Making Localized Health Resources

Ideas for multilingual/multicultural minority-language workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

I'm not a doctor. I don't play one on T.V. But I've been sick in Africa, a lot. And the two teams I worked with in Malawi and Mozambique as a cross cultural field worker held community health teaching in high regard.

Both teams partnered where we could and in 2015 I embarked on an ongoing passion project to help tell some often bizarre stories of those around me who were dealing with various types of health crises. What did they think they were sick with? Why? What were the underlying thoughts and beliefs that they held fast to in relation to their illnesses and treatment options available?

These days, while I am no longer living in Mozambique, I hear stories of the fear that pervades the lives of my friends there. Concoctions involving hair mixed with water or ground leaves of the avocado tree are being touted as COVID-19 treatments in rural Niassa province. We all have no doubt run across the most inane "treatments" some of our local friends believe, no matter which faith one follows or educational level one attains. The west is certainly not immune to their own snake oils.

I firmly believe that many of us are uniquely suited to produce localized media content that can be shared virally in our adopted areas to help counter the hysteria, hype and fake news making the rounds on social media. Below I outline a few good examples I've seen over the past few weeks:

Partner with a Local Health Expert

In Portland where I now live, a small refugee-focused non-profit with mainly Swahili speaking clients has started sharing health videos produced by a Swahili-speaking doctor.

This could be as simple as filming a medical professional with your phone so that short clips can be shared on WhatsApp.

Translate Local Materials

The government of Mozambique has been doing what it can to educate her people. No doubt your adopted/home nation is too. Do you know how and where to find your local official health media outlet? Some Aussie expats in my former region partnered with their local government to produce simple flyers they helped translate, print and distribute.

Lend your creative skills to the U.N.

"The United Nations (UN) needs your help in translating critical public health messages, into work that will engage and inform people across different cultures, languages, communities and platforms. The shortlisted work will reach everyone, everywhere." Learn more here.

Use Bloom to make a simple health booklet

SIL's Bloom software is easy to use and has tons of templates ready to go. Explore the COVID19 topic and see if anything looks like something you might want to adapt to your own local language needs.

What examples do you have to share? Please comment below...