The first-ever Radio4child awards organised by UNICEF and the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) is a unique initiative to create awareness about the importance of immunisation
Sweets, ice creams, anything it took, she giggles, in her trademark style. That’s Madhuri Dixit, the mother, talking of how she got her two sons to get immunised. As UNICEF’s Celebrity Advocate, Madhuri Dixit is serious about getting the message across — straight and simple. “Children need to get their complete injections to grow up as healthy individuals. They are, after all, our future. Thus, it’s extremely important the message is spread across far and wide. Radio is a wonderful medium to do it considering it’s wide reach,” she told Democratic World.
Little surprise that she was more than happy to be present at the first-ever Radio4child awards organised by UNICEF and the Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI), a unique initiative to create awareness about the importance of immunisation.
The first week of September saw this unique award ceremony take place in Mumbai, where UNICEF and AROI announced the winners. The Radio4child awards honoured selected radio jockeys (RJs) who have worked towards sensitising the larger public through creative messages on Routine Immunisation (RI).
Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions and currently averts an estimated two to three million deaths every year. In fact, India has one of the largest immunisation programmes in the world in terms of the number of beneficiaries, geographical coverage and quantities of vaccine used, with nearly 27 million new-born babies targeted for immunisation each year. Over nine million immunisation sessions are held every year across the country.
That, of course, is only one side of the picture. For studies show that despite this extensive coverage, only 65 per cent of the children in India received all vaccines during the first year of their life. The data points to the need for sustained interventions, particularly in areas of low RI rate, and addressing the challenges faced in ensuring universal coverage of immunisation.
To tackle the issue, the Government of India launched Mission Indradhanush, a focussed RI campaign, in pre-identified 201 districts across the country, which account for nearly 50 per cent of all unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated children.
It’s easier said than done, however, especially if we consider a land like India. There are far-flung areas, districts where basic facilities are still missing and medical facilities are poor. Combine that with low levels of illiteracy and you have a deadly trap. And that is where Radio has a big role to play. Not only does it have a wide reach, but also has a unique capacity of connecting with people.
“Radio, as a powerful medium, is a crucial point of contact with the remotest and hard-to-reach populations. Today as we celebrate the awesome power of this medium, it shows us how on-air activities can creatively communicate critical health messages,” says Caroline den Dulk, Chief of Communication, UNICEF.
Bearing in mind the critical role of radio as a medium in reaching out to people and in shaping their decision-making process, UNICEF has been actively involved in organising capacity-building workshops with radio jockeys across India.
The awards were the result of these capacity-building workshops, conducted in 2014-15, by UNICEF for over 40 private FM and AIR journalists. UNICEF has engaged with district-level AIR radio professionals and partnered with AROI to create a holistic discussion on RI through the medium of radio. AROI is an industry group that brings over 200 private FM stations together. The initiative has been supported by Speak for Change and Nagrik Foundation.
The RJs participating in the workshops came from nine focus states with the lowest RI rates — Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. During training, the RJs produced creative radio jingles and talk shows to deliver critical messages on child health and RI. More than 50 radio jockey mentions and 21 innovative jingles on the need for complete immunisation were produced. All India Radio and several private radio stations provided free space for airing the voices of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and offered platforms to children for voicing immunisation messages.
Come to think of it, it made all the sense. After all wouldn’t a message in your native language or style appeal much more than a general mechanised message? Then, of course, the bigger challenge like Ms Dixit put it, “is to make something routine such as immunisation interesting.” Something that the radio jockeys learnt the importance of, after their training. Like RJ Shashi who won the Best Jingle Award put it, “Once we were put through the training, one understood the challenge and importance of getting the message of immunisation across.”
Given the wide reach of radio in India, the messages in native languages and styles have been a hit. In a recorded statement to the guests, Dr Rakesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Health, shared, “Radio’s reach especially that of the public broadcaster, All India Radio, remains unparalleled. The vision of engaging radio is also aligned to India’s ‘Call to Action for Child Survival and Development’ focusing on the need for creating synergetic efforts with all stakeholders, especially media, focusing on innovative ideas and practical solutions to empower every citizen with knowledge and information”. The awards then are simply a way of giving that pat on the back. Twenty one entries were received from leading radio stations across the country. The winners were picked by a select jury that included personalities from academia, media and radio.
The nomination categories included Best Public Service Announcement, Best Jingle, Best Radio Jockey Link, Best Creative Campaign, Best Message Clarity Award and Best Radio Spot for Government of India’s flagship Immunisation Programme, Mission Indradhanush.
The awards ceremony was preceded by the just-concluded global “Call to Action Summit 2015”, which adopted the Delhi Declaration on “ending preventable maternal and child deaths”. The declaration was developed as an outcome of the high-level ministerial conclave, held in New Delhi as part of the summit.
The big-event energy was palpable at the award ceremony. “This is certainly a momentous day when private FM channels from across the country have joined hands for supporting the Government of India’s mission for ending preventable child deaths. I am certain that our partnership with UNICEF will go a long way forward to create awareness on this important health issue,” said Anuraddha Prasad, President, AROI, in her inaugural address. Given the enthusiasm of the RJs at the ceremony, the message surely looked like it was on an effective pathway.