FOR THE ATTENTION OF ALL PRODUCTION COMPANIES/AGENCIES WITH EXPERTISE IN PRODUCING HEALTH AND AGRICULTURE RADIO PROGRAMS
A. ANNOUNCEMENT Save the Children – Growth Through Nutrition activity would like to receive proposals from radio production companies/multi-media production companies with expertise and experience in producing radio programs on adolescent, maternal, infant, and young child nutrition.
B. BACKGROUND
Save the Children is an international non-governmental organization that works to create lasting, positive change in the lives of children in need. Save the Children leads the implementation of Growth Through Nutrition – USAID funded flagship multi-sectoral nutrition project which aims to improve the nutritional status of women and children less than 2 years of age through sustainable, coordinated and evidence-based interventions in four regions (Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray) of Ethiopia. Growth Through Nutrition robust learning agenda supports and guides effective national nutrition policies and practices to reduce under-nutrition.
The Development Objective GTN is to improve attitudes and practices known to improve nutritional outcomes of women of reproductive age and children under the age of 2.
Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) is one of the key components used by the project to improve the community’s knowledge and attitude on key adolescent, maternal and child nutrition and WASH practices. As part of its SBCC strategy, the project works through mass, interpersonal and community channels to deliver messages to the targeted community.
Mass media plays a powerful and vital role in influencing awareness level leading to changes in attitudes and behaviors of human being, which helps to inculcate positive values and norms. Keeping this view in mind, radio messages are being planned as part of the 1000 day nutrition campaign to positively influence the attitudes/behaviors of parents towards child, adolescent and maternal nutrition. Hence, a competent firm is sought to review/revise existing radio programmes in Amharic and Oromifa languages, and produce new radio programs in Tigrigna to raise awareness and contribute towards improving attitudes and behaviors regarding 1000 day nutrition in the community.
C. Objectives of the radio program
To increase the knowledge and change attitude and practices of mothers who are pregnant and lactating, family members or the caretakers of children less than two years to practice appropriate behaviors relevant to improve nutritional status of children less than two years of age and women of reproductive age.
D. SUMMARY OF SCOPE OF WORK
The Growth Through Nutrition project would like to revise existing Amharic and Oromiffa radio programs (32 episodes each) and, based on existing radio program design documents, develop the new radio program (32 episodes) in to Tigrigna language to support Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) for improved adolescent, maternal, infant and young child nutrition (AMIYCN) and nutrition sensitive agriculture, to reduce childhood stunting in 100 districts of Amhara, Oromia and SNNP, Tigray Regions. Each radio program consists of a variety show, in a magazine format, tailored for specific target audiences.
Each episode has been produced in Amharic and Oromiffa languages. Each episode designed to increase the dietary diversity in the diets of pregnant and lactating women and young children (behaviors to be promoted in the radio program episodes are listed in Appendix 1 of this Request for Proposals)
The radio program is also produced in a way that supports Agriculture Extension workers to promote beneficial agriculture and nutrition sensitive practices to increase the diversity and quality of foods in the diets of pregnant and lactating women and young children. The Agriculture Sector materials focused on promoting six household actions, are listed in Appendix 2 of this Request for Proposals.
SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF CONTENTS:
The winner company will have two tasks
I. Revise/edit existing 30 minute, 32 episodes of Amharic radio program into 20-minute radio program
II. Revise/edit existing 30 minute, 32 episodes of Oromiffa radio program into 20-minute radio program
III. Develop new 20-minute, 32 episodes of radio program in Tigrigna language basd on existing Amharic radio program design document
1. Revise existing radio program:
· The winner company will revise the existing Amharic and Oromiffa radio program as per the guidance provided by SBCC team, including:
· Transcribe the 30 minitues of naretives of the radio programs in Amharic and Oromiffa languages
· Prepare/edit each script of the Amharic and Oromifa radio programs to fit in to 20 minutes radio program
· Narrate the Amharic and Oromiffa radio programs using professional voice narrators
· In consultation with SBCC team select and include items from the existing radio programs
· The radio program should be of broadcast quality
· Submit the Amharic radio program in 3 DVD master copies and 1 master copy in 32 GB Scan disc flash for back up
· Submit the Oromiffa radio program in 2 DVD master copies and 1 master copy in 32 GB Scan disc flash for back up at once.
2. New Radio Program Prodcution – Tigrigna language: The technical content of each episode (32 episodes) of the 20-minute programs in Tigrigna will be creatively adapted and produced by the winning bidder (production company) based on the design document produced by Growth Through Nutrition for its respective target audiences. The creative and production process will be led and implemented by the production company, who will work in close collaboration with the Growth Through Nutrition SBCC technical team to develop and produce the radio pragrams. Production should prioritize must be appealing, attention-grabbing and tailored to the intended purpose, audiences, and behaviors.
Production companies should note that content may include pre-recorded audio recordings to accommodate “virtual” content as well as physical content. Although the ‘virtual’ pre-recorded audio will be supplied by Growth Through Nutrition, the physical content, i.e diary, testimonials etc. will be collected by journalists working for the production company. All design, format, production and recording must support technically sound (nutrition subject matter) content. Therefore, the radio production content development process must be done in consultation with SBCC technical experts.
2.1 Purpose of the Radio program
2.2 Technical Content: Each episode has 20 minutes long, produced in a magazine format.
a) Each week, the episode will have the following segments:-
ü Two real people testimonials or diaries or feature story, from 5 -7 minutes each.
ü A health or agriculture expert opinion from 3-4 minutes
ü An entertainment segment from 2-3 minutes, (this can be a relevant comedy, poetry, quotations, Imitation or funny artistic literature.)
ü Two music selections.
Hosts or presenters script or link. (hosts should be one male and one female)
ü Scripts, and corresponding audio-recorded nutrition information, instructions and step-by-step guidance, dialogue and question/answer sessions narrated by hosts produced and recorded for DVD
ü Audio-recorded nutrition songs (provide by Growth Through Nutrition)
2.3 Experienced Journalists: The production company should have or hire:
a) Well-known and experienced journalists who have an outstanding track record, in interviewing styles, creative feature packaging and up-to-date editing/mixing capabilities.
b) Must be native speakers of the language, culturally-sensitive to our target audiences and respect different traditions/cultures and religious beliefs
2. 4 Production Company - The production company should have a fully equipped sound studio with all necessary devices (sound recorders, full-fledged studio inputs, recording and editing booths, computers and editing software) which are necessary for the radio programs production.
a) Details of technical production processes and schedule
b) Experiences of performing similar kind of task (list and background of Production team and agencies)
c) All costs of the production including transportation and professional payments will be covered by the production company.
d) Growth Through Nutrition will provide a design document that will provide guidance for the production of each episode
e) The program producers/hosts or presenters should be two, a male and female. We need a total of four producers/hosts or presenters for local language.
f) The production company should submit the final approved version of radio programs to SCI Growth Through Nutrition SBCC department.
g) The radio program should be of broadcast quality
h) Submit the Tigrigna radio program in 2 DVD master copies and 1 master copy in 32 GB Scan disc flash copy (32 GB) for back up at once.