#ISurvivedEbola Campaign

We are grateful for the generous donations made through Global Giving to help us advance PCI Media Impact’s #ISurvivedEbola Campaign. This transmedia project mobilized survivors of Africa’s deadly Ebola epidemic from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to share stories of recovery to inform the West African general public about the virus and how they could protect themselves and their communities from it, reduce stigmatization, and promote reintegration of Ebola survivors. 

Over the course of the program, we shared the stories of survivors to their neighbors and to people around the world through documentaries in video, audio, and print formats that were disseminated broadly via local, national, and international media, online platforms, and other distribution channels. Educational radio dramas that told fictional yet reality-based stories about how to survive Ebola, and radio call-in shows that featured discussions with Ebola survivors and health experts, were foundational campaign activities.  

In sharing their stories of trauma, recovery and hard-won first-hand knowledge of safety practices and stigma, the Ebola survivors featured in PCI Media Impact’s #ISurvivedEbola campaign have elevated the awareness and sensitivity of Ebola-affected communities, despite a climate of mistrust and confusion. An inspiring outcome of our work with these survivors was the formation ofSurvivors Associations that are now mobilizing to help meet these challenges in their communities.  We provided these inspiring men and women with the training and resources they needed to lead activities with the following objectives:

• Act as spokespersons for public health prevention and be positioned for rapid response should new outbreaks occur
• Promote reintegration support for hundreds of Ebola survivors
• Shifting the public outlook from fear and despair toward resilience and hope

 We are proud of having amplified the courageous voices of Ebola survivors to make a vital response to a deadly epidemic and to deepen their capacity to support the health and resilience of the survivor community in the aftermath of Ebola. Because of the incredible hard work of so many individuals, communities, governments and local and international organizations, the Ebola outbreak has ended. As a result, we have completed our program activities for #ISurvivedEbola and are deactivating this project at this time.

Please considering donating to another PCI Media Project in Africa—Help us Celebrate more 5^th Birthdays in Mozambique—a vibrant, popular program that promotes maternal and child health through drama.

In May I shared the inspiring news of the important work that survivors associations in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are undertaking to pioneer reintegration of Ebola survivors, promote long-term adoption of disease prevention practices and challenge harmful stereotypes.

With the aid of capacity building seed grants from PCI Media Impact, these associations have made significant advances in meeting urgent needs in their communities. The Ebola Survivors Association of Liberia/West Africa Ebola Survivor and affected Organization (ESAL/WAESO) exemplifies their dedication and progress. The first step for ESAL/WAESO was to help its members—men and women who survived illness and loss—use the courage and determination they have demonstrated in facing stigma to gain new skills to help their communities. 60 members were trained in leadership and program development, management and monitoring. Volunteers also received guidance in psychosocial counseling to prepare them to directly support survivors struggling to adjust to rebuild their social and economic existences.

These survivors association members are already putting their new confidence and abilities to work in the Monrovia region. Members have performed outreach to over 2,000 community members to share their stories and lessons learned around Ebola prevention and the pain of survivor stigma. They distributed over 1,000 buckets to households in coordination with demonstrations of the importance of proper handwashing techniques. In the course of their outreach and engagement efforts, however, they observed a high need for continued focus on prevention vigilance now that the urgent threat of Ebola has been minimized, as well as continued demand for medical and financial support and counseling for Ebola survivors throughout Monrovia.

We are deeply impressed with the journey these resilient survivors are on to become champions for their communities. We thank you for all of your support and encouragement along the way.

Links:

• Learn more about PCI Media Impact here

Our pioneering work with Ebola survivors in the #ISurvivedEbola campaign, has achieved a level of success far beyond our expectations. With Ebola survivors taking the lead, we are beginning to move to a strategy of long-term prevention.

Exciting News to Share

Since our last update three months ago, our #ISurvivedEbola Campaign has been honored with 5 more prestigious honors for a total of 15.

These include:

• IndieFEST Film Outstanding Achievement Humanitarian Award
• Silver Medal, New York Festival’s World’s Best TV & Films Awards
• Rockie Award, Banff World Media Festival, for Digital Nonfiction. Decision pending.
• HUMANITAS Impact Video Award
• Official Honoree of the Webby Awards

Helping Survivors Become Community Leaders

PCI Media Impact’s #ISurvivedEbola Campaign has championed the capacity of survivors of the epidemic to help heal the dramatic losses suffered in their communities. In sharing their stories of trauma, recovery and hard-won first-hand knowledge of safety practices and stigma, the Ebola survivors featured in PCI Media Impact’s #ISurvivedEbola campaign have elevated the awareness and sensitivity of Ebola-affected communities, despite a climate of mistrust and confusion.

