Behaviour Change Communication

We are helping to create an enabling social-cultural environment for supporting girls’ education in South Sudan through behaviour change communication. We do this through radio programmes and community outreach.

Despite widespread awareness and citation of girls’ education as an issue in South Sudan, many barriers still prevent girls from going to school and staying in school. Evidence has shown that awareness of the importance of girls’ education alone is not enough; rather, there needs to be a process of behavioural, practical and social change.

By the end of the first phase of GESS, Our School radio programme reached 2 million listeners, whilst community mobilisation activities reached 51,581 individuals in 1,763 school communities.

By the end of the second phase of GESS, we hope to reach over 2 million individuals through Our School radio programme and 2,700 school communities with community mobilisation.

Behaviour change will be accomplished in two ways:

1. Radio programmes: 15-minute innovative magazine-style radio programmes follow the lives of girls and their families as they strive and resolve the challenges of going to school. These on-air role models act as positive examples, encouraging listeners to adopt certain behaviours over time. The programmes are produced by a South Sudanese team of producers. They are aired in local languages on a number of radio stations across South Sudan.
2. Community mobilisation & outreach includes listener groups, interactive drama and community radio, mirroring the themes set out in each radio programme. These activities target communities with no radio coverage and/or communities that speak a different language from the broadcasts, to reinforce attitudes and behaviours featured in the radio programmes. When COVID-19 safety guidelines on physical distancing were put in place, we adapted to family listening groups, allowing family members to sit together in a safe environment to listen to the pre-recorded radio programmes.

To listen to a selection of our radio programmes, go here.