The USAID Community Health Radio Program (CHRP) works to improve the health of women and children through radio serial dramas addressing family planning, nutrition, gender-based violence, and HIV.  The project writes, produces, and broadcasts two radio episodes on a weekly basis, across five provinces. The ultimate goal of CHRP is to present relatable and riveting storylines that resonate emotionally with Zambian audiences, and inspire long-term behavior change.

Each of CHRP’s radio serial dramas is recorded in the local Bemba and Lozi languages, and is carefully designed to integrate cultural and provincial contexts and characteristics. Using an ‘entertainment education’ approach, the 156 minute-long episodes - Siñalamba ("Breaking the Barrier") in Lozi, and Kwishilya (“Over the Horizon”) in Bemba - are broadcast weekly across target provinces.  Under the thematic umbrellas of gender equality and maternal health, the dramas contribute to improved knowledge, attitudes, and behavior around family planning, nutrition, gender-based violence (GBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), girls’ education, malaria, and civic engagement.

JOURNEY TO SELF-RELIANCE

USAID believes every person, every community, and every country wants to be empowered to lead their own future. We support self-reliance by walking alongside our friends on their development journey, as evolving but enduring partners.  As partners on this journey, we are empowering host-country governments and our partners to achieve locally sustained results, helping countries mobilize public and private revenues, strengthening local capacities, and accelerating enterprise-driven development.  This approach fosters stable, resilient, and prosperous countries that are more self-reliant, and prioritizes enduring partnerships.