This announcement is made by the founding members of Social and Behaviour Change Communication Strategies for Africa (SBCCA):
1. Segun Sangowawa
2. Ronnie Scott
3. Joseph Waninda
4. Mary-Sanyu Osire
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We are very pleased to announce that MAULID HAMIS MSHAHAME joins Social and Behaviour Change Communication Strategies for Africa (SBCCA) as the Head of Strategic Growth. He was inducted on 1 November 2015.
Maulid is the project coordinator at Kishoka Youth Organization, and also a professional thespian. He is intrigued by the intersection between social and behaviour change communication and participatory interactive media. Maulid makes his home in Mombasa, Kenya and can be reached at [ mmushahame@gmail.com ] .
To help you recognize Maulid, we have placed his photo below:
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1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
Be a team player. Ready to accept new challenges and, of course, creative and funny.
2) What do you do?
I'm a senior communication officer devoted to design communication strategies for social protection programmes in developing countries (mainly Americas, Africa and Middle East).
3) Why do you do what you do?
Because I believe Communication is Aid. I think in communication as a weapon of change to achieve equality and end poverty.
4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
I began my career as a creative in advertising and mass media companies. After some years doing "black hat" communication" I decided to join the "good boys" side and work in non-profit organizations. I'm happy knowing that my work really helps people improve their lives.
5) What values are you committed to?
Equality. I think this is the most important for me. Education is also one of my priorities. I like developing communication strategies based on education goals.
6) How many hours do you work in a typical week?
About 40 hours. I spend 20% of my time on monitoring and assessment of running projects. Another 20% goes in following the implementation of projects and 60% is devoted on designing new ones. When i'm in the field, a typical work day has 12 or more hours.
7) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
I think my job is pretty multitask. You should be a good listener and be prepared to learn from everyone involved in the project, the beneficiaries, the client and of course, your local counterpart. You should be able to invest in researching and defining good strategy basis and to brief them for every stakeholder involved in the program. Being creative, choosing messages, channels and being rigorous on monitoring the results is a must. You should not afraid to change the way you formerly defined your strategy if it's necessary.
8) Are there any negatives to your job?
You have to deal with politicians. That can be tough sometimes.
9) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
Marketeers, journalists, advertising creatives, communication specialists. I think a good SBCC specialist is a mix of all of these profiles.
10) What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
When starting you have to deal with new communication channels. It's frightening but very exciting. Your first Crisis Communication Plan can be so challenging. The first time you develop an SBCC strategy for a large programme keeps you awake at nights fighting with a lot of doubts. I believe in "controlled risks" in the way that if the roots of your strategy are well planned you can deal with little mistakes. When you're a newbie you have no experience so you have to commit the same mistakes that the seniors had made.
11) What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
Two ears. One mouth. Be sure you have all available information from all possible sources before you design and communicate the message.
12) If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Who knows? You have to do what you love. I don't regret anything.
13) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?Possibilities, Variations, Casuistics. What if they don't understand the message? What if this is not the right channel? What if they need a influencer person who can communicate the message in a better way? To Arrive the most in need has to be our main concern.
14) What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
C4D Network and local Communication Associations from my birth country, Spain.
15) What mistakes have you made?
I make mistakes everyday. I try to avoid the big ones, but I always keep in mind that mistakes are opportunities to learn.
16) What one thing do you still struggle with?
Dealing with governments and politicians is sometimes hard. They approach the problems in a very different way as us do.
17) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
I like open-mind people who can drop off an established script if the situation changes. I definitely like to work with funny and creative people no matter their work field.
18) What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to horn?
i. Learn as much as you can of your targeted public: Eat with them, talk with them, sleep in their homes if you can.
ii. Listen to everybody and interpret correctly not what they're saying, but what they're thinking.
iii. Be creative choosing communication channels: Write songs, design puppet shows, create clown spectacles if necessary to let your message arrive to targeted public.
iv. Invest time in researching: Not only demographics, but cultural and popular data.
v. Be aware of the best moments to disseminate your message: Create an event calendar depending on the best moments to communicate.
vi. Be sure staff knows the message and they are correctly using it. Talk to them to know their feedback.
vii. Assessment is crucial. That's the way we learn new lessons from ended projects.
19) What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?
Love what you do. If you don't believe in it, nobody's gonna do it. Have fun. The rest is a matter of time and experience.
20) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
After a huge cyclone which devastated the city I was working in, seeing the children enrolling in school again because of our job. These smiles will be always in my heart.
21) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
Communication channels are always changing and so does the way we use them. Investing time in learning is mandatory for us. Big Data is changing communications as we knew it and I think we have to stay tuned to this new field of opportunities.
22) Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
I like the classics, If I have to choose only one, I will recommend Papakek's "Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change" http://www.amazon.com/Design-Real-World-Ecology-Social/dp/0897331532
23) As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
I'm really interested in Human Centered Design for Development. They way we can use new technologies in developing countries to improve people's life is a very interesting subject.
24) Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
I like the guys on "Marketing Del Bueno", a spanish Marketing for Change Studio (https://twitter.com/MarketingBueno)
25) What's the most valuable question we should ask the next SBCC maven who is interviewed on this blog?
Do you think your job will be necesary within 100 years?
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