Alcohol Communication Strategy Design
Workshop Report
November 9-11, 2010
Intercontinental Hotel, Addis Ababa
Alcohol Communication Strategy Design Workshop Report
List of Participants
This report highlights key ideas that emerged from the Workshop which was made possible by the
participation of the following people:
Nuredin Mohammed
Arsema Solomon
Yonas Mekie
Zelalem Mengistu
Kinfe Girma
Tariku Kotie
Senait Genta
Almaz Mesfin
Mulugeta Wondimu
Habtegebreal Wolde
Hailu Marew
Enawgaw Sisay
Liq Alaf Yazalem
Shewaye Bezabih
Tekleab Tesfaye
Dr.Aklilu Kidanu
Solomon Guangul
Sisay Fantahun
Etu Geremew
Dr. Girmachew Mamo
Fikirte Hailu
Fasil Abebe
Muluget Shetaye
Kibrom Abay
Abiy Tegan
Girmachew Sileshi
Betelehem Molla
Getnet Kebede
Dereje Tesfaye
Dereje Seyoum
Adinew Hussien
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Engender Health
DACA/ EFMHACA
Police
IOCC
Federal Police (MARCH Project)
BGI Ethiopia (St. George Beer Factory)
Rohobot Youth Rehabilitation Center
St. Paulos Hospital
MWECS
AA University/ MARCH Project
PSI
Religious leader
Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency
HCP
Miz-Hasab Research Center
Sheger FM
HAPCO
Samson Advertizing/ Ethio-channel
FHI
Sister’s Self Help Association
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver
Bar Staff
Bar Staff
Taxi Driver
University Student
PLWH
CDC
EPHA
Engender Health
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..3
2. Workshop Objectives………………………………………………………………….4
3. Perception and Communication Perception………………………………..4
4. Understanding the Link between Alcohol and HIV/AIDS……………..5
5. Audience Analysis……………………………………………………………………….7
6. Audience Segmentation……………………………………………………………..8
7. Audience Profiles ………………………………………………………………………10
8. Setting Communication Objectives ……………………………………………14
9. Barriers to achievements of Objectives …………………………………….18
10. Messaging ………………………………………………………………………………..19
11. Creative Considerations……………………………………………………………..20
12. Revisiting Messages ………………………………………………………………….22
13. Next Steps………………………………………………………………………………….24
Annex
Perception and Communication Process
Global Epidemiology of HIV and Alcohol
Alcohol and Khat consumption and HIV Prevention, care and Treatment (EPHA, 2007)
Results from the Stakeholders Meeting
Audience Analysis and Audience Segmentation
Seven C’s of Effective Communication and Messaging
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1. Introduction
In 2010, CDC funded the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication
Programs/AIDS Resource Center (CCP/ARC) to develop the mass media component of a national
program focusing on addressing the links between HIV and alcohol. This national program consists of
three components – BCC/mass media, policy and advocacy at multiple societal levels, and a community
outreach component in the Amhara and Oromia Regions. To develop the mass media component,
CCP/ARC is developing an alcohol communication strategy that will be utilized to develop
communication materials and will support the CDC’s overall alcohol program.
In response to this, CCP/ARC has organized this workshop from November 9-12, 2010 to bring together
stakeholders to contribute to the development of a communication strategy for the alcohol program
which will address the links between alcohol and HIV, focusing on harm/risk reduction and moderating
excessive alcohol consumption.
The main facilitators were:
Afeefa Abdur-Rahman, MA, is a Program Officer and an Advisor for BCC and Gender at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs in Ethiopia. Since
2000, she has worked in youth, gender and HIV prevention issues at CCP in a variety of technical roles,
providing programmatic, technical and managerial assistance to projects in Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania,
Kenya, and Ethiopia.
Esete Getachew, MA, is a Program Assistant at the National AIDS Resource Center, a project of the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs. She focuses on
HIV orphan care, gender, and youth within HIV prevention.
Rupali Limaye, MA, MPH, is a doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society. She has also been working on alcohol-related issues
for the last two years, working on alcohol-related projects in Malawi and Thailand. She has been
working at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Communication Programs
since May of 2006 and is currently a Senior Program Officer and HIV/AIDS Technical Advisor, providing
technical assistance to projects in Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa.
Afeefa opened the workshop by welcoming the participants to the workshop. Dereje Tesfaye, Program
Coordinator at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Ethiopia, then made an opening
speech where he touched on the need for a program to address the link between alcohol and HIV and
how CDC and the three partners, FHI, CCP and EPHA are working together to implement a national
program consisting of three components: policy and advocacy, mass media, and community outreach.
