How marketing can put forgotten people back on our radar

If you were living with dementia, who could tell your story? Or if you were living in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak, who would make sure your voice was heard?

There are many people here in the UK and around the world who are left disconnected from others and unable to connect with the organisations that may be able to support them. That’s why this month we’ve chosen to feature On Our Radar, which helps people and communities to find a voice and make sure their message is heard by the governments and organisations that can help.

On Our Radar is a non-profit project set up by a small team of journalists, digital story tellers and development workers who are using the power of citizen-led information to spark change and inform action.

They work to make the voices heard of people who are marginalised, off-grid and offline. They develop open source communications solutions to connect policy makers and service provides with people around the world who need their help. They do this by developing mobile and web-based solutions which give policy makers, service providers, and the public an affordable and effective means to understand and engage with marginalised and offline communities.

Libby Powell, CEO of On Our Radar said, “voices from the margins can make a profound difference to society. Our vision is a fully inclusive world, where everyone enjoys their right to speak and be heard on the issues that most affect their lives”.

The Dementia Diaries was a prominent example of On Our Radar’s work; it came in the form of a national audio series created for Comic Relief telling the day-to-day story of people in the UK living with Dementia. They were also recognised for their rolling coverage of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, drawing on audio, text and image reports sent via mobile phone by trained citizen reporters, which fed some of the leading international coverage on the crisis and was nominated for a One World Media Award.

Marketing support needed:
On Our Radar is made up of a group of story tellers, bringing to life the stories of the people they support. But they now seek help from experienced marketers in telling their own story to better define their brand and key messages.

If you are interested in supporting their marketing and communications please get in touch with Anna Mullenneaux, Chief Match Maker at Pimp My Cause, at [email protected].

On Our Radar from Paul Myles on Vimeo.