People who are passionate about global health are bound together by heartbreak, faith, and moments of euphoria; heartbreak over needless suffering and loss of life, faith that something can be done, and moments of pure joy when a program or intervention has secured a promising future for someone whose life would have otherwise been miserable or lost altogether. Making big differences in health status and well-being requires big policy decisions that have widespread public support. One of the challenges we apasionados face is telling a compelling story that moves policy makers to make those big policy decisions and generates public enthusiasm to make policies successful. Not only do we need a compelling story, we also need to tell that story over and over and over until it becomes part of the social narrative. How many advertisements did Nike run in magazines, newspapers, billboards, and on television before Just Do It became part of the shared language in America?
Three items that came to my attention in recent days demonstrate how difficult it is to tell a compelling story and have it internalized by the public and policymakers. Martin Manurung in his blog wonders why no one is talking about bird flu after the 120th case was just reported in Indonesia. It is perhaps understandable that the story has disappeared from American media where the threat is not felt to be imminent, but in countries such as Indonesia that would be the first (and possibly the most severely affected) if the virus becomes easily transmitted from person-to-person, lack of press attention is harder to explain.
Triage: Dr. Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma is a documentary by Dr. James Orbinski, a Canadian physician, former head of Doctors Without Borders, and Nobel Prize winner. The film centers around Dr. Orbinski's work in Somalia and Rwanda. The film also speaks to his anger at the world's apparent indifference to these tragedies. Is his perception accurate? Were people really unconcerned? Or were they uninformed because of scanty mass media coverage and thin cyberspace discussion? Or were they concerned, but not concerned enough to take action? Or did they not know how to help in the context of governmental failure to provide leadership?
Then there was this morning's NPR report, War, Disease Create Quiet Crisis in Congo. Since "peace" was declared in 2002, two million people have died, primarily as a result of preventable disease. Why have we not heard about this crisis? Dr. Richard Brennan of the International Rescue Committee suggests that death in Congo does not constitute a compelling story because Congolese death is not sudden and dramatic. Rather death is constant, unrelenting, and due to common causes. He also says that the West sees little economic, political or security interest in Congo and that there is no highly visible person who has stepped forward to be a champion for the Congolese.
So what is the passionate global health advocate to do to generate the kind of attention that moves policymakers and the public to action? Here are some ideas.
Hang in there, keep the faith that you can make a difference, and connect with policymakers and the public by creating your own stories that have legs.
Three items that came to my attention in recent days demonstrate how difficult it is to tell a compelling story and have it internalized by the public and policymakers. Martin Manurung in his blog wonders why no one is talking about bird flu after the 120th case was just reported in Indonesia. It is perhaps understandable that the story has disappeared from American media where the threat is not felt to be imminent, but in countries such as Indonesia that would be the first (and possibly the most severely affected) if the virus becomes easily transmitted from person-to-person, lack of press attention is harder to explain.
Triage: Dr. Orbinski's Humanitarian Dilemma is a documentary by Dr. James Orbinski, a Canadian physician, former head of Doctors Without Borders, and Nobel Prize winner. The film centers around Dr. Orbinski's work in Somalia and Rwanda. The film also speaks to his anger at the world's apparent indifference to these tragedies. Is his perception accurate? Were people really unconcerned? Or were they uninformed because of scanty mass media coverage and thin cyberspace discussion? Or were they concerned, but not concerned enough to take action? Or did they not know how to help in the context of governmental failure to provide leadership?
Then there was this morning's NPR report, War, Disease Create Quiet Crisis in Congo. Since "peace" was declared in 2002, two million people have died, primarily as a result of preventable disease. Why have we not heard about this crisis? Dr. Richard Brennan of the International Rescue Committee suggests that death in Congo does not constitute a compelling story because Congolese death is not sudden and dramatic. Rather death is constant, unrelenting, and due to common causes. He also says that the West sees little economic, political or security interest in Congo and that there is no highly visible person who has stepped forward to be a champion for the Congolese.
So what is the passionate global health advocate to do to generate the kind of attention that moves policymakers and the public to action? Here are some ideas.
- Find a compelling story. Statistics are not compelling. If they are too large, people can't conceptualize them and/or they begin to feel powerless as individuals to do anything about very large problems. If the numbers are too small, people don't feel the gravity of the problem. However, telling a human story of loss and suffering is very compelling. For example, the Global Campaign for Microbicides' exhibit In Her Mother's Shoes tells the personal story of how a young mother's death affects the lives of her child and immediate members of the family. This is a compelling story that resonates with a public that can understand the tragedy of premature death. The Global Campaign for Microbicides is telling and retelling this story to various audiences.
- Tell your story in the blogosphere. Maybe only one or just a few sets of eyes will see your blog, but you can increase your impact by making comments on other blogs and telling your story there. People in the mass media read blogs to find out what kinds of stories and topics people want to read about. The more they read about your issue in the blogosphere the better.
- Take a lesson from AIDS activists and form groups. In the age of technology groups can be formed in real life, in virtual reality, and of course in person. Individual voices can be lost in a sea of media messages. Group voices are amplified voices. Groups speak with more authority than individuals.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. You can have the most compelling story in the world, but if you tell it once, it is heard once. Continually search for new venues and avenues to tell the same story. Don't worry about being repetitious. The story may begin to sound stale to you, but to someone who hasn't heard it, it is as fresh as the today's dew.
Hang in there, keep the faith that you can make a difference, and connect with policymakers and the public by creating your own stories that have legs.
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