MPL conducted research on culture, gender and harmful traditional practices in the widowhood and Wife Inheritance Projects in Culture and Health Africa Program (CHAP) supported by PATH in Okon community.

Both quantitative and qualitative research methods used provided a consensual view of the poor community of widows in the community.

MPL design the research methods to identify the most relevant approach to intervention.

In implementing its gender and poverty research, MPL developed and adopted a unique participatory methodology – Nucleated Village Group Discussion (NVGD) to study issues associated with widowhood, wife and property inheritance. NVGD is an effective mobilization and interventions strategy for rural audiences. It brings together people from all segments of the society in closely located clusters of villages to a central village square to collectively, openly, publicly, and freely discuss the concerns of widows, orphans and the rural poor.

The NVGD eliminated all forms of inhibitions and other socio-cultural influences that hindered public discussions on Widowhood Harmful Traditional Practices (HTP), Wife and Property Inheritance culminating in fundamental findings. For example, it was found that inter- connectedness of native authority and cultural practices reinforces community support for negative cultural practices such as widowhood rites, wife inheritance and denial of women property inheritance rights. Control over resources therefore generates, prohibitive discriminative practices culminating from native wisdom and impose restrictions on certain social groups particularly women.

The consequences of this determine both urban and rural gender relationships with attendant implications for health practices, girl-child education, rural poverty and several other issues as related to community development and rural poverty alleviation. Instructively, the research reveals a strong linkage between rural gender poverty and the vulnerability of women to negative cultural practices in response to pressure for survival.

MPL conducted baseline survey, FGD and post intervention survey.

Baseline Survey: A Baseline Assessment Questionnaire was designed as a scientific tool to provide guided responses to specific well crafted questions that aimed at broadening the knowledge base of the project planners and providing information bordering on some cultural, social and economic realities connected with Widowhood and Wife Inheritance practices in the community.

In the Total Credits for Agricultural and rural development; TOTALCARD, MPL carried out the Needs Assessment for the beneficiaries in an effort to select genuine beneficiaries among many of the cooperative societies in the target communities.

MPL also conducted an in-depth research in Egiland where participatory Needs Appraisal was employed through Focus Group Discussions .All the stakeholders and gatekeepers in the communities were involved in the participatory Needs Appraisals as against the approach by the Oil firms to enter the community and embark on projects without seeking for the needs / views of community members.

MPL serve as an in – country partners to Population Media Center PMC/ Nigeria providing research support to its activities in Nigeria.

MPL carried out formative, Baseline, Monitoring to support Gugar Goge while evaluation was conducted to assess the impact of the program on the listeners in the target states of Kaduna and Kano.

MPL carried out the formative research to develop the 70 episodes serial drama in Hausa language “Gugar Goge” to address the issue of Obstetric Fistula (Vesico Vagina Fistula VVF & Recto Vagina Fistula RVF) prevention, treatment and rehabilitation as well as family reproductive health services utilization and HIV/AIDS.

Formative Research in a Sabido style drama is used to gather information about the characteristics, needs and preferences of the target audience. The information is used to design the characters, settings, and storylines of the serial drama. The information is used to determine the key values and issues that will be address by the serial drama.

The goals of the formative research are as follows:

• It establishes a moral or policy framework for the program, which provides the legal foundation on which the program can promote its educational values. This is derived from the national constitution or relevant national laws and policies or human rights conventions and treaties.
• It establishes the target audience for the radio program who must be able to identify with the characters and should be able to learn from the drama. The formative research define the educational issues for the programs so that the creative team, (producers and script writers) must understand their audience in terms of what they know and their feelings about the radio program.
• It also creates a value grid for the program which is the positive and negative values that are derive from the educational issues in the society.

Formative Research generally includes; literature review, Media analysis, Social services infrastructure analysis, Health service inventory, Qualitative research (FGD) and Quantitative Research (Baseline Survey).

In the conduct of Formative Research, consideration is given to literature review of what is already known about the issues at hand in the country and to ascertain what further research may be needed. It gives information on past analysis of the effects of culture on reproductive health decisions and sexual behaviours, the positive and negative roles that the mass- media and folk media have played with regards to these issues, the current situation with regards to availability of relevant media services and information gaps among youth and young adults regarding sexual risk and reproduction.

 Media analysis is part of the formative research methods which is an assessment of the reach of the radio stations in some of the target states, the availability of equipment and power supply for the broadcast during the key times and attitudes of the staff of the station regarding the issues address by the serial drama and the continuity of the program in any chosen broadcasting station.

Media analysis also considers the consumption patterns of the listeners of the target audience and the preferred time /period for the broadcast of the serial drama.

It considers programs that have contents on HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, family planning /child birth spacing, gender and educational issues.

Formative research generally includes; the availability of social service infrastructure analysis, which will assist the target audience members to adopt new behaviours. The availability of family planning services and HIV counseling and testing centers is critical to ensuring that the demand created by the serial drama is met accordingly. Formative research enquire about the health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among the target groups with the evaluation of data on health / social cultural and economic issues, marriage and family, fertility rate, awareness and use of family planning, STI/HIV/AIDS knowledge, partner communication, stigma, sexual behaviours and practices.

Qualitative Research (FGD) and qualitative research (baseline and evaluation) were also conducted.

MPL provided technical Assistance to Center for Reproductive Health and Development Research (CEDER) in carrying out the Baseline Survey for the new radio program RuwanDare.