Mission

The mission of Exchange is to contribute to efforts to improve the health and quality of life of poor people by encouraging the exchange of relevant knowledge, information and experience.

Vision/Purpose

To facilitate the development of a strong and effective health communications sector in the UK which works in partnership with Southern organisations to encourage collaboration, strategic action, sharing of good practice and better impact.

Values

A key value that has characterised the development of Exchange to date and which will be maintained in the future is responsiveness and a consultative approach. Exchange has developed out of a strong consultative process among the UK health communications sector. It will continue to consult regularly and widely, extending the process to ensure that other voices - particularly those of people living and working in the South - are heard, reflected upon and acted upon as Exchange develops.

A number of other values were identified in the consultation process that led to the development of the original and supplementary reports about the Programme that went to DFID in 1999. These have been elaborated upon and extended during consultations to develop the operational plan.
These values describe a Programme that:

• is seen as supporting efforts to respond in a strategic manner to the health communications needs and priorities of people in poor and vulnerable settings
• provides a leadership function, without imposing a pre-set agenda
• enhances opportunities for existing organisations and networks in the health communications sector
• facilitates, enables and strengthens work within the health communications sector
• fills gaps, rather than duplicating existing roles, and encourages innovation and generation of new insights and knowledge about health communications
• releases resources, at least in the medium term, rather than soaking them up (this implies that Exchange should not be allowed to grow too big)
• promotes ongoing debate on and mutual learning about good practice, instead of imposing a new orthodoxy
• raises the profile of the health communications sector as a whole, without stealing too much of the limelight itself
• is committed to a process of learning and reflection, and to enabling others in the sector to benefit from such approaches
• acts as a catalyst and facilitator, encouraging an exchange of information on health communications, but does not itself provide health communications directly
• is open and transparent, and does not unfairly favour particular organisations.