The workshop participants developed ground rules to regulate participation in the workshop and also
shared their expectations for the workshop. Expectations included: wanting to gain knowledge about
research/data related to alcohol and new strategies to reduce alcohol-related harm. Other participants
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expected to determine the target audiences who are most at-risk; to contribute to the strategy design,
and to identify the classification of khat.
2. Workshop Objectives
The objectives of the workshop were to:
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Bring alcohol stakeholders together to share information about alcohol use in Ethiopia
Develop a communication strategy that will address alcohol consumption and risk of
exposure to HIV
Solicit feedback from stakeholders on alcohol related counseling communication needs
Establish a jumping point from which stakeholders can continue to collaborate on alcohol
HIV-related prevention issues
3. Perception and Communication Process
The facilitators started the first session with a presentation on the process of perception and
communication. The objectives of this session were to:
 Analyze the relationship between perception and the communication process.
 Interpret the communication process from an audience's point of view
 Understand the importance of non-verbal
The presentation explored how people see things from different perspectives, organize information
differently and operate differently based upon context and content. Understanding these concepts can
assist communicators in enhancing communication in relation to their target audiences. Additionally,
understanding that each person has his/her own mental models, values, beliefs, and emotions allows us
to frame messages for and communicate effectively with intended audiences. Throughout the
presentation, participants were invited to participate in different exercises to internalize the concepts
that the facilitators were exploring with the plenary.
Group Work: After the end of the presentation, participants were divided up into groups to analyze how
different audiences may think of different concepts from their point of view. Participants were divided
into six groups – Youth, CSWs, Taxi Drivers, Parents, Women, and Men. Each group was told to come up
with one word that they thought these audiences would think initially think of when asked about the
following terms: Money, Alcohol, Sex and Khat.
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Results/Outcome of Group Work
Parents
Money
Everything
Taxi
drivers
Livelihood
Women
Men
Youth
CSWs
Economic
dependence
For: family; their
own sake;
enjoyment;
drinking
To save and secure
more
Use to
communicate &
enjoyment; To
Socialize
To encourage
having sex
To discuss men’s
behavior;
masculinity
Enjoyment
To bring offspring
Have the
capacity to
do anything
Livelihood
Alcohol
Harmful
Enjoyment
Conflict
Recreation
and
happiness
Entertainment,
stress reliever
Sex
Joyful
Immediate
pleasure
Pregnancy
Fun
Strength
Being a man
and being a
woman
Income
generating
activity
Khat
Depression
and
euphoria
Stimulant
Addiction
(taboo)
Stay awake
To stimulate more
To be modern
Recreation
Enjoyment
As can be seen from the above chart, participants felt that most audiences would think money supports
one’s livelihood and enables independence; alcohol is a source of enjoyment as well as conflict; sex is a
source of enjoyment and pleasure; and khat is a source of enjoyment but at the same time is harmful.
For specific audiences, of note was the difference between men and women in their perception of sex –
as women were perceived to associate sex with pregnancy while men were perceived to associate sex
with enjoyment and gaining offspring. Also of note was the difference between women and men’s view
of money – the former as emphasizing its use for economic independence and the latter’s emphasis on
individual use. Finally, the use of alcohol and khat in work settings by CSWs (alcohol) and taxi drivers
(Khat) in order to ‘get through the day’ or ‘stay awake’ is also worth highlighting.
4. Understanding the link between alcohol and HIV/AIDS
Participants heard two presentations about the evidence of the link between alcohol and HIV risk
exposure: first, there was an overview of the global epidemiology of alcohol and HIV/AIDS which
included the most recent data from rigorous studies conducted globally; then results from EPHA’s 2007
study (Alcohol and Khat Consumption and HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment in Ethiopia) were
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presented. Additionally, as CCP/ARC conducted a number of stakeholder meetings, the main findings
from these meetings were presented. (See Annex for presentation)
Reflection upon Data
Participants reflected upon the data by breaking into groups and discussing the results from the three
presentations.
Questions that followed from the three presentations:
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What is the HIV risk among people who do not drink within alcohol drinking groups?
Which approaches are going to be used to reach people drinking alcohol?
What are the policy issues? Taxation?
Chewing Khat is followed by alcohol consumption, so is it the immediate cause for alcohol
consumption?
Why aren’t community based organizations like Idirs and Iqubs involved?
What is the difference between use and abuse?
Role of “homes”: transfer of habits from parents to children is an important factor
There is an economic benefit/issue attached with selling alcohol - how will the strategy address
this?
What is the impact of smoking shisha with drinking alcohol?
