Better Tomorrow

Better Tomorrow is a soap opera - the story of 4 youth facing the challenges of adolescence. In the course of their interaction, they are tempted by risky behaviour and challenged to choose options to address dilemmas, such as how to avoid HIV/AIDS. Entertainment, thus, is a strategy for engaging youth in the lives of characters whose experiences they can hopefully relate to. For instance, one of the characters, Zawadi, is a beautiful, outgoing girl in a relationship with a rich village trader. In the course of the soap opera, she must overcome many challenges and say no to many temptations.

The project uses SAP's Participatory Interactive Media Model (PIMM) strategy, which entails use of multi media to conceptualise, develop and disseminate behaviour change intervention messages originated by and for the same community. Specifically, the programme's episodes have been harvested from workshops organised by youth themselves in their local environment. They then script the play and perform it several times until it is collectively confirmed/affirmed by those who have actually experienced the dilemmas and options at issue.

Radio listening groups across the project areas provide feedback to the programme managers after every 5 episodes, all of which are aimed at improving the scripting of the following episodes. The idea is that, at the end of the programme, young listeners can claim ownership of the programme (as they have taken part in its conceptualisation, scripting and performance).

Youth.

The project organisers explain that “The KBC has the widest reach as opposed to the FM radio stations dominant in many African countries and listeners beyond the Kenyan tune to KBC for news and entertainment.” The programme is broadcast in English; the Kiswahili version of the programme went on air in November 2005 as part of an effort to add additional listeners in the Eastern African region: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.