Effects of an Entertainment-Education (EE) Radio Serial Drama (RSD) on Child Protection in Rwanda

Scott Connolly, Population Media Center
Fatou Jah, Population Media Center
Kriss Barker, Population Media Center
Kwizera Jean-Bosco, Umurage Communications
William Ryerson, Population Media Center

Rwanda is recognized as being a leader in Africa, having made great strides, both in policy and on the ground, regarding the well-being and protection of children and their rights. As the situation for many children continues to improve, however, pockets of vulnerability and detrimental behaviors remain across the country regarding this issue. Population Media Center (PMC) and Umurage Communication for Development (UmC), a nonprofit organization based in Kigali, Rwanda, produced and broadcast Umurage. The RSD addressed the themes of child protection, youth sexual and reproductive health, child health and nutrition, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) using PMC’s unique methodology for EE. Service monitoring during broadcast found 20% of clients were motivated to get services attributed to the drama, including child protection and health services. Endline results found 1.1 million Rwandans listened weekly to the drama. Multivariate analysis found statistically significant impacts on child protection attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors.