The past month, October, was Cyber Security Awareness Month, an initiative that’s been going on for eighteen years now with the aim to empower the globe with the necessary resources to be safe and secure online. Over the years, such awareness has led to the rise of various organisations that are dedicated to fighting cyber-crime and helping people stay protected online. These include Get Safe Online, a UK-based non-profit organisation that is a leading source of unbiased, factual and easy-to-understand information on online safety.
As part of the UK Commonwealth Cyber Security programme, Get Safe Online was commissioned by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to implement a tailored communications programme to raise awareness of online safety amongst online users in different countries across the globe; Rwanda included. This gave Blue Oceans Rwanda a great opportunity to be a part of an eight-month campaign – Get Safe Online Rwanda (GSO-RW).
What were some of the ingredients that made this campaign successful?
A Clear Understanding of Tasks between the Client and Agency
To ensure an effective campaign, our tasks included:
- Developing a freely accessible website (getsafeonline.org.rw) with comprehensive content on online safety and cyber risks, fully translated into Kinyarwanda;
- Locally driven awareness and promotional campaigns, highlighting the most prevalent and highest risks;
- Growth of local capability and capacity regarding online safety, through its Ambassador Scheme program in Rwanda; and
- Evaluation of the overall campaign.
Partnerships and Collaborations with Institutions and Initiatives
The delivery of these tools proved successful, much so because local institutions such as the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, and the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) were key partners of the campaign, which proved instrumental in guiding key elements of the campaign such as content on relevant messaging, engagement with media on the launch of various campaign milestones, and overall government support to the campaign.
Other collaborating institutions and youth-led initiatives such as National Cyber Security Authority, Kigali Global Shapers, Rwanda Cyber Security Community, Girls in ICT Rwanda, Women@Web Rwanda, British High Commission in Kigali, Girl Effect Rwanda, MTN Rwanda, Airtel Rwanda and Hexacomb Rwanda, also played a key role in contributing to the campaign’s marketing and communication elements. These consisted of conversations on social media (webinars and tweetathons) and promotional online flyers, promotional videos, television commercials and radio talk shows.
Clear and Defined Strategies for Increased Visibility
With the participation of such strong partners and collaborators, the GSO-RW campaign managed to gain significant visibility on various Rwandan platforms such as radio stations, Rwanda television, social media, and SMS platforms, amongst others. Also, there was a rise in requests by the Rwandan youth to join the GSO-RW Ambassadors Scheme/Program, as collaborating with youth-led initiatives led to high engagement among them. And last but not least, institutions that partnered and collaborated with the GSO-RW campaign cemented relationships that can be built even further in the near future.
Working with Get Safe Online was a unique experience for the team at Blue Oceans Rwanda. The insightful lessons will continue to guide us with every new exciting project we take on.
Reach out to us at info@blueoceans.rw for your campaign needs.