Community-led Video for Behavior Change Learning

In rural and disconnected areas worldwide, millions lack access to essential knowledge which hinders community development and individual well-being. illuminAid addresses this by providing video education solutions tailored to off-grid regions.

Approximately 840 million people globally live without access to electricity, a significant barrier to education and information dissemination. Moreover, around 258 million children and youth are out of school, with many more having limited access to quality education. illuminAid's approach utilizes low-cost video technology and renewable energy sources to overcome infrastructure challenges to education. Our portable projectors and durable equipment empower local educators to deliver critical information on health, nutrition, literacy, agriculture and livelihood practices directly to their communities.

By equipping local changemakers and amplifying under-represented stories, illuminAid fosters social and behavioral change, inspiring communities to take ownership of their learning and advocate for positive community development.

From hygiene education to training sustainable farming practices, illuminAid's interventions address pressing challenges while promoting sustainable development and lasting prosperity in rural areas. Through our efforts, we aim to bridge the knowledge gap and empower marginalized communities to thrive in the modern world.

At illuminAid, we've crafted a straightforward solution to empower rural communities with access to community-led learning: portable video education kits. Our camera, projector, and recharge kits contain everything needed to bring essential knowledge directly to areas without electricity or internet access.

Our field equipment includes cordless, battery-powered projectors, which are lightweight and easy to carry. These projectors allow educators to screen videos for gatherings of up to 50 people at a time in adapted spaces like homes or community centers. 

To ensure sustainability, we provide renewable recharging kits alongside our projectors. These kits harness solar energy to recharge the projectors' batteries, making them self-sufficient and environmentally friendly. The kits also include adapters to recharge all technology with a car or motor scooter battery. This means that even in areas without electricity grids, our projectors can keep running, bringing educational messages to those who need it most.

illuminAid’s projects target rural communities in developing nations, particularly those in areas without reliable access to electricity or reliable internet connectivity. Our target population includes individuals and families who lack access to basic education, healthcare information, sustainable livelihood training, and other critical learning resources due to these infrastructural resources. 

In order to reach these communities with contextually and culturally appropriate messages, we work with locally-based NGOs with expertise in serving the beneficiary community. We provide NGO staff with the training and equipment to integrate localized video production into their services, and ultimately bring critical knowledge to the most marginalized populations.

illuminAid upholds that empowerment through education is the foremost way we can ensure an improved quality of life for rural communities. Whether our NGO partner seeks to encourage changed behavior around a proactive health practice for youth (i.e. sanitation or malaria prevention) or instill a new climate-friendly agricultural practice among farmers, our solution has the power to illuminate essential educational messages and sustainably deliver them to the most vulnerable.

illuminAid was founded in 2008 by Matt York, who brings almost forty years of experience in the video production and publishing industry. York’s extensive expertise educating others on the powerful impact of video inspired illuminAid’s mission to deliver this knowledge to the most underserved communities around the globe, but the intervention itself is heavily supported by peer-reviewed research and case studies which demonstrate video’s effectiveness in changing behaviors. As an information communication technology, video has the unique potential to transcend barriers like language, location, and literacy through storytelling and visualization to teach complex concepts. 

For the last sixteen years, illuminAid has partnered with 40+ development organizations and governments across 30 developing countries to train and equip hundreds of local staff in video production for social behavior change. When conducting in-country training, illuminAid’s teams are video education experts only, while our local partners take the driver’s seat to develop the educational messages and produce video. illuminAid teaches a community-centric production philosophy, encouraging videos to contain testimonies, behavior modeling, and storytelling by beneficiary community members to shape video narratives and support knowledge sharing within the community.

In operation since 2008, illuminAid has hosted 49 Video Education Workshops and successfully trained more than 700 individuals working in developing communities in the methods of producing video for behavior change. We’ve equipped trainees from 100+ development NGOs, government agencies, agriculture extension programs, schools and community health centers with over 3500 cordless battery-powered projectors to help disseminate the videos they create to off-grid communities. Our conservative estimates indicate that our partner organizations have been empowered to host 1000+ educational screenings to benefit 25,000+ beneficiaries with life-changing messages.

The benefits of this award for the scaling of our organization are invaluable, but none more so than monitoring and evaluation (M&E) support to build a more effective  impact measurement practice.

illuminAid is able to measure raw impact data in the form of services delivered and qualitative survey data from the direct beneficiaries of our training, but we are weak in authority and infrastructure to collect long-term impact data on the outcomes of community-led video on beneficiary behavior change. Over the course of our project history, partner organizations have infrequently provided case studies and impact reports, though since our intervention focuses on capacity development, we commonly struggle to distill the distinct impact that video makes on education outcomes. Having identified this challenge, we have developed a projector application solution to collect additional screening and beneficiary engagement data, though lack the capital to pilot this solution in our programs. 

