Improving nutrition for children in Tanzania through media

Between 2012-2015, we worked with Africare's Mwanzo Bora Nutrition Program (MBNP) to give families trustworthy nutritional advice to help prevent anaemia in pregnant women, low birth weight in babies and child stunting.

Training

Journalists and producers at three partner radio stations in the Tanzanian regions of Dodoma, Morogoro and Manyara were trained in nutritional health as well as benefiting from mentoring from experienced journalists.

Experienced mentor-journalists helped their mentees to write and produce public service announcements (PSAs), to stress the importance of attending antenatal classes early in pregnancy and taking iron and folic supplements during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

We also supported radio journalists to improve their coverage of nutritional health in their news bulletins, call-in shows and health programmes as well as at radio roadshow events.

More funding

During a call-in programme at the radio station Dodoma FM, a doctor explained why stunting occurred and told listeners how to prevent it in their children, prompting one caller to respond, “I didn’t know that babies not growing normally can be a result of stunting. Parents do not know the kind of food they should give their babies.” As a result of hearing another programme made by Ulanga FM, a district councillor appealed for more government funds for maternal and child nutrition in the district.

All project activity was underpinned by field research which helped us to understand more about the target audience, including their media use and levels of nutritional health knowledge.

Project information