Crossed Regards: Fostering Community Engagement
Samrith Tona in Cambodia, Sounita Phimmasone in Laos, and Celeste Anna Formoso in the Philippines are now delving deeply into environmental and public health issues through their media platforms. All three are committed to promoting the "One Health" approach to empower and protect their communities.
I remember a leader from a tribal community who mentioned that tawa tawa (euphorbia hirta, a medicinal plant) can treat dengue. She urged our government to integrate modern and traditional medicine, recalls Celeste Anna Formoso, editor-in-chief of Palawan News, reflecting on a field report from Bukidnon in the Philippines.
Training outside the capitals offers a rare chance to engage in direct dialogue with marginalized local communities, understand their challenges, and share knowledge, adds Sounita Phimmasone, head of the media department at the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.
In November 2024, journalists supported by the CFI project Media for Health were engaged in training focused on investigative journalism and interviews related to health and environmental issues. These sessions took place far from the capital cities, in locations such as Bukidnon in the Philippines, Battambang in Cambodia, and Savannakhet in Laos, allowing them to connect with local communities.
"Training in rural areas sheds light on the real issues impacting the environment, communities, and wildlife. For instance, it teaches us how to distinguish between clean and contaminated water, explains Samrith Tona, executive director of the Cambodian radio station Women's Community Voices (WCV). (WCV).
Encouraging Youth Engagement
After participating in one or more sessions focused on the "One Health" approach, journalists share how their motivations and professional practices have evolved.
Initially, my main goal was to enhance my skills to provide information that helps the public better protect themselves from diseases. However, after being introduced to mobile journalism in Thailand in early 2025, I now also aim to promote a more modern style of journalism, particularly through short videos for social media, Sounita expresses with enthusiasm. This shift towards new publishing formats aims to better connect with their audiences and raise awareness more effectively.
We aim to lessen the impacts of human and animal diseases by raising awareness about how these diseases are transmitted. In our media outlet, we now have specialized journalists who are creating more in-depth programs. Our communities are becoming more knowledgeable about how to protect themselves, Samrith expressed with enthusiasm.
With my team, we now understand the connections between the environment, human health, and animal health, but we need to create videos that engage young people, especially mothers, who care for their children and are keen on protecting their families, Celeste summarized with determination.
With this goal in mind, the three of them embarked on new training in mobile video journalism, which will take place in Bangkok during the weeks of January 13 and 20, 2025, alongside 35 other journalists from the Philippines, Laos, and Cambodia.
Investigations and Explanations in Local Languages
Back in Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines, Tona, Sounita, and Celeste are proposing to CFI to continue training journalists in their countries, particularly those in rural areas, on these sensitive topics.They aim to conduct investigative inquiries while building a network of expert contacts to minimize the risk of legal repercussions.
They also seek training in creating multimedia educational campaigns on social media, including videos and infographics, and wish to learn how to simplify educational explanations about certain diseases in various local languages.
Aware of their significant social responsibility, all three are committed to promoting the "One Health" approach by continuing to collaborate and share contacts of qualified experts and information among specialized journalists, even after the project concludes. Their shared goals include expanding advocacy efforts, enhancing the quality of their productions, and broadening their audiences' awareness to achieve meaningful change.
Insights gathered by Emmanuel de Solère Stintzy (Journalistes Médiateurs)
* The "One Health" approach encourages a new perspective on health by acknowledging the interconnectedness of human well-being with that of animals and ecosystems. It leverages the close and interdependent relationships among these areas to develop innovative disease surveillance and control methods (source: World Health Organization).