DMI

Location Family planning

Ukusala

Objective

In 2022, the unmet need for family planning in Zambia was 20.9%, and IUDs counted for 1.5% of all modern contraceptive use in the country. We conducted a radio campaign in Zambia to message on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and the benefits of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), with a particular focus on the hormonal IUS.

Locations

Zambia

Themes

Family planning – promoting the uptake of modern contraceptives.

Formats

15 x 60 second radio spots in Lozi and Bemba languages.

Scope

This project began broadcasting in April 2022 and continued for nine months.

Reach

1.5 million

Project at a glance

4
provinces
15
radio spots
2
languages
All Impact Results

Our Approach

Ukusala Science

Science

Identifying barriers to behaviour change

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) conducted formative research to inform the radio project. DMI leveraged CHAI’s formative research as well as conducting our own desk research to understand misconceptions about the hormonal IUS and barriers to behaviour change. We held provincial workshops with the Ministry of Health and local partners to gather input to inform the messaging strategy message weightings for each province.

Stories

Engaging audio content

Over the course of the Ukusala campaign, DMI continued to broadcast 10 popular family planning spots from our WISH2ACTION programme. We also created five new spots related to the hormonal IUS. Message themes included the benefits of the hormonal IUS, common misconceptions, and information about the availability of the method.

A hand holding a red radio as an example of DMI's use of radio spots in this campaign

Saturation

9 months, 15 spots, 2 languages

We produced 15 spots in Lozi (the most commonly spoken language in Western Province) and Bemba (the most widely spoken language in Northern, Central and Copperbelt Provinces). Our radio spots were broadcast 10 times a day, every day, on the most popular radio stations of the four provinces in which we worked on this campaign. This radio campaign concurred with COF-funded community health worker trainings by Marie Stopes Zambia (MSZ) and CHAI.

Project impact

Project Impact

Results

Our campaign reached an estimated 1.5 million people of reproductive age.

We analysed routine health centre data on contraceptive uptake from the four implementation provinces during the campaign. The steepest increases in hormonal IUD uptake appear to be in early-mid 2022. This coincides with the time MSZ and CHAI conducted training sessions for community health workers, as well as the start of DMI’s radio campaign. The number of women opting to use hormonal IUDs doubled over the course of DMI’s demand generation radio campaign.

Partners & Funders

The project is part of the Catalytic Opportunity Fund (COF), a rapid funding mechanism administered by Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to support new and lesser used contraceptive methods, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

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