Senegal
Population Media Center has received funding from USAID and UNFPA-Senegal for two radio serial dramas. The three-year project will focus on promoting family planning use and adoption of other reproductive health behaviors.
PMC is broadcasting two radio serial dramas in Senegal. Ngelawu Nawet (Winds of Hope) is a 168-episode drama in the Wolof language, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), under a subcontract to the local social marketing firm, the Agence pour le Développement de Marketing Social (ADEMAS). Ngelawu Nawet began broadcasting nationwide over RTS National 95.7 FM in Wolof in October 2009 and will continue through the middle of 2010. The program addresses family planning, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, child survival, and malaria prevention.
Monthly debates of Ngelawu Nawet began in August 2010. The debates are broadcast live on the first Sunday of the month on national radio stations and then rebroadcast on the regional stations throughout the week. The debates feature a panel of judges and an open format for callers to phone-in and ask questions about the drama. The first debate (held on August 1, 2010) covered family planning and reproductive health issues. PMC-Senegal’s head writer, Daour Wade, was on the air to discuss the characters and their journey throughout the drama.
PMC is also broadcasting Coñal Keele (Harvesting the Seeds of Life), a 58-episode drama in the Pulaar language, funded by the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA). Coñal Keele began broadcasting in October 2009 and will also continue through the middle of 2010. The program is broadcast in the Matam region of Senegal over RTS Matam FM 105.5, and addresses adolescent reproductive health. The Matam region has been identified by UNFPA as a priority region, having a high need for youth health interventions.
For both programs, PMC is working in partnership with RAES (Réseau Africain de l’Education pour la Santé) based in Dakar, Senegal and the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health.