Similarly, another tenant of our intervention is engaging our partners in a one year-long capacity development program (CDP) to ensure our remote teams and in-country contracted video trainers can provide technical support to the newly trained community organization. While the goal of our intervention is to increase organizational capacity, we have seen obstacles to the long-term utilization of video as an educational tool due to staff turnover, inadequate leadership buy-in, and accountability around deliverables. We would benefit from innovative guidance on how best to develop M&E protocol in partnership with local organizations and ensure the technology transfer can withstand human resource changes.

Cordless projectors and locally-created videos give organizations more control over the end message, expand the number of people reached, allow for the use of non-expert facilitators, and help organizations to teach with contextually appropriate information. 

Traditional methods of dissemination, such as pamphlets, booklets, and flip-charts, exclude people with low literacy, including children, and are not cost effective. illuminAid’s Video Education training and innovative off-grid technology gives organizations the flexibility to create relevant media in multiple languages or dialects and respond to new content needs quickly without the need for expensive outsourcing. 

illuminAid’s intervention is based on two theories: the theory of planned behavior and social cognitive theory. The theory of planned behavior states that behavior intentions are shaped by attitudes toward the behavior, community norms, and the perception of behavioral control. When a person perceives an activity as enjoyable with good benefits, where they have the support and encouragement of others and other members of their social group that already engage in the behavior, and when they ultimately feel that they have the ability to meet the demands of the task, they will form stronger intentions and be more likely to engage in the activity (Source).

How does video impact planned behaviors? Video addresses attitudes and perceived behavioral control. It can change people’s attitudes and demonstrate how behavior can change in the future.  Say, for example, handwashing. If a person thinks that washing hands is beneficial, they see others doing it and/or are encouraged by someone they trust to wash their hands, they’re more likely to wash their hands as well. Furthermore, if they are given the tools to easily wash their hands (for example, a video tutorial of  proper hand washing), then they will feel empowered to take part in the behavior change (Case Study from illuminAid’s 2015 project with CRS Guinea-Bissau and Senegal).

Second to the theory of planned behavior is social cognitive theory. Social cognitive theory (SCT) states that 3 factors predict behavior change: individual attitudes and expectations around a behavior, one’s skills and confidence as influenced by practice and familiarity with a behavior, and finally their environment or the social norms surrounding said behavior. A basic premise of SCT is that people learn not only through their own experiences, but also by observing the actions of others and the results of those actions (Source).

Video plays a role in SCT because it can alter individual factors regarding behavior  (attitude, expectations, awareness) and increase capacity factors (skills, practice, confidence). Because participants can observe the behavior via modeling, they are able to replicate the exact steps to achieve the behavior and thus will become confident in their capacity to enact behavior so they can begin routinely practicing.

illuminAid's impact goals focus on creating transformational change in the lives of rural and disconnected communities through leveraging innovative technologies to improve access to critical knowledge and education. Here are our primary impact goals and the specific indicators we use to measure our progress:

Improved Knowledge and Technical Skills: We aim to improve individual skills in producing and disseminating video for behavior change. We track trainee progress through the following key indicators: qualitative pre- and post-session surveys responses, assessments of the quality of videos produced, the number of educators trained, and the number of videos produced in the Capacity Development Program (1 year).

Enhanced Access to Education: Our goal is to increase access to quality education for marginalized populations, especially in off-grid areas. We measure this through the following key indicators: the number of video screenings conducted using our video education kits, the number of beneficiary community members reached, and the number of projectors deployed to local NGOs for educational purposes. In the future, we aim to collect further beneficiary engagement data using innovative solutions.

Behavioral Change and Community Impact: Our goal is to use video to drive behavioral change and positively impact community health, safety, and prosperity. Accurate assessments of changes in community behaviors must be measured in partnership with the local NGO responsible for administering educational initiatives, and the capacity of our partners to do this varies greatly by organization and the educational topic. For example, the key indicators for a health project will vary greatly from an agricultural initiative, and oftentimes it is difficult to attribute outcomes specifically to those who viewed locally-created video content. We encourage our partners to consider key indicators such as: changes in final outcomes among educated groups, increased rate of a specific behavior (i.e. receiving a vaccine) among educated populations, and any survey of beneficiaries about their educational experiences and intended behavior change. In the past, this impact has been measured through qualitative surveys and beneficiary testimonies.

In addition to these impact goals, we aim to continue increasing our ability to measure progress in these indicators in a way that is empowering and accessible for our partner NGOs who administer the educational initiatives. This includes providing training and support to ensure our partners can effectively collect, analyze, and use data to assess their own progress and improve their programs. By strengthening our measurement practices, we strive to enhance the overall impact of our solutions and better serve the communities in which we work.

At illuminAid, technology underpins our entire solution, enabling teams to scale the accessibility of education and information dissemination in rural, off-grid and offline areas. The innovative technology we use is centered around three main equipment kits: the Camera Kit, the Projector Kit, and the Recharge Kit. These equipment kits prioritize easy-to-use and adaptable technologies, thus amplifying the impact of community educators around the globe.

Camera Kit: Our Camera Kit includes a small camera, microphone and stabilizing tripod to capture local footage for educational videos. Thanks to our generous partners at GoPro, we are able to offer the latest point-and-shoot compact cameras which are durable and ideal for shooting video in the field.

