Insights from CEMCA’s Listeners-to-Learners Project’s Mid-line Study

In collaboration with key stakeholders, including the S M Sehgal Foundation, ISAP Foundation India (formerly known as the Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals), and Search for Truth and Return To Science (START), the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), the regional centre of Commonwealth of Learning (COL), embarked on an Action Research Pilot Project named 'Listeners-to-Learners' (L2L). The primary aim of this project was to demonstrate that the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) of listeners could be improved through non-formal and informal learning methods utilising audio programmes. The mid-line study was designed to assess the project's progress and ensure that course corrections, if necessary, were implemented.

Within the framework of the L2L project, START collaborated with the Voice of Azamgarh Community Radio to promote awareness regarding the critical importance of the first 1,000 days of mother-child healthcare for an infant's growth, learning, and overall development in three villages located in Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Concurrently, the S M Sehgal Foundation, through Alfaz-e-Mewat, and ISAP India Foundation, through Kisan Vani Sironj, raised awareness on soil health and soil testing in three villages each, situated in Nuh district, Haryana, and Vidisha district, Madhya Pradesh, India, respectively.

The mid-line findings from START indicate that the concerted efforts to enhance awareness, provide accurate information, and engage key stakeholders, including husbands and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers, have yielded positive results in terms of maternal and child health outcomes within the intervention villages. The intervention included the production and distribution of 15-minute audio episodes, repeated broadcasts, and the use of mobile technology to effectively disseminate information related to prenatal and postnatal care.

Furthermore, the mid-line study conducted by the S M Sehgal Foundation and ISAP India Foundation unveiled that their endeavours to promote awareness of soil health and soil testing through community radio programmes significantly enhanced farmers' knowledge and motivated them to adopt novel agricultural practices. A diverse array of communication channels, such as radio broadcasts, animated videos, podcasts, and on-ground demonstrations, were employed to efficiently convey information on soil testing and advocate sustainable agricultural techniques.