Spiny Babbler has gathered data, filtered and managed information, packaged knowledge, and disseminated products on a wide range of issues over more than 30 years. Effective designs have reached audiences at the grassroots, implementation, trainer, planner, and decision-making levels locally, nationally, and internationally. As media and communications cut across multiple themes, sectoral experts are engaged for specialized interventions.
The Alternative Media Project tested various forms of media – including art, music, theatre, video, and experimental formats – in the township of Thaiba, with learning shared among countries across the Himalayas. Save the Children; media bodies such as ACORAB, representing more than four hundred community radio stations; and Antenna Foundation, among others, have also been supported.
Work includes maternal mortality research reports, Red Cross Society documentation on HIV/AIDS, The Asia Foundation materials, information products on uterine prolapse for ADRA, national health infrastructure under NHSSP, and pneumonia-related education. Sustained programs were carried out in the maternity hospital (Prasuti Griha), the children’s hospital (Kanti), and the mental hospital (Lagankhel).
Women’s and girls’ issues have been a major focus. With My Whole Heart and 15 Stories with VSO International; and ICIMOD’s Women of the Hindu-Kush Himalayas in multiple languages. Spiny Babbler brings extensive experience in gender-focused communication and documentation.
From work with the Nepal Peace Trust and Support of Measures to Strengthen the Peace Process to Police Mirror publications and a five-episode docudrama for the UNDP Rule of Law Program on quasi-judicial mediation, Spiny Babbler has contributed to peace, justice, and security initiatives.
Experience includes work at JP Morgan Chase on documentation commercialization and training; income-generation research for ILO in three rural districts among resettled war victims; work with the Small Business Promotion Project in urban centers; contributions to the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute; engagement with home-based workers through SABAH Nepal; and Farmer Business School initiatives with Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation. Associations and federations have also been supported in their communication and documentation efforts.
Initiatives include a project spanning six continents and 20 nations addressing mountain issues; the Taudaha Wetland Environment and Livelihoods Protection Project; and documents and reports for The Mountain Institute and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Spiny Babbler has made significant contributions to environment-related documentation, communication, and knowledge transfer.
More than 1,000 youth from 14 nations have contributed to Spiny Babbler as volunteers or participants. Research on youth violence was carried out in eight districts of the Nepal Terai, resulting in individual and consolidated reports in Nepali and English. Fact-finding research produced I Learn to Trust and Samjhana Ra Umanga for Search for Common Ground. Guidelines on violence against women and girls were produced for UNICEF ROSA for the region. The Arts Club supported creative exploration among young people in 100+ public and private schools. The Child-to-Child project, in association with ILO, engaged more than 80 schools across five counties.
Corinthians and 92Y of the United States worked with Spiny Babbler over multiple years to deliver educational initiatives for young people. UNESCO Japan partnered on cultural education through 3D animated products. Spiny Babbler ran an alternative school up to grade 10 under Government of Nepal licensing and a club offering creative education after school and during holidays. It supported children worldwide through online classes and delivered 50,000 educational packages during the Covid shutdown. Work included curriculum development and educator training.
Years of SNV’s development experience were converted into a comprehensive 250-page publication. PASRA’s rural activities in adult education, training, enterprise and income generation, and promotion of democracy were documented. International Alert’s work with community score cards was presented through reports and SAHAJ program outcomes. Additional contributions include work for The Mountain Institute, urban development efforts led by UDLE, and documentation for the Lutheran World Federation.
Experiences and learning from mayors of 40 municipalities working with CDSG were documented. The NGO Fund Project received support in preparing governance manuals. Local government taxation policies and community-based processes were converted into a 3D animation video. Numerous knowledge products have been created over the years to promote transparent governance.
Documentation has covered floods, earthquakes, disease outbreaks, and other forms of disaster. The community radio association of 475 stations prepared and published guidelines on disaster relief programming with Spiny Babbler support. Work also included documenting earthquake rehabilitation initiatives for ECPAT Luxembourg.
A road-building and maintenance manual was prepared with MRCU for engineers of the Road Department. Swiss and German bridge-building efforts across Nepal – and associated South-South cooperation – were documented and presented in print form. Habitat for Humanity’s work with global volunteers in remote Nepal was documented in audio-visual format.
