When the state of emergency was declared in Mozambique due Covid-19, women and girls were shut from accessing SRHR services and information. IPPF member association Associação Moçambicana para Desenvolvimento da Família (AMODEFA) took advantage of radio broadcasting to reach out to the masses with the much-needed information on Covid-19 and SRHR. Radio proved to be a powerful medium with a wider reach covering both urban, it is also appealing to those who may not be able to ordinarily write or read especially when done in the local languages.
Having partnered with the local radio stations including community radio stations owned by FORCUM (Forum of Community Radios), Radio Mozambique, Radio Cidade, Radio Indico-89.5, Voice Coop – FM 101.7, Radio Maxaquene among others, AMODEFA continued with the production of interactive programmes addressing the SRHR needs in the context of the Covid-19 allowing for questions and answers session.
For the successful production of the programmes, AMODEFA trained the radio producers and presenters involved in the production of these programmes thereby increasing their understanding of SRHR, besides AMODEFA provided a pool of experts to be interviewed during the programmes ranging from doctors, nurses, activists, and other programme personnel in various provinces.
The programmes are aired either early in the morning or in the afternoon and are very interactive in nature following the comprehensive sexuality package with linkages to various topics like health, education, cooking etc. Before a given programmes goes on air, a promotion is done through radio announcements to alert and prepare the listeners. Initially the programme was aired bi-weekly but with the covid-19 situation worsening the programmes have been reduced to monthly.
So far, a number of eight programmes have been aired attracting so many questions from the listeners. Based on the questions asked by the listeners’ it is obvious that they are worried on where to get the SRHR services as the pandemic continues, while some of the questions are directly linked to family planning services and how to get them. Other frequently asked questions during the programmes includes how to access the AMODEFA clinics during the state of emergency while are other are requesting for frequent airing of these programmes.
The cost of producing and broadcasting the programmes is so high, however AMODEFA relies on partnerships, good will and the memorandum of understanding that they signed with the stations. On the other hand, AMODEFA has to meet the training costs for the radio presenters who produce the programmes.
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