PUBLICITY

The aim of the census publicity campaign was to ensure 100% public participation in the enumeration, and it succeeded. Given the lack of national media penetration, the focus was on developing community radio programming and spreading information through the employment of community radio journalists as publicity messengers for their districts. Publicity messengers worked for a month traveling in all sub-districts spreading information at weekly markets, Sunday church gatherings and visiting schools, health centers and suco offices. In addition, a public inauguration of the census was done in every district to which all suco and aldeia chiefs were invited along with VIP ministers and district administrators. Support for the census came from the highest level. The President attended the inauguration in February; he recorded messages for radio and TV, as did the Prime Minister, who addressed three public gatherings. They were the first to be enumerated and also visited the two census babies in the hospital. There was wide media coverage for all Census milestones and people actually asked to be enumerated if they were missed. By this measure, the publicity campaign was a success.