Sarivolana - Madagascar

The radio soap opera was broadcast weekly to rural, suburban, and urban communities on both the national and private stations. Depicting life in 3 different regions of the country (the capital city, a suburban village, and a typical rural village), the stories chronicled present-day, real-life conflicts in Madagascar. The soap opera was used as a tool to achieve various public health goals, including the promotion of family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, maternal and child health, and other health and economic development goals.

Production of Sarivalana actually began in 1994. Building on The Dodwell Trust's first initiatives, Population Communications International (PCI) began working on the serial in 1996. The show's creative team edited the original 260 episodes down to 204, remixing the episodes to strengthen both the entertainment value and the educational messages about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, cholera, and the environment.

The revised version of Sarivolana went back on the air in 2000, and was expected to run for 2 years on Radio Madagascar. In addition, 30 private radio stations picked up the series. The organisers say 500 listener groups were formed, each with at least 10 people. These groups listen to the programme and evaluate it, and also tune in to news, health, and agricultural programming. The Freeplay Foundation has distributed wind-up radios to these groups, providing people in rural areas access to the serial drama.

Rights, Reproductive Health, Unwanted Pregnancy, Birth Spacing, Child Health, Drug Addiction and Trafficking, Domestic Violence, STIs, HIV/AIDS, Poverty, and the Environment.

Sarivolana was evaluated with follow up focus groups. These studies indicated that listeners identified with the characters and their plights, and that they perceived the consequences of the characters' behaviour.