WAVE Health Collective: Promoting Action Online

By Christine Spinder, Zoe House Media
May 2001

A rural women's health and literacy collective, WAVE, had been successfully operating for several years. Initially only a health collective, WAVE realized that illiteracy was an obstacle. The original theatre-based education program evolved into participants in WAVE literacy training creating theatre about women's health issues.

Supporters of WAVE wanted to see a Web site for the organization, but who had time? And what did a Web site have to do with WAVE's target audiences?

A small initial Web site contained full-screen scans of the illustrated, non-literate posters that promoted WAVE performances, and had a page of names and contact information of supporters and stakeholders.

WAVE participants saw an opportunity: Use quick-to-download black and white illustrations to teach literacy online. Health was the general and familiar subject matter, and the live theatre performances gave the resolutions to the partial stories portrayed online. Audiences at WAVE performances were keen to review the plot and characters, and visitors to WAVE's school began to rise. Now they needed another teacher and more printed resources.

Next phase

Networking online, WAVE members called on their traditional supporters to spread the word, and approached the education ministry for more funding. With the popularity of the performances, WAVE secured sponsorship from a local bus company. They toured their theatre, audiences grew again (also thanks to the buses), and women's literacy became a local community issue.

WAVE turned to its Web site again, and made online letter-writing campaigns an ongoing literacy exercise. Key advocates use an e-group to coordinate efforts and share document templates between towns. While a permanent teacher is still being sought, many WAVE alumni continue with the organization to help new participants.

Impact

Over two years, WAVE doubled its program participants, gave three times as many performances, made women's literacy a community issue, and has empowered many more women to support each other to create learning opportunities for better health.