Projector Kit: The Projector Kit is the heart of our intervention, providing a cordless, solar-powered video dissemination solution that is both bright and loud enough to gather up to 50 people at a time. This key technology is especially suitable for group education in rural settings, where electricity and network connections are often unavailable. The portability and ease of use of the Projector Kit allow community workers to take it into the field and deliver impactful educational content wherever it is needed.

Recharge Kit: Our proprietary Recharge Kit, designed in-house at illuminAid, enables both the projector and camera to be charged in the field using solar energy. This sustainable and renewable solution ensures that our education intervention can operate continuously and learning is never interrupted.

Together, these technologies provide a comprehensive, sustainable opportunity for bringing education to rural, off-grid communities. Our compact and portable kits make it easy for community workers to carry the technology into the field, ensuring that education is accessible to those who need it most. By harnessing the power of video and solar energy, illuminAid empowers local educators to share vital knowledge and create a positive impact in their communities.

• 1 full-time employee
• 1 part-time employee
• 1 full-time volunteer
• 3 part-time volunteers

illuminAid (formerly OMPT) has been developing and implementing this intervention since 2008.

At a missional level, illuminAid is committed to equity through our support of projects which uplift traditionally marginalized and silenced voices like those of women, children, and disabled individuals. We have partnered with organizations like Pathfinder, Plan International, and Marie Stopes International to equip changemakers with the tools and resources to share the stories which illuminate the need for women and girls’ protection and access to healthcare and education to create a more equitable future. Similarly, our work with organizations like Handicap International and Concern Universal has enabled us to support education initiatives which bring awareness to the experiences of disabled groups and shift social stigmas and promote inclusion for ebola victims and TB patients.

When illuminAid partners with a local NGO to train staff in video production, we are committed to creating an inclusive learning environment for trainees to succeed. During our educational workshops, local video experts from diverse backgrounds work with small teams where every participant has a role in contributing to the success of a video project. Trainees engage from audio, visual, and hands-on learning modules and offer their feedback about their learning experience through surveys at both the beginning and end of the workshop, which enables us to continually improve our training.

illuminAid’s business model relies on a combination of paid partnerships with NGOs and government agencies, as well as private funding through grants and individuals. Some of our project equipment is generously supplied through in-kind donations by corporate partners.

1. Paid Partnerships with NGOs and Government Agencies: illuminAid collaborates with NGOs and government agencies in developing countries to deliver our video education workshops. These partnerships are based on a fee-for-service model, where the participating organizations invest in our training services and equipment. In return, illuminAid provides comprehensive support, including Video Education Workshops (VEWs), capacity development programming, and access to our video production kits. These paid partnerships not only generate revenue for illuminAid but also ensure that our services are valued and tailored to the specific needs of our partners.

2. Private Grants and Individual Funding: In addition to paid partnerships, illuminAid secures funding through private grants and individual donations. We actively seek grants from foundations, corporations, and other funding agencies that align with our mission and objectives. These grants provide crucial support for expanding our reach, developing new programs, and sustaining our operations. Individual donations from supporters who share our passion for empowering rural communities also play a significant role in funding our initiatives.

3. In-Kind Corporate Donations: illuminAid is able to offer high-end video equipment to our partners due to in-kind donations from our corporate partners. These partnerships allow us to acquire essential equipment, such as durable cameras, SD cards, and organizational software through generous contributions from corporations committed to social responsibility. By leveraging these in-kind donations, illuminAid is able to reduce operating costs and stretch resources further, enabling us to reach more communities and make a greater impact with our video education initiatives.

As illustrated by over fifteen years in active operation and 50+ completed projects, illuminAid has successfully sustained our work through the methodology described above. By maintaining low operating costs and building relationships with private donors, local foundations and corporate partners, we have been able to offer our video education services to NGOs for approximately $35,000 USD per contract. On average, illuminAid executes 3-5 projects per year using this model. 

To continue to sustain and scale our model, we have recently supplemented our funding through the following revenue strategies:

1. Wholesale Equipment Sales: Driven by our experience navigating the delivery of video technology in bulk to developing countries, we have identified opportunities to ship equipment directly to NGOs for a lower cost than many can procure it in-country. Our wholesale technology shipping business (https://www.illuminaid-gear.org) has enabled us to deliver nearly 1500 projectors to partners in Ethiopia since 2017.

2. Increased Focus on Grant and Foundation Solicitation: We have increased the allocation of human resources to actively seek out and apply for funds from foundations, corporations, and other grantmaking agencies. While we have yet to receive substantial funding through these means, it is our objective to obtain at least $20,000 annually in private grant funds to make our solution more accessible for lower-resource partners.

3. Building Strategic Partnerships: illuminAid is privileged to benefit from the generous consulting of our Board Members and other allied industry experts who recommend strategic opportunities in pursuit of long-term and multi-contract partnerships. While illuminAid has always focused on direct relationships with country offices to support the autonomy of the local office, we hope that regional partnerships will allow us to not only scale our programs but ensure greater sustainability through infrastructure and inter-departmental buy-in.