Community theater was used as an entertainment education strategy to promote family planning in Bauchi, Nigeria. Drama groups in local communities were trained on family planning messaging and performed scripts addressing social and religious biases. This sparked discussions among community members and led traditional and religious leaders to publicly support family planning for the first time. Data from nearby health facilities showed increases in new family planning acceptors after the performances. The drama groups have sustained their work through additional health sensitization projects and payments. Community theater was concluded to be an effective strategy for increasing family planning uptake and contraceptive use in Bauchi State, Nigeria.

1. COMMUNITY HEATRE: A STRATEGY FOR
INCREASE IN CONTRACEPTION USE IN
NIGERIA.
BAUCHI EXPERIENCE
December 2020

2. Outline
• Objective
• Background
• Materials
• Strategy
• Methodology
• Outcome
• Sustainability
• Conclusion
1

3. OBJECTIVE
Understand how
community theatre can
be adapted and
adopted to drive
demand for family
planning on a
sustainable basis
2

4. • Community Theatre is a form of entertainment group commonly found in local
communities, it is usually scripted with local content, presented in form of
drama or dance during social events and community drama nights.
• These drama groups has large followership and are domicile in communities
within the LGAs such as Yanke-Yanke Drama group in Bauchi LGA, ANDA
Production in Katagum LGA, Idon Mikiya Drama group in Alkaleri LGA,
Duniya Bakisan Gwaniba in Toro LGA just to mention a few.
• Actors involved in the performance of community theater are also members
of the community. These events are usually attended by community members
(Housewives, husbands, young people/youths) traditional/religious leaders.
Background

5. • Entertainment Education is one of the TCI
Demand Generation Strategy in Bauchi
State
• The community theater is not only used as
a form of entertainment, but it is also used
as an entertainment education tool.
• It is a strategy used to address key
ideational factors (religion, culture, social
norm, peer influence) to influence positive
behavior change among community
people
• Community Theatre was identified during
the mapping of existing community-based
structures to sustain family planning
messaging in the state
Materials

6. • Identification of existing
community Drama Groups
• Reviewed their activities
• Conducted a 2-day training
on Family Planning
Messaging and visibility
• Periodic Coaching and
technical support on media
presence and visibility,
production, documentation
and sustainability
Strategy

7. • A pre-planning meeting held with the
community chiefs
• Awareness and community mobilization
carried by town announcers and
community mobilizers prior to the event.
• Data source for evaluation was obtained at
Tirwun and Bayan Fada Primary Health
Care facility 2 months before and 2
months after the intervention to compare
the trend of family planning service uptake
in the two facilities.
• Participants during the presentation
included Traditional and Religious
Leaders, Women, Young People, Men
(Community Members) and FP service
providers ,
• Testimonials was documented from FP
services providers from facilities within the
catchment areas of the presentation
(Bayan Fada and Tirwun PHC), mobilizers,
town criers and community members.
• There was questions and answers session
• The drama was scripted to address
religious and social bias in these two
communities after interaction with the
community members due to the perceived
low uptake of FP in the two communities.
Methodology

8. Outcome
• The community theatre created a
ripple effect in Tirwun and Bayan Fada
communities when AHJ. Nasiru
Muazu, Ubandoman Bauchi and
ALH. Ahmad Mhammed Shehu
Sarkin Tirwun , Suleiman
Mohammed, Chief Imam spoke
(some for the first time) publicly in
support of family planning after the
drama presentation (Public Voices in
support of Family Planning.
• “to tackle insecurity and crime in our
communities, we must give birth to the
number of children we can comfortably
take care of, if not adopt Child birth
spacing” AHJ. Nasiru Muazu,
Ubandoman Bauchi.

9. Outcome
The Drama sparked discussion
among married people (spousal
communication) and friends within
the communities (peer support)
which created a wave of positive
perception of women and has lead
to uptake of Family Planning
services in two communities.
• Aishatu Umar, New Acceptor“ I
was still waiting to hear what my
husband will say, a day after the
event, I was surprised when my
husband asked me about my view
over what the sarki said about
family planning during the event”
8

10. Outcome
ALH. Ahmad Mhammed Shehu
Sarkin Tirwun “Child Birth Spacing
is the way to keep our women alive”
9

11. DATA FROM FACILITIES WITHIN THE CATCHMENT
AREA THE DRAMA WAS STAGED. Data Source:
NHMIS DHIS 2
10
136
116
152
261
204
328
370 371
279
242
350
334
Apr-19 May-19 Jun-19 Jul-19 Aug-19 Sep-19 Oct-19 Nov-19 Dec-19 Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20
Bayan Fada New FP Acceptors
0
19
26
49
30
53
61
54 57
66
38
44
Apr-19 May-19 Jun-19 Jul-19 Aug-19 Sep-19 Oct-19 Nov-19 Dec-19 Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20
Tirwun PHC New FP Acceptors
Data Source: NHMIS DHIS2

12. The Drama group conduct sensitization for other programs such as WASH,
Nutrition.
Private organizations and individuals engage the drama groups for
sensitization on different projects such as VVF and gets paid for sustenance.
Quarterly Family planning magazine undergoing final phase for lunching,
produced by Yanke yanke drama group.
The Bauchi state partners with these drama groups for sensitization on other
PHC services and has officially included drama groups as a strategy for
community sensitization.
Sustainaibility

13. CONCLUSION
The increase in FP uptake in
both facilities shows that
community theatre is a viable
strategy in achieving and
increased Family Planning
uptake in facilities in Bauchi
State thereby contributing
positively to increase in CPR in
the State.

14. 13
Thank you!