Lively Minds Radio Programme for Parents

There is a global early childhood development (ECD) crisis, and over 250 million children under five – most of whom are located in rural communities in the global south- do not have access to adequate education and care leading to poor health, poor education, child marriage, lost life opportunities and poverty. 

Parents are the key to solving the ECD crisis as they have the greatest ability to influence their child's growth and development. However, many rural parents struggle to provide the quality early education and care (ECCE) their children need. A baseline study conducted by Institute of Fiscal Studies and IPA in one of our target districts revealed that fewer than 13% of parents had conducted any play activities with their child in the past 3 days.

The primary reason for this is that parents (wrongly) believe they don’t have adequate resources or skills and they don’t realise how important the early years are. These parents also lack access to information and learning on how to provide quality ECCE using the resources that they have available.

At the same time, the preferred policy/investment approach to ECD through formal institutions, while important, inadvertently bypasses the parents and doesn’t offer a complete solution. It prioritises “schooling” over learning and does not cater for holistic development and wellbeing. This approach also requires significant infrastructure, personnel, training and is slow and expensive to scale. It isn't working.

Our big idea is to empower marginalised parents as ECCE providers through changing mindsets, building confidence and teaching simple ways to use cost-free resources to provide better care and education at home.

We do this through a radio programme called "Lively Minds Together" (LMT). 

LMT is a radio show specifically designed for rural parents and the barriers they face. Each week the following is broadcast in local language on radio stations that reach these last-mile communities:

• a 20 min parenting episode, that shares simple cost-free ways for parents and caregivers to support family health, wellbeing, and children’s development. Example episode topics include handwashing, nutrition, malaria prevention, wellbeing.
• a 20 minute play episode: teaching parents simple, fun, cost-free games and activities that use available household materials to support development and school-readiness in young children.
• Live phone-ins after each episode: giving parents the opportunity to share experiences and ask questions.
• These episodes are repeated once during the week (not live)

The main objectives are to:

• Change the mindsets of rural parents so that they understand the critical role they play and are confident in providing ECCE for their children using the resources they have
• Give rural parents the information and skills they need to provide ECCE at home

The progamming for LMT is adapted from our flagship programme, a Parenting Course for rural parents/caregivers. The trained parents/caregivers also take it in turns to run educational Play Schemes for all the pre-schoolers in their village. This programme was rigorously tested through a Randomised Control Trial by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Innovations for Poverty Action. The study demonstrated that the programme has a significant impact on improved parenting and child cognitive, socio-emotional and health outcomes and these effects are similar or larger than those of much more expensive and intensive programmes. 

Our solution serves last-mile communities, where there is the greatest need for improved ECCE. Many of these communities lack formal access to ECD centers, and those that do have access, experience a low quality due to rote based teaching styles, lack of teaching and learning materials (TLMs), lack of teacher training, and large class sizes. In addition, parents/caregivers in these rural, deprived communities are often inadvertently bypassed and marginalised by formal education systems. 

80% of parents in the communities we work in have not attended any school and over 90% are illiterate. These parents also:

• Lack awareness of the importance of ECD
• Believe learning is the role of formal institutions, not parents
• Do not believe in their own parenting ability due to lack of schooling
• Lack knowledge and confidence in how to provide nuturing care using the resources they have available

These challenges are amplified by gender norms - lack of father involvement in caregiving, a high caregiving burden on mothers, and marginalisation of mothers.

The programme is designed to empower rural parents to deliver their own solutions to ECCE through changing mindsets, building confidence and teaching simple ways to use cost-free resources to provide better care and education at home. 

Focus group discussions with listeners of LMT reveal that the programme discusses real-life challenges that they face as parents and offers simple, practical solutions that they find easy to implement using the resources that they have. 

