Stop Early and Unplanned Pregnancy in Africa

Thanks to your continued support, we’re able to make a difference in sexual and reproductive health throughout Africa! Here’s a look at some of our current and future programs that are building brighter futures for women, girls, and families in Africa: 

Ouro Negro  

In 2015, PCI Media partnered with UNICEF Mozambique and Radio Mozambique on a 360-degree communication initiative, Ouro Negro, to address a range of issues including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and family planning. At the heart of Ouro Negro is an entertaining Portuguese-language serial drama (accessible to low-literacy audiences) primarily aimed at reaching rural audiences. The program has been highly effective in creating positive behavior change. 93% of listeners reported increased use of contraception, spacing children, and continuing their education as a result of listening to the radio dramas, all behaviors which lead to smaller family sizes.   

Access Without Barriers (Accesso Sem Barreiras)  

Access Without Barriers leverages the reach and infrastructure of Ouro Negro to further improve sexual and reproductive health education and services for adolescents with disabilities. In addition to radio dramas and teen-produced live shows, the program teaches service providers how to talk to adolescents about family planning, especially those with disabilities. 95% and 80% of health professionals and peer educators respectively, say that our training improved their ability to communicate with adolescents and young people with disabilities. 

Upcoming Programs  

PCI Media is developing a new radio program to address early pregnancy, family planning, and child nutrition in Mozambique as part of a 5-year partnership. The strategy will include a radio drama series, live radio talk shows, radio spots, and community theater beginning in 2024.  

We’re also developing a new entertainment-education transmedia program that will reach individuals, families, and communities in South Africa and 5 neighboring countries (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and Namibia). The transmedia program is a television drama, which will be adapted for radio and will: shift harmful norms and attitudes that lead to teen pregnancy and create obstacles to accessing contraception; reduce stigma around family planning methods; create spaces for dialogue on the drivers of teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence.   

We look forward to sharing more updates on our developing programs soon. Thank you for your continued support improving health and social outcomes for women and girls across the world! 

Thank you for your continued support in helping us to create better sexual health outcomes for communities, families, and teens throughout the world. We’re taking the lessons learned from our successful programs addressing early and unplanned pregnancy in Africa and applying them to new partnerships in North America.  

Access to sexual reproductive health information and services is under growing threat in the United States, which can have a ripple effect for other parts of the world. We are excited to pilot a brand-new initiative in New Mexico that will change the narrative for women and girls involved in the juvenile justice system. 

Youth involved with juvenile justice (YIJJ) are at greater risk for teen pregnancy and STIs than their peers. 50% of teen girls in the juvenile justice system experience pregnancy. New Mexico has a significantly higher rate of teen girl incarcerations than the national average, increasing the risk of early pregnancy among this group. 

We are developing an entertainment-education pilot to change that narrative. Using our unique participatory approach, we’re producing an evidence-based mini-series that will engage youth in the justice system and result in: 

• increased behaviors that prevent pregnancy and STIs 
• increased sexual consent among at-risk youth 
• reduced rates of teen pregnancy and STIs among teens in JJS in New Mexico 
• overall better health outcomes and opportunities for Latin and Native American young people in New Mexico 

Your support helps us to continue to work with local organizations to produce quality and engaging content that supports a healthier, more sustainable, and just world. Visit our website (Pcimedia.org) to learn more! 

Links:

• PCI Media Website

Everyone deserves to have access to essential sexual health information so that they can make healthy, informed choices for themselves. Our programs create better outcomes for communities, families, teens, and children throughout the world by educating audiences on important health and sexual health topics. Here are some highlights in our growing portfolio in Africa and beyond: 

Communities in Mozambique Creating Change Together  

Ouro Negro’s popular entertainment-education radio drama, which promotes the rights, health, and well-being of Mozambican children, teens, families, and communities, surfaces local knowledge to produce positive change. Surveys from the previous year show 93% self-reported behavior change—such as increased contraception use.  

Knocking Down the Barriers to Accessing Health Services 

We’re creating equal opportunities for people with disabilities in Mozambique. The radio dramas in our Access Without Barriers program are designed to educate teens with and without disabilities about important sexual health topics using storylines that are tailored to what listeners actually experience in day-to-day life. So far, we've seen a 530% increase in young people with disabilities accessing health facilities! 

Inspiring Women and Girls Through Storytelling

We’re piloting a brand-new initiative in New Mexico that will change the narrative for women and girls involved in the juvenile justice system. Our new program will use entertainment education to provide essential information about teen pregnancy prevention and sexual health. At the center of the pilot will be an entertaining mini-drama so that audiences become emotionally tied to the stories and characters, influencing values and inspiring healthy behaviors. 

For adolescents with disabilities, access to health facilities and sexual reproductive health information is a critically important issue. According to a report by the UN's Department of Social and Economic Affairs, young people and adults with disabilities are at equal or greater risk of unwanted pregnancies, sexual violence, and sexually transmitted infections. These increased risks are due to several barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing sexual and reproductive health information and services.  

The radio dramas in our Access Without Barriers program are designed to educate teens in Mozambique with and without disabilities about important sexual health topics. The storylines are tailored to what teens actually experience in day-to-day life and help them build safe and informed health behaviors.   

In one episode, we meet Zezinho, a young boy who has fallen into depression after having lost his eyesight during an explosive detonation. Just as Zezinhoworks to regain independence in his daily life, he’s confronted by the new challenge of his changing body. At first, he is embarrassed by these transformations that he has no control over, but as he begins to open up about his feelings and ask questions, he learns that there is nothing to be ashamed of. This important lesson helps him become a supporting friend to many of his peers who are experiencing similar situations but are too embarrassed to ask for help.  

While the drama engages teens around important sexual health topics, it also educates them on what health resources are available to them in their communities. Knowing where to access important everyday health information is one of the biggest factors that lead to positive change. 

“I went to SAAJ [the youth health center] to understand what was happening to me when I ejaculated while having fun with girls. At SAAJ, they explained that I can get a woman pregnant. They advised me, they gave me condoms, and now when I want to have sex with a woman, I use condoms.” (Paulo, 22 years old, Tsagano). 

Thank you for your continued support in providing critical access to sexual reproductive health information and services to communities throughout Africa. Your support helps us to continue to work with local organizationsto produce quality and engaging content that supports a healthier, more sustainable, and just world. 

Thank you for helping to shift attitudes and behaviors and bring critical access to sexual reproductive health information and services to people in places most in need. You're creating a healthier, more sustainable, and just world.

I’m excited to share some results from our  Let's Talk! Conversations to Eliminate Child &Teen Pregnancy in 21 Eastern and Southern Africa (in partnership with UNESCO, Save the Children, UNFPA, and SAfAIDS). The communications campaign aims to end teen pregnancy by shifting cultural norms around sexual health education and advocating for access to contraception and family planning services. After running the campaign for 12 months prior to the pandemic and continuing a modified program, the Let’s Talk! Campaign has the following results among participants:

• 23% more feel a responsibility to prevent child marriage
• 32% are more knowledgable about how to access contraception
• 40% more know how to properly use contraception
• 15% more know how to properly use contraception

Let’s Talk! Campaign participant: “...because when we grew up no one set us down and explained...maybe...we would have not given birth early if we were informed.” Parent

Though PCI Media's active implementation in the program has ended, the “Let’s Talk!” campaign toolkit continues to be used by regional organizations in Eastern and Southern Africa to educate about and improve access to contraception and family planning.

Stay tuned to hear more about how our communications interventions reduce child and teen pregnancy in Africa. Follow us on social media to get more regular updates and information about our Valentine's Day social media Live on how art and storytelling is a catalyst for change!
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