There was then a discussion regarding the questions raised. The following points were brought up in the
full group discussion:
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It is important to address misconceptions about Khat (such as the misconception that khat can
be used to increase blood circulation)
There should be a focus regarding the morbidity of alcohol consumption.
The link of cannabis with alcohol should be examined.
To be able to decrease excessive consumption, the causes for addiction or excessive
consumption should be determined
High school students are a particularly important vulnerable population that should be a target
group
The effect of environmental factors on excessive alcohol consumption like poverty, urbanization
and availability should not be forgotten
Sharing needles among injected drug users also increases risk of exposure to HIV – as the
number of IDUs is increasing, this should be addressed
Violence against women (rape, harassment, sexual abuse and wife beating) is one of the most
important negative effects of alcohol and should be a focus
Truck drivers are an important population that should be a target group
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Participants also provide recommendations for the strategy:

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Share real life experience to motivate people to change their behaviour (how they got into it
and how they quit)
Include role models
Encourage group/peer support
Consider formulating a policy that places a minimum age limit for male clients of CSWs
Involve the Ministry of justice, faith based organizations and other local community
organizations like Idirs
Involving bar owners and staffs is integral
There should be a focus on young people (high school students) at “day parties” who are
exposed to drinking alcohol excessively. Although they may not be able to stay out in bars at
night, they are served with alcohol drinks during the day time.
There should be some kind of advocacy for a policy against bars and day parties opened
around schools.
5. Audience Analysis
The next presentation was on Audience Analysis. The presentation explored how audience
segmentation is an important component of effective communication planning. It also covered the
importance of knowing our audiences and being able to describe a segment by seeing things from their
point of view as well as by understanding the social context they are living in (See Annex for
presentation)
After the end of the presentation, participants brainstormed potential target audiences’ who are at risk
of consuming alcohol excessively and came up with the following populations:
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Commercial Sex Workers
Taxi drivers/ assistants/ inspectors
Bar/ restaurant waitresses/hostesses
Truck Drivers
Plantation Workers
Factory Workers
Farmers near urban centers
Street Kids
Youth
Teenagers
Religious groups ( “Tsewa Mahibers”, religious leaders)
Beauty Contestants
Tour guides
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Newly employed young men
University students
Graduating male university students
Night Students
Bar Owners
Local Bar owners
Uniformed services (lower rank)
People with disability
Alcohol Advertisers
Teachers
These groups were then merged into the following 12 groups:
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Youth
CSWs
University Students
Domestic or Service Oriented Workers (Housemaids, hostesses, waitresses etc)
Transport workers (Taxi and Truck)
Migrant/ Seasonal workers (plantation, factory)
Bar Staffs (Owners, guards, local breweries)
Uniformed Services
People with disabilities
Tour guides
Religious groups
Newly employed young people.
6. Audience Segmentation
Following the above exercise, there was a presentation on Audience Segmentation. In this session the
various ways of how to segment audiences and the need for segmenting audiences were explored. It
was noted that audience segmentation is important because it may not be possible to reach everyone
due to limited resources and that different people have different motivations and information needs to
change their behavior. So for effective communication, it was pointed out that it is very crucial to
identify the specific audience that we want to reach and seek to understand what they know, feel and
do. (See Annex for presentation). After the presentation, participants were then divided into the above
groups.
Group Work: In the group work, groups were tasked to segment audiences and identify the target
group’s motivation to change behavior in relation to alcohol consumption.
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Results from audience analysis Group Work:
Target Group
Segment
Motivation to change behavior
Newly employed
young people
People with
Disabilities
Single newly employed young
men and women aged 24 - 35
People with sight impairment
(Social Context: misconception
that people with disability
don’t drink alcohol or have sex
and may be exposed to abuse.
Having healthy and fun recreational activities (Sports,
reading, volunteer services etc.)
Knowing that people with disabilities (PWDs) can live a
happy and productive life, having support by joining
national associations for PWDs.
Religious groups
Sunday school youths, clients
of clergies/ religious leaders,
members of Tsewa Mahiber
ground force, police (field
workers)
Religious belief, educating them through religious
fathers.
Uniformed Services
Domestic service
workers
Housemaids of Bachelors’
University Students
1st year university students
from well-to-do families
Migrant/seasonal
workers
Male migrant workers (21-30)
Transport Workers
mini-bus taxi driver
CSWs
Bar based CSWs
Young people
Private High school
preparatory male students
aged 15 to 18

Being aware, having training and counseling about the
risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption
and having alternative recreational activities to
overcome the challenges of their work.