Through the radio programme, parents/caregivers:

• Understand the importance of early years and that they are have the main responsibility to provide quality ECCE to their children
• Feel confident and capable of providing quality ECCE to their children, despite low education and poverty
• Feel that it is important for fathers to interact/play with their child (debunking gender norms) and that this is not just the role of the mother. They feel comfortable and enjoy playing and caring for their children and reduce the burden of childcare on mothers alone
• Are more knowledgeable about inputs that children need to develop in socio-emotional, cognitive, physical and language domains (and the harm caused by poor development) and are providing these inputs
• Are more knowledgable about the importance of engaging their child in play and how to teach children through play and are regularly spend time engaging with their children and incorporate using discovery based teaching and play activities designed to aid cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development (including making homemade games/books/other education materials)
• Have a better, closer relationship with their child and as parents together

[More detailed outcomes for listeners of the radio programme are included in the Theory of Change in the next section.]

Lively Minds started out as a small organisation working at grassroots level in a handful of rural communities in Ghana and Uganda. Between 2008-2015 we developed our flagship programme organically, co-designing it with parents. We gained a very deep understanding of the local context, resources, barriers and drivers and mindsets affecting parenting and ECCE attitudes and mindsets.  We were able to test and iterate the programme and get immediate feedback from the parents and community leaders we worked with.  

As well as direct feedback and inputs from beneficiaries we have also participated in a number of independent evaluations (cluster randomised control trial, mixed methods evaluations, qualitative evaluations, peer reviews) to give us robust perspectives of the programme’s impacts, its strengths and weaknesses and the beneficiaries.   

Our field teams also continuously capture monitoring and process data to gain an understanding of who we are reaching, the quality of the programme delivery and key performance indicators.   

When we designed and piloted the radio programme in 2020, we already had tested and proven content (through RCT) from our flagship programme. We then worked closely with local government officials and local trainers who work within rural communities to support us to adapt and deliver episodes.

During the live radio episodes each week, we are able to capture direct listener feedback through a phone-in segment. During the phone-in segment, listeners ask questions, share how they have put the solutions into practice and the results, and give general feedback. This information helps us to continuously improve the programme.  In addition, through our mobile monitoring system and live dashboard, we get immediate data on each episode of the radio programme that is aired, which enables us to work with delivery teams and radio stations to solve challenges and improve the programme.

In addition, we conduct focus groups with listeners to understand what they like/don't like about episodes, if the episode content is relevant to them, solutions are practical, the episodes are engaging, etc. And we apply these learnings into the programme and content design.

Currently, the radio programme is running in partnership with government in:

• 1 radio station/1 local language across Mayuge District in Uganda (in partnership with Mayuge District government)
• 18 radio stations/16 local languages across 8 regions in Ghana (in partnership with Ministry of Education/Ghana Education Service)

The show’s reach is estimated to be around 2 million listeners.

The show has been running since 2020. We have developed over 190 episode scripts and have aired 8 seasons in Uganda and 12 seasons in Ghana (each season being 16 episodes).

Our ultimate aim is to scale the radio programme further in Uganda and in other countries on its own (i.e. without our flagship programme) to reach millions of parents. However, we first need to prove impact on parenting outcomes (through a rigorous evaluation) and optimise the programme for scale based on learnings. To do this we have the following objectives:

1)    To further optimise and expand the LMT radio programme for rural parents in a new District or Sub-Region in Uganda (i.e. a new pilot District/Sub-Region) that does not currently run our flagship programme

2)    To obtain robust evidence of the impact on parents, the effectiveness of the implementation model through a rigorous evaluation conducted by an evaluation partner, and to use these learnings to optimise the model and position it to enable further scale up

3)    To provide policymakers, practitioners, academics robust evidence on the feasibility of using radio as a scalable way to support rural parents to provide better ECCE and enhance gender equality, and to see this type of approach (that focuses on empowering rural parents) as a way to achieve quality ECCE.

