Adaptive Response Messaging (ARM)
Coordinated messaging for humanitarian responses
Typically, during responses, many different actors – Government, NGOs, INGOs, Civil Society, and multi-lateral institutions – are sending out uncoordinated messaging around prominent issues that affect their lives. In addition, at times, myths of what can and cannot be done emerge sometimes born out of fear, misinformation, or cultural and religious ideas. Together, these two issues drastically affect the action taken by populations in need and spread confusing and contradictory messages. Vulnerable populations, such as children, the disabled, and the elderly, are particularly affected during emergencies. By focusing on targeted messaging aimed at them and their caregivers, better care and resources can become available.
The ARM is a “process” innovation model and establishes a new way of coordinated response-time messaging that applies. The process establishes a singular focused message broadcast across multiple mediums through multiple partners, thus the messaging is unbranded to remove any barriers. Additionally, messages are targeted to key messages for particular messaging groups – called narrowcasting. As the messages are broadcast across multiple mediums, through many partners, the audiences hear a singular voice on messaging both for prevention, actions, and response.
The Adaptive Response Messaging (ARM) model was piloted in Somalia with World Vision (via the SomReP consortium) and replicated in Yemen. The ARM is a process innovation model and establishes a new way of coordinated response-time messaging that demonstrates a singular focused messaged broadcast across multiple mediums through multiple partners; thus, the messaging is unbranded, removing a proprietor's need.
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The Adaptive Reponse Messaging (ARM) Model
Somalia
The Somali Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL) began leveraging our network before there was a confirmed case in Somalia, and we began working with various innovators to develop public health messaging in Somali. Recognizing that resources are limited, we are supporting the development of content that can be freely used. This was a participatory process of co-creation that had input from the government, humanitarian actors, the private sector, donors and academia. All of the content has been endorsed by the Somali government, and it can also be found in the official Repository of COVID-19 Resources under the joint coordination body between the Ministry of Health and the UN, the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) taskforce. Because of the RIL’s early mobilization, the materials have been widely shared on social media, through official communication channels, embedded into digital beneficiary registration processes, audio clips used as pre-recorded messages on COVID-19 hotline, and much more
INNOVATORS, VIDEOS, AND CHANNELS
RIL supported the development of messaging tools through three main partners:
OGOW EMR: A Somali health-tech start-up with an Electronic Medical Records platform incorporates a Somali language public health library. The RIL supported them in developing videos targeted to adults and health care workers.
COVID-19 Awareness
Basic Protective measures against the new Coronavirus:
Protecting our communities and elders
COVID-19 Self-Assessment tool
PPE (medical and cloth masks)
Islamic Burials
Nutrition and dietary diversity
Business continuity (under development)
Vaccine awareness (under development)
Poet Nation Media: The RIL partnered with education-entertainment innovators, Poet Nation Media, to build off their early childhood education program called Geedka Mooska. Together, we developed a segment called Hiddo & Hirsi – the Protector Twins. These twins envision themselves as superheroes protecting their community from the Coronavirus and show how they deal with closed school challenges, psycho-social and mental health awareness, gender inclusivity and handicap representation, and much more! The stories creatively wove together Somali folktales and proverbs and gave them a fresh spin on current events.
Episode 1 – wearing a mask
Episode 2 – do something to keep your minds busy
Episode 3 – Wash your hands
Episode 4 – Physical distancing
Episode 5 – Emotions and feelings
Episode 6 – Learning at home
Episode 7 – Vaccine awareness (under development)
As part of this initiative, a case study video was also created to provide some background on the process: Behind the Scenes of Hiddo & Hirsi.
IMS Radio Ergo: RIL is partnering with International Media Support (IMS), which runs the Radio Ergo platform in Somalia. This short-wave radio broadcast covers the entire Somali-speaking region, and their partnership with 18 local FM partners rebroadcast their programs. Together we have developed a radio drama that will entertain listeners and address COVID-19 related subject matter.
Scene 1 – Clean hands
Scene 2 – Cover your cough with a bent elbow
Scene 3 – Don't touch your face
Scene 4 – Keep a safe social distance
Scene 5 – Stay at home, if you can
Scene 6 – What to do with symptoms of COVID-19
Scene 7 – Is it flu, or is it corona?
Scene 8 – Keep your cough and sneeze to yourself
Scene 9 – Keep your distance to prevent COVID-19
Scene 10 – When to wear masks and gloves
More episodes were broadcast on the radio: click to view
Somaliland specific video: To address concerns from the Somaliland Ministry of Health, the RIL worked with Somaliland actors Shaqadoon and HarHub to develop a Somaliland-specific message.
COVID19 is Still Posing a Risk: click to view
ANALYTICS OF PUBLIC HEALTH VIDEOS
The videos have been disseminated near and far in Somalia, as well as beyond the countries borders. Here is the breakdown:
The videos were widely shared over social media across Somalia and even reached Somali-speaking regions in Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Yemen.
The radio drama was broadcast via the Radio Ergo short wave radio platform (along with rebroadcasting from their 18 local FM partners), covering up to 60% of the Somali-speaking region.
The videos' scripts were well researched by professional and reputable sources and used as public health tools and training (i.e., training COVID-19 call center staff).
The Cash Consortium embedded one of the videos into their beneficiary registration process.
Hiddo & Hirsi was broadcast on local TV.
Videos shared by numerous social media influencers and had a combined estimate of 1,000,000 views.
Given the nature of developing open-source tools, it is hard to know the full scale of other actors' adoption and usage. The RIL will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of this campaign and approach (ARM) in 2021.
Yemen
The Response Innovation Lab is working with World Vision, Save the Children, and Oxfam to address an immediate challenge of the lack of preventative messaging across the country, addressing such health crises as COVID-19. The humanitarian situation continues to worsen in Yemen due to renewed conflict in the South and North (specifically Marib and Albaydah), COVID-19, Cholera, Dengue, and Chikungunya. Our joint initiative seeks to respond with greater impact through remote mechanisms that empower our deployment teams and local organizations, institutions, and government entities with greater access to tools and coordination.
Working with Save the Children, World Vision, and Oxfam, the Response Innovation Lab has supported the production of high-quality public health messaging contextualized and translated them into the local Yemeni language as materials to be shared across Yemen through partnership, media networks, and beyond.
ARM has now scaled to Yemen and into its second phase of programming in 2021. So far, the Yemen videos have reached 431,933 views.
