Final Report For RTI, Health For Life

Radio stations such as Radio Buddha Awaaj, Kapilvastu FM, and Dhurbatara FM have promoted health as a "main news" by incorporating health-related stories and issues into their programming. This has been successful in advocating health stakeholders towards a positive action in the health sector. Improved services of health facilities have also been achieved, including the appointment of Auxiliary Health Workers (AHWs) and health assistants, filling up of vacant posts, improving sanitation of health posts, and procuring medicines and equipment. Advocacy for better infrastructure and accountability of health workers has also been successful, with people becoming aware of different facilities and services available from health facilities and provision of action against absentee workers. The project has also fulfilled gaps between service seekers and service providers, with radio and public hearing serving as a platform for connecting service seekers and service providers. Service seekers directly interact with service providers in sharing their problems and challenges for quality health service, while service providers share about different health facilities and services, clarify myths around health facilities, and take action against wrongdoers. The main constraints that have affected program implementation include weak capacity of some radio stations, such as Argakhachi FM, Ramgyanu FM, Khalanga FM, and Nari Awaaj FM, which have struggled with production and technical capacity, leading to timely and quality production of radio programs. Coordination with District Health Officers has also been a challenge, with some radio stations facing difficulty in coordinating with public health offices for content approval and interviewing. Difficulty in individual mentoring has also been a challenge, with one producer at Antenna Foundation Nepal struggling to minutely observe 28 scripts and mentor producers for quality content every week. Producer's multiple responsibilities have also been a challenge, with majority of producers engaged in multi-tasking apart from H4L project activities, leading to overburden and low motivation levels. Change in management/producers has also affected project activities, with project activities hampered due to change in management of radio stations like Lisne Awaaj and Mandavi for almost 2-3 months. Issue planning/changing has also been a challenge, with radio stations struggling to follow up on issues suggested by DPHO and DHO for producing radio programs. Weather threats and festivals have also affected program implementation, with monsoon, floods, and festivals like Dashain resulting in postponement of public hearing and problems in field works for collecting reports for radio programs. Antenna Foundation Nepal is an independent, non-governmental, and non-profit organization dedicated to the development of public broadcasting in Nepal. The organization has successfully implemented a 15-month communication program initiative since October 2013, working with 28 radio program producers and program managers from 14 project districts in the mid-western and western region. The project has worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including District Public Health Office, District Health Office, Female Community Health Volunteers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife, Doctors, Health Supervisors and In-charges, Academics (Teachers/Professors), and civil society organizations. Major beneficiaries of the project are poor, adolescent, women, and marginalized groups and disadvantaged adolescent girls. The radio contents focus on reproductive and sexual health, new born care and child health, family planning particularly on birth spacing and contraception, HIV/AIDS and STDs, antenatal and post natal care/safe motherhood based on behavioral and attitudinal change both in terms of service seekers and service providers to improve quality of health service delivery and governance system of health institutions. The major objective of the 13-month project was to provide technical assistance for building capacity of radio program producers in producing quality radio health programs by focusing on behavior change communication approach for improving behaviors to adopt healthy practices for quality life. The project has achieved significant progress in this area, with radio program producers demonstrating improved capacity in producing quality radio health programs. The project has also achieved significant progress in promoting health as a "main news" in radio stations, with radio stations such as Radio Buddha Awaaj, Kapilvastu FM, and Dhurbatara FM incorporating health-related stories and issues into their programming. This has been successful in advocating health stakeholders towards a positive action in the health sector.