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Getting the message across: an experiment in radio-based water resources management education in Malawi

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conference contribution
posted on 2018-11-09, 16:34 authored by Muthi Nhlema, Robert M. Kalin
Recent studies have recommended leveraging on the potency of media advocacy in attaining the goals of sustainable safe water as key to healthy and prosperous communities. This paper describes the experience of trialling a 6-week radio pilot focussed on water resources management and tracking its effectiveness using SMS technology and field interviews with radio listener groups. Despite a short broadcast period, the radio pilot registered measurable traction with audiences due to a 56% response rate to the SMS tracking system, evidence of behaviour change at village-level and cases of unsolicited queries from the general public demanding for more information. Though effective, any radio-based intervention, at-scale, has to be complemented with field support to receptive communities that could act as model villages. This could be achieved through close collaboration with local government extension networks and the establishment of a community of practise to act as a referral system for queries.

History

School

  • Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Research Unit

  • Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)

Published in

Transformation towards sustainable and resilient WASH services: Proceedings of the 41st WEDC International Conference

Pages

? - ? (6)

Citation

NHLEMA, M. and KALIN, R.M., 2018. Getting the message across: an experiment in radio-based water resources management education in Malawi. IN: Shaw, R.J. (ed). Transformation towards sustainable and resilient WASH services: Proceedings of the 41st WEDC International Conference, Nakuru, Kenya, 9-13 July 2018, Paper 2909, 6 pp.

Publisher

© WEDC, Loughborough University

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Publisher statement

This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Publication date

2018

Notes

This is a conference paper.

Language

  • en

Location

Nakuru, Kenya

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    WEDC 41st International Conference

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