Scriptoria

New annual report for the multi-million euro Global Water Partnership

Fri, 19 Jul 2010 15:11:44 GMT

We’ve just completed the 2009 Annual Report for the Global Water Partnership (GWP) - a major player in sustainable development and coping with climate change. Obviously we're very pleased with the really great feedback we've been receiving, especially since this is the first time that GWP has entrusted any company with the job of both writing, and designing their annual report. Why have responses been so good? Probably because the report’s clear and logical structure clearly links GWP’s mission and values to their progress during the year. Plus, the tone and visual appeal reflect GWP’s commitment to influencing the water agenda. Take a look at the PDF of the report by clicking HERE

As is the case with so many of our global clients, producing this annual report required Scriptoria’s experts to sift through masses of information to produce a concise, interesting document. And of course that’s the key! For organisations to retain and build their credibility, they have to bear in mind the importance of producing easy-to-read yet accurate annual reports with real substance that skilfully meet the information needs of various readers, from donors and investors to interested members of the public.

Wow - a good-looking low-bandwidth website produced for a major development project in Africa 13 May 2010

Fri, 28 May 2010 15:11:44 GMT

Having written, designed and built the original Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) website, we’ve been busy making it even better by creating a French version and a fast downloading 'text-only' version. And here at Scriptoria we have to say that we're very proud of the final product for an organisation that is mobilising hundreds of millions of dollars to help fight poverty in Africa.

The new text-only version of the CAADP website is great for use in remote areas where internet speeds are slow. This means that CAADP can communicate with policy makers and farmer and development organisations right across Africa. But, what we like most is the fact that we were able to do this without compromising on the great-looking design and user-friendly aspects of the site. To see what we mean, go to www.nepad-caadp.net and click on the 'text-only' link at the top right-hand corner of the home page: you'll find a simplified version that still looks good. The graphics aren’t there, but the integrity of the design remains. This is in stark contrast with many other text-only sites which can be boring to look at and difficult to use. And if you’re a French speaker, don’t forget to take a quick peek at the French language version. The CAADP website is an important part of a communications package, developed by Scriptoria, that is helping to spread the programme’s vision for boosting agricultural productivity in Africa. Hopefully, this latest addition to the website will help CAADP hold fast to its reputation for 'flagship' communications among Africa's rural development sector.

Communication strategies for DFID's Policy and Research Directorate

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:15:44 GMT

Scriptoria is working with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to produce communication strategies for all the major groups within its Policy and Research Directorate (PRD). This highly prestigious work has involved brainstorming with senior staff in each Group.

The aim is to provide focused communications strategies that will ensure efficient and well-planned communications on complicated issues ranging from climate change to health, education and social protection. This will ensure that messages are conveyed in the best way possible and that no resources are wasted - an important strategy for an organisation like DFID, which has committed itself to spending around £7.8 billion on development in 2010-11. DFID contracted Scriptoria as part of a comprehensive drive to improve communications within the Directorate. And, as part of this, we also recently ran a training course for 16 PRD staff in London on 27th November. This workshop, which focused on strategic development communications, was extremely well received.

Spreading the word

Wed, 15 Apr 2010 10:26:44 GMT

Shorter, sharper and more focused communication lies at the heart of our philosophy, so here at Scriptoria we’re delighted that co-director Dr Jim Weale has been invited to speak on just this subject at a prestigious international conference on Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development in Delhi from 21-23 April 2010.

The conference, called Two Decades of Impact and Learning, will review the huge investments made in rural India by the central government, state governments and donors since 1990. Its objective is to share knowledge and experience and make proposals that will influence policy and action by governments and donors. Other speakers at the conference include representatives of UNESCO, DFID, and the World Bank, as well as Dr M S Swaminathan, the eminent agriculturist whose work on high-yield wheat varieties is credited with founding the green revolution in India. April 2010

Tweet tweet, it's Scriptoria

Wed, 15 Apr 2010 10:26:44 GMT

Here at Scriptoria, we've just launched our new and improved YouTube channel and Twitter page. So now it’s easier than ever to keep up to date with the work we’re doing in development, climate change and poverty reduction.

