In the first weeks and months of the pandemic, as the Skoll Foundation aimed to support COVID-19 response across sub-Saharan Africa, we made an early grant to Development Media International (DMI) for its work in Burkina Faso. With our funding support, DMI produced 13 different spots for radio—the principal means of mass communication in Burkina Faso—focused on tackling stigmatization, wearing face masks, and combating misinformation surrounding this global disease outbreak. These aired on 39 stations across the country, 10 times every day for several months, reaching the ears of an estimated 11 million people.
“By reaching this many people—particularly those in rural areas—with context-specific, practical messaging, DMI is significantly and cost-effectively contributing to the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Cecily Cocks, Program Manager at DMI.
To gather perspectives on the ground to inform these public awareness campaigns, the DMI team conducted 30 interviews in five areas of the country: Djibo, Banfora, Ouahigouya, Sapouy and Fada. In that process, the DMI team uncovered several common misconceptions around COVID-19 transmission, testing, and treatments. In close consultation with the Burkinabé Ministry of Health and following WHO guidance, the radio spots were designed for effective behavior change and to counteract rapidly spreading misinformation.
“The DMI Burkina Faso scriptwriting team has over 30 years combined experience turning message briefs into content for culturally diverse Burkinabé audiences,” said Cocks. “And our longstanding relationships with radio station partners allow us to collect further feedback and adapt our messaging strategy accordingly.”
The team wrote six scripts explaining what COVID-19 is, how it spreads and how people can protect themselves from it. They wrote an additional seven scripts specifically to encourage social distancing. Each script was translated into 10 local languages.
The major COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were largely lifted in early May 2020 in Burkina Faso, although land borders remain closed. The numbers of confirmed COVID-19 in the country cases remain comparatively low at 2184 as of October 9, 2020.
“DMI is conducting further research, including a phone survey in partnership with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), researching the effect of radio messaging encouraging WHO-approved mitigation behaviors related to COVID-19,” said Cocks.
Using funds from a separate donor, DMI has further supported the Burkina Faso government by producing a short, animated film explaining social distancing, which is being broadcast on television across Burkina Faso. Versions of the film are also being distributed on television in Malawi and Madagascar.
DMI staff are now participating in the formal government-led mechanisms for the COVID-19 response in all countries of operation. Since April 2020, DMI has produced and broadcast COVID-19 radio outputs in Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Uganda, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Tanzania.
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