Yet while the Ebola outbreak is now contained, it could re-emerge if people stop following new health and safety protocols.   And there are many orphans and fractured families grappling with what they have lost and how to rebuild their lives and rejoin community life, socially and economically.   

Survivors Associations in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are now mobilizing to help meet these challenges in their communities.  We are providing these inspiring men and women with the training and resources they need to lead activities with the following objectives:

• Act as spokespersons for public health prevention and be positioned for rapid response should new outbreaks occur
• Promote reintegration support for hundreds of Ebola survivors
• Shifting the public outlook from fear and despair toward resilience and hope

These emerging community leaders are spearheading the following projects in their respective regions: therapeutic counseling, job training for young female orphans, entrepreneurial agriculture projects, and public sporting events that engage local residents in rebuilding community ties.   

These community leaders and role models are pioneering reintegration and reframing attitudes about disease prevention and survival. We look forward to updating you in the coming months on their program achievements and goals for the future and thank you for your support and continued encouragement as we continue these heroic efforts.

Links:

• http://www.mediaimpact.org

Our pioneering work with Ebola survivors in the #ISurvivedEbola campaign, has achieved a level of success far beyond our expectations. With Ebola survivors taking the lead, we are beginning to move to a strategy of long-term prevention.

Exciting News To Share

We are honored that our #ISurvivedEbola Campagin has recently been awarded several prestigious awards. We won the Silver Davey Award for excellence in Web, Design, Video, Advertising, Mobile & Social. We received an Honorable Mention Award from #Cynopsis Model D Awards for multiplatform marketing campaign strategies, up against media giants like MTV, Nickelodeon, Turner Entertainment Networks, Univision Communications and VH1.

And, most recently we learned that our work to stop Ebola has also won six Awards for Excellence from The IndieFEST Film Awards Ceremony:

• Contemporary Issues and Awareness Raising
• Documentary Program or Series
• Public Service Programming or Public Service Annoucement
• Health, Medicine and Science
• Use of Film or Video for Social Change
• Dramatic Impact

As part of our global response to Ebola, PCI Media Impact undertook a multi-country campaign that highlighted and promoted media stories of Ebola survivorship in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea in West Africa. The key goals of this campaign were threefold:

1. Protect People: Inform the West African public about Ebola and how they can protect themselves from it.
2. Shift Perceptions: Reduce stigmatization and promote reintegration of Ebola survivors into their communities.
3. Change Conversations: Move the international narrative around Ebola away from fear and despair toward resilience and hope.

Three core strategies were employed to achieve the campaign’s goals:

1. Produce content: Compelling stories of Ebola survivors were developed and told through short-form videos, as well as audio and print content. Songs and music videos were created to support this storytelling.
2. Broadcast content: Ebola-focused radio dramas were created and broadcast throughout the three countries. The programs included listener call-in sections where people could speak with Ebola survivors and make a personal connection to them.
3. Build community: Social media was utilized to create connections between and build community among Ebola survivors and the general public. Press releases and earned media were intended to help sway the international conversation around Ebola.

We continue to work with four Survivor Associations to build their capacity to strengthen their role as spokespersons for public health prevention and to position them for rapid response should new outbreaks occur.

We thank you for your support and continued encouragement as we continue these heroic efforts.

Links:

• Learn more about PCI Media Impact's work

The #ISurvivedEbola campaign has reached over 10 million people in West Africa with lifesaving information and messages that encourage the reintegration of individuals that have survived Ebola.

30 first person video testimonials from Ebola survivors, radio dramas in 12 languages and 16 billboards have made their way into the homes, markets, taxis, hearts and minds of everyday people in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. And the #ISurvivedEbola campaign is having a tremendous effect.

• People exposed to the campaign are more likely to take measures that protect themselves from Ebola
• People exposed to the campaign are more likely to take measures that protect themselves from Ebola and that they are more likely to help integrate survivors into their community.
• People exposed to the campaign were 2.4 times more likely to have reached out to a survivor through social media compared to people not exposed to the campaign
• Fans of the I Survived Ebola page liked, shared, or commented on its content at a higher rate than for similar organizations’ pages that share information about Ebola.

 Stories of survival are an important part of ending the epidemic and will be a critical vehicle for making sense of life as the region moved to post-Ebola recovery.

 Thank you for supporting this campaign and showing solidarity with the people of West Africa. As you can see, your support is making a difference.