Social Information Hub
Integrating Water Security with NAMA4PD: A Holistic Approach
Project Lighthouse Africa (PLA) is transforming communities in northern Senegal through the innovative “Bànneexu Ndox” water desalination project. Powered by solar energy, this water kiosk not only enhances water security but also serves as a vibrant community hub. Located near the Mauritanian border on a major highway, it provides clean drinking water at affordable prices, supporting the kiosk’s maintenance.
This water desalination project is an example of a location that is ideal for a social information hub as part of NAMA4PD.
It makes it a dynamic space for discourse on current issues, for the collection, verification and dissemination of information, for media literacy training, and for the development of perspectives and confidence-building cooperation with the security forces.
The current cooperation between NAMA4PD and the Water Initiative includes the strategic placement of water kiosks as social information hubs.
The aim is to progressively create hubs of regional engagement that combine added value to the daily lives of the population with the opportunity for information and a proactive community response to potential threats from criminal or terrorist activities.
Why This Matters:
- Community Gathering Spot: The water kiosk has become a popular meeting place, fostering discussions on current issues and facilitating information exchange.
- Media Literacy and Trust Building: It offers a dynamic environment for media literacy education, perspective development, and trust-building activities with security forces.
Strategic Integration:
PLA’s water initiative is strategically integrated with the NAMA4PD (Narrative Management for Peace through Dialogue) concept. Together, they transform water kiosks into Social Information Hubs at key regional nodes. These hubs serve as centers for:
- Reliable Information Exchange: Facilitating the collection, verification, and dissemination of information.
- Community Engagement: Encouraging proactive responses to potential threats from criminal or terrorist activities.
- Regional Connectivity: Creating networks of regional engagement that combine daily life improvements with the exchange of reliable information.
Our Vision:
Ideally, social information hubs should be physical places designed to allow people to meet and interact in a protected environment, where, in addition to face-to-face dialogue, technical infrastructure is available to store, leave, comment on and share information with others. At the same time, they serve as an early warning system to identify disinformation, disruptive narratives and the influencing and destabilising activities of radical, criminal and terrorist actors.