Awareness about the health risk of alcohol
consumption and unsafe sex. Fear of risk to pregnancy,
HIV, STI and unintended pregnancy
Having knowledge about negative effects of alcohol and
the HIV risk, positive peer influence, community media
(radio, campus, print media, and edutainment), forced
rules/ regulations; Having counseling /guidance,
alternative ways of having fun.
Having information on Khat and alcohol, urban
campaign on alcohol and Khat, having education at
work place.
Knowing the risk of excessive consumption, desire
of having a better future and knowing ways how
they can save their money and change their lives.
Increased knowledge on harm of Alcohol, having
decision making and negotiating skills, desire to
staying healthy and attractive.
Family guidance, desire to be healthy, knowing the
negative impacts of excessive alcohol
consumption, having supportive friends and
knowing other ways of having “fun”.
Bar Staff (as implementers)
Segment: Barman and Bar Supervisors.
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Creating awareness about the risk
Reducing working hours
Advising Bar ladies in limiting their drinks
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
Forbidding minors to bars
After doing this exercise and understanding the motivations of the target audiences to change their
behavior, the next step was to short-list or prioritize the long list of potential target audiences’ who are
at risk of consuming alcohol excessively (who we want to reach?). To do this, participants were asked to
compile three priority lists: identify the target most at risk for excessive alcohol consumption, identify
the target group most at risk for causing or being affected by alcohol-related harm, and identify the
target group the alcohol communication strategy should focus on.
Results from Group Work:
Prioritized/Short-listed the following key, primary audiences
At Risk
Youth (in and out-of school)
University Students
Transport workers
Migrant Seasonal Workers
CSWs
Uniformed Services
Bar Staff
Harm
Youth (in and out-of school)
University Students
Transport workers
Migrant Seasonal Workers
CSWs
Uniformed Services
Bar Staff
Target
Youth (in and out of school)
University students
Transport workers
Migrant Seasonal workers
CSWs
Uniformed Services
Bar Staffs
7. Audience Profiles
Having done the prioritization, the participants were then divided into nine groups. Each took one target
audience and created a profile that embodied the characteristics of their specific target audience.
Information to include were general characteristics (age, sex, educational background), three priorities
they have in their lives, what behaviors the target should change in relation to alcohol consumption,
benefits of the desired behavior and factors that lead the target to be most at risk.
Group work: In groups, participants were tasked with creating a graphic profile of their target audience,
using as little words as possible.
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Uniformed Services
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Soldier (military);
30 yrs old; male
Promotion;
Family (getting
married and
having children);
Owning house;
friends and their
approval
Behaviors we
want them to
change
Drinking alcohol;
Smoking;
Sex with ladies
(inconsistent
condom use)
Benefits
Barriers to
behavior change
Career
promotion;
saving
money
Friends influence;
a lot of free time;
corruption (allows
them to have
disposable
income); stress of
their work
University Students
General
Characteristics
Young male;
19-22;
University
student
Priorities
Getting good
grades/
Graduating;
experiencing
independence
/freedom; Being
like their friends;
Have a successful
life
Behavior we want
them to change
Smoke; Chewing
khat; Drinking
alcohol excessively;
Visit CSW (not using
condom
consistently)
Benefits
Graduating;
being
successful
Barriers to behavior
change
Friends/ peer
pressure; Easy access
to Khat and bars;
Girlfriend pressuring
boyfriends; Music
houses or video
house around or
close to the school;
Music in bars attract
them to enter
Migrant/Seasonal Workers
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Sugar factory
worker;18 yrs;
took E.S.L.E
exam but didn’t
get the passing
grade to join
university
Making
money;
Opening a
shop/ small
business;
Getting
married
Behavior we
want them to
change
Drinking
alcohol;
Chewing khat;
Smoking
cigarette
Benefits
Barriers to behavior
change
Saving money;
Can open shop
with saved
money;
Getting
married;
Being happy
and healthy
Feelings of
loneliness/frustration
away from home;
peer pressure
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Commercial Sex Workers
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Behavior we
want them to
change
Smoking; Dress
like CSW;
Drinking
alcohol; No
correct and
consistent use
of condoms
Benefits
Barriers to behavior
change
Woman;
21years old;
Dropped out of
school from
grade 10
Having
Money;
Home;
Family
(falling in
love, getting
married and
having
children)
Having a
fruitful
life/
bright
future
Clients; Bar owners;
Drinking to deal with
the problems of the
work
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Behavior we
want them to
change
Benefits
Barriers to behavior
change
Bar girl
(Waitress); Came
from a rural
area;20yrs old;
Dropped out of
elementary
school and came
to Addis.