Plus, both these new sites link seamlessly with our Facebook page and our website to give you easy access to useful information and updates on our work. Our new YouTube channel hosts a range of videos dealing with all aspects of development, from climate change to poverty reduction. Over the next few months, we'll also be uploading Scriptoria information and training videos covering all aspects of communication in the world of development. "We've been so busy creating social media strategies and sites for our clients that it's only now we’ve found the time to stop beta testing and launch our own," said co-director Dr Jim Weale. "It's important to remember that our key interest here isn't to sell the company, but to help provide our clients with useful information to encourage better communications in development."

Making annual reports a good read

Wed, 15 Apr 2010 10:26:44 GMT

We're currently writing annual reports for six multi-million dollar development organisations, tackling issues that range from climate change and agriculture to donor relations and interactions. True to the Scriptoria way of thinking, it means making sure that these key documents concentrate on the needs of the stakeholders at whom they’re targeted.

Traditionally, annual reports were regarded as something of a chore by most organisations, and every scrap of information about the organisation and its work was packed into them, including the kitchen sink. But as we keep saying, the busy readers being targeted just don’t have time for that kind of detail. So remember, more detail does not mean better quality. They don’t have time to read it and in most cases, they don’t want to read it.. "We're one of the very few communications firms that work regularly with donors, which means we’re well placed to identify their needs and pass on their views to our other clients," said Scriptoria’s co-director Dr Sandy Williams. "We’ve asked them what they want, and time and again they’ve said short summaries of ongoing work and achievements, backed up by clear financial information and with a clear indication of where more information can be accessed if necessary." Shorter, sharper and more readable annual reports don’t mean that the scientific meat that reinforces an organisation’s credibility has to be omitted. Again, that's something we place a lot of emphasis on here at Scriptoria. In fact, most of our writers have PhDs which, coupled with long years of experience, means we can translate scientific and technical jargon for donors, while ensuring that the science remains accurate. The organisations for which we are currently writing reports are the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, the Global Water Partnership (GWP), the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Coalitions for Change (C4C) and the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR). This is only the first batch of annual reports in the pipeline for this year. In 2009, Scriptoria produced or helped produce reports for nine international organisations, and we expect to exceed that number in 2010.

Training course for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:15:44 GMT

Scriptoria was recently commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the largest private foundation in the world) to provide communications training for 20 top African research and development specialists. Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA), which works in close partnership with the Foundation, convened the training session from 15th to 20th November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

More than 700 research specialists applied to attend the training session, the first of its kind to be provided by the Foundation. The course was a runaway success, providing intensive training in writing skills and prompting very positive feedback from the high-level participants. Scriptoria regularly provides specialist training around the world in writing, presentation skills and other communication techniques. On this occasion we were delighted to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which, through its Global Development Program, focuses on high-impact sustainable projects throughout Africa.

Communicating success stories from DFID

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:59:44 GMT

Every year a lot of good techniques are developed to help poor people improve their lives – ranging from better ways to grow crops to techniques for tackling health problems. The problem is that communicating them is never easy, which means that many useful new options get lost and forgotten instead of being applied more widely.

So we’re very pleased to say that Scriptoria has worked with DFID‘s Research Into Use (RIU) programme to produce a book that highlights good ideas from around the world for communicating new development options to the people who really need them. In fact, we’d say that Communications Success Stories - Mainstreaming Research Findings to Lessen Poverty (40 pages) is a must-read for communication officers, researchers, extension workers, project managers, and policy makers everywhere. Examples given in the book include proven ways to use radio, TV, internet kiosks, mobile phones, telecentres, drama groups, cartoon booklets and face-to-face initiatives as innovative ways to get information into the hands of the poor. You can download a copy by clicking HERE (2.3 MB).

Multi-lingual annual report for a pan-Africa anti-poverty programme

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:47:44 GMT

Since SCRIPTORIA started working with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) two years ago, CAADP’s profile has rocketed. Now they’re setting standards for others to follow, with one major donor recently referring to CAADP’s external communications as “a flagship example that other development programmes in the region should work to match”.

The latest product we’ve produced with CAADP to publicise the programme’s work across Africa is its 2008 annual report. We produced it in both French and English, so you can choose your language, settle back and read all about the latest developments in efforts to tackle rural poverty in Africa. You can read the English version HERE (2 MB) and the French version HERE ( (2 MB).

