The January 2008 issue of Population Reports carries a feature article on Population Media Center’s Ethiopian radio serial Yeken Kignit (“Looking Over One’s Daily Life”).

The publication can be found at http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/j56/j56.pdf.

Many thanks to NaHyun Cho, who authored the article.

If the people of Niger (Nigeriens) remain uninformed about family planning and keep reproducing at the current rate the country’s population will more than quadruple by 2050, imposing unmanageable demands on the economy, social services and the environment, according to research by Niger’s national statistics agency.

Niger’s population is counted by the Institute for National Statistics (INS), which compiles its own data through national surveys and censuses and by collaborating with UN agencies. It calculates the current rate of population growth is 3.3 percent every year.

If that growth continues, there will be 56 million people living in Niger by 2050, compared to 13.5 million today, the INS says. In 1960, Niger’s population was just 1.7 million.

For full article, visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=75801

Below is an article on PMC’s work. It appeared in the winter 2008 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

For full article, download:

Population Media Center 2008 Smart Soaps (PDF, 172 KB)

Launched in 2002, Dramatool is a web-based platform described as “an international meeting point for drama/theatre education”. Available in Amharic, Chinese, English, French, Kiswahili, and Spanish (as of this writing), this website is an effort to empower drama and theatre practitioners through networking. Dramatool is run by a team of 11 people from 5 countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Sweden, Tanzania, and Uganda) who have experience in working with drama and theatre as a tool for an inclusive and humane society.

Dramatool aims to be an open forum, which is available to anybody who is interested in and works in the area of drama education and performing arts.

Contact: info@dramatool.org

For full article, visit:

http://www.comminit.com/en/node/265376

In Ethiopia, it can be dangerous for a girl to leave the house. Not because of war, or weather, but “weddings”—specifically the long-standing cultural tradition of marriage by abduction.
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I thought you would be interested in seeing a report from PMC-Ethiopia regarding a recently-completed workshop with Muslim leaders from the Afar region on the subject of FGM. There is an excellent proclamation, starting on page 16 of the report, as well as summaries of the comments of the religious leaders. One of the most outspoken people at the workshop, who called for ending the practice of FGM, was the President of the Supreme Sharia Court of Afar region.

Ethiopia FGM Workshop for Religious Leaders (Word doc., 92 KB)

Best wishes,
Bill

There is an article about Population Media Center’s work in Ethiopia on the Communication Initiative website.

For full article, visit:

http://www.comminit.com/evaluations/id2007/impactdata-79.html.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Save the Children Norway, with funds from the Norwegian government, has announced that it will provide Population Media Center (PMC) with $2.4 million for a four-year, social content radio serial drama project in Ethiopia. The drama will be created using the Sabido methodology, a highly effective entertainment education technique that PMC has implemented in thirteen countries worldwide. The serial drama will address issues relating to reproductive health.

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