Helping her
family;
Continuing
her
education
Getting
money
receiving
money in
exchange for
sex
Save her life;
Support her
family
better;
Having hope
and bright
future
Friends (peer pressure);
Chewing Khat; Smoking
tobacco; Clients
pressure them to drink
Bar Staff
Transport Workers
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Behavior we
want them to
change
Benefits
Barriers to
behavior change
handsome guy; 28
years old; Employed
by the taxi owner;
Taxi Driver
Wants to buy
his own taxi;
To get the job
done fast
Having sex with a
lot of different
women; Chewing
Khat; Low
condom use
Saving
money and
buying a
taxi; No
exposure
to HIV
Nature of the work
(tiring); Peer groups
pressure; The route
they drive
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Young People
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Behavior we
want them to
change
Benefits
Barriers to
behavior change
Men and Women;
Grade 9- AAU; 1524 years old
Having fun;
Education;
Money; Being
accepted by
friends; Getting
a good/ paying
job
Chewing Khat;
Drinking alcohol;
Having
concurrent
sexual partners
(maybe without
condom)
Save Money;
Finish school
successfully
Peer pressure;
Having ways to get
easy money
Religious Leaders (as implementers)
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Behavior we want
them to change
Benefits
Priest
To become a
priest of a
congregation;
Make sure
followers are
not drinking;
Being faithful
Drinks; Listen to music;
Unfaithful
More followers;
Pious followers
Bar Owner (as implementer)
General
Characteristics
Priorities
Behavior we want
them to change
Benefits
Barriers
Male; 45 years
old
Financial benefit
from bar;
Having a family;
Owning House;
peaceful social
environment
Create an over 18
age limit; Makes
condoms available;
Limit the time people
can stay at his bar;
Control excessive
drinking
Develop a
good
reputation;
Make
money;
Have more
clients; have
a peace of
mind
may make
condoms
available but
can’t make
people use
condom;
underage
drinking law is
not upheld
Discussion that followed this presentation:
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
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If you limit the time that people can drink they will go to another bar.
The purpose of earlier bar closing times is to limit the amount of time they consume alcohol. If
most bars close earlier than they do now people will be discouraged to go to different places
and drink more.
In the case of the bar owner, the benefits identified are very social rather than personal. People
are very much concerned with their personal benefit, not whether the community likes him or
not. So there needs to be some kind of personal benefit that may motivate him to change,
maybe feeling like a good citizen or something along those lines.
People will patron his bar if the owner has a good social reputation. Everybody likes a
responsible and determined person.
8. Communication Objectives
We separated the participants into groups based on the target priorities exercise. After the participants
were in groups, we asked each group to think about the main communication objective for their
particular target group.
The group decided upon the following main three communication objectives:

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Awareness about link between alcohol and HIV risk exposure
Enhance risk perception between the link
Increase self-efficacy to do something about the link
The participants then put together communication objectives by target. This was accomplished by
having each group think about the main reason that their target group excessively consumed (or
consumed to the point where others felt harm), then the groups brainstormed the qualities of the target
in relation to values, etc., and finally, after formulating the communication objective, groups then
brainstormed approaches to reach the target.
Outcomes/ Results from the group work
Taxi Drivers
Taxi Drivers
Main Reason for
Drivers first chew khat, then drink alcohol for the depressant effect.
harmful consumption
Effects from
Erratic driving; More likely to have casual sex without a condom;
consumption
More likely to engage with a sex worker; Less likely to agree to
condom use; Less likely to push for condom use; More likely to get
into a fight in general and with partner
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Taxi Drivers
Qualities
need to be a ‘real man’, need to be quick on their feet, dealing with
many different types of people, playboy, excitement seeking
Objective
Communicating other alternatives to counteract the effects of khat
Approach
Head of taxi cab association to drivers, non-drinking non-smoking
taxi drivers to drivers that consume
Migrant/Seasonal Workers
Main Reason for
harmful consumption
Migrant/seasonal Workers
workers are far away from home/families (miss families, independence),
lack of recreational activities to do that do not involve cheap alcohol, peer
pressure, time out of work
Effects from
consumption
More likely to have casual sex without a condom; More likely to engage
with a sex worker; Less likely to agree to condom use; Less likely to push for
condom use; More likely to get into a fight in general and with partner
Qualities
resilience, unstable economic situation
Objective
Communicating other alternatives to spend time out of work
Message
Focusing on the family – how your behaviors will affect your family back
home
University Students (similar for in-school youth ages 14-20)
Main Reason for
harmful consumption
University Students
peer pressure, to gain focus to study, desire to appear what they believe to
be ‘modern’, environment that provides easy access to alcohol and khat
Effects from
consumption
More likely to have casual sex without a condom More likely to engage with
a sex worker; Less likely to agree to condom use; Less likely to push for
condom use; More likely to get into a fight in general and with partner; Poor
academic performance; Spending all of their pocket money
Qualities
ready to prove independence, desire to please their friends, desire to fit in
Objective
