Case Study: Mundo Sem Segredos in Mozambique

A different approach to counter widespread ignorance of HIV/AIDS through mass media has been pioneered by Media Support Partnership (MSP) in Mozambique. Mundo Sem Segredos is now being produced and broadcast by local radio stations in six of Mozambique’s provinces, with a version also carried by Radio Mozambique’s National Antena, with funding from Mozambique’s Ministry of Education and Culture, originally facilitated by the Danish aid agency, DANIDA.

Mundo Sem Segredos – World without Secrets is a radio magazine programme on HIV/AIDS and life skills produced by children, with children and for children in Mozambique. First broadcast in September 2004, the programmes aim to encourage open dialogue between young people and other members of the community about HIV/AIDS and to reduce the mystery and stigma surrounding the disease.The radio programmes complement and promote an HIV/AIDS resource pack which the Ministry of Education distributes to primary schools in the three provinces to encourage teachers to integrate HIV/AIDS information into their classes and extra-curricular activities.

Groups of young people between the ages of 12 and 15 are recruited and trained to plan content, to gather material, and to record, produce and edit radio programmes (using digital equipment), through tailor-made workshops and on-going mentoring. The idea is that because the programmes are made by children, they will reach young listeners in away that they can understand and accept. The children producers work on a voluntary basis in partner radio stations (both the national broadcaster and community stations). One of the results of the first workshop run by the project was the collaborative selection of the programme's name, Mundo Sem Segredos.

Listeners are encouraged to participate through letters, phone calls, and competitions. A weekly counselling session with a trained counsellor (called ‘Tia Sonia’ or ‘Aunty Sonia’) provides advice and solutions to listeners' questions or problems. She is joined by a playful character called Girassol – Sunflower - who asks various questions about life and reads letters and questions from listeners. The counseling session Girassol is produced centrally in Portuguese by Media Support Partnership as well as a mini-drama series with a cast of child actors: these are distributed on CD to each participating station. Other material is produced locally by the young teams of radio producers.