Ngelawu Nawet (Winds of Hope)

Ngelawu Nawet centres on two key storylines designed to address reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS, and family planning.

• Adiwoo's Story - STIs/HIV/AIDS: A 20-year-old woman, Adiwoo from Lagun, Senegal, is convinced by her friend Ayma to attend a surprise party without her parent's approval. During the party Adiwoo is charmed by Lenks, and they have sex. A few days later, she develops intense pain, and she is taken for a check up by her mother's friend Yaxu. Although a pregnancy test at the family planning centre is negative, the doctor discovers she has gonorrhoea. As she follows treatment to be cured of the infection, her HIV test results come back positive. Lenks does not want to hear anything about it, saying that he has a talisman that protects him against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Adiwoo becomes active with her peers and friends, forming a group of young people who speak openly about their sexuality and about the best ways to protect oneself against pregnancy and STI's (including HIV/AIDS). Although Adiwoo had previously abandoned her studies, she gains a new lease on life and finds a job with the municipality. She also registers for night classes to study midwifery. Several years later, Adiwoo becomes a midwife and is named head of a peer education association. She is invited to an international conference where she is asked to share her experiences on prevention of HIV/AIDS in her city.
• Wereyaan's Story - Family Planning: A mother of three, Wereyaan (25), who manages a small business selling corn soup in front of her house, faces hatred from her husband's mother, Kumre, although Soogi, the husband, adores his wife. Wereyaan is still breastfeeding her first baby when she discovers that she is pregnant again. She has a miscarriage, which becomes an opportunity for Kumre to convince Soogi to marry a second wife - one who is "capable of bearing healthy children" one after the other. After falling pregnant again and being beaten by Soogi's second wife, Wereyaan decides to get contraceptives without telling her husband. Kumre finds out and tells her son, which leads to divorce threats. Following near bankruptcy caused by the second wife, Werenyaan, with the help of an inheritance, brings the family out of debt and starts a restaurant which is a great success. A visit of the Minister of Health is an occasion for Wereyaan to reveal to a large female audience the key to her success and the importance of mobilising support from their partners to plan their families. She advocates that this will allow them to have time to develop themselves, to enlighten themselves further, and to become part of the economy by participating in revenue generating activities that will help support their husbands and their families.

According to PMC, at the heart of their work is a unique form of entertainment-education, a methodology first put to use by Miguel Sabido in Mexico over 30 years ago. The Sabido methodology involves creating serial dramas that are customised for the needs and circumstances of specific regions, cultures, and audiences. Social learning theory demonstrates that humans adopt many of their values and learn much of their behaviour from role models. PMC's long-running serial dramas contain plots and sub-plots that unfold over many months. "Good", "bad", and "transitional" role models are developed, and audience members gradually learn the consequences of decisions the characters make with regard to a variety of different issues, including exposure to the AIDS virus, and the benefits of improving the wellbeing of wives and daughters, and achieving smaller and thereby healthier families. PMC has built on the Sabido methodology to create what they call the Whole Society Strategy. This strategy is a new technique that combines sophisticated audience research with using as many channels of communication as possible to reach an entire society with messages and role models that promote positive behaviour.

HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, Child Health, Maternal Health

According to the 2005 UNFPA State of the World Population, "family planning has proven benefits in terms of gender equality, maternal health, child survival, and preventing HIV. Family planning can also reduce poverty and promote economic growth by improving family well-being, raising female productivity, and lowering fertility. It is one of the wisest and most cost-effective investments any country can make towards a better quality of life." PMC reports that each year, 529,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes and more than 10 million women a year suffer severe or long-lasting illnesses or disabilities. In addition, PMC states that the non-use of reproductive services and contraception also leads to the spread of STIs and HIV/AIDS. Worldwide, the AIDS epidemic is responsible for over 20 million deaths, and 40 million people today are living with HIV. Educating populations about the transmission of HIV between sexual partners as well as from mothers to their children, and demonstrating behaviours that can prevent HIV/AIDS and other STIs is a vital part of stemming the spread of these diseases.