We hope that SOLVE will be able to support us in this journey through:

• Helping design (and develop ways to test) further ways we can use technology to increase programme listenership and impact through creative approaches such as automated voice message reminders, hotlines, etc.
• Supporting us to evaluate different scale pathways (direct delivery, government, partnership, etc.)
• Supporting us to identify funding opportunities to take our work to scale
• Connecting us with a network of impact-minded organisations who can share learnings and help guide our work
• Helping us to gain exposure in the media and at conferences so that we can share our learnings, identify opportunities for partnership to scale the radio programme, and more generally advocate for investment in empowering parenting initiatives

1. Our programming focuses on supporting parents.

The unique strength of our solution is that it is designed with communities and it empowers parents to deliver their own solution using the resources they have available.

A majority of ECD solutions and investment focuses on formal education systems. However, as mentioned, these solutions are not designed for challenges in rural areas and are expensive and difficult to scale. In addition, these solutions inadvertantly bypass and marginalise parents, who are ultimately responsible for providing care and education for their child.

Further, many ECD radio programmes are designed for child learning and target the child. Radio solutions that target parents often come in the form of campaigns. Our radio programme is designed for rural parents and their context and is formatted in an interactive, conversational style that engages parents and brings them into the discussion. The interactive/phone-in segment of the show, allows parents to ask questions, but also to share their experiences with others and model behaviors. This can lead to more lasting changes for parents than short media campaigns.

2. LMT is an entrepreneurial, scalable, and adaptable model (an alternative to expensive, resource intensive programmes)   

• The implementation model is feasible at scale:   LMT is designed to be easy to implement at scale.  Scripts are developed in English and then are translated in to local the local language, adjusted for context where needed, and recorded by presenters. The episode is then sent to local radio stations who broadcast it each week.  This means quality and fidelity at scale are easy to maintain. 
• It is cost-effective at scale: The main cost lines are salaries for content developers and presenters, radio station fees, and costs associated with increasing listenership/outreach.  Our estimated cost of running the radio programme in Uganda is just $0.21 per person per year (based on current average cost of $85,000/radio station/year and 400,000 listeners in Uganda on 1 radio station) and these costs reduce as reach increases.   
• There is a market/need:  Radio has the potential to reach millions of rural parents as radio is the largest and most trusted form of mass media in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, there are 218 registered radio broadcasters,  and policies and investment encouraging further expansion of  infrastructure to ensure higher coverage in rural areas.  There is also high radio ownership by rural households (50%). The potential reach in Uganda alone is 5 million rural listeners. We have found these conditions to be similar in other sub-Saharan African countries. 

Through demonstrating impact and scalability of our radio programme, we hope to bring more attention to solutions, like ours, that can easily, and cheaply improve ECCE in rural communities through empowering parents/caregivers. Our solution is simple, but impactful. It relies on the power of rural parents who have low to no schooling, yet drives change akin to much larger scale programmes. Through sharing our results and advocacy efforts, we hope to shift the narrative and perspectives, policy and practices in the ECD space.

Our theory of change is that educational, fun and engaging weekly broadcasts delivered to quality in local language, results in improved parenting outcomes in knowledge, mindset, and behavior/practice, which in turn gives children the foundation they need to thrive in life.

We have already conducted some testing of our theory of change. An independent evaluation conducted on the radio programme by Farm Radio International (FRI) in Ghana showed the following:

• Of parents who listen to the radio, approximately 80% listened to  LMT 
• Overall, nearly 90% of surveyed listeners noted that LMT helped parents and caregivers learn parenting skills and skills related to teaching children at home
• Most LMT listeners (76.5%) reported that they had started using new games or activities with their children after listening to the radio program
• 91.5% of listeners agreed that the LMT had influenced their decision to start using new practices at home related to early childhood care and education 

In addition, key findings from listener phone-in data in Ghana and Uganda and focus group discussions conducted with listeners in Uganda demonstrate:

