Community Radio Program to Improve the Health of Women and Children End of Project Report

The project goal is to improve the health of women and children by designing and broadcasting four unique Radio Serial Dramas (RSD) series to support behavior change around key health and social issue areas in five provinces. The project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and aims to reach a wide audience through a unique entertainment-education methodology for social and behavior change communication (SBCC). The project focuses on five provinces in Zambia: Luapula, Muchinga, Central, Northern, and Western. The target population includes women and adolescents aged 15-49, as well as men aged 15-59, with indirect beneficiaries being children. The project's objectives are to write, produce, and broadcast two radio serial dramas in Bemba language (Kwishilya “Over the Horizon”) and Lozi language (Siñalamba “Breaking the Barrier”). The dramas contain 312 episodes, with each episode lasting 15-20 minutes. The project's expected results include a 41.5% increase in the audience recalling a specific USG-supported Family Planning/Reproductive Health (FP/RH) message, as well as a 28.8% increase in family planning/reproductive health use among adults and adolescents. The project also aims to increase modern contraceptive prevalence to 34.7% and to motivate 26.8% of post-natal women to seek FP/RH services. The project implementation began on February 20, 2018, and ended on April 20, 2023. The project was divided into several phases, including the inception stage, project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. The project faced several challenges, including language barriers in Central Province, COVID-19, power outages, and the formation of the Technical Advisory Committee. The project's monitoring and evaluation plan included conducting surveys, telephone surveys, and focus group discussions to assess the project's impact. The project exceeded its indicator target for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 and replaced monthly telephone surveys with Flexy Track Surveys. The project also conducted a Phase 2 Outcome Survey and a Closeout Plan. The project's endline evaluation was conducted in April 2023, and the results showed that the project had achieved its expected results. The project's conclusion highlights the importance of using entertainment-education methodology for social and behavior change communication in improving the health of women and children in Zambia. The project's geographic focus is on five provinces in Zambia: Luapula, Muchinga, Central, Northern, and Western. The project's implementation details include the production and broadcasting of 624 Radio Serial Drama (RSD) episodes, as well as the establishment of a Technical Advisory Committee and the conduct of surveys and focus group discussions. The project's timeframes are from February 20, 2018, to April 20, 2023, with the project's inception stage beginning in February 2018 and the project implementation phase ending in April 2023. The project's recommendations include the continued use of entertainment-education methodology for social and behavior change communication in improving the health of women and children in Zambia.