DigiActive.org

Guide: Cross-Posting for Advocacy

Title: Cross-posting for Advocacy: A Guide to Effective Social Media Integration

Author: Sami Ben Gharbia

Published by: Global Voices Advocacy (2008)

What is it?: A guide to how posting content on multiple platforms by using Twitter, Twitterfeed, and Facebook can help you promote your cause.

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Campaign: Free Rice

Description: Agricultural statistics are difficult to attain and must always be reviewed with care. However according to the current FAO statistics, the Least Developed Countries (49 of the worlds poorest countries) produce approximately 10% of the worlds food, whilst Europe and the US produce between 20-30% each.

And so in a world of adequate food supply, food shortage is still a daily reality. About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes (according to the United Nations). This is one person every three and a half seconds.

Poverty.com in partnership with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has started an innovative new campaign that takes one small but effective step to address this gap.

Tools: facebook, on-line petitions, blogs, wiki

How these tools are being used: The Free Rice campaign challenges the user with a simple game. Subjects include Art, Chemistry, English, Geography, Languages and Maths For every right answer 20 grains of rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The WFP distributes the rice globally based on the greatest need and the website includes a video report on how the rice is distributed.

As the game progresses a tally of the total donation is maintained on the right of the page. Banners at the bottom highlight details of donors to the program.

The program has been running since October 2007 and over 45 billion grains have been donated so far. This is equivalent to feeding 2.5 million people. (The WFP estimates that it takes 400 grams of rice to provide a person two meals a day. With about 48 grains of rice in a gram, this is equivalent to 19,200 grains).

The campaign has utilized a marketing campaign that encompasses wikipedia, facebook (the group has over 100,000 members), snopes, youtube and blogs.

What you can do:

1. Play the game
2. Pass the word about the campaign (banners and logos are available on the website)
3. Add your name to the One Campaign
4. Find out about how you can involve your community

Digital warfare between Georgia and Russia

Description: The conflict between Georgia and Russia extended to the digital landscape as Russia attempted to block the unprecedented blogging drive drawing in novices to the blogosphere, through which the Georgians reacted to the Russian invasion. The campaign from both sides extended to video advocacy (YouTube).

As the international debate continues, digital tools are providing much needed support and publicity to the humanitarian efforts.

Tools: blogs, videos, on-line petitions

How these tools are being used: Global Voices’ South Ossetia Crisis 2008 campaign has been providing detailed coverage of the situation through a series blogs. The Hub also supported the efforts by drawing on YouTube video coverage so as to raise awareness of ways in which the pubic can support ongoing humanitarian efforts.

Avaaz means “voice” in many Asian, Middle EAStern and Eastern European languages. Avaaz.org is a global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the “have” and “have nots”. Avaaz uses digital tools to connect people across borders to bring people powered politics to international decision-making. In less than 2 years Avaaz boasts of 3.2 million members from every nation in the world and 7,719,361 actions.

Avaaz is running an on-line petition for the withdrawal of troops. Within a month over 90,000 people had signed the petition.

Other campaigns from Avaaz include the Campaign on the Climate, Burma, Tibet, Zimbabwe, Israel & Palestine, the food crisis and Iraq.

On-line volunteering with NABUUR

Description: Perhaps modern volunteers are the equivalent of the missionaries of the days gone by. They are not any less controversial. Advocates claim that it is the duty of all citizens of the world to take responsibility for one another. Critics claim that these volunteers are misguided in their patronizing and uninformed approach to different cultures.

Anyone who has spent any time as a volunteer will attest to the fact that the reality is complicated, and the answers are not clear.

However, it is a fact that there is a growing demand for the skills of volunteers. A vast number of organisations and people wish to have access to volunteers, but do not have the resources to be able to achieve this.

Tools: forums

How these tools are being used: NABUUR is a web based platform that allows volunteers to meet with those in need of their skills. NABUUR is made up of “Villages” (describing any grouping of people and activities) and “Neighbours”. Neighbours join together in forums where they can jointly discuss projects or issues. Villages can set up projects and request help with particular tasks.

The site is distinct in the on-line volunteerism arena due to its ease of access (anyone may join through a simply registration process) and the ease of communication (anyone may post a thread or answer ongoing threads). As a result, the neighbourhood is buzzing with activity.

(Picture source: NABUUR)

What actually happened in Bakassi?

