Communications Solutions

OSC' s successful track record is attributable to the emphasis the company places on using research to drive project design, deploying high quality personnel, quick adaptation to constantly changing field environments, strong partnerships with local entities, and consistent tracking of project impact.

 

Government Communications Capacity Building 

OSC provides training for government ministries, agencies and individual officials in developing and overseeing coordinated communications programs. OSC conducts detailed evaluations to ascertain the specific needs and interests of the participants, and creates a tailored curriculum that mixes workshops, seminars and on-the-job-experience to build local communications and outreach management capacity. OSC's training programs enable government ministries to implement and oversee their own highly effective public education and information campaigns. These campaigns include activities such as: branding, interdepartmental strategy, spokesperson training and crisis communication.

 

Empowering Local NGOs & CSOs

OSC empowers local NGOs and CSOs to communicate effectively and mobilize stakeholders in support of reform and development initiatives. OSC also prepares these organizations to manage their own public outreach and advocacy efforts independent of donor support.  In doing so, OSC creates new, non-governmental sources of information in countries with imperfect information markets and builds a diverse network of locally based and staffed organizations through which future outreach efforts can be carried out.

 

Behavior Change Communication

OSC utilizes Behavior Change Communication (BCC) to increase the impact and sustainability of its community-based health education and improvement initiatives. BCC is an approach to message and communications strategy development that relies on empirically supported theories of behavior formation to produce healthy outcomes. Peer education is at the center of many BCC programs. It is developed through focused research, and relies on community input to develop and tailor messages that lead to risk-reducing behaviors.  These are delivered through a variety of complementary communications channels, including one-on-one and group counseling sessions, community meetings, radio and television programming, and dramatic performances.

 

Strengthening Local Media

OSC builds the capacity of local media to report on government reform and development topics by combining editorial and news-gathering training, technical production skills development and topic-specific seminars that increase journalist knowledge of issues such as anti-corruption, economic governance, and healthcare provision. OSC ensures media access to government and non-governmental sources of information by facilitating briefings, roundtable discussions, and informal networking events that connect journalists to the full range of relevant stakeholders.

Community Participation and Communications

OSC facilitates community-level meetings where citizens gather to interact with government representatives, reform experts, and community leaders. As part of its NGO and CSO strengthening work, OSC improves the grassroots organizing capability of these organizations, enhancing their ability to involve individuals and communities in the advocacy process.