• Both parents find that the content in the radio programme is relevant to challenges they face in real life and the solutions are ones that are easy and practical for them to implement in their homes
• Both parents find the topics interesting and are learning new information
• Both parents understand that they both need to spend quality time with their children, feel confident in making and playing simple games, and feel they are improving their relationship with their children
• Mothers feel a greater sense of pride and self esteem
• Fathers see their role as important and report playing a more active, hands-on role with the child
• Fathers report changing their perceptions and attitudes on how they engage with their child (previously a strict, disciplinary role) and are more friendly and caring with their children and make time each day to play and talk to them
• Fathers also expressed that they feel greater family unity after listening and thinking through the role each family member plays in solving challenges
• Both mothers and fathers reported that the episodes help them to interact well to bring greater peace to their homes

1. We hope to achieve the following outcomes for listeners of the radio, which we will measure through a rigorous external evaluation:

For Mothers who listen to the show:

• Greater knowledge of childcare practices
• Increased levels of play and stimulating activities with children
• Increased enjoyment derived from childcare activities (and a reduction in negative feelings associated with childcare responsibilities) 
• Improved confidence about their ability to provide childcare
• Increased self-efficacy and confidence
• Increased social acceptability of fathers engaging in play and stimulating activities with their children

For Fathers who listen to the show:

• Greater knowledge of childcare practices
• Increased social acceptability of fathers engaging in play and stimulating activities with their children
• Increased levels of play and stimulating activities with children
• Increased enjoyment derived from childcare activities
• Greater support and encouragement to Mothers to help them with their childcare activities

We plan to measure these outcomes through a rigorous evaluation conducted by an external evaluation team. We are currently in the process of selecting an evaluation team and designing the methodology and tools.

2)    We additionally aim to measure the effectiveness of the implementation model, and to use these learnings to optimise the model and position it to enable further scale up. 

One major assumption underpinning our theory of change is that rural parents are able to tune in to the show each week and enjoy listening and find the topics relevant. Therefore, we aim to measure:

• No. of communities that have access to the radio station
• No. of listeners by gender and rural/non-rural (based on radio station listenership figures)

We also deliver focus groups and will be conducting key informant interviews to understand listener habits (why/why not listeners tune in, how often, do they listen with others in the household) and to understand how listeners feel about the show and are able to relate to it (i.e. what do they like/don't like, are they learning new things, what topics they find the most interesting, are the episodes relatable, are they practical, are the presenters fun and engaging, etc.)

We will also measure:

• No. of radio episodes developed 
• No. of radio episodes delivered (measured through our internal monitoring system)
• Quality of delivery (measured through internal monitoring of each episode)
• Cost per listener (compare costs of programme to listenership numbers)

3)    Further, our goal is to provide policymakers, practitioners, academics robust evidence on the feasibility of using radio as a scalable way to support rural parents to provide better ECCE and enhance gender equality, and to see this type of approach as a way to achieve behaviour-change more generally. We will therefore measure:

• No. of evaluation reports produced
• No. of stakeholders engaged (attendance at dissemination events, working group/other discussions)

Our main technology is radio. We selected radio as the best medium to reach rural communities as radio is the largest and most trusted form of mass media in these areas and radio ownership and listenership is high (more than 50% and 50%, respectively) compared to other forms of media.

In addition, our radio presenters use mobile phone applications to pre-record radio segments before sending them to radio stations to stitch/produce prior to airing.

We also use a mobile monitoring system (Clickmedix) to collect and visualise live data on programme performance that informs instant problem solving and ongoing learning.

The team comprises of a number of members on our senior management team (8), our global team spread across the UK/Africa (8), and Uganda team (8). We also work with an independent contractor specialised in implementation design/scale strategy.

These various team members will support the development, management and quality assurance of the project, but implementation will mainly be lead by the Radio Expansion Programme Manager (1), Uganda Country Director (1) and Uganda radio team members (2). 

There will also be an independent evaluation team from Open University (in collaboration with BBC Media Action and Laterite Uganda) conducting the independent evaluation.