Description: Did you hear? The oil rich peninsula of Bakassi was handed to Cameroon by Nigeria on the 14th of August. The event was unmarked and forgotten by the international press, the Cameroonian military is shy of neutral monitoring and the Cameroonian press is heavily muzzled. Yet, through the use of blogs the true nature of events has been noted.

Tools: Blogs

How these tools are being used: ConnectAfrica is a group of professional journalists based in Lagos, Nigeria whose focus is on covering development issues in Africa. ConnectAfrica has been blogging about Bakassi during and since the handover. They report unprovoked shootings and aggression by the Cameroonian gendarmes.

Senegal: Microfinance Online

Description: A surprising number of people in the developing world still hide their money under a mattress at home. Accessible and developed banking systems are still in short supply and borrowing money at double digit monthly interests is prohibitive and discourages business. Microfinance is the bridge that empowers the underprivileged.

Birima provides microfinance loans to the people of Senegal. It supports emerging artists and musicians but it is open to all and in particular women and youths. Birima has been part of an innovative publicity campaign to raise finance and awareness.

Tools: media, video, YouTube, LastFM

How these tools are being used: Founder and Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour, with the participation of singers Patti Smith, Simphiwe Dana, Irene Grandi and Francesco Renga re-arranged N’Dours Birima song (originally recorded in 2000). The single forms part of a global communications campaign run by Benetton’s communications research center, Fabrica.

As part of the Africa Works campaign the video clip of the song was posted on YouTube and LastFm. The campaign also includes a cartoon about micro-credit that was produced specifically for the Senegalese community and African TV Channels. A series of images was produced by photographer James Mollison displaying the progress of Birima’s loan recipients. The subjects include a fisherman, a decorator, a musician, a farmer, and a boxer and the images will displayed on billboards and ads. The campaign will be supported by press advertising, outdoor events and projects.

Campaign: Half a Million Kenyans to Unite

Description: It is an unfortunate fact that abuse of power particularly by politicians is normality in Africa. Most Africans feel disempowered by such widespread institutional corruption and unfair distribution of wealth. They are overwhelmed by a system that does not allow such injustices to be expressed, let alone redressed. Activism is the cause of much personal risk, not only to oneself but also to loved ones.

Yet they would do well to learn from the actions of their Kenyan brothers and sisters. Within months of the establishment of the coalition government, corruption amongst government officials has begun to become apparent. As a result activists are using on-line tools to challenge the system and raise international awareness.

Tools: blogs, facebook

How these tools are being used: The Sukuma Kenya project was launched in the aftermath of the humanitarian crisis at the beginning of the year. The project is an online donation blog that was launched to raise funds for the thousands of people displaced by the crisis. Within 24 hours of its launch the blog raised US$ 1,500.

Online activist Michael Bomet  launched a Half a Million Kenyans Unite campaign to unite the people of Kenya against the corruption of the government. The campaign unites people through Facebook and through an on-line petition. The goal is to unite half a million Kenyans in a petition to reduce MPs salaries and privileges. The campaign was launched on the 5th of June 2008 and at the time of writing had registered 4,613 Kenyans. The Sukuma Kenya project used their blog to amplify the message and helped raise 12,000 USD in around a month. 

Listen to the voice of the people

Description: The major factor that will shape the future evolution of the developing world is in the education and sensitisation of the people. A commonly cited example is the AIDs epidemic. Over 20 years after its outbreak, ignorance and stigma still surround the epidemic to the point where AIDs victims are unable to openly talk about their struggles for fear of discrimination or violence. AIDs workers still encounter examples of HIV patients who are ignorant of how they contracted the disease.

24 Hours for Darfur

Description: The humanitarian crisis continues in Darfur after eight years and slow response from the international community. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has sought the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, while the United States denies involvement with the ICC and China and Russia supplies arms to the Sudanese government. As the crisis steadily deteriorates, Res Publica has been using digital tools in a advocacy campaign on behalf of the people of Darfur.

Tools: webcams, camcorders, digital cameras, cell phones

How are these tools being used: Internet users from around the world are given the opportunity to participate by recording messages transmitted through their webcams, camcorders, digital cameras and cell phones and then submitting them to the website, 24 Hours for Darfur. Videos range from personal messages from the general public to celebrities including actors Brad Pitt and Mia Farrow and Sen. Barack Obama. The material on the website can then be used for the purpose of lobbying, whereby users can simply email the video to world leaders. The site provides easy email links to such as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The 24 Hours for Darfur campaign is also supported by a page on YouTube.