Let's make history, telling our stories.
Deadline: October 31st,2021
Within the framework of the Regional Meeting:
“Empowering Communities against Antimicrobial Resistance in the context of COVID-19”, ReAct Latin America, the Pan American Health Organization and the Global Health Consortium of the Florida International University call for stories of infections, bacterial resistance, and antibiotics.
We learn through stories
In 2003, a farmer in the Netherlands received news that his 3-year-old daughter had been infected with a methicillin-resistant superbug. The bacteria had grown on his pig farm due to the use of antibiotics. From that moment on, he and his friends set about the task of optimizing the hygiene of their farms to reduce the use of antibiotics. The success they achieved led to the country reducing the use of antibiotics in pig farming by 65%.
In 2012, taking advantage of their summer vacation, three medical students from the University of Cuenca set out to cycle along the Ecuadorian coast, with the aim of discouraging the misuse of antibiotics and promoting cycling as a means of transport in schools and colleges. The slogan was 'Pedal with awareness... using antibiotics wisely'.
In 2016, a young Tanzanian pharmacy student, involving his classmates, piloted small educational campaigns in local schools aimed at reducing antibiotic misuse. Motivated by the good results, he wove a network of 122 pharmacy students from various regions of the country who replicated the campaign in different settings. This resulted in a huge social mobilization that, traveling through schools, communities, media and social networks, reaching 6 million people with the message about the importance of the appropriate use of antimicrobials.
Three stories united by the goal of making history. Some may seem bigger, others smaller. It doesn't matter, all stories count, because we learn through the stories we hear. And through the stories we star in, we shape the world. There are no success stories without failures. That's why stories of failure also count.
It doesn't matter if you are a doctor, a housewife, a company manager, a street sweeper, a health minister, a writer or a journalist. It's about telling stories of infectious diseases, bacterial resistance and antibiotic use. Our stories. That is the purpose of this call.
Starting from infections, bacterial resistance and antibiotics, the thematic range is very broad actually. Because you could tell stories related to water quality, latrine construction, hand washing, the human microbiome or the collection of expired antibiotics. Creativity is the only limit. What we do ask, explicitly, is that you prioritize community stories or stories that have or could impact the community. Stories we can learn from.
Let's tell our stories.
Let's make history.
Feel free, get inspired!
Stories can be written, drawn, told through photography, told in audio, or recorded on video. You can use any medium or format. The only thing we ask is that it be no longer than 3 pages, 2 minutes of video/audio and 5 photographs that make up a gallery.
Download the flyer for more information.
Let's tell the story
The stories you submit will be reviewed and selected by a committee composed of several organizations from the Americas. Three stories will be presented at the Regional Meeting: “Empowering Communities against Antimicrobial Resistance in the context of COVID-19”, to be held on November 10-12, 2021. And subsequently, they will be shared in the social networks and portals of ReAct Latin America and PAHO/WHO.
You can send your story to the following e-mail addresses:
- ReAct Latin America: hagamoshistoria@reactlat.org
- Pan American Health Organization: amrhq@paho.org
Deadline: October 31st, 2021.
You can start by answering four questions:
- Who?: A story always has a character. Who is your character?
- What?: A story always has actions. What does your character do?
- Where?: A story always takes place in one place. Where does your character act?
- When?: A story always takes place in time. In what time does your character act?
From there you can enrich your story with other characters, situations, dreams, motivations, conflicts, achievements?