The human factor – “The reason we do our work.”
From a WHO staff member on the importance of the human factor:
“When we went to negotiate for the second phase, we had a short video – children with helmets. It's 5% of the project, but it's the human face – the donor needs sound bites, needs to see the ‘bang for their buck’. The rest of the project is us slaving away getting trauma care, ambulance transport ... ”
This is a good example of the balance between highly visible, quick wins and long-term, underlying work.
Even when you are appealing to something that seems as impersonal as a large foundation, you need to remember to appeal to the human side of the decision-makers. This can involve learning specifically about the individuals involved. It’s part of analysing your readers. Donors want to know that their funding is being used to save lives, improve living conditions, and provide children and families with better health.
Following are some points to remember when including human interest stories with your report:
A very compelling example of this approach is the WHO publication called Faces behind the figures: Voices of road traffic crash victims and their families. This is an entire document that looks at the issue of road safety from the point of view of those who have suffered from road traffic accidents. The book uses human interest stories very effectively to argue for greater advocacy around improved road safety policies. It does not tell these harrowing stories without a purpose. Interspersed with the stories are various facts around road safety, resulting in a great feeling of sympathy for the victims in addition to a greater awareness of the issue. Strategically, the book has a targeted readership: “The book can be used by road traffic crash victims, family members, nongovernmental organizations, governmental agencies and international organisations to raise awareness of the problem of road traffic crashes.”