Local Solution Drives: Strengthening local radio stations capacity to produced customized quality radio program providing information on contraceptive choices and abortion awareness in Nepal
Summary:
Sexuality is a taboo in Nepal often preventing one to talk and access reproductive health information and services freely. Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2016 shows more than 60% of married women do not discuss family planning either with a health worker or at a health facility. Contraceptive Prevalence Rate for currently married women has been stagnant for last 10 years. Further, only 41% of married women of reproductive age (MWRA) know abortion is legal in Nepal, despite Government legalizing abortion in 2002. Innovative ways of communicating health messages is needed to address these indicators. Along with friends and local media, radio is another accessible medium of health information. More than 35% MWRA and 45% men still access family planning information through radio (NDHS 2016). Despite the growing number of stations, production of local health programs providing grassroot information on service access is still limited. Lack of skilled human resources and commercialization often limits local radio stations to broadcast nationally produced content, which generally has important generic health information but often misses the context; such as language, representation, local voices or local service sites. Population Services International (PSI)/Nepal, in partnership with Nepal Government, launched an initiative to produce local solution-based radio programs from 15 local radio stations. The initiative successfully increased Radio Producers' subjective understanding of health issues and confidence in tackling socially and culturally tabooed sexual issues and abortion stigma. Improved quality and popularity of the radio program increased funding and partnership opportunities for the radio stations.
Background/Objectives:
To increase knowledge on contraceptive choices and utilization of safe abortion services in Nepal, Population Services International (PSI)/Nepal through its Women's Health Project (WHP) has been conducting various SBCC initiatives targeted to women of reproductive age and their partners. Radio program Ek due Teen, Sunau Ekai chin (In English One, two, three - lets listen for a while) is an initiative to promote reproductive health by building capacity of 15 local radio Stations in producing quality edutainment health program that connect local issues with local solutions.
Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:
EK Due Teen, Sunau Ekai Chin is a half hour edutainment weekly radio program produced in four local languages from 15 local radio stations in a magazine format. The format includes drama, voices from community, expert's interview, quizzes and songs. Since 2017, PSI/Nepal has been partnering with Radio Audio Pvt. Ltd, a production house with health content expertise, to support local production of EK Due Teen. Radio Audio provides training, one to one coaching support to all the radio producers and reviews every episode before it goes on air. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) collects listeners' responses and social media is also used for promotion. Health content document has been produced to ensure accuracy of technical information. Producers from all 15 stations gather every three months to review the program complemented with skill building sessions from the experts. Systematic scoring of individual station's performance is maintained to track progress.
Results/Lessons Learned:
WHP Project internal MIS service data indicates increased effect of local radio program in promoting sexual reproductive health services. After the intervention, almost 33% of family planning service client in targeted districts reference the radio program as a source of information which was less than 10% prior to the intervention. There has been growing participation in the program. Increased numbers of IVR, reaching 350 messages per episode and growing interaction in social media, shows increasing popularity of the program. The quality and popularity of the local radio program production has also been recognized by the Nepal Government and other stakeholders. Kailali FM received fund from Nepal Government to produce additional health program Health Helpline and Family Planning Association of Nepal sponsored Mahakali FM to produce additional episodes of EK due Teen radio program. Similarly, another five radio stations are producing eight new health programs from external funding after the intervention.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
This intervention showed how working with various radio stations at the local level not only addresses the information gap and increase services at local level, but also sustains the effects by building the capacity of the radio station and bringing in more collaborative partnerships at the local level. Though this approach is expensive and resource intensive compared to central production but with proper guidance backed with required tools, skills building activities and motivational schemes for the producers, local production can be more effective.
Abstract submitted by:
Devendra Lal Shrestha - PSI Nepal
Bigya Ghimire - PSI Nepal
Khemraj Shrestha - PSI Nepal
Sexuality is a taboo in Nepal often preventing one to talk and access reproductive health information and services freely. Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2016 shows more than 60% of married women do not discuss family planning either with a health worker or at a health facility. Contraceptive Prevalence Rate for currently married women has been stagnant for last 10 years. Further, only 41% of married women of reproductive age (MWRA) know abortion is legal in Nepal, despite Government legalizing abortion in 2002. Innovative ways of communicating health messages is needed to address these indicators. Along with friends and local media, radio is another accessible medium of health information. More than 35% MWRA and 45% men still access family planning information through radio (NDHS 2016). Despite the growing number of stations, production of local health programs providing grassroot information on service access is still limited. Lack of skilled human resources and commercialization often limits local radio stations to broadcast nationally produced content, which generally has important generic health information but often misses the context; such as language, representation, local voices or local service sites. Population Services International (PSI)/Nepal, in partnership with Nepal Government, launched an initiative to produce local solution-based radio programs from 15 local radio stations. The initiative successfully increased Radio Producers' subjective understanding of health issues and confidence in tackling socially and culturally tabooed sexual issues and abortion stigma. Improved quality and popularity of the radio program increased funding and partnership opportunities for the radio stations.
Background/Objectives:
To increase knowledge on contraceptive choices and utilization of safe abortion services in Nepal, Population Services International (PSI)/Nepal through its Women's Health Project (WHP) has been conducting various SBCC initiatives targeted to women of reproductive age and their partners. Radio program Ek due Teen, Sunau Ekai chin (In English One, two, three - lets listen for a while) is an initiative to promote reproductive health by building capacity of 15 local radio Stations in producing quality edutainment health program that connect local issues with local solutions.
Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:
EK Due Teen, Sunau Ekai Chin is a half hour edutainment weekly radio program produced in four local languages from 15 local radio stations in a magazine format. The format includes drama, voices from community, expert's interview, quizzes and songs. Since 2017, PSI/Nepal has been partnering with Radio Audio Pvt. Ltd, a production house with health content expertise, to support local production of EK Due Teen. Radio Audio provides training, one to one coaching support to all the radio producers and reviews every episode before it goes on air. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) collects listeners' responses and social media is also used for promotion. Health content document has been produced to ensure accuracy of technical information. Producers from all 15 stations gather every three months to review the program complemented with skill building sessions from the experts. Systematic scoring of individual station's performance is maintained to track progress.
Results/Lessons Learned:
WHP Project internal MIS service data indicates increased effect of local radio program in promoting sexual reproductive health services. After the intervention, almost 33% of family planning service client in targeted districts reference the radio program as a source of information which was less than 10% prior to the intervention. There has been growing participation in the program. Increased numbers of IVR, reaching 350 messages per episode and growing interaction in social media, shows increasing popularity of the program. The quality and popularity of the local radio program production has also been recognized by the Nepal Government and other stakeholders. Kailali FM received fund from Nepal Government to produce additional health program Health Helpline and Family Planning Association of Nepal sponsored Mahakali FM to produce additional episodes of EK due Teen radio program. Similarly, another five radio stations are producing eight new health programs from external funding after the intervention.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
This intervention showed how working with various radio stations at the local level not only addresses the information gap and increase services at local level, but also sustains the effects by building the capacity of the radio station and bringing in more collaborative partnerships at the local level. Though this approach is expensive and resource intensive compared to central production but with proper guidance backed with required tools, skills building activities and motivational schemes for the producers, local production can be more effective.
Abstract submitted by:
Devendra Lal Shrestha - PSI Nepal
Bigya Ghimire - PSI Nepal
Khemraj Shrestha - PSI Nepal
Source
Approved abstract for the postponed 2020 SBCC Summit in Marrakech, Morocco. Provided by the International Steering Committee for the Summit. Image credit: Ek Dui Teen Sunau Ekaichhin via YouTube