Toolbox: Social Marketing
Document: Social marketing for health and family planning: Building on tradition and popular culture in Niger
 Social marketing for health and family planning: Building on tradition and popular culture in Niger
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Aventures de Foula - Série 1 The first series of "Aventures de Foula", which contained 13 five-minute radio sketches (and 2 additional songs) was broadcast all over Niger over a fifteen week period starting in February 2007. Each episode was a mini-drama designed to inform and provoke thought about risky sexual activity that can result in unwanted pregnancy and disease, when to use condoms, how to get your partner to agree, early marriage, forced marriage, and the spacing of births. These sketches had been broadcast by 46 radio stations at the rate of one per week, three times per day every day for a combined total of 8,000 broadcasts. They had been accompanied by 600 radio debates where invited guests focussed on issues raised by the sketches and, in some cases, listeners called in to question and argue. Produced in Niger’s three most commonly spoken languages (French, Djerma and Hausa) the sketches were aimed mainly at young people 15 to 24 years old but were heard by their parents and grandparents, too, and led to much discussion and debate within families. Carefully organized and scheduled to go with them had been 8100 discussions in fadas groups of friends who get together, usually in the evening, to exchange gossip and talk about other matters of mutual interest guided by trained animators and attended by 185,000 young people. In addition, there had been 1200 discussions in school classrooms and more than 17,500 students had participated.
Aventures de Foula - Série 2 Post-broadcast assessments of Series 1 had concluded it would be well
worth producing a second series of "Aventures de Foula", this one with
24 five-minute episodes and aimed not only at young people but at
certain other groups found to be most in need of education in family
planning and sexual and reproductive health, including prevention of
HIV and STIs.
Those groups are rural women, truck drivers, sex workers, and members
of the armed forces. This second series had just been launched in
March 2009.
Here, we offer the first 15 episodes for listening and download:
TV spots and songs to target sexually active youth In Niger, as in many other countries, the needs for family planning and health services tend to be greatest among the poorest and least educated people in rural areas. However, the needs for HIV prevention tend to be greatest among the richest. and best educated people in urban areas. They may be better informed about HIV and how to prevent it but, still, they engage in more high-risk sexual activity (e.g., with non-cohabiting partners including sex workers) and, while they may know they should wear condoms, they fail to wear them often enough that they are at high risk of acquiring HIV. With that in mind, the Social Marketing Project has targeted sexually active youths right across Niger with television spots and songs featuring Mali Yaro, ZM and other popular entertainers. The television spots are more likely to reach those in urban areas but the songs can be played on radio and reach at least some young adults in rural areas. (Click the links below to open and close the videos - with fast Internet connection you can select 'High Quality' HQ from the Menu) Sexual education on DVD In 2004, the project ANIMAS-SUTURA produced French, Djerma and Hausa versions of a 52-minute video on DVD (or CD) called “Realité de SIDA en Niger”, which features medical doctors and other experts providing basic information about STIs, HIV and AIDS and other sexual and reproductive health issues. This video continues to be used in schools and other venues. |
The African Network for Strategic communication in health and development(AfriComNet) invites entries for the 2012 Annual Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS communication in Africa. Submission deadline is May 31, 2012. For details about the nomination criteria, please follow the link www.africomnet.org/awards
Jane Apila
AfriComNet secretariat,
Plot 15, Binayomba Road
Bugolobi , Kmapala Uganda
Tel: +2564141237222
www.africomnet.org