Immersive digital storytelling takes you deeper into development
Why Christian Aid is launching its new digital storytelling platform
Nina Hoeve, Development Communications Consultant, Christian Aid
Data and stories are usually worlds apart but this week at Christian Aid we are changing that.
Our new digital storytelling platform, DataStories, combines key data on the changes our projects are making in people’s lives with compelling personal stories.
DataStories is different because it gives a far deeper, detailed and more open story of a project than you would expect to see from development charities.
This allows people to freely explore the areas they find most interesting, access much more of the project’s vital evidence and results, and experience the personal stories behind the numbers.
By connecting stories with hard data, we are seeking to move beyond the NGOs’ tendency to share only one side of the story — the better side — and provide a much fuller picture, which lets our supporters, our partners and the public form their own views about what is happening and the impact we are having.
Why DataStories
DataStories is part of the wider effort towards transparency and open data. It will enable anyone to see more of what’s happening with a project, as well as the complex realities of the work Christian Aid and partners do.
Through DataStories we plan to publish more of our results, both good and bad. This may feel uncomfortable to start with, but will allow us to reflect the real world we work in and all its complexities.
We believe that being open will build trust, too. We’ll continue to tell the success stories, but it’ll be clear how these are drawn from the evidence and contextualised by it.
DataStories will enable anyone to see what’s happening with a project — as well as the complex realities of the work we do.
Who is DataStories for
DataStories is for Christian Aid staff, supporters, partners, project stakeholders, other NGOs, donors and policymakers.
We recognise that many Christian Aid supporters are connected, engaged and inquisitive. They want to go further than feel-good stories to access hard data and find out for themselves how our projects are working. DataStories is a way to reach out to them.
How DataStories works
With interactive data dashboards, charts and stories, people can explore what change our projects have had in people’s lives.
DataStories is a way of pulling together the numbers and narratives to become mutually reinforcing. It will provide a one-stop-shop for people to learn quickly about a project.
DataStories makes data much more accessible for people who are not number crunchers. It allows visitors to explore the data and find out how our work impacts specific groups, such as adult women or young men.
First DataStories
The first DataStories will focus on the BRACED programme, which helps communities build their resilience to climate extremes and disasters in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
Through our interactive dashboards and stories, we share how BRACED has helped greater numbers of people access climate information through radio, and explain what this means for their livelihoods.
Christian Aid invites you to delve into DataStories, get under the skin of our projects, crunch the numbers, and meet the incredible people in the communities where we work.
Find out more about DataStories here.