University students will understand the costs and benefits of excessive
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University Students
consumption of alcohol
Message
As a new drinker, understanding one’s limits (how much they can drink
before they lose control); Increasing self-efficacy in managing peer pressure
to drink; Don’t throw away the little money that you have on something
that is not going to help you achieve your goals
Uniformed Services
Main Reason for
harmful consumption
Uniformed Services
peer pressure, free time, disposable income, continuous easy access to
places where alcohol exists and CSWs operate
Effects from
consumption
More likely to have casual sex without a condom; More likely to engage with
a sex worker; Less likely to agree to condom use; Less likely to push for
condom use; More likely to get into a fight in general and with partner
Qualities
peer pressure to ‘be a man’, peer pressure to compete, using their status to
get women (always be in control)
Objective
uniformed officers will feel able to moderate their intake while still having a
good time
Message
Supposed to be role models and protectors of society, and therefore they
should be a responsible citizen at all times
Commercial Sex workers
Main Reason for
harmful consumption
Commercial sex workers
to be able to get clients, peer pressure from clients to continue to drink,
to get through the night, pressure from bar owner/madam to serve
clients needs
Effects from
consumption
More likely to have casual sex without a condom; Less likely to agree to
condom use; Less likely to push for condom use; More likely to be a victim
of violence
Qualities
pleasure as first priority (before safety), limited power over their body
Objective
sex workers will feel empowered to obtain control over their own
behavior; increased efficacy to engage with bar owners/madams about
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Commercial sex workers
the benefits of moderation in their drinking; Increased efficacy to
negotiate moderation in drinking with clients
Message
I can serve you better/be more attentive to your needs if I’m not drunk
Young People (14-20, out of school)
Main Reason for
harmful
consumption
Effects from
consumption
Young people (14-20, out of school)
peer pressure, need to look like they are ‘cool’, need to be responsive to ‘sugar
daddy’s’ needs
More likely to have casual sex without a condom;
Less likely to agree to condom use; Less likely to push for condom use; More
likely to be a victim or perpetrator of violence
Qualities
inexperience (not knowing limits), novelty of dating and relationships
Objective
University students will understand the costs and benefits of excessive
consumption of alcohol (minus the income aspect)
Message
Focusing on how they are a productive member of society – drinking and
chewing is taking away their ability to feel of worth.
9. Barriers to achievements of Objectives
An important session of the workshop focused on barriers to behavior change in relation to the targets
that were chosen during the target priority exercise. Participants were put into groups, and within these
groups, they were asked to think about why their target would not change their present behavior in
relation to excessive alcohol/khat consumption.
Taxi drivers:
There is a belief in the taxi community that khat is the solution – as it is a substance that is used for
stress relief and recreation. Taxi drivers believe that khat is the only thing they can use to be alert – and
there is strong belief in the community that khat is very useful. The idea that alcohol and khat is being
used in conjunction for a long time – and is quite inexpensive and easily accessible – were the two main
barriers brainstormed by the participants.
Seasonal/migrant workers:
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Participants believed that cultural differences, language, beliefs, and attitudes would prove to be the
major reasons why this group would not change. Most workers come not only from all over Ethiopia, but
from surrounding countries as well, making it difficult to tailor appropriate communication messages
toward this group. Additionally, because of the diversity in the workforce, participants believes that the
communication messaging around consumption and chewing could not be messaged in the same way it
could be messaged toward those in Addis Ababa.
Uniformed services:
The most important aspect of this target, according to the participants, is that this target has a very
stressful occupation. This group is always under pressure, on the go, and never at ease because of the
nature of their work. Because of this constant stress, this target turns to alcohol and khat to help them
relax after a long day or to stay alert while on duty. Therefore, the barriers to change in this audience is
the need for chemicals to force them to relax, as well as the need for khat to keep them focused during
their long work hours that sometimes occur during the night.
University students:
Participants suggested that college students have a strong motivation to spend and enjoy their money
through excessive consumption. Many of the students at universities have never been away from home
before, and as a result, are eager to assert their newfound independence. The concept of privacy is also
new to this group, and as a result, this group has the desire to spend their pocket money in the way they
wish to spend it (as opposed to how their parents would wish them to spend it).
CSWs:
The participants believed that CSW will be the hardest to change in relation to excessive alcohol and
khat consumption. The major barrier to change for this group is the male client. In addition to the client,
participants believed that owners and managers would be difficult to persuade in relation to moderate
consumption, because of the economic ties related to the CSW role in a drinking establishment. There is
a need to address the trade off of losing business because of reduced consumption. There is much
pressure toward CSW to drink as much as the client would like them to because of the financial
compensation for doing so.
