NO STRINGS IS…

Our approach works. We share critical messages with target audiences through our world-class films, then ask them to interact with these messages physically, playfully and imaginatively - through puppetry in other words. It’s a very dynamic and joined-up approach and it makes us unique. Lasting behaviour change is difficult to measure as well as achieve, and so we collaborate with experts to provide evidence of wide-ranging impact and effectiveness, and to constantly keep on upping our game.

Above: Children oversee their own soap making and classroom hand-washing systems following a No Strings WASH intervention.

We believe that fun and play are core needs in every person, regardless of age and the degree of stress in their lives. Play is a global language that links profoundly to our humanity. It is also a highly effective means of communication and learning. Our films are playful, and so are our outreach tools. We design sessions around opportunities for target audiences to learn together collaboratively, and they become engaged through a special kind of play that is joyful and supportive, dignified and meaningful.

Above: Rohingya children in Bangladesh have fun meeting their puppets for the first in a series of 11 two-hour No Strings PPPS sessions.

Our tools take audiences into a world of the imagination where critical issues relating to health, safety and wellbeing can be addressed more openly. We use different types of puppetry to support different needs, guiding target audiences on a shared journey along a safe and meaningful path. We are constantly iterating and adding more magic to all the work that we do.

Above: Children in Kenya make the WASH programme’s Mr Poop characters from re-usable shopping bags.

We work through partnerships with major NGOs and UN bodies, reaching communities through local staff and partner networks who we train in country. It is their messages we use in programmes. Organisations we have collaborated with include Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Oxfam, Save the Children, Unicef, Plan International, IOM UN Migration, Trocaire, and Born Free.

Above: A Rohingya volunteer takes part in our training in preparation for her role with the Caritas Bangladesh / Catholic Relief Services team.

We have been doing this now for nearly 20 years and have honed an approach that is loved by target audiences, as well as, critically, field staff, and whose power and results we can measure. Our film-making community includes some of the biggest names in the television and film puppet world, key members of whom regularly join our training team to help facilitators build skills in different parts of the world.

Issues we focus on include PSS (Psychosocial Wellbeing), Child Protection, Gender, Peace Building, WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene), Malaria, Nutrition, HIV, DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction), Landmine Awareness, Environmental Sustainability, and Conservation.

Above: Madam Mosquito from The Malaria Movie.