Listen, Share, Act! WASH Radio Campaign in Zimbabwe

The 30-minute radio series combined three different radio formats - debates, talk shows, and public phone-ins - and discussed topics such as:

• poor solid waste management and the respective responsibilities of individuals, communities, and service providers;
• cholera outbreaks and corresponding precautionary measures as well as the role of the government in its control and mitigation;
• alternative sanitation technologies;
• water shortages; and
• hygiene practices in general and hand washing in particular.

Although the radio programme could not get local authorities and ministries to participate, the project organisers state that the programme was well received by the public, with many phone-ins particularly from urban areas.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) promotes Listen, share, act! WASH Radio Campaigns in a variety of developing countries (Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe) to carry water supply, sanitation, and hygiene messages by the people to the people - irrespective of their educational background, age, sex, religion, location, language, or ethnicity.

The Listen, Share, Act! WASH Radio Campaigns aim to support and accelerate the advocacy and communication efforts of National WASH Coalitions. They seek to create a platform to discuss and disseminate WASH news, facts, and stories. According to WSSCC, the keys to effective promotion via radio are creative programming (discussion panels, community debates, drama, documentaries, public service announcements, jingles) and the involvement of various sector stakeholders, such as public figures, government officials, civil society activists, and others. The programme believes that stimulating dialogues as well as audience participation generate ideas and solutions to problems and, ultimately, propel communities to action.