• strengthen the local provision, use, and impact of health communication;
• support advocacy initiatives to increase participation and inclusion.

These partners include formal partnerships with organisations in countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, informal partnerships and linkages with other civil society organisations, academic institutions and government agencies, and consultancies with clients worldwide.

Healthlink Worldwide operates within a social model of health and within a participatory communication framework. Its activities focus particularly on:

• strategic and technical support in the design and delivery of effective communication programmes, especially in the areas of HIV/AIDS communication and disability. This includes a training package for participatory communication, Quest, that supports organisations to develop their capacity to produce effective communication and information resources;
• direct development of communication tools and products, including websites, training packages and materials, videos, resource lists or directories, newsletters and other printed and electronic publications. (To see a range of the HIV/AIDS materials produced by Healthlink visit www.aidsaction.info);
• Support to organisations in developing and managing effective information and knowledge systems. This includes carrying out information needs assessments and providing technical training in the development and management of resource centres (download the resource centre manual at www.healthlink.org.uk/pubs.html). Healthlink Worldwide is a partner in the Source international information support centre (www.asksource.info) based in London. For more information, contact Victoria Richardson at: richardson.v@healthlink.org.uk.

Healthlink Worldwide is in the process of developing practical approaches to communication for advocacy; to find out about this project visit: www.healthlink.org.uk/world/seasia.html.