URUNANA - Communication for behavioral change

Presented by;Presented by;
Urunana DC ManagementUrunana DC Management
Email: info@urunanadc.org; Website: www.urunanadc.org

 Urunana Development Communication (Urunana DC) is a registered
National Non-Government Organization which is specialized in
development communication mainly focusing on Social and Behaviour
Change Communication approaches;
 The NGO was started in 2004 and obtained its legal status as a not-for-
profit National Non Government Organization in 2006, under
Ministerial order No. 138/11 of 27th
December 2006;
 Urunana DC was started by Rwandans with the support of Health
Unlimited (Currently known as Health Poverty Action), a UK based
organization;
 The organization is governed by the board of directors who are
answerable to the general assembly.
Background


 Our Vision: “We are committed to being a leading
development communication organization in health and social
welfare”
 Our Mission: “To contribute to the development and the
wellbeing of communities in Rwanda through innovative,
creative and interactive communication and social services”
 Our Core values: Professionalism, Transparency and
Accountability, Respect for local culture and values,
Participatory and Interactive communication, Gender equity,
Social and Economic equity and, Financial sustainability
Background …

 Urunana radio soap opera: This is one of our most successful
program interventions with listenership currently estimated at above
70% (Program assessment report, 2012) of the population in Rwanda.
Urunana is an audience driven program.
 The first radio opera episode was produced and aired on the 16th
February 1999; So far over 1800 episodes have been produced and
broadcast;
 The Urunana radio soap opera depicts real-to-life image of
Nyarurembo (fictitious village) that represents all communities in
Rwanda.
 Urunana radio soap opera largely address health sector issues. Areas
of focus in recent years include: SRH, HIV and AIDS, Malaria, TB,
Maternal and Child Health, Family Planning, Gender Based Violence,
Malaria, Nutrition, etcetera.
Urunana DC Program Activities

 The prominent audience driven “URUNANA Radio Soap Opera“ program that
is produced and is broadcast weekly since 1999;
 Umuhoza radio magazine program: this is an interactive pre-recorded radio
program which explores in depth the issues addressed through Urunana radio
soap opera episodes;
 Community outreach theatre performances: These are community activities
whereby drama skits are developed and performed right in the community;
The activity attracts huge audiences in the range of 5000 – 10,000 people who
mainly come to see and learn from their favorite characters in Urunana;
 Other Urunana DC SBCC products include: radio sketches, radio spots, stand
alone serial radio drama, Mobile video cinema shows, TV drama and TV spots;
Urunana DC Program Activities
…

Email: info@urunanadc.org;
www.urunanadc.org
Actors on stage before a very attentive audience at Burega in Rulindo district during a
scene where a woman who took milk at the Milk Collection Centre late returned it home

www.urunanadc.org

www.urunanadc.org
Actors on stage before a very attentive
audience at Burega in Rulindo district
during a skit aimed at raising awareness on
milk handling practices

 URUNANA DC uses edutainment communication approach in its
SBCC program;
 An atmosphere of entertainment is created to hold the attention of the
audience while forming a good education environment;
 This blend (entertainment-education) ensures that the desired key
messages are interwoven into the character stories and attracts the
audience;
 Our program always ends with a cliff hanger to generate curiosity in
the mind of the listener to listen to the next program.
Communication Approach

 Urunana Development Communication came into partnership with LAND O
LAKES/Rwanda Dairy Competitiveness Program II (RDCPII), to implement a
communication project titled “Awareness Creation towards Improved Nutrition
through Increased consumption of Milk and dairy products in Rwanda (ACINIM)”;
 As usual Urunana DC engages in an orientation session with its partners to
clearly understand the intention of the new project;
 The orientation session was held with LOL right at the onset of the project to
take the creative team of Urunana DC through what was to be communicated
about and also shared relevant documentation;
 This helped Urunana DC to find an entry point into the main problem and was
able to design relevant storyline of Urunana radio soap opera for the key
messages on milk and diary products;
Partnership with LOL

 Then one day workshop for Urunana DC staff to discuss project
goals, objectives and activities; A learning and experience
sharing session was also organized with selected partners in
dairy sector;
 Among the key presenters was the Head of Nutrition
department and 2 presenters from Rwanda Agriculture Board
(one cup of milk per child) to enable the team have wide
knowledge on the subject to be addressed;
 Urunana DC production team noted key attitudes to challenge
as well as myths and misconceptions around milk consumption
hence gained clear understanding to carry on the project.
Partnership with LOL…

 Led by Urunana DC Production Team together with LOL
and selected key stakeholders, a content/messages
development workshop was held to design key messages
targeting different segments of people (target population)
with identified behaviors;
 The expected output of the workshop was to develop
messages which are understandable, believable, personally
relevant, culturally relevant, attention-catching, memorable
and do-able; This was done!
Pre- Production Workshops


 Urunana DC production team proceeded with a storyline
workshop and developed a storyline with messages on milk
and dairy products to run for a period of one year;
 Artistically reviewed the messages and assessed the characters
to assign respective messages in Urunana radio soap opera;
 Planned regular Audience Surveillances to pre-tested for
accuracy and reliability of messages and stories of Urunana
Radio Soap to inform program production;
Storyline Workshop

Map of Nyarurembo


 Watch video clips for audience feedback
Effect of the key messages among the
listeners
Email: info@urunanadc.org; www.urunanadc.org
LOL testimony.mp4


 Watch video documentary of the community outreach
theater performance (see video)
Effect of the key messages among the
listeners

 «I am Laurien, I like Urunana program, I want to tell men who
are like Ruremesha that they should change their mindset. They
should take care of their wives by getting for them a balanced
diet. They should not understand that milk is for sale only. The
child’s health is the responsibility of both of them. .. » sent on
8/5/2016
 «How are you? I am called Ngirente Jean Bosco. Petero’s father
should give enough milk to his family members so that they can
drink until they feel satisfied because, as I can see, they are the
ones who mix it with water I am in Kigali, Kicukiro,
Kagarama» sent on 1/5/2016 tel : 0783 332 852
Some audience testimonies
and feedback …
www.urunanadc.org


 “I was helped by Ruremesha’s family.We had the same
disease (prolem) I compare to leprosy; we used to sell all
the milk without leaving some for the family. After
hearing the effect of Ruremesha’s selling of all the milk, we
changed and that disease is no longer in our family” said
by Sibonyange Oliver from Gikaya, Nyamirama,
Kayonza district;
Some audience testimonies and
feedback …

 Community mobilization using the community outreach
theatre approach with skits carrying the desired key
messages is very effective considering the way messages
reach huge numbers of the population who attend the
events and able to gauge message retention immediately
after performance
 The sample audience testimonies give clear indication
that the effect of the messages among the target
population is strong and the impact of the
communication program is felt;
Lessons Learnt


 We noticed form the testimonies, that messages depicted in Urunana
radio drama and Umuhoza radio magazine and community outreach
theatre, reach a wide audience.
 This kind of communication offers an advantage of increasing the
audience’s belief that people in similar circumstances can learn
vicariously and copy positive approach from their counter parts. Such
entertaining and educative programmes positively reinforce beliefs and
behaviours compatible with public health goals.
Lessons Learnt…

Thank you

URUNANA - Communication for behavioral change

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to URUNANA - Communication for behavioral change

Similar to URUNANA - Communication for behavioral change (20)

More from SUN Civil Society Network

More from SUN Civil Society Network (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

URUNANA - Communication for behavioral change