Global Donor Platform annual report

Wed, 1st Jul 2009 13:05:32 GMT

The Global Donor Platform for Rural Development is a grouping of some of the world’s largest international donors working to reduce poverty. Members range from the United Nations to GTZ and SIDA, all of whom are working together to promote economic growth in rural areas, and tackle issues such as boosting agriculture and coping with climate change. Scriptoria’s in-depth expertise and experience made us the clear choice to research and write the Platform’s 60-page 2008 annual report. The report’s look and layout were done by the Platform itself.

The report contains very useful one-page summaries of each donor’s main activities in 2008 in tackling the food-price crisis and other important issues in agriculture and rural development. You can read the report HERE (761 KB)

“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on the annual report. Scriptoria managed the whole process highly professionally, producing a technically high quality product with minimal time input from our side.” Secretariat Coordinator, Global Donor Platform for Rural Development

SCRIPTORIA helps produce new DFID Water Policy

Mon, 27 Nov 2008 15:38:44 GMT

We’re pleased to say that the UK Department for International Development (DFID) recently launched its new water policy. This globally important publication is designed to help DFID meet its £200 million commitment to vastly increasing the number of people with access to safe water and sanitation.

SCRIPTORIA’s role was to help the government’s senior policy advisors translate a series of complex issues into this relatively short and easy-to-read document. At our initial meeting we advised on the style and tone of the document. The next three months involved regular meetings and lots of late nights as we worked closely with them to rewrite their original policy document and fine-tune the final product according to comments from the International Development Minister and his team. DFID’s aim is help twenty-five million people across Africa to gain access to safe water and basic sanitation over the next five years. To read the Policy Document, please click HERE (1.37 MB).

Teaming up with business to fight poverty

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:29:44 GMT

Here at SCRIPTORIA we’re very proud to have produced the UK Department for International Development (DFID) brochure and display stand for the recently held, and globally important, Business Call to Action meeting.

Getting business to work against poverty The meeting saw the UK’s Prime Minister (Gordon Brown) welcome more than 80 CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies to London to showcase new business initiatives to reduce poverty in the developing world.

The meeting highlighted successful projects run by more than a dozen global companies, including Coca Cola, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters and Vodafone. Over the next five years, initiatives like these are expected to save almost half a million lives, create thousands of jobs, and benefit millions of poor people across Africa and Asia. They’re part of a concerted push to meet the Millennium Development Goals by helping poor people to access up-to-the-minute information, money and business expertise and by creating new business and employment opportunities.

New Photo Guide to help you get the pics you need

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:26:38 GMT

We can’t tell you how frustrating it can be to have an important story to tell (or project to promote), and not have the pictures to really show it off. Charities and NGOs often don’t have the budgets needed to buy photos from picture houses, and instead rely on their staff to take compelling pictures as part of their everyday working lives. But this can be a pretty hit-and-miss process.

So, we’ve teamed up with the UK Government to produce a Field Guide to Photography for anyone working in development.

This guide isn’t aimed at professional photographers. Instead it targets project staff, researchers, volunteers, and the many other people working in the field who have the chance to take great-looking photos if only they had the confidence. The guide explains why it’s important to take these kinds of photos, what situations make for a great photo, and how to frame and actually take your picture.

And of course the same techniques can be applied at your next barbecue to produce great family photos too – what a bargain! You can download the photo guide by clicking HERE (1.2 MB).

Young people's summary of the United Nations’ Human Development Report on climate change

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:26:38 GMT

Do you ever read the United Nations' Human Development report? We do (every year) and we can tell you that it’s a great read – stuffed full of useful statistics and facts and giving much-needed key information on development-related trends. But, it’s certainly not the kind of book you’d use to read your kids a bedtime story from.

So, how are the kids supposed to get balanced information on key issues like global warming? Well through the Human Development Report’s Youth Summary of course! This great little publication makes the key issues accessible to young people, and we’re pleased to say that, for the last couple of years, we’ve had the fun job of giving it a final expert review and read through, to check that it’s readable and communicates its messages as well as possible.

The latest issue is on climate change. So, if you haven’t already given a copy to your kids, we’ve got to ask "why not"? Download it HERE (5 MB).

A new look for the DEW Point Water Consortium

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:26:38 GMT

We’re not just about the big jobs here at Scriptoria; little touches to your public face can make a huge difference too. So, when DEW Point asked us to produce a desk-top calendar and a pop-up banner for them, we took the opportunity to push their brand forwards and really make them stand out. The result was a cracking new look, which Dew Point can now run with and add to their future materials - they’ve already used it to modernize their website. Great!