We have been working on our flagship programme for over 15 years. And we applied learnings from this to develop our radio programme.

We have been delivering the radio programme for over 4 years.

We are proud to say that our Senior Management Team is comprised of 4 females and 4 males. Within this leadership team, 3 are African. We recognise, there is still much work to be done.

Lively Minds’ vision is a world in which everyone has opportunities to develop skills and talents and has a chance to reach full potential. We specifically target deprived rural communities and within these, vulnerable and marginalised women; and equalities are baked in to our programme delivery and design. In 2023, we undertook a review of our Equalities Policy and also our Equalities in the Programme Policy with the help of a Gender Consultant. We identified 3 main areas where we have distinct, but related, equalities duties: 

• As an NGO creating and delivering a programme 

• In workplace, including recruitment 

• As a fundraiser and organisation putting communications into public domain. 

Our equality goals delivering a programme are:

• Ensure access for the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised children within each community to quality ECCE through the Lively Minds programme.
• Ensure that all parents within each community, regardless of protected characteristics, have equitable opportunities to access the Lively Minds programme, and are able to fully participate within it.
• Empower marginalised women and advance gender equality
• Proactively seek opportunities to use the programme to tackle stigma and barriers to inclusion and harmful social and gender norms.
• Proactively seek opportunities to use the programme to advance equality of opportunity for protected and marginalised groups.
• Proactively seek opportunities to use the programme to promote good relations between protected and marginalised groups and wider communities.

Our equality goals in the workplace are:

• Be a fair, equitable, diverse, vibrant and talented workforce, with a single global culture, in which all staff feel empowered, included, respected, engaged and well supported.
• Bake equality considerations into all decision-making.

Our equality goal as a fundraiser and thought-leadership organisation is to:

• Provide communications that accurately and fairly represent our beneficiaries, without perpetuating unhelpful disempowering sterotypes. 

Our Actions and Progress to Date:

1.Training for all staff

Equalities inductions are provided to all new starters. This includes an induction delivered by the HR team and an online course.  

2.Impact assessments

Equalities Impact Assessments have been incorporated into our project management processes. Portfolio owners review impact assessments and involve the Equality Champion where needed.

3.Equality sub-policies

Our Equalities in the Programme Strategy was updated in 2023.

4. Equality Champion

The equalities champion is responsible for ensuring compliance with Equalities Impact Assessments and advising on policies

5. Performance management 

Equalities is incorporated into the existing performance management system with emphasis on managers ensuring they promote diversity and inclusion in their teams in line with the teamwork competencies.

6. KPIs

KPIs developed for diversity metrics in our workforce.

Lively Minds has recruited two new global team members to join in January 2024 that are African diaspora. 

7. Recruitment 

We are actively exploring how to achieve greater localization across our teams. For example we are actively seeking a new HR trustee based in Sub Saharan Africa.

Currently, the radio programme is delivered through government. We develop the content for the programme and then provide this content, alongside a package of technical support (i.e. training, coaching, mobile monitoring systems, project management support, etc.) to government teams to deliver the programme. In addition, local government teams running the radio programme partner with radio stations that can reach rural communities.

We are now exploring different delivery models for scale, including government partnership, partnership with other organisations, and direct delivery. 

For our pilot project and evaluation, we will be implementing the programme through a direct delivery model with a small team (2 radio team members managed by our Radio Expansion Manager). We will partner with local radio stations and involve local government to support the programme.

Our work is funded primarily through grants. For this project, we currently have:

• $200k from the Agency Fund
• $700k from CRI Foundation

This funding will cover both the implementation and evaluation costs of the radio pilot in Uganda.

One of the goals of a successful evaluation of the radio programme is to disseminate the results and secure interest and investment from funders in further scaling the radio programme. Our main aim is to highlight the outcomes/impact of the radio programme and potential to reach a large number of listeners, against the low cost of running the programme and ease of implementation/expansion.