大象传媒

PRESS RELEASE 鈥� for immediate release

大象传媒 Media Action and the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation are pleased to launch a three-year project to support people on the frontlines of climate change in Nepal, Bangladesh and Kenya to adapt and prepare.

Bridges, funded by Norad and delivered by 大象传媒 Media Action in cooperation with local partners, will strengthen the capacity of climate scientists, journalists and media workers, and local leaders to ensure they are better able to communicate weather and climate information, so that audiences are better supported to take action.

Communities in Nepal, Bangladesh and Kenya are all on the frontlines of a rapidly changing climate -whether it鈥檚 increasingly severe monsoons triggering deadly landslides in Nepal, devastating and unpredictable cyclones in Bangladesh, or flash flooding interspersed with changing seasons and drought in Kenya. Traditional ways of life are at risk, and people are struggling to adapt.

Bridges will help ensure critical weather and climate information is shared in ways that can be easily understood, and that weather forecasts are jargon-free and include details about how people can prepare their homes and families amid life-threatening weather events.

For instance, audiences might not know what a weather forecaster means if they say a cyclone with a 120 km per hour windspeed is coming in three days, travelling west. But they do understand instructions like the need to protect homes, to evacuate and seek shelter.

Khandokar Hasanul Banna, 大象传媒 Media Action鈥檚 Bridges project director, said:

鈥淲e are delighted to have the support of Norad to carry out this important work with communities on the frontlines of climate change in Bangladesh, Nepal and Kenya. This three-year project builds on our long experience of working with local broadcasters and content creators in all three countries and elsewhere around the world, to ensure people have the critical information they need to keep themselves and their families safe, and to adapt their livelihoods to ensure a more secure and prosperous future.鈥�

Norway鈥檚 Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, said:

"Extreme weather is becoming more common and more intense due to climate change. This makes it even more important for people to have access to reliable information about weather and climate so that they can act quickly in crisis situations and make long-term plans. This agreement with 大象传媒 Media Action is an important part of Norway's efforts to help people adapt to a changing climate.

鈥淐limate change affects us all, but it is the most vulnerable communities that suffer the most. Norway wants to give people access to information they can trust and use to adapt to an increasingly unpredictable world. Together with 大象传媒 Media Action, we will work to ensure that weather, climate and information systems can support these communities as best as possible.鈥�

Bridges will:

• Works to strengthen the capacity of climate scientists, media workers and local leaders to ensure they are able to communicate more clearly in ways that audiences understand about weather and climate information, and ways to prepare for extreme weather events
• Creates feedback mechanisms for media partners and government departments that people know about and actively use 鈥� such as call centres and toll-free numbers to share information, ahead of and during crises
• Works with media houses on producing multi-media content that moves and engages audiences 鈥� prompting critical conversations about adapting to a changing environment and preparing for emergencies
• Creates tools and resources replicable for other countries and contexts, and
• Researches and evaluates our work, to share learning and ensure more sustainable impact

Radio is a key focus in Kenya and Nepal, while social media outputs are a stronger focus in more highly connected Bangladesh.

For more information or interviews please contact Carolynne Wheeler, head of communications, on carolynne.wheeler@bbc.co.uk or after-hours, the 大象传媒 Press Office on press.office@bbc.co.uk.

About 大象传媒 Media Action:

大象传媒 Media Action is the 大象传媒鈥檚 international charity - we believe in the power of media and communication for good. We work in nearly 30 countries supporting the independent media essential to democracy and development. Our projects and programmes reach more than 100 million people around the world each year with information they can trust, helping to build stronger democracies, a safer, more habitable planet and more inclusive societies.

Since our founding by the 大象传媒 World Service in 1999, we鈥檝e worked in 60 countries and raised more than 拢651 million to support our work in media and communication around the world for those most in need. We are proudly part of the 大象传媒 family - but we rely on our donors and partners to carry out our work. To find out more, please see bbcmediaaction.org.