Imagine developing communications strategies that promote weighty global health issues like achieving universal access to quality, affordable reproductive health services and reducing infant, child and maternal mortality by 2015.
You've just imagined a day in the life of Patricia Sears, public affairs and communications coordinator for The Center for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), one of four taskforce member organizations working on a 20-year women's health agenda for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). ICPD, first held in September 1994 in Cairo, established five ambitious goals to be achieved by 2015 that were agreed to by 179 countries, including:
- Universal access to reproductive health services, family planning and sexual health;
- Significant reductions in infant, child and maternal mortality;
- Broad-based measures to ensure gender equity and the empowerment of women;
- Universal access to primary education; and
- Closing the "gender gap" in education.
This year has been pivotal for reviewing the progress of these initiatives. Although these initiatives generated a wealth of information about the current state of women's health domestically and internationally, the media has barely scratched the surface on the progress made and the key areas of opportunity, says Sears, who joined CEDPA nearly two years ago. Prior to CEDPA, Sears worked for Population Action International as a communicator for eight years.
Here she discusses the communication strategies and challenges of raising awareness about women's health issues in the U.S. and abroad.
Patricia Sears can be reached at 202/939-2674.
HPRMN: Given all of the significant women's health issues your organization is charged with promoting, how do you prioritize the responsibilities?
PS:
It's tough because they are so varied. For CEDPA, the priority issue is achieving community involvement. Reproductive health rights are really about basic human rights. It's important to put a face on our initiatives. Right now we're more focused on identifying individual stories that represent a continuum of care and have achieved a ripple effect in their communities.
For example, the Los Angeles Times will potentially do a story on CEDPA's work in Nepal tied to "Condom Day." To illustrate the work we are doing there, we found a woman who was illiterate, whom we helped with finding a literary course and learning about condoms. She learned that condoms could protect her against sexually transmitted diseases that her husband may infect her with. She's now an elected local official and well-known advocate on the local level.
HPRMN: CEDPA collaborates with several international organizations. What partnering strategies work best?
PS:
Becoming acutely aware of other organizations' agendas and being able to find a quid pro quo. You have to identify your levels of strength and leverage them. For instance, our partnerships have increased our donor support, boosted international awareness and media interest. But the reality is, your organization may not always be credited and your individual goals may not always be met.
HPRMN: How receptive are the media and other audiences to messages about empowering women?
PS:
Fundamentally we're talking about equity for women. When pitching the media, it's always a crapshoot. But what seems to work best is if you can tell stories of people overcoming odds while working on the big picture. It's important to show how those personal stories affect the community.
It's also important to work with the producer and reporter to get them to understand and own the challenges that remain [with women's health issues]. The journalist has to relate on a personal level.