Statistics Botswana in collaboration with the OECD's Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) and the WHO Country Office are running a three-day training programme from 12-14 December 2022 in Gaborone, entitled “Health Data Communications Bootcamp”. The bootcamp is attended by journalists, health statisticians, researchers, communications practitioners, monitoring and evaluation experts from the National Statistical System of Botswana as well as public relations officials of UN agencies in the country.

“The best statistics in the world will not achieve change if they are not used, and for them to be used they have to be communicated well. Building networks across various parts of the national statistical system – government, international organisations, the national statistical office and the media - is crucial and we are delighted to see that participants in this workshop are highly engaged in making it happen. Thanks to our partners WHO Botswana and Statistics Botswana for helping to strengthen health data communications in the country.” says Sasha Ramirez-Hughes, Partnerships and Communications Manager representing PARIS21/OECD.

The workshop aims to improve collaborations between statisticians and journalists with the view to improving communication and interpretation of health data statistics in Botswana. It is particularly vital to communicate effectively on health data so that citizens can make informed decisions at the individual, community, and societal levels. There is an important link between publicly accessible, easily understandable health data and positive societal responses to public health interventions.

Lillian Mogami, Manager–Communication, Documentation and Dissemination at Statistics Botswana noted "As the custodian of official statistics in the country, Statistics Botswana places high importance on usage of data and espouses to exert the utmost effort for this to happen.This health data communications bootcamp empowers journalists with 21st century data communication skills while at the same time allowing data producers to understand how journalists work."

Effective health data communication presupposes both statistical literacy among journalists and an open channel of communication between them and national statistical offices (NSOs). Without statistical literacy and open communication, journalism may be impoverished by lack of data and evidence, and statistics may be unused, misused, overlooked or misrepresented.

“Among other things, the participants learn the ability to effectively communicate insights from a dataset using narratives and visualizations such as info-graphics. They learn how data storytelling can be used to put data insights into a context, and it can inspire action from a specific audience. This is fascinating. We are so grateful for the partnership with Statistics Botswana and OECD for facilitating this workshop. Noting a high interest and engagement, WHO is motivated to extend this collaboration and organize in the future similar initiatives” mentions Cristina Birsan, External Relations and Partnerships officer at WHO Botswana.

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Statistics Botswana
Statistics Botswana is a parastatal organisation under the Ministry of Finance. The Statistics Act of 2009 established the organisation as the pre-eminent national agency responsible for the development and management of official statistics; and the official source and  custodian of official statistics in the country. Statistics Botswana is charged with the responsibilities of collecting, processing, analysing, publishing, disseminating, and archiving all official statistics in Botswana;  providing advisory to Government and other agencies on policy, procedures and regulations relating to the development of official statistics; developing and promoting the use of statistical standards and appropriate methodologies; conducting the population and housing census and household surveys; organising and maintaining a central repository of statistical reports, publications, documents and data from both within and outside Botswana; as well as developing and coordinating the national statistical system.

PARIS21

The Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) promotes the better use and production of statistics throughout the developing world. Since its establishment in 1999, PARIS21 has successfully developed a worldwide network of statisticians, policy makers, analysts, and development practitioners committed to evidence-based decision making. With the main objective to achieve national and international development goals and reduce poverty in low and middle income countries, PARIS21 facilitates statistical capacity development, advocates for the integration of reliable data in decision making, and co-ordinates donor support to statistics. PARIS21 was established by the United Nations, the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. The PARIS21 Secretariat is hosted within the OECD's Statistics and Data Directorate.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
WHO is the United Nations agency founded in 1948 to connect nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health. WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage. The organization directs and coordinates the world’s response to health emergencies and promotes healthier lives – from pregnancy care through old age. WHO’s Triple Billion targets outline an ambitious plan for the world to achieve good health for all using science-based policies and programmes. Triple Billion Dashboard tracks progress of WHO countries, regions and partners to meet the Triple Billion targets and health-related SDGs through access to timely, reliable and actionable data.

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