Information Scenarios

IS1: A Local NGO Leaves Audio Notes on HIV/AIDS and Malaria

The Rural Aid Action Programme (RAAP) is a local NGO in the Upper West region of Ghana. After presenting an entertaining and informative puppetry show about preventing malaria and HIV/AIDS to a local village, the staff asks for people owning a Talking Book device to gather together so that RAAP can copy the audio notes of the key points presented onto their Talking Books devices for future reference. They also sell subsidized Talking Book devices to those who have not already purchased them at the local market.


IS2: Do-It-Yourself Village Savings and Loan Training

While traveling back home after working in the city during the dry season, Emmanuelle stops in a village and learns of their Village Savings and Loan Association, a program developed by CARE. Interested in bringing this program to his village, Emmanuelle copies the audio instructions for starting this program from the village kiosk onto his Talking Book device.


IS3: Ministry of Food and Agriculture Extends Capacity of Technical Training

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has a small office in one of the poorest rural districts in the country. The staff of eight field officers, equipped with only seven motorbikes, is expected to provide the latest agricultural technical advice to all the district's farmers, 97% of whom are illiterate. To reach more farmers on their limited budget, they record an audio narration to their already-developed flip chart presentation. They now serve three times as many farmers by making two passes through a circuit of villages: first to drop off the a flip chart and a Talking Book device with the narration, and a second pass to pick up the flip chart and answer any questions.


IS4: Gender Rights Group Explains How to File Domestic Violence Complaints

A gender rights group discovers the reason why a large number domestic violence complaints are reported but not pursued: the victims, most of whom have weak reading skills, do not understand how to navigate the required legal processes. The group finds a lawyer willing to record an interview describing what victims need to know. Next, they submit the recorded program to the organization that manages the Talking Book distribution network for their country, which is a local NGO affiliated with Literacy Bridge. Within days, it is listed in village kiosks around the country as a new program available for no charge. Individuals and other groups use the interview to help victims of domestic violence.


IS5: Anti-Corruption Organization Educates Citizen Lobbyists

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), a chapter of Transparency International, has worked for years on getting a piece of anti-corruption legislation to a vote in Parliament. As the vote approaches, GII records a reading of their latest newsletter that explains what the proposed legislation would do and encourages all citizens to contact their MPs and ask for their support.


IS6: Newspaper Companies Expand their Audience and Introduce Audio Advertising

One of the major national newspapers figures out that they can sell more advertisements by recording an audio version of their daily newspaper for distribution to the millions of adults who are interested in the national news but cannot read the newspaper. They sell audio advertisements to companies that produce products found in most rural markets, such as soap, phone cards, and batteries. Even with the fee paid to the NGO that manages the Talking Book content distribution, the newspaper company still profits from their additional ad revenue. They also attract people learning to read to soon buy their newspapers, instead of their competitors' papers.


IS7: Community Members Preserve their Village's Oral Stories

As is the case with most rural villages in Africa, the village of Chapuri has a strong oral tradition. Dozens of stories about the people and their beliefs have been passed down from generation to generation. Some of the younger community members became concerned that these wonderful stories are not being preserved by the younger generation. They use the Talking Book recording devices to capture traditional stories and history. Next they transcribe the stories, add artwork, and make multiple copies to distribute to young children as books to be used to learn their history and to practice reading.


IS8: Presidential Candidates Expound on their Platforms

Each of the candidates for president wants to get their message out to the voters. Most of them are given an opportunity to be interviewed on the radio, but they all want the opportunity to tell the voters, including those who cannot read, what they stand for on all the key issues. For a small fee used to support the NGO-managed Talking Book distribution network, each politician is able to get their messages available for download at hundreds of kiosks throughout the country. Within days, more people are getting copies from grass roots supporters than from the kiosks.


IS9: Distance Learning for Small Businesses

A local company creates a series of basic business education modules for use by the hundreds of thousands of small businesses throughout the country. Topics include how to calculate capital costs and track profits, microcredit opportunities, and best practices of other businesses. Small business owners learn about this series through an audio advertisement. Unlike most content, this content requires a small fee, which is shared between the educational provider and the NGO operating the Talking Book content distribution network.