Radio Waves of Change: Tuning In for Better Nutrition
What can convince you to make a change in your life? It may be your friends’ advice, or a persuasive video you watch online. It may be a good article you read, or a sound advice from your doctor. Would a radio drama work too?
"A balanced meal isn’t about having more food, it’s about having the right food. Even with a simple budget, you can nourish your family by adding eggs, fish, or beans to your meals," comes a voice from the radio, as a few women gathered around their receiver in Nyamasheke tune in.
The hard-working people of this part of Rwanda live from the land and the lake: farmers and fisherman for the most part, they cultivate beans and other vegetables, and - if they live really close to the lake - they fish sambaza.
The life of a rural farmer in remote areas of Rwanda is far from easy. The meager income is quickly spent on family necessities, and little is left for buying better, more nutritious food. Clotilde, a 30-year-old mother of two, has always lived in this area, and can tell you a thing or two about the daily challenges that are all too common to many rural Rwandan families.
Despite her hard work in the fields, Clotilde struggled to provide her children with a balanced diet. She didn’t really know much about the different types of food that might help her children grow stronger and healthier. This limited knowledge of nutrition combined with the high cost of animal-sourced foods meant her family often missed out on essential nutrients. They were at risk of stunting, a condition that manifests in a child who is too short for their age because of poor nutrition, repeated bouts of infections, among other factors.
According to the Rwanda Demographic Health Survey 2019-2020, over 33 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition (stunting), and 19 percent of women of childbearing age have anemia. Both trends are largely due to inadequate diets, but also the widespread lack of knowledge about age-appropriate nutrition.
To address these issues, the Feed the Future Rwanda Orora Wihaze Activity partnered with Urunana Communication Development (Urunana DC), a local NGO, to launch a unique and engaging initiative: a radio soap opera.
Blending entertainment and essential education about nutrition, this program aimed to propose key nuggets of knowledge in a way that was fun to hear and easy to remember. Clotilde enjoyed it with friends.
Primary TextListening to Urunana’s radio drama series was an eye-opener for me.
The program gave practical tips for planning meals and even including animal-sourced proteins, like those from fish or eggs, while living on a tight budget.
“I didn’t know about the importance of a balanced diet before. Listening to Urunana’s radio drama series was an eye-opener for me. I learned how to prepare a balanced meal. Now I include animal-sourced foods in my family meals regularly. Knowing the benefits of animal-sourced foods, I also raise chickens so my family has eggs to eat and even some extra eggs to sell,” Clotilde shared.
The project team knew that radio programs alone won’t make a lasting impact. They reached into the local culture to identify other engaging ways for spreading these important messages about nutrition.
Community theater and one-on-one conversations with knowledgeable volunteers from the the Rwanda Interfaith Council for Health (RICH) reinforced the radio messages, providing practical advice and guiding families towards better nutrition.
“We used insights from our studies to focus on key behaviors and offer practical tips for encouraging the consumption of animal-sourced foods. Through radio shows and community outreach, we’re successfully spreading this important information to a wide audience, helping families access and incorporate these foods into their diets for better health,” said Bosco Kwizera, Nutrition Extension Lead for the Feed the Future Rwanda Orora Wihaze Activity.
Women engaged in Urunana community performance promoting the consumption of animal-sourced foods.
Feed The Future Rwanda Orora Wihaze
The impact of this initiative has been profound. By September 2023, more than 162 radio drama episodes and 22 live performances had reached over 130,000 listeners and engaged 10,000 community members. Significant improvements followed: 80% of children aged 6-23 months and 70% of women of reproductive age were consuming more animal-sourced foods, up from baseline figures of 30% and 25%, respectively.
For Clotilde, the radio soap opera marked a turning point. She learned how to prepare nutritious meals using locally available ingredients and small livestock, and how to plan meals and budget for it to ensure her children receive the nutrition they needed to grow strong.
Primary TextThe radio soap opera changed everything for me. I learned how to make nutritious meals with the simple ingredients I have, and now my children are healthy and thriving.
By using radio programs, community theater, in-person community engagements and social media, projects like Feed the Future Rwanda Orora Wihaze are driving lasting behavior change and improving nutrition for thousands of Rwandan families.
Ivana Lawrence
Feed the Future Rwanda Orora Wihaze Activity, implemented by Land O'Lakes Venture 37, works with local partners and private sector actors in Rwanda to strengthen the animal-sourced foods market system.
To learn more about the approach this project takes to ensure modern farming practices take root in Rwanda, please reach out to icyiza@usaid.gov. Explore what else USAID is doing to support economic growth in Rwanda by visiting our Economic Growth page.