ONGEA for all
An edutainment radio drama series
What is the ONGEA radio programme?
TACAIDS/ZAC, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, has launched a radio programme known as ONGEA which is dedicated for adolescent boys and girls. ONGEA is an edutainment radio drama series that provides a view of the lives of young fictional characters aged 15-19 and their caregivers.
It tells a story about their choices, dreams, friendships, challenges and triumphs in the community where school dropouts, STIs including HIV, violence, early pregnancies, anaemia and menstrual hygiene management are still serious challenges. The radio series will reach adolescents with gender and age appropriate messages on prevention and management of problems related to sexual reproductive health, HIV and AIDS, girls' education, nutrition and violence. The ONGEA radio programme aims to complement the ongoing national and community interventions to improve adolescents' health and wellbeing.
Rationale:
- One in four adolescent girls aged 15-19 has begun childbearing
- At age 19, 57 per cent of young women are mothers
- Nearly two out of five girls are married before age 18
- 40 per cent of all new HIV infections are in adolescents and young people, mostly girls
- 68 per cent of girls go to secondary school of which 38.7 per cent complete secondary school
- 22 per cent of young women aged 15-19 have experienced physical violence since age 15
- Almost one in three girls and more than one in ten boys experience sexual violence before the age of 18
The programme will be implemented in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar through national and community radio.
In this drama series, adolescents' issues are communicated holistically, as the challenges adolescents face are interrelated and sometimes can happen simultaneously. The ONGEA programme also promotes effective communication between adolescents and caregivers, and service providers.
Global evidence shows that when young people are well informed with appropriate knowledge and skills, and are supported by an enabling environment allowing them to access and use friendly social services, they have a higher likelihood of changing their behavior in ways that reduce their vulnerabilities.
