BETENGNA Radio Diaries Program

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BETENGNA Radio Diaries Program

• National Prevention Summit
• Addis Ababa
• April 06 - 08, 2009

Amel Belay Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public HealthCenter for Communication
ProgramsNational AIDS Resource Center(CCP/ARC)
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Betengna Radio Diaries

• Overall Purpose
• Create personal radio diaries of People with
  HIV/AIDS to influence social norms towards
  decreased stigmatization, increased perception
  of HIV risk and severity of AIDS and increased
  public awareness and use of health services
• Target Group
• Primary audience People with HIV/AIDS
• Secondary audience General population (15- 45)
• Partners
• Radio stations - Sheger FM102.1, Radio Ethiopia,
  Dimtsi Woyane Tigray, Amhara Mass Media Agency,
  Debub FM100.9, Guardian organizations (LDGs) e.g.
  OSSA

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Betengna Program Objectives

• Increase self-efficacy of people with HIV/AIDS
  and make their voices heard in their communities
  on over 5 stations in 6 regions
• Decrease stigma and discrimination by exposing
  the human face of life with AIDS and providing a
  platform for discussion among the general public
• Build empathy and support for people with
  HIV/AIDS
• Increase audiences understanding of personal risk
  vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
• Increase public awareness and utilization of VCT,
  PMTCT and ART services.
• Address other social issues relevant to HIV/AIDS
  in context

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Betengna Program Strategies

• Betengna utilizes two main communication
  approaches
• Reality programming
• Entertainment education
• to achieve positive social change

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Betengna Program Strategies

• Develop the skills of HIV "diarists"
• to talk clearly, powerfully and analytically
• about their situation.
• 2. Develop the skills of radio producers
• to produce effective programming that
• responds to priority health issues in
• communities.
• Develop regular weekly radio diaries for
  broadcast highlighting everyday experiences of
  People with HIV/AIDS
• 4. Establish and maintain listening discussion
  groups and other outreach activities to expand
  discussion of these issues to communities

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Betengna Key Success

• Diarists
• Trained 15 diarists in recalling articulating
  personal stories, understanding impact of diaries
  and their role in making diaries
• Several of them decided to reveal their
  identities after being recognized as icons of
  positive living in their communities and beyond
• Increases in self-confidence and self-efficacy
  resulted in marked personal transformations for
  many of the diarists

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Betengna Key Success

• Producers
• Trained 21 radio producers in reality programming
  and diary formats, effective interviewing,
  editing,BCC and journalism
• Selected producers to produce diaries in Amharic,
  Tigrigna and Oromiffa
• Received increased interest to broadcast Betengna
  on community stations

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Betengna Key Success

• Broadcast
• Episodes broadcast to date 205
• Web downloads 47,629 episodes
• Feedback calls (4,013) Letters (488) Email, SMS
• LDGs
• LDGs 9,144 participants reached (SNNPR, Tigray
  and Amhara regions)
• LDG facilitators also using Betengna to
  supplement other prevention activities
• Variety in nature of LDGs (correctional facility,
  School for the visually impaired)

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Betengna Key Success

• Results from 2007 Exposure Impact Study
• A significant number of listeners reported
• They felt a great deal of affinity and
  identification with the HIV-positive diarists
• Were more likely than non-listeners to believe
  that PLHA should be treated with respect
• Listening to the program may have resulted in
  greater knowledge about HIV, transmission modes,
  and prevention methods
• Note Exposure to the program was higher among
  the better educated, wealthier, and younger
  individuals.

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Betengna Key Challenges

• Expensive and increasing costs of airtime at all
  stations on which Betengna is broadcasted
• Lack of sense of ownership from radio stations
  reflected in delayed/untimely broadcasting of
  programs
• Timely and accurate listener data collection from
  LDGs and radio stations is sporadic

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Recommendations

• Continue capacity building of Betengna producers
  to maintain quality and success of radio diaries.
• Explore innovative ways of increasing access of
  the program by the less-educated and less-wealthy
  individuals.
• Increase partnership with radio stations through
  skills trainings and encourage adoption of
  program format/approach.
• Increase Betengna promotion to community radio
  stations.
• Strengthen outreach activities and support them
  through partnerships with local organized groups.
  
• Continue sharing experiences with other radio
  diary programs in Africa.

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• Thank you!
• Any questions?