1. IRH Community Radio
in Guatemala

2. Overview
IRH brought together a coalition of public
and private sector organizations to develop
radio vignettes that relate gender and sexual
rights to family planning.

3. Objective
Increase awareness of:
•Importance and value of family planning
•Menstrual cycle and fertility
•Benefits of male participation in family planning
•Sexual and reproductive rights

4. Why radio?
80% of women and men have access to radio,
less than 30% have access to television or
print media.
-ENSMI 2002

5. Coverage
•5,000,000 listeners, primarily Mayan
•14 departments:
Guatemala, Chimaltenango, Sololá, Quetzaltena
ngo, Quiché, Totonicapán, Huehuetenango, San
Marcos, Escuintla, Mazatenango, Retalhuleu, Su
chitepéquez, Santa Rosa, Jutiapa

6. Guatemala is multilingual
and multicultural
Radio programs will
be broadcast in:
•Spanish
•K’iche’
•Kaqchikel
•Mam
•Q’eqchi

7. Air time/Implementation/Dissemination
10 weeks for Spanish-language and Mayan
languages
1st month: 4 spots daily (Mon-Sat)
6:00, 7:30, 10:00, 18:00 Hrs.
2nd month: 4 spots daily (Mon-Fri)
6:00, 7:30, 10:00, 18:00 Hrs.
3rd month: 2 spots daily
6:45, 15:40 Hrs.

8. Partners
Content:
•PROEDUSA
•URC/Calidad
•IGSS
•APROFAM
•MOH’s PEC Network
•UNFPA
Dissemination, translation,
air time:
•FGER

9. Radio Vignettes
1. Family planning
2. Menstrual Cycle and
SDM
3. Male participation
and SDM
4. Sexual and
Reproductive Rights
and SDM

10. Family Planning
Objective: Couples recognize that it is not only God’s
will that determines the number and timing of
children; men and women can discuss their
preferences and make family planning decisions
together.
Topics covered:
• Importance of health timing and spacing
• Many family planning options available, go to
health post for information

11. Menstrual Cycle & SDM
Objective: Increased understanding
of fertility and the menstrual
cycle helps women make
informed, voluntary decisions
about their sexual and
reproductive health.
Topics covered:
• Menstruation
• Menstrual cycle
• Tracking the menstrual cycle with CycleBeads
• Benefits of CycleBeads
• Who can use SDM

12. Male participation & SDM
Objective: Men recognize the
importance of family planning, inform
themselves about options and support
their wives in making decisions about the
number and timing of children.
Topics:
•Men and women have right to make voluntary informed
decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives
•Benefits of family planning
•Postive male engagement in family planning
•How men can support FP

13. Sexual and Reproductive Rights & SDM
Objective: Women are aware of their sexual rights and make
informed and voluntary decisions about family planning
use.
Topics covered:
•Reproductive and sexual rights an integral part of
human rights.
•Right to complete, accurate information about a range
of family planning methods
•Right to voluntary and informed decision making
•Fertility awareness can support informed decisions
•Law protects women from violence

15. Community Radio initiative in
Sisai & Bherno blocks of Gumla District
Jharkhand, India

16. Why Community Radio?
• Piloting a model of media mix by integrating
Radio Broadcast and narrow casting with IPC
channels aimed at intensive transference of
knowledge on Family Planning especially SDM and
LAM
•Developing community ownership through
involvement of local talent and contextualizing the
content on Family Planning

17. Approach
Selection and
Conducting Script Writing Camp
Training of CRJs from
Audience Research and Pilot Testing
the Community
- Broadcasting Couple
Recording - Narrow Casting
counseling,
Community
Meeting

18. Radio Episode Design
BRAND Detail:
Name of the Radio Program: “RADIO PRAKRITI”
EPISODE Duration:
10 episodes with 7 focus thematic issues, each 15
mins duration

19. Episode wise thematic focus
Episode 1 Introduction to Family Planning and Birth
Spacing
Episode 2 Family Planning and benefits of birth spacing
Episode 3 and 4 SDM “Mala Chakra”
Episode 5 and 6 LAM “LAM Vidhi”
Episode 7 Postpartum Family Planning
Episode 8 Male Involvement
Episode 9 Role of Sahiyaa/ANM/AWW in promotion of
Family Planning
Episode 10 Role of Family, in laws, community in family
Planning and birth spacing

20. Narrow Casting Design
-Organizing Narrow
casting meeting
- clarifying CRJ’s Role
- building content
familiarity
- distribution of
MP3 players
- development of narrow
casting plan
-Village wise implementation

21. Addressing Gender
•Equal ratio of male and female CRJs
•Episode on male participation
•Focus on reaching out to men for narrow casting by
targeting village market days
•Need for male and female CRJ teams
•Male involvement episode
•Dream sequence with Yam Raaj (God of Death)
•Takes husband to hell for not participating in FP
•Husband wakes up and reforms his ways

22. Lessons Learnt
• Spirit of volunteerism amongst community youth can be
harnessed to address sensitive issues as family planning
provided they are given the opportunity to be a part of the
process and showcase their skills
• Effective coverage and transmission of accurate
information on family planning especially SDM and LAM
takes place through media mix
•Feedback mechanisms from communities to be designed
ahead in the program design phase (post cards, dial-in
service)

23. Challenges encountered
• High migration rates in certain villages making narrow
casting difficult
• Political instability in the state and announcement of
elections resulting in postponing of implementing narrow
casting
• Mobility of women CRJs were limited to daytime
• CRJs expectation of employment from the agency

24. India Audio
Audio files