Global Health Media Project

The Chief of Health and Nutrition with UNICEF in Mozambique has pointed to The Story of Cholera as a prime example of the kind of preventive education that can be incredibly effective in reducing infection and mortality rates from the disease in Mozambique. Many supportive comments have been added by global health professionals. Read the rest of this entry »

“The task of fast and effective education in communities of varied levels of understanding is huge when dealing with a health emergency such as cholera,” said Lucy O’Connell, MSF Health Promoter in Sierra Leone. “It was great to be able to have access to your ‘Cholera Story’ video. I was impressed with the well thought out script and the simple capturing nature of the images; the background music was superb too, children would often start dancing to it at the end of the show! Read the rest of this entry »

Deb Van Dyke, founder and director of the Global Health Media Project, has been awarded a Flash Grant from South African-based Shuttleworth Foundation. The awards are given to someone considered to be an “impressive change agent.” The Shuttleworth Foundation uses an innovative social investment model to support social innovators and dynamic leaders who are helping to change the world.

Deb will use the $5,000 grant to help fund the completion of the second round of newborn care videos being produced by the Global Health Media Project. Read the rest of this entry »

The Story of Cholera won the Audience Favorite Award in the Vermont Filmmakers’ Showcase at the 2012 Vermont International Film Festival. The Festival—held October 19–28 in Burlington—is the world’s oldest environmental and human rights festival, founded in 1985.

The film was also the winner of the Global Health Award in the 12^th Media That Matters Showcase that premiered in New York City on October 25. Sponsored by Arts Engine, Inc and Reel Lives, these “twelve short films on the most important issues of the day” were selected to promote social change and inspire action by reaching “thousands through community screenings around the world.”

The Story of Cholera has won seven awards and has been screened at seven international film festivals.

Peter Cardellichio presented our work at the Global Nursing Caucus Conference in Boston on October 20^th. Peter’s talk—Using New Media for International Training—covered the vision and goals of the Global Health Media Project, showed sample clips demonstrating unique features of our work, and addressed the important and expanding role that video will play in training of nurses and frontline providers in developing countries.

Conference participants were enthusiastic about using these videos in their teaching and training. The Global Nursing Caucus is focused on improving nursing care worldwide by improving collaboration and information dissemination among those in this field.

The rainy season in West Africa is causing cholera to spread at an alarming rate. Education is critical in protecting people. “High quality resources like The Story of Cholera are urgently needed,” said Simon Lawson, a Communications for Development Consultant for UNICEF.*

Simon showed the The Story of Cholera to community members in a small town in Ghana, where conditions are typical of cholera “hot spots”:  Read the rest of this entry »

“For every newborn that crosses my threshold, I feel the inclination to unwrap them, check the umbilical cord, count breaths and check for chest indrawing!” These are the words of Charlotte Blake Alston after she narrated the final editions of our first 10 videos on newborn care. She is a master storyteller, professional narrator, instrumentalist, and singer who has performed at a wide range of venues worldwide including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Read the rest of this entry »