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.
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.
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.
How to address women’s rights amid conflict and instability – our work in LibyaGender inequality persists in Libya. Cycles of violence and foreign interference are weakening chances of durable peace, leaving Libyan women particularly at risk. We are increasing awareness about gender issues, harmful social norms and attitudes to help reduce gender inequality.
‘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.
Handing the microphone to Afghan womenAs Afghanistan’s peace process is marked by increasing violence, our Open Jirga presenter Shazia Haya shares her experience travelling to Herat and to Kandahar for remarkable, all-women sessions of our Open Jirga and WhatMatters2U programmes, giving women from the farthest corners of the country a voice.
#ChooseToChallenge - Women's Day 2021From Afghanistan to South Sudan, our work supports women and girls who choose to challenge and push for gender equality. To mark International Women's Day read the stories of eight inspirational women.
“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.
How Somali women are supporting the country’s economy – and its futureIn Somalia, traditional gender roles run deep - but there is change happening. Read how our project is training more than 400 women in entrepreneurial skills for greater financial independence.
Supporting independent radio in ZambiaTo mark World Radio Day, our Zambia mentor talks about our work to support independent radio through the pandemic, financial hardship and power shortages.
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'.
'Our School' convinced my husband not to marry off our daughterWe take wind-up, solar-powered radios to ‘media-dark’ areas to play our radio programmes to support girls like Monica achieve their potential in South Sudan.
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.
The impact of COVID-19 on children and young people’s access to educationThe COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in 1.6 billion children unable to attend school in person. Our research with audiences in Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh explored this issue and the adverse impact on people's lives.
Building futures in South SudanHow youth-focused radio programme Building Futures challenged negative perceptions of technical vocational education and training, and provided young people advice about job searching and starting their own businesses.
Saving journalism will require money, organisation - and legitimacy The COVID-19 crisis means many countries may face a future with no independent journalism - just when reliable information is most critical. An International Fund for Public Interest Media can help.
Al Mirbad: A platform for the peopleAl Mirbad is a trusted household name in Iraq - but amid the pandemic, it is struggling to make ends meet.
Lion Mountain Radio - protecting health amid uncertaintyRead how Sierra Leone's Lion Mountain Radio, 'voice of the voiceless,' is surviving economic crisis.
From state to modern public service broadcasting in Ukraine'Our role is to give balanced, clear information [to help audiences] to understand the world, to entertain and to communicate' - read how UA:PBC is delivering trusted information amid political and economic uncertainty.
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.
BBC Media Action & partners launch PRIMED media support projectOur press release announcing the launch of an unprecedented collaboration on support for public interest media.
Hello I Am - challenging child marriage in BangladeshChildren should be children - not married. Watch our film with Rutgers to hear how girls in Bangladesh are challenging gender norms - in school and on the cricket pitch!
Making the invisible, visible with the Demon of DefecaOn World Toilet Day, our Global Creative Advisor highlights why behaviour change is as important in the conversation on sanitation in India as infrastructure, and introduces our poo demon, Malasur.
Police reform: how media is addressing security reform in NigeriaAmid the End SARS protests and political unrest sweeping many states in Nigeria, our creative team in Abuja are working to facilitate dialogue and accountability between Nigerians and their police force.
Continuing the fight against COVID-19 in EthiopiaAmid unrest and pandemic fatigue, our Ethiopia team is working to deliver trusted information about COVID-19. Social media producer Annis Tefferi shares a behind-the-scenes view.
What is the world doing about COVID-19 vaccine acceptance?The world's scientists are racing to find an effective COVID-19 vaccine - but vaccine hesitancy already threatens its success. Our US Director Yvonne MacPherson looks at the critical role for health communication in setting the stage for a successful vaccine roll-out.
Handwashing with soap for health - our work in Afghanistan during COVID-19Our Afghanistan humanitarian project manager reflects on how to change behaviour on handwashing.
Live from Ukraine: 'In Quarantine'Ukrainians are receiving trusted information from a modernised public broadcaster, thanks to funding to strengthen independent media.
A tale of two crises in NepalFive years after Nepal's deadly earthquakes, the country is in the midst of another crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic. Our programming has adapted to help.
Making research disability-inclusive – reflections from Nigeria We know that people with disabilities face exclusion and discrimination in many areas of their lives. We are determined that our research will not be among them. Our Head of Research and Learning in Abuja shares our learning and reflections.
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.
Conflict, flooding and now coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in SomaliaAs cases of COVID-19 increase across Africa, rising cases in Mogadishu are especially worrying. Somalia has been disrupted by years of conflict and struggles to support thousands of internally displaced people. Hear the latest from our team on our response.
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.
Kenya flooding: why trusted media is essential in a changing climateAs the world grapples with COVID-19, a small rural community in Turkana County, Kenya recently faced another crisis: flash flooding. Hear from local weather producer and BBC Media Action mentee Vivian Achwa, who spoke to affected communities.
Broadcasting from the basement: supporting Afghan audiences during COVID-19Find out how Open Jirga, our flagship national TV discussion programme in Afghanistan, has adapted to life under lockdown to help audiences across the country cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using my voice: radio for equality in Bamyan ProvinceThrough our Her Voice, Her Rights project in Afghanistan, we’re mentoring female journalists to produce programmes that support women and girls’ empowerment. Learn more in this guest blog by Mastora Pakbin, a radio journalist and BBC Media Action mentee.
