Culture and Development

Country/region: Rwanda

Project focus

The focus of the Well Women Media Project (of which the Radio Soap Opera Urunana is a part), is the sustained improvement of the health of conflict-affected women in the Kinyarwanda and Kirundi-speaking areas of the Great Lakes region of Africa.

Background

The Well Women Media Project started in 1997. Urunana was launched in 1999 on the BBC Great Lakes Lifeline Service and is retransmitted on Radio Rwanda. The programmes deliver health education messages as well as discussing social behaviour patterns that are linked to specific health issues such as malaria, TB, STDs and HIV/AIDS. Programmes aim to present information in order to promote discussion that will lead to behaviour change. Key target groups are rurally based unmarried youth, single women and widows, adults of child bearing age (both male and female), health clinic staff and users, community elders, soldiers and militia.

In a national survey conducted in 2000, women identified access to healthcare as a major constraint on their well-being and development. Barriers were: distance from a health facility, inability to meet costs, and obstacles to free and frank discussions with medical personnel. Key priorities for the Ministry of Health are: high levels of maternal and infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and STDs.

Level of cultural intervention

Culture as context (local cultural issues taken into account in design)

Culture as content (local cultural issues feature in drama)

Culture as method (radio drama) – tool-based

Activities

The programme format is a ten minute soap opera episode followed by a five minute “Agony Aunt” slot,which aims to address issues and questions arising from previous episodes. Drama is popular in Rwanda and links to storytelling traditions.

Urunana is set in a village to reflect the experiences of rural life. Programme content is based on health needs.Technical information is sought from stakeholder meetings and programme feedback is obtained through monthly pre and post audience surveys, which do not provide any depth of information regarding impact.

Audience groups have been run for two to three years.There are up to 40 people per group (20 youth, 20 women) and one group in each of the 11 provinces. Feedback from the audience groups is used to inform script writing. Although the content of the soap is needs driven, beneficiary feedback is not related to project objectives, only the content of the soap. An Audience Researcher gathers feedback from listeners’ letters and phone calls.

Outcomes

• 30% listenership was estimated during 2000, but current estimates are 80%
• Urunana has a dedicated team that is willing to learn/improve their skills and listen to suggestions from listeners e.g. live drama, printed comics/literature.
• Questions about topics in Urunana appeared on National Curriculum exams.
• Requests received from other groups to include other issues in Urunana stories (eg. agriculture, environment, peace and reconciliation).

Beneficiary feedback (observed)

Focus Group Discussions in Byumba Province during Routemapping research visit:

Comments on programmes

• “These programmes reflect true youth life style, encourages openness of sexual issues and effects and preventive measures that could be taken. This programme gives useful message to families and encourages tolerance and living a harmonious life.These programme touches on all aspects of life we lead in relation with our community”.
• “Radio is the only medium because it is entertaining and listened to by many people literate and illiterate. Other mediums like written materials (booklets, news letters) could get to us through district coordinator for reference of only those that could be able to read”
• “Radio carries a lot of information but other sources like live drama and news paper would also be good”

Learning outcomes

• “Avoiding HIV/AIDS by abstaining, faithfulness or use of condom; lessons were also learnt on family planning”
• “Lessons on how to prevent HIV/AID and on how children are sexually abused”
• “Avoiding sex being unfaithful as it may lead to STDS and HIV/AIDS,Teenage pregnancy… effects of extra marital affairs.Taking care of HIV/AIDS patients (avoid stigmatizing them).”
• “How to solve conflicts in a family”

Community-level change

• “Increased condom use; abstinence and ability to discuss issues on reproductive health”
• “No stigmatizing of people living with HIV/AIDS, people have started practicing family planning or its importance”
• “People know how HIV is transmitted”
• “Youth have started the use of condoms and others are abstaining, but others are still fearing to carry condom”
• “Your programme work my made me alert that AIDS kills and I made a turn from my former behaviour”
• “Attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS is changing”
• “People learn and talk about problems that will slowly facilitate the effect of behavioural change”

Personal attitude change

• “Knowledge on the working of my body was increased and I have controlled my sexual behaviour”
• “Little changes as people are still sexually promiscuous”
• “[I] know the importance of using condoms and know now what true love is”
• “Danger of HIV/AIDS spread and the importance of abstinence and using a condom”

Behavioural change

• “No sexual promiscuity”
• “Can’t trust any body in matters related to HIV/AIDS”
• “Live positively and support AIDS patient as Mariana does”
• “Cautious as some men are not trustworthy; the example of Semana”
• “It is good to be open”

Sources

• Health Unlimited documents.
• Interviews with staff of Urunana, beneficiary focus group discussion participants Byumba Province, Rwanda