children
between the ages of 6 months and five years old.
PARTICIPATORY
MEDIA DEVELOPMENT
Other
projects that MTC has been involved with include a Breastfeeding
Radio Campaign for the Integrated Nutrition Programme
(I.N.P), a Road Safety Awareness Radio Campaign for the
Health Promotion component of PGWC.
ANTENATAL
POSTER (JUNE/JULY 2007)
In
response to a need that had been identified by the Provincial
Health Department to promote Voluntary Counselling and
Testing (VCT) amongst pregnant women, MTC was contracted
to develop a poster that would be distributed in the Metro
Region of the Western Cape.
The process was started with focus group discussions in
sites: Elsies River, Atlantis, Mitchell’s Plain
and Khayelitsha. Through the input of pregnant women attending
antenatal clinics in these sites MTC gained a better insight
into the fears, prejudices, lack of knowledge and cultural
taboos that influence women’s decisions to go for
an HIV test. Based on this research we developed an A2
poster that was distributed widely to community health
centres, Maternity and Obstetric Units and hospitals.
These posters will form part of a broader intervention
with health promoting staff in the department.
SAFER
SEX CAMPAIGN (JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008)
We
were contracted by the Metro Health Services to project
manage a safer sex campaign to coincide with Condom Week
in February 2008. The condom week campaign was extremely
successful - we developed and produced posters in English,
Afrikaans and Xhosa and also distributed these to clinics,
hospitals, libraries and all high schools in the metro
region. They were also published in the two local tabloids
the Voice and Die Son.
The artwork for the posters was also replicated on plastic
tablecloths and these were further distributed to taverns
and shebeens. This has also been used on shopping bags
to try to further expand on this idea.
The Media and Training Centre for Health (MTC) is a Section
21 South African NGO based in Cape Town. The organisation was
established in 1994 as an affiliate to the National Progressive
Primary Health Care Network. Since 2001 the organisation has
functioned independently as an autonomous entity.
Association
incorporated under Section 21 Registration no: 2001/009716/08
- Non Profit Organisation Registration No:025-324-NPO
