MAY 2021 - UNICEF has partnered with KISS FM, one of the most popular radio stations in Rwanda, to engage young Rwandans about COVID-19 and address rumours and misconceptions, particularly around COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.

With the technical contribution of UNICEF C4D UNICEF C4D, KISS FM hosts, Sandrine Isheja and Arthur Nkus run daily programmes such as ‘fact or fiction’, ‘conversations with experts’ and ‘street talks’, which are edutainment-centered. The segments offer an opportunity for young people to learn about and discuss the risks of COVID-19 and the need to prevent its spread.

“A program like this helps get the message to people using a language that they easily understand and relate to. As a radio presenter this partnership shapes our thinking and behavior and makes us walk the talk and also helps us to influence the people we live and meet with,” says Sandrine Isheja.

The partnership between UNICEF and KISS FM is the first of its kind, and the first fact or fiction show to be hosted on the programme. Uniquely, the radio partnership has revealed an opportunity for engaging with listeners, to collect their feedback both trough KISS FM platforms and via social media, particularly given the very high number of followers on the station’s social media.

Cyusa Ornella Muhima, a regular listener of KISS FM programmes, says that the fact or fiction radio show has fostered a sense of ownership and responsibility to prevent COVID-19 for her community.

“As young people, at times we are not aware about certain things. But thanks to the fact or fiction show, I understand that I have a responsibility to protect myself and protect others from Coronavirus by washing my hands regularly with soap and clean water, wearing my mask whenever I’m out in public, and maintain physical distancing without having to be supervised or constantly reminded by the authorities”, Ornella says.

The programmes also incentivize engagement from listeners by offering prizes such as face and helmet masks, hand sanitizers, T-shirts, umbrellas and other practical items.

“I was very happy to have won. Whenever someone comes to my stall either not wearing their masks properly or not wearing it at all, I insist that they wear it and ask them to sanitize their hands,” says Niyibizi Damascene, a street vendor in a rural sector of Kigali City. “I even got vaccinated recently, and if it weren’t for listening to KISS FM and being convinced that the vaccines are safe and effective, I probably wouldn’t have accepted to be vaccinated”, he adds.

Besides COVID-19, the shows also cover COVID-19 secondary impacts, such as mental health issues. A listener, Nicole Munezero shared, “From the same radio station, I heard something that I had never heard in my life, I heard that mental health is a health condition just like a headache, stomachache… I heard that if one is struggling with mental health, they can be treated. It requires one to speak up about their feelings. Long before this, I thought mental health issues should be kept a secret and one should seek traditional medicine or go to Ndera Hospital for treatment”.

Young people between ages 16-30 make up 27 per cent of the Rwandan population and are at high risk of COVID-19 in the country, making this demographic one of the primary targets for COVID-19 risk communication and community engagement (RCCE). Reaching nearly 3 million listeners every day through its programmes, the shows have been hugely popular among young people so far.

UNICEF Rwanda hopes to continue leveraging on this radio station as a platform to engage with young people through collection of feedback on priority topics enhancing platforms like the Internet of Good Things (IoGT) platform for short opinion polls.