At the invitation of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, MPL provided Technical Assistance (TA) to the Ministry’s Population Information and communication Bureau (PICB) Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. Due, largely to inter-ethnic distrust, previous population census exercises in Nigeria have often resulted in chatter belt leaving the country’s development planners with no options than to rely on estimated population figures.

Against this backdrop, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) was determined to carry out a successful population census exercise in 2005. Accordingly, it called on all stakeholders to do their homework to ensure success.

Thus, PICB initiated massive media campaigns in addition to other interventions strategies. MPL assisted PICB in its formative research to identify and mitigate macro and micro level factors responsible for repeated census failures. The research outcomes was used in designing appropriate campaign strategies.

Project Support: Programs for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) Washington, DC, USA.
Funding: Ford Foundation
Project Number: FOR 009 – 03009 – GRT
Duration: November 2001 – November 2002
Location: Okon community, Northern Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Project Brief: The project was designed to identify cultural factors that reinforce gender imbalance, HIV/AIDS and child labor/trafficking as well as property inheritance with negative impact on the economic well being of widows and orphans.

Among other issues, findings identify a “strong linkage between rural gender poverty with the vulnerability of women to negative cultural practices in response to pressure for survival”. Hard copies of the report can be ordered by sending mail to multisec@multisec.org.ng

Location: Odoro Ikot community, Essien Udim, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Funding: Ford Foundation
Project Number: FOR 0009 – 0321 – SPS
Implementing Agencies: Development Communications Center (DCC) with Multi Sector Projects (MPL) providing research support and TA.
Duration: September 2003 to September 2004.
Project Brief: MPL in partnership with Development Communications Center (DCC) implemented a Behaviour Change Communications (BCC) project with technical support from PATH and funding from Ford Foundation. The project addressed stigmatization of Twin and Multiple Births in some parts of Niger Delta. The project was designed to build the capacity of traditional rulers, women groups, faith based organizations etc and raise an advocacy group-the "Friends of Twin"-that will work with other stakeholders to change community attitudes and behaviors and educate the population on the causes of twin births using Entertainment Education communication strategy for behaviour change. The project Number FOR0009-03021SPS, which began in 2002, was completed in December 2004.

(b) Multi Sector Projects (MPL) in collaboration with FORDESH  managed the TOTALCARD Scheme of Elf Petroleum
Nigeria Limited. The TOTALCARD Scheme was implemented
under the Niger Delta Trust Fund (NDTF), a partnership Program between EPNL, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and  the United Bank for Africa (UBA). During the formative research, MPL/FORDESH conducted Situation Assessment on over 100 co-operative societies in Egi land (OML 58 communities) Rivers State. So far, over 25% of the co-operatives have accessed interest free credit facilities for co-operative Investments.

Gugar Goge is a 70 episodes radio serial drama in Hausa language developed to address the issues of Obstetric Fistula (Vesico Vaginal Fistula, VVF & Recto Vaginal Fistula, RVF) prevention, treatment and rehabilitation as well as family /reproductive health services utilization and HIV/AIDs prevention with Kaduna and Kano States as pilot states.

Vesico Vaginal and Recto Vagina fistula are debilitating complications of obstructed labour, which primarily affect women and girls. During prolonged labour, the baby’s head compresses the vagina against the mother’s pelvic bones, and if the compression continues long enough, the tissues become necrotic, forming an opening between the vagina wall and the bladder or the rectum.
It is estimated that at least 2 million women are living with Fistula in sub- Saharan Africa and South Asia, and some 50,000 to 100, 000 women are affected each year.

The project executed by Rotary Action Group on Population and Development in partnership with PMC/Nigeria  with Multi Sector Projects (MPL) that provides research support to PMC programs in Nigeria.

The radio program was aired in AM service of Radio Kano and in both FM and SW bands of Radio Nigeria- Kaduna, Hausa service.
T he project consists of multi stage research including Formative research, pretest, baseline and monitoring and evaluation.

21 people comprising of producers, script writers and actors of the radio serial drama were trained in the Sabido Methodology used by PMC in the radio serial.
The result of the process monitoring conducted shows as follows:

Gugar Goge (“Give it to me straight”) addressed many issues through the positive, negative and transitional characters in two main storylines:

The storylines was patterned after the Sabido Methodology which uses elements of communication and behaviour theories to reinforce specific values.

The radio serial drama has changed the life of some listeners positively by creating awareness on the fistula treatment and rehabilitation services and decrease stigmatization of fistula patients, decrease in early marriage, increase use of maternal /child health care services and increase in girls’ education among others.

Ruwan Dare, an Hausa radio serial drama, a sequel to Gugar Goge, Population Media Center’s maiden radio serial drama in Nigeria. The first drama, Gugar Goge was designed to promote reproductive health, avoidance of HIV/AIDS, and prevention of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF), using a well-tested methodology for creating behavior change communication. The drama addresses reproductive health in a way that honors a peoples’ value system, produced in Kaduna in June 2006 and broadcast in two radio stations, namely Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN Kaduna and the Kano State Radio Corporation (AM Station).

The target audience for the radio serial drama was Hausa-speaking persons age 15 and above. The radio serial drama Gugar Goge served as primary motivation to seek health care services for 33% of family planning/reproductive health clients and 54% of VVF clients.
 
In view of the impressive results of PMC’s initial project in Nigeria, Gugar Goge, PMC received additional support to expand the project from two to four states by developing a parallel radio serial drama to address reproductive health issues, youth and sexuality, girl child education, child spacing/ family planning, early marriage, HIV/AIDS etc.

PMC Nigeria with support from PMC HQ staff held a three-week in-depth training workshop on the Sabido methodology for producers and scriptwriters in Kano, Nigeria in February 2007. At the end of the workshop, the team adopted the name Ruwan Dare for the new serial drama meaning "Morning Dews".