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Learn how we use evidence-based behaviour change campaigns to improve and save lives in low-income countries.
Learn about how DMI brings together two different worlds: demonstrable scientific practice and creative storytelling.
Location Child survival
At the beginning of 2023, there were over 1.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burkina Faso, owing to the continuing security situation (UNOCHA, 2023). The regions most affected by IDP influx are also those most affected by health centre deterioration and closure. We are broadcasting spots across Burkina Faso to encourage parents of children under five to seek treatment for preventable and curable illnesses and provide advice to those without access to health centres.
Burkina Faso
Child survival – treatment and prevention of malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia.
26 x 1-minute radio spots.
Our spots are broadcast up to 10 times a day, every day, on 28 local radio stations, from April 2023 to March 2024. The spots are accompanied by long format shows on two radio stations, twice per week.
9 million
Science
Malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia are three of the biggest killers of under-fives in Burkina Faso. DMI’s first RCT in Burkina Faso proved that a DMI Saturation+ child survival campaign led to an increase in treatment-seeking for malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia of 56%, 73%, and 39% respectively (all p<0.001). We have since scaled up our child survival radio campaign to a national level.
Continued broadcast of health messaging is particularly critical now, as the security situation in Burkina Faso has left almost two million people internally displaced. This increase in IDPs, coupled with the closure of hundreds of health centres, is putting strain on remaining health services, and leaving millions more vulnerable to disease than ever. Radio is one of the few remaining tools available for supporting these crisis-affected populations.
Stories
DMI Burkina Faso has a repository of maternal and child health spots that will be broadcast alongside new content which addresses treatment-seeking during the security situation. With many people unable to access health centres, our spots will focus on the prevention of common illness, and some will place additional emphasis on ways to treat milder ailments outside of health centres, for example using oral rehydration solutions for diarrhoea. The first batch of Laafi spots broadcast focused on malaria prevention, namely the usage of bed nets.
Saturation
We are monitoring the security situation carefully and adapting where we broadcast our content. Radio stations are divided into three broadcast zones: standard, blockaded, and displacement. In standard zones, DMI spots can be played as usual, with LiST modelling used to determine the message weighting. In displacement zones, spots will still recommend visiting the health centre, but will also acknowledge the barriers of longer waiting times when taking children for treatment. In blockaded zones where centre-based healthcare is severely limited, spots will direct parents towards community health workers and place emphasis on ways to treat milder illness without seeking healthcare.
We are grateful to several private donors, primarily from the Effective Altruism Community, for supporting this project.
What Next
We are seeking funding to expand the scope and length of this project to continue to reach IDPs and parents of under-fives in Burkina Faso.