Rwandan soap opera honoured at awards ceremony
16 June 2008
A radio soap opera from Rwanda has been recognised at a major UK media awards
ceremony. Urunana beat six other short-listed projects from around the globe to
win the Special Achievement Award for Development Media at the One World Media
Awards, held in London on 12 June.
Designed to entertain - and educate
 The
show, which was launched in 1999 with funding support from DFID, has captured
the imagination of the Rwandan people with its engaging depictions of village
life. But Urunana is more than just entertainment – it is also an educational
project, designed to deliver essential information about sexual and reproductive
health, including HIV/AIDS, to rural women and young people.
The soap follows the daily lives of the inhabitants of Nyarurembo, a
fictional village in rural Rwanda. Scripts are carefully prepared to reflect the reality of
rural living, drawing on research and feedback exercises with audience groups.
Rather than instructing listeners on how to behave, it allows them to make
informed decisions for themselves.
While the focus is on women's health, the show's storylines also incorporate
issues affecting the whole community. Past episodes of Urunana have dealt with
such subjects as the rights of girls to an education, orphans' rights to
inheritance, young people's sexuality, animal husbandry, and treating trauma in
the aftermath of genocide.
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International recognition
The award was accepted by Narcisse Kalisa, Managing Director of Urunana
Development Communication. "I am very proud that the good work of such a small
organisation, Urunana DC, has paid off on an international level," he said.
"This is a motivating factor for us to continue to serve the rural population in
Rwanda and in the Africa Great Lakes Region."
Sandra Pepera, Head of DFID Rwanda, welcomed the recognition for the show. "We
are extremely proud to have contributed in a small way to Urunana’s success,"
she commented. "We really value the role it has played in educating Rwandans on
a wide range of health issues. We hope it runs and runs!"
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Engaging with audiences
 Urunana
(which translates as "hand in hand") goes out across Rwanda and the whole
Kinyarwanda/Kirundi-speaking area of the African Great Lakes Region. Reaching an
audience of over 10 million, the programme has done much to promote sexual
health among Rwandans.
A study conducted between 2002 and 2005 revealed that around 74% of the
population regularly tuned in to the twice-weekly, 15 minute broadcasts.
Furthermore, surveys have shown that, after listening to Urunana, a significant
majority of people discuss issues around sexual and reproductive health,
including family planning and safe sex.
The soap was the brainchild of Health Unlimited, a UK-based non-governmental
organisation (NGO) which specialises in health projects in communities
affected by conflict. DFID supported Urunana with £250,000 from 2000 to 2005,
under the Civil Society Challenge Fund.
Previous plaudits for Urunana include the Community Development Initiative's
Community Service Award, in December 2007, and, earlier this month, the African
Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet)
Award.
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