Citizen Evidence for social Change (CESC) leverages Africa’s Voices’ interactive radio and mixed-methods capabilities to put citizens at the heart of programme design and policy response in sectors ranging from education to public health, gender equality and livelihoods. Our interactive radio approach enables large-scale, plural and inclusive discussions to emerge which are contextually-based and citizen-driven. This is immensely valuable in itself, particularly in contexts where the space for public debate is limited.
Understanding citizen voice allows Africa’s Voices to help our partners better design programmes and policies in line with citizen needs and opinions. In addition, this citizen voice-centred approach is a valuable tool in unravelling social norms that underpin harmful practices, determining key drivers of social and behaviour change and tracking the shift in beliefs over time.
In the media-enabled discursive spaces we curate, negative views can be contested by the public itself and positive attitudes for social change can be made visible.
Premised on a theory of change that prioritises how media can shift perceptions on social norms by amplifying positive narratives in social settings, this model can be applied to SBCC programming to ensure a more contextual and participatory change process where citizen voices are the driving force of the process.
Yes, I feel involved because community consultation is always the best thing to do and I personally believe that I am part of the decisions in the community and we appreciate a lot those who made these safe spaces to talk like the radio presenters, the leaders involved and those aid organizations who are involved as well.