Out of school youths:
Peer pressure is an extremely strong factor for this group. As they are no longer in school, this group is
heavily influenced by other out of school youth, and it will be difficult to reach this group in relation to
messaging.
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10. Messaging
The next presentation was on messaging which mainly focused on how to develop messages for specific
target audiences. It was also pointed out that messages need to be sensitive to cultural context, political
priorities and social values. The 7 C’s of effective communication were thoroughly discussed with
examples in order to guide the following exercise (See Annex for the Presentation).
After the presentation, participants were then asked to get back to their previous group and come up
with the most single important/salient message that will appeal to their specific target groups.
Results from the group work: Each group presented their Messages
Migrant workers
“Save your life and money for your family at home.”
This message focuses on the family – how their behaviors will affect their economic situation and their
family they are supporting back home.
Uniformed Services
“Drink moderately and keep your country”.
This message is related to keeping the country – very clear message – if soldier drinks moderately, they
can be aware of the things they are doing, develop self-efficacy and serve their purpose efficiently.
CSWs
“Do you want to do your business, be healthy and keep your beauty? Don’t drink too much!”
University Students
‘Achieve your Dreams! Stop consuming alcohol, khat and drugs!! Now and then”.
Transport Workers (Taxi drivers)
“Buy your own taxi, not Khat!”
Youth
“Say no thanks to alcohol”
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11. Creative Considerations
In this session, participants went back to their specific groups and brainstormed on what needs to be
included and considered when developing messages and materials for their specific target audiences.
This includes phrases (slangs), expressions, the tone and appropriate channel.
Results from the group work:
University Students:
University students would be interested in having cartoons, pictures, and animations. Adverts will also
be interesting to them using western-style rappers or people dressed up like rappers. Don’t need a lot of
words.
Tone: Need to be something funny and entertaining.
Phrases: the following are examples of phrases (languages) used among university Students to describe
alcohol drinking, smoking and having fun. When developing messages, it would be good to speak their
language.
“ሣብ ሣብ እናድርግ” (lets smoke)
“እንገልብጥ (ግልበጣ)” (lets drink)
“ሙድ አለዉ (ሙዳችን ጠፋ)” (it’s cool)
ስትገለብጥ እንዳትገለበጥ (Be careful not to drink excessively cause you may be in danger)
Channel: Posters, flyers, radio programs, dramas, a ringtone and targeted movies – like what happens
when people drink – self portraits. SMS messages sent from an influential person/ role model may serve
as an important channel but it should be occasional. In some universities, they have free internet access
so a website where they could learn about risks of alcohol may be useful. There is also a radio program
called IRAY – starting at 2 in the afternoon just around the time when people start chewing khat. Using
that time may allow reaching a lot of people. In addition to these, campus newspapers, magazines,
sports newspapers and stickers in transportation vehicles are also worth considering.
Uniformed Services
Tone: emotionally moving and creating sense of responsibility to ones country (sense of patriotism).
Direct the message to different levels of uniformed services so that all could relate to the messages.
Phrases: Examples of phrases
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“ፓሊስ የሰላም ዘብ፤ ከመጠጥ ራሱን የሚቆጥብ” (Police are the guard of peace, who drink consciously or do not
drink.
“አሳርፍ ተጠንቀቅ ወታደር ደንቡ ነዉ፤ እኔስ የመረረኘ ባለህበት ሂድ ነዉ፡፡” (uniformed services have their own system
of marching – like when they march they have different orders – when they are marching to the front.
So relating the messages to the way of marching may be interesting to them. When you get punished,
you mark in place, similarly when drinking alcohol, you will not be moving forward (better yourself), you
will be moving but just marching in place.
Channels: Radio, billboards in camps, their own TV program they have at the bases, drama (theatre)
during their formal meeting in the morning, using comedians.
Commercial Sex Workers:
Tone: friendly, funny, emotionally moving and something to they could relate to.
Phrases: Examples of phrases/sayings that CSWs use
“ጫት ካለ ጨብሲ፤ ጫማ ካለ ካልሲ” (Khat without alcohol is like a shoes without a socks)
“ጨብሲ ጨብሶ፤ በመላጣዉ መመረሽ፤ ጀዝባነት ነዉ” (Drinking alcohol excessively and having sex without condom
is not being cool)
“በመጠጥ ደስታ ይገኛል ብላችሁ፤ መጠን አትለፉ ትቃጠላላችሁ” (quoted from a famous song: don’t drink alcohol
more than your limit or you will suffer)
Other things to consider: Say limit or moderation because if you use those words then you are giving
them the lease to engage. It is not possible to say to CSW to drink moderately. They might be alcohol
dependent or addicted. In other words, for some, drinking might be out of their control.
