Despite the fact that leprosy cure is not a problem, stigma continues to be a major obstacle in leprosy control work. The role of media in tackling the issues related to leprosy is crucial. Many government agencies and funders prefer to focus on service delivery and treatment which has measurable results, whereas it’s very hard to measure the impact of media initiatives that aim to bring about societal change. It is important that all institutions/NGOs working to reduce stigma through media should be evidence based, researched and targeted. In order to fulfill this objective, the current paper aims to discuss the operational aspects and importance of various models of media intervention such as TV, radio, drama, the creation of journalist networks, public service announcement (PSA), campaign etc.

1. @arengrimshaw
Presented by
Nikita Sarah, Head Advocacy & Communication
TLMTI
@IAL Hyderabad 12th April 201
IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA TO FACE
CURRENT CHALLENGES OF NLEP

2. @arengrimshaw
Innovation has never been more important.
Those who want to see social change must
find new ways of winning hearts and minds.
In this presentation we explore the potential
of Media to counter current challenges in
Leprosy

3. @arengrimshaw
Current Challenges
Technical
 Slow decline in disease burden (new cases)
 Increase in number of new leprosy cases in Bihar, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and
Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
Operational
• Early detection (voluntary reporting) in remote, tribal, hard-to-reach and insurgent
affected areas
Social/Economic/ Cultural
• Stigma still exists even in educated & well to do families resulting in delayed detection

4. @arengrimshaw
Perception- Leprosy
73.4
55.2
32.5
74.3
79.6
63.7
51.6
17.6
63.1
74.2
27.7
43
18.2
37.6
45.9
0
20
40
60
80
100
Sharing meal-
Problem
Marrying Ex
patient -
Problem
Leprosy - Sin
committed
Patients to be
Isolated
Separate
belongings
Community Opinion Leader Patients

5. @arengrimshaw
•Is the most popular medium
•Informs, educates and entertains
•Is the largest influencer
•Enables and accelerates inclusion
•Easily available, affordable and accessible
•Changes people’s perception and creates awareness like
no other medium can aspire to do!
.
Why Media?

6. @arengrimshaw
Media is the single most powerful
tool for awareness & advocacy

7. @arengrimshaw
Media is the single most powerful
tool for awareness & advocacy

8. @arengrimshaw
Challenges in using Media as a strategy
in the Leprosy sector
•Term is used as a jargon rather than a solution
•Priority is more as a health issue
•Limited use of media tools
•No strategy
•Resources allocations

9. @arengrimshaw
Media- What else….
•Media Advocacy
•Edutainment
•Mainstream Media
•Traditional Media
•Social Media
•IEC

10. @arengrimshaw
The purpose of media advocacy is to use the media to
advocate a policy solution to a social problem. That is, it’s
about defining the problem as a “policy gap.”
The mainstream media, particularly the news media, play
an important role in advancing democratic discussion
around policy debates. It can amplify voices so that policy
makers cannot ignore them.
Edutainment can have a far reaching impact specially in
hard to reach areas.
Social Media is the quickest, widest reach, mostly reliable,
inexpensive.
IEC has to be strategic and evidence & research based

11. @arengrimshaw
Raise awareness, information and knowledge about health
issues or problems.
Assist in changing behavior when other enabling factors are
present.
Provide advocacy and support that facilitates placing health
issues on the agenda.
The Reality of Media-
“The Can Do”

12. @arengrimshaw
Messaging
• Curable: Leprosy is an infectious disease but the risk of developing
the disease is low. It can be cured with drugs that are widely
available and are free-of charge.
• Early signs of leprosy are pale or reddish skin patches, with loss of
sensation; early detection with appropriate treatment helps to
prevent disability from leprosy.
• No need to be feared: the disease can be managed just like any
other disease; affected people should not suffer any
discrimination. Treated persons are no longer infectious.
• Support: Affected people need the support and encouragement of
their family and community
• More emphasis for removal of self as well as social stigma

13. @arengrimshaw
Message content needs to be:
o based in research.
oRealistic.
o credible.
o should be tailored to the social and
psychographic profiles of the target audience.
•The style should be attractive and entertaining.

14. @arengrimshaw
The “ How to go about it”
Formative research helps define which behaviors the campaign will
attempt to change to achieve its broad goals.
•It is important to explore what people already know, believe, and care
about.
•Explore the media diet of the audience. Are they literate? Do they
listen to radio? Do they read any publication regularly? This will help
define the strategy and choice of media.
•Build the strategy on how to obtain access to Variety of media.

15. @arengrimshaw
The main themes
• People, and communities
• Interaction, and dialogue
• Information, and accessibility
• Technology, and integration

16. @arengrimshaw
Your diagnosis is an understanding of the
challenge to be overcome…
…allowing you to channel resources to most
effectively meet that challenge

17. @arengrimshaw
Innovative thinking should be proactive first and
reactive second...
Once a strategy is in place, reactive thinking can
become more meaningful...
It provides the backbone for our actions so we
can be confident that we’re reacting in the right
way.

18. @arengrimshaw
Customers
•Common
Characteristics
•Demographics
•Technical Ability
•Interests
•Geographic Location
Influencers
•Staff Members
•Family Members
•Journalists
•Bloggers
•Politicians
Partners
•Allied Industries
•Other regions
•Suppliers
•Funders Investors
•Competitors
C I P
Identifying your Community

19. @arengrimshaw
Approach
• Visibility
... need to be visible to the target audience
• Credibility
...“Don’t teach the audience, involve them”
• Value
...establish a “What’s in it for me?” factor
• Personality
...everything should be consistent with the strategy
• Responsiveness
...are they setup to deal with responses

20. @arengrimshaw
Measuring results
• Link to your aims
• Benchmark at the start
• Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Review results regularly
• Tweak approach accordingly
“Not everything that counts can be measured.
Not everything that can be measured counts.”
Albert Einstein

21. @arengrimshaw
Thank you
Contact me @ nikita.sara@gmail.com