Welcome to infoasaid's message library. This is an online searchable
database of messages that acts as a reference for those wanting to disseminate
critical information to affected populations in an emergency.
It has been
developed in collaboration with a number of different clusters/sectors in
humanitarian response including Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
(WASH), Nutrition, Food Security, Protection (Child Protection, Gender-based
Violence, Mine Risk Education), Education and Camp Coordination Camp Management. The message
library can be used both as a disaster preparedness tool and following the
outbreak of an emergency. If used in the correct way, the library should help
improve communication with crisis-affected populations.
Preparedness
As a preparedness exercise, you can:
- Involve communities to identify threats and draft appropriate
messages using the message library as a reference
- Pre-test the messages with different segments of society (consider
differences in gender, rural/urban, education levels, age) to ensure
comprehension
- Prepare communication materials for use in either disaster risk
reduction or emergency response
- Train colleagues in communication skills and message delivery
Response
Once an emergency
has broken, and before programmes and supplies have been organised, you can
help disseminate important and useful information to the affected populations. The
message library acts as a reference to what can be disseminated such as:
- Information about
the scale, nature and impact of the disaster (humanitarian news)
- Alerts about
secondary disasters such as aftershocks, landslides or flooding
- Messages about
how to stay safe and mitigate risk in the face of anticipated threats
Once there is a
more accurate picture about the actual needs of the community through either
inter-agency rapid needs assessments or individual agency assessments
(including their communications needs) and your aid agency designs a response
programme you can send out the following types of messages:
Messages
about your agency and programme activities, and how, where and when communities
can access your services.
Messages aimed to
raise awareness about specific issues
Contextualisation
Before
disseminating a message, it is essential to understand the context you are
working in. By contextualising each message, it helps to avoid any
potential harm that can be created by sending out the wrong information.
Consider:
- Language: Use
words that the affected population understands, keep the language positive,
avoid scaremongering and remember to use simple, every day words and keep the
message concise.
- Existing
knowledge: Knowing the level of education and knowledge of the people affected
will help you in choosing and adapting the appropriate message. You may need to
combine awareness raising messages alongside self-care or service so that
affected populations are given enough information to make informed choices.
- Cultural beliefs
and practices: Knowing and understanding the cultural beliefs and practices of
the crisis affected community is very important. Some of these beliefs may act
as barriers to what you are trying to achieve.
- Feasibility:
Messages need to be providing information that people find useful and/or can
act upon. There is no point crafting a message that tells people to do
something when the situation on the ground makes it impossible for them to
follow that advice.
Translation and Pilot testing messages
All messages will need to be translated into the language(s) the
affected population understands, preferably their mother tongue. Pilot-testing
with affected communities aims to ensure that messages are understandable,
acceptable, relevant, and persuasive. It will also help prevent the
dissemination of either meaningless or potentially harmful information.
Identifying the most appropriate channels of
communication
Some messages are
appropriate for certain channels of communication, other messages are not. For
example, it would not be advisable to send out SMS messages to a largely
illiterate population. Download guidance on the characteristics of different communication channels and visit our diagnostic tools that you can use to assess the feasibility of different
channels of communication.
More
information
For more information on the message library go to the frequently asked questions section or download the comprehensive guide which accompanies the message library.
Access
To access the library, please tick the "I accept" box, followed by "GO".
