Implementing Multiple Gender Strategies to Improve HIV and ... - ICRW

• Ministry of Health
Evaluation partners:
• Birhan Research and Development Consultancy
• Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia
• Marie Stopes International clinics
• Government hospitals
• Ethiopian Government Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency
• Ministry of Health
• 50 established Listeners' Groups
IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS
Start-up and
Implementation
Process
In 1999, the Ethiopian government formally invited PMC to develop and
implement a radio-based media strategy. PMC selected an expert advisory
committee comprising government officials, representatives of nonprofit
and community-based organizations, target audience opinion leaders, and
target audience members at large to provide oversight and guidance.
Formative audience research identified the issues the program would
address, the population groups most vulnerable in relation to these issues,
the services and programs currently in place to address the target issues,
the country’s media infrastructure, and the beliefs, behaviors, and media
consumption patterns of the target audience. Findings of this formative
research were disseminated during a daylong meeting held in Addis Ababa
for the advisory council and project writers and producers.
During a three-week workshop, creative staff and the country
representative, following the Sabido methodology, used these findings to
design settings, characters, and story lines around the major themes of the
drama. They produced and tested four pilot episodes to ensure that the
program was entertaining, educational, and culturally appropriate.
Simultaneously, a promotional campaign to raise awareness about the
forthcoming program was launched, and an in-country research institution
was selected to independently evaluate the project’s effect on knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors around sexual and reproductive health. Health
service providers were recruited to ask new clients what motivated their
decision to seek services and whether the client was listening to a PMC
program, as well as to report to PMC the number of clients they received
each month.
Local Involvement/
Ownership
The Ethiopian radio serial dramas rely on the involvement of an expert
advisory committee of target audience members, government officials, and
nongovernmental organization representatives. Furthermore, the serial
dramas are pilot tested with actual audience members to determine if the
content is suitable and culturally appropriate. While community involvement
is high, this approach is dependent on the implementer to provide the initial
training for drama content development and external funding to sustain the
project.
Evaluation
Methodology
• Facility assessments (client exit interviews): Three rounds of client exit
interviews were conducted in 48 health clinics during 2003 and 2004.
The first round, completed in February 2003, consisted of interviews
with 4,084 clients. The second round, which included interviews with
4,858 clients, was completed in April 2004. The third round was
completed in November 2004 and included interviews with 3,649
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