Meet the BBC's international charity
We are BBC Media Action - we believe in media and communication for good
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BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international charity - we believe in media and communication for good. We reach more than 100 million people each year in some of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries. Our projects and programmes save lives, protect livelihoods, counter misinformation, challenge prejudice and build democracy.
Who we areAs the BBC's international charity, we work to a distinct mission underpinned by the editorial values of the BBC. Learn more about who we are, what we stand for, our people and our finances.
Our workWe reach more than 100 million people a year – helping to save lives and improve health, protect livelihoods, challenge inequality and build more peaceful and democratic societies. Learn more about what we do.
Our insight and impactAudiences are at the heart of everything we do; we go to great lengths to understand the people who most need our programmes. Delve into our data, use our research library and explore our impact and insight.
Support us todayAs an independent charity, we are not funded by the BBC Licence Fee. Our vital work relies on our donors - governments, foundations, corporations and individuals. Donate today to support our mission.
Latest news
Our global response to COVID-19For more than 20 years, BBC Media Action has provided vital health information to vulnerable people around the world, and helped them cope in moments of crisis. We are responding now to the COVID-19 pandemic with creative communication.
Media for equality: Supporting the frontlines50:50 The Equality Project, started with one goal – increasing women’s representation in media content. Nina Goswami leads the project and recently moderated a BBC Media Action session at the Generation Equality Forum Paris, which examined issues of gender equality in media. She shares her thoughts on the session and how 50:50 can support the frontlines.
When life imitates art: a love story on and off radioOur radio dramas in Somalia are deeply rooted in local life and culture, with convincing storylines that resonate. Two actors Najah and Moukhtaar, who played a married couple in the drama Talo iyo Tacab (Trial and Triumph), part of our Somali Women’s Economic Empowerment and Transformation project – and are now happily wed themselves after meeting in our studio.
Media for equality in Afghanistan: from the frontlinesPersonal security is a big risk for Afghan women working in media. Mehr Mursal Amiri is a senior presenter for Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA). As the Generation Equality Forum Paris examines issues of gender equality, including in media, she shares her experience and her reflections.
The case for communication: COVID-19 in Cox’s BazarBBC Media Action has been working tirelessly through its Common Service project to support Rohingya and nearby Bangladeshi communities in Cox’s Bazar through the pandemic. Our Bangladesh Head of Research Arif Al Mamun reflects on what we have learned.
Effective communication for Rohingya refugeesOur 'Common Service' consortium, with Translators without Borders and Ground Truth Solutions, provides a range of tools and services for Rohingya people, local community leaders and humanitarian responders. Learn more about our work, our insight and our impact on this page.
Media 'extinction' and the gaping hole in anti-corruption effortsGovernment spending on the pandemic has unleashed new concerns about corruption - yet anticorruption strategies fail to include support for public interest media, essential in combatting corruption. Our Head of Policy James Deane reflects.
The ‘Invaluables’ Waste collectors work towards saving the environment by collecting, sorting, segregating, and recycling different kinds of waste. Yet, in India they remain invisible. By sparking a conversation through a unique social experiment, our latest project seeks to build recognition of the value they bring to people’s lives and our environment.
Increasing women’s digital literacy in India: what worksOur first report from the Digital Women’s Empowerment project looks at efforts to improve women’s digital literacy in India and identifies approaches that show promise of sustainability at scale.
Period talk in South Sudan: community volunteers inspire change for women and girlsRadio programme ‘Let’s Talk About Us’ aims to dispel common misconceptions about sexual and reproductive health, to tell people’s stories – both positive and negative - and feature health experts. Community Mobilisation Officer Jane Kenyi, shares her own story and experiences with listener groups in rural communities.
'Thoughts of my Burmese friends haunt me still' - reflecting on MyanmarBBC Media Action Myanmar Series Producer Dipak Bhattarai was working in Yangon when the military coup took place in the early morning of 1 February. He reflects on the experience of living under a military-controlled Myanmar, and what it means for the journalists and friends who remain there.
WEBINAR SERIES: Gender and digital healthWe have launched a new monthly webinar series that explores digital access, its implications and impact for issues of gender, health and economic empowerment. Sign up here.
Supporting public interest media in EthiopiaTwo years on from hosting the Unesco World Press Freedom Summit, Ethiopia’s media landscape is facing many challenges. Our project manager for PRIMED – Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development – looks at how we are supporting public interest media in the country.
Five ways to tackle information disorder – learnings from IndonesiaThe spread of information which is false or misleading – whether by word-of-mouth, media, or otherwise – is an age-old phenomenon. Yet advances in technology and increasing access to traditional and social media are propelling the spread of false information, at a speed and scale not seen before in Indonesia and around the world.
Building social cohesion in Libya With over 1 million followers, the El Kul social media platform promotes the inclusion and participation of women in society and tolerance of diversity amid the conflict. Meet the team of Libya-based freelance reporters and Tunis-based BBC Media Action content producers who make our daily El Kul content.
PRIMED: Pathways to media sustainability in a broken marketThis working paper assesses whether fresh approaches to public subsidy might provide part of a solution to supporting independent media, especially in low-and middle-income settings.
Earth Day: WISER radio programming about climate informationHow our radio project Weather Wise in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda is helping people living with the effects of climate change.
‘Hello hope’: why COVID-19 communication is critical in Afghanistan and SomaliaIf you walk miles for water – and have to choose between using it to cook for your family or washing your hands - which takes priority? Poverty, peace and security are competing priorities in people’s daily lives in Afghanistan and Somalia. Our project is highlighting the important of handwashing with soap to protect people and their families from COVID-19.
“I want my voice to be heard” – young radio co-hosts are pushing for gender equalityIn a special episode for International Women’s Day, 16-year-old Tamu is the latest guest co-host for our youth radio show in Sierra Leone. The programme looks through the eyes of girls at how girls see inequity, sparking conversations about the everyday imbalances and how they would like those around them to stand with them.
Media at scale during a pandemic – COVID-19 in NigeriaAlmost one year on since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Nigeria, our country director reflects on the impact of our mass media programming and the work still to come on tackling vaccine hesitancy and a worrying 'second wave'.
Five mantras for effective COVID-19 vaccine communicationWell-designed communication can increase healthy behaviours, including vaccine uptake. As global scientists get closer to an effective COVID-19 vaccine, here are our top five mantras for how to think about vaccine communication to ensure a successful rollout.
Understanding a generation of Indonesian youth to engage them on climate changeOur exciting project Kembali Ke Hutan (Return to the Forest) focuses on the sustainability of Indonesian forests and natural resources. We needed to use innovative research to help us connect with Indonesia’s millennial generation, ensuring they understand and engage on critical environmental choices for their future.
Inclusive Futures - tackling disability discrimination in BangladeshOur mentors Senjuti Masud and Bishawjit Das have been training journalists to tackle negative stereotypes and improve how people with disabilities are portrayed in media.
