In DISH II, the project produced "Olujegere" radio programs and quarterly "Health Matters" newsletters, and produced a new 13-part TV/Video series: Centre 4. We promoted family planning, male involvement, STD management, and improved infant nutrition while adding new messages on safe motherhood, malaria, immunisations, PMTCT, ARH, and the yellow star programme. In September 2001 and again in March 2002, the project hired a local research firm to conduct audience surveys to assess the reach and impact of these centerpiece materials.

DISH Project Videos

The DISH Project has produced a number of videos and TV spots for health communication. In 1995, the project produced Caring Completely, a 20-minute training video for health care providers. Through drama, this video models how service providers can deliver integrated reproductive health services and illustrates the benefits of integrated services. The DISH Project also produced the Time to Care video drama series which addresses maternal health, sexually transmitted disease prevention and treatment, voluntary counseling and testing, and family planning. The first drama in the series, Time to Care: Three Visits (1996), encourages women to attend health centers for antenatal care and to adopt healthy practices during pregnancy. The Dilemma (1998), the second drama in the Time to Care series, which was shown during the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, focuses on sexually transmitted diseases, and encourages men to prevent, seek treatment for, and talk with their partners about STDs, and thus decrease the spread of HIV. Let’s Face It (1999), the award-winning third video in the series, encourages men and women to get voluntary HIV counseling and testing to help them stay healthy and plan their lives. For the Let’s Face It video along with other voluntary counseling and testing campaign materials, the New York Festivals awarded the DISH Project the 1999 Finalist Certificate for Social Commitment: Consumer Education and Public Service. The fourth video, A Question of Children (2000), encouraged couples to discuss and use modern family planning methods. All videos in the Time to Care series were produced in English plus four or five vernacular Ugandan languages and are accompanied by printed discussion guides.

The programs in the Time to Care series have been broadcast in Uganda and other African countries; The Dilemma has been dubbed into French and shown in West Africa. DISH also organized thousands of showings of these videos by film vans, road shows, and video clubs throughout the 12 project districts and has provided copies to other organizations and government departments for their use.

The DISH Project also produced a music video and several television spots promoting health practices. In 1995 and 1996, during its multi-media "Safer Sex or AIDS"campaign for youth, DISH organized a national and district level music contest to deliver its message to young people. The winning song became the theme song of the campaign and was made into a music video and distributed to TV stations in Uganda and East Africa and to video halls in the campaign districts.

"Health Matters" is a newspaper published quarterly in English, Luganda and Runyankole by the DISH project. To view "Health Matters" issues contained in the Media/Materials Clearinghouse Mediabank database select from the dropdown menu below to view full text.

Back to Top


Radio Programs

• "Nze N'Owange" - Community Radio Game Show This innovative "know your mate" community game show attracted large crowds in the local community. The show was broadcasted on the radio.
  
• "Olujegere Lw’obulamu" and "Orujegyere R’wamagara". These weekly drama series tied together messages from different BCC campaigns and were broadcast in vernacular languages.
• "Straight Talk" weekly radio programs in English, Luganda and Runyankole broadcast for one year in 1996 and 1997 on Radio Uganda. Part of the DISH I Safer Sex or AIDS campaign for youth, the programs promoted abstinence, safer sex and proper STD management.
• "Choices" weekly radio program broadcast 152 weeks on Radio Uganda in three languages between 1996-2000. The magazine format program included the serial drama "Secrets of Bonbuka." According to the 1999 DISH Evaluation Survey, almost one third of men and women 18-45 years old in the project's districts had listened to this program.
• "Reproductive Health and You," an English language call-in program on Radio One FM broadcast for more than a year in 2001 and 2002. Each one hour program focused on a different reproductive health topic and featured a doctor who answered listeners' questions.
• "Asiika Obulamu" weekly radio program broadcast for 7 months between March and September 2002. Each program focused on a different child health topic and featured a pediatrician who answered callers' questions. One Saturday each month the program broadcast live from a low income community in Kampala during a child health outreach which provided free immunization, growth promotion, Vitamin A supplementation, de-worming and sick child care.
  
  

TV/Video Series

In September 2001, the DISH II Project teamed up with Mediae Trust, a Kenyan development communication organisation, to produce the dramatic television series Centre 4 in Uganda. The 13 - part series revolves around the lives of people living in the fictitous Konaweeka Trading Centre and working in the local Health Centre 4. Each programme carries a specific health message. (See stories and messages for more details)

The project had a dual purpose: to train Ugandan production talent to produce an international quality television drama series; and to produce a dramatic series that will positively influence health practices among Ugandans and, hopefully, other African television viewers.

• Designing & Scripting the Series
• Pre- production, Filming & Post- Production
• The Cast
• Stories and Messages