Channels: local beauty magazines – they read these during the daytime, bottle opener, peer to peer
education, poster (which they can paste in their house), brochure and romance magazines.
Out of school
Tone: Funny, Inspirational and strong.
Slangs: messages using slangs among out of school youths.
“ጨብሲ ለምኔ?” why drinking excessively after chewing khat?
“ጡዘት ለምን?” Intoxication to a level of euphoria – why? Why go through this?
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“ጀዝቤስ?” Good for nothing type of people.
Taxi Drivers
Tone: Sense of humor and using the kind of language they are used to and can relate to as well as using
role models from the taxi community.
Phrases: Examples
በርጫህን ካቆምክ፤ ታክሲዉ ያንተ ነዉ (If you stop khat the taxi is for sure it is your own- pick one of the other)
አይሬ ወይስ ሊብሬ (IRAY is the radio program they mostly listen to when chewing Khat- so either you chew
khat listening to IRAY or work hard, save more and buy your own car)
Channel: Sticker on the car, electronic media – radio/music. Poster, the newspaper for the taxi
community (“Sichento”) and ringtone (like the condom one)
Migrant/Seasonal Workers
Tone: touching, emotionally moving and something they can relate to.
Proverbs
“የቆጡን አወርድ ብላ፤ የብብትዋን ጣለች እንዳይሆን ነገሩ፤ ሁሉን ገታ አድርገዉ፤ ገንዘብዎን ይቁዋጥሩ፤ ሂወትዎን ያድኑ፤ ልጅዎን
ሚስቶን እያሰቡ ለቤተሰቦ ይኑሩ” (when you aim higher unrealistically you will lose what you already have. Save
your money. Think of yourself; think of your family, think of your wife).
Channel: Radio, billboards and counseling at workplace.
12. Revisiting Messages and Developing Materials
After reviewing in groups examples of communication materials on alcohol from other regions,
participants went back to their groupc and revisited their messages (the messages they have developed
for their specific target audiences) to make necessary changes and prepare their materials.
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Results from the Group work:
Out-of-school Youths
The group made a poster for out of school youths. The main message is to
say “no thank you to alcohol” First barrier for out of school youths is peer
influence. So in this poster, in a bar, with friends, all of his friends are
pressuring him to continue to drink but we see him walking away saying
“no thanks”.
Taxi Drivers
The group made a poster for taxi drivers. The main message is “Rather
than chewing and be wasted in your life, it is better to be the owner of a
taxi” by using slang of taxi drivers in the text. The main idea here is to
choose between chewing khat and working hard, saving and owning taxi.
University Students
The group made a poster for university students. The picture shows a
university student – holding a book with one hand and trying to say no to
cigarettes, alcohol, and khat. The message is “achieve your dreams! Stop
consuming alcohol, khat and drugs! Now and then!”
Commercial Sex workers
The group here also made a poster for CSWs. The main idea is creating the
link between excessive alcohol consumption and loosing once health and
beauty. The message is “Do you want to keep your business, be healthy
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and keep your beauty? Don’t drink too much!”. On the picture, there are pictures of two CSWs, one is
pretty and says “Because I limit my alcohol intake, I am able to protect my health and my beauty while
the other one looks depressed/sad and saying “I lost my husband and happiness”.
Uniformed services
This group developed a spot on the radio. It’s a song and the overall message is “rather than drinking I
will protect my country”. The lyrics are related to patriotism; fighting for ones country and being able to
protect their country by knowing the limit of their alcohol intake.
The lyrics read as follows:
ዘራፍ ዘራፍ ማለቴ እንደ አባቴ
ጠላት ሲመጣ በአገር ላይ ያልፋል ሂወቴ
ዘራፍ ዘራፍ፤ ትንሽ በመጠጣት
ዘራፍ ዘራፍ፤ልክን በማወቅ
ዘራፍ ዘራፍ፤ ዐላማችን ይሰመር
ዘራፍ ዘራፍ፤ አገር እንጠብቅ
13. Next Steps
The workshop ended with a review of the next steps to be taken to develop the communication
strategy. Next steps include:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Developing a draft of the communication strategy
Circulating the draft to relevant stakeholders
Gaining feedback and editing of the strategy document
Finalizing and circulating the final communication strategy to relevant stakeholders
The workshop ended after the facilitators thanked the participants for their time, input, experiences,
and energy over the three workshop days.
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