New strategy to combat malaria in PNG

Updated August 30, 2010 17:30:08

The mosquito-borne disease malaria is often associated with countries with high poverty rates - especially those in the tropics. And it's no different in Papua New Guinea, where more than a million people are infected every year - that's one in every six people. Population Services International or PSI PNG says up to 600 people die from malaria annually.

The ongoing problem has prompted a fresh approach from PSI - which in 2009 received a two-year funding from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It's now seeking bids from creative agencies to design a mass media campaign targeting rural communities - particularly people caring for children under five years old.

Presenter: Girish Sawlani
Speaker: Lydia Kaia from Population Services International PNG

KAIA: We have this money and we have this new energy. So we are trying to open it up to creative ideas from creative agencies to help us try and come up with a campaign that we can try and reach out to care-givers, our target audiences. This is such a new project. We would like to learn from others as well. There's a lot of money involved, there's new energy and in terms of capacity wise, we're only limited to a small number of teams. So you know, it's easier if we open it up to a creative agency who could handle that and we just manage the creative agency so it makes our job easier.

SAWLANI: So does it mean that current campaigns and initiatives aimed reducing infection rates haven't gone far enough?

KAIA: I wouldn't say that. I'd say because we got more money allocated this year. So we're actually trying to see the tools that will be used and everything else will be provided by PSI. How this will happen is mainly due to our research results. But we are asking creative agencies to come and help us to try and come up with a campaign that we can reach out to. Because this is such a new project and we are still in phase one at the moment. We've only started, the job's only begun, so I cannot say much to say if we're not doing enough. We just want new ideas to help us to try and communicate better to rural Papua new Guineans.

SAWLANI: Moving on to the prospective mass media campaign itself, it's targeted primarily at rural caregivers of children under the age of five. But that's one of the problems is getting people to use treated mosquito nets in outlying areas and encouraging parents and carers to bring their children to the doctors if they have a fever. So how can a TV commercial or a newspaper advertisement get the message across to rural communities?

KAIA: Look, research has found that people are actually listening to friends and family who live in urban cities and towns, and when they go back, they like to hear from them. So that's one of the venues that people in the village are actually getting messages about malaria from. You're right not a of people have access to TV and electricity so one of reasons we're really big on radio. Because radio we found has a big reach, a lot of people are listening to it. So TV commercials are just a compliment and the way the messages is, is that it appeals more to an urban relative or a friend to take back that message to a rural villager.

SAWLANI: Going to the bidding process itself, What are some the things you're organisation is looking for in terms of an effective and successful campaign?

KAIA: These agencies, what they will be doing is that they will be evaluated on the following criteria - such as customer service, the ability to organise with deadlines, respond to queries from PSI. And also if the agency's capacity as well, if they cannot do it in-house, it's up to them to try and find someone who has the skill set to do it. If it means to outsource, they can outsource. We are also looking at their creative expertise, their ability to develop concepts on strategies and key messages that we have provided but keeping in mind that it is relevant to out target audiences and another thing is that they must know knowledge of PNG culture and social norms as well.

SAWLANI: What sort of response has there been from potential agencies?

KAIA: We've had quite a lot, we had interest coming throughout PNG, we've had interest from Australia and the Pacific as well. So there's quite a substantial amount of money involved, between $US2 to 2.5 million. This will be a really big project for us. So we're actually quite happy and look forward to who makes the final shot list and the response has been quite overwhelming, yes.