We Tell Stories

Stories capture the dynamics of everyday life, offering the opportunity to reach people on a deeply personal level. Our stories are grounded in social learning theory, and include positive characters who are rewarded, negative characters who are punished, and transitional characters whose experiences embody the difficult choices we all face in everyday life. Over the course of a broadcast, the audience bonds with these transitional characters and, as a result, they begin to emulate the positive behaviors included in the stories.

Entertainment Education media can serve as a social mobilize, an advocate or an agenda setter, influencing public and policy institutions in a socially desirable direction

Professor Everett M. Rogers
University of Mexico

Stories help people build new traditions
Ushikwapo Shikamana - Kenya
576 episode, radio soap opera and comic book

A team of Kenyan writers working with PCI-Media Impact created a diverse cast of village characters who were constantly thrust into turmoil due to adolescent sexuality and HIV/AIDS. One of them, young and beautiful Sineno, falls in love with Haiba, the man of her dreams. When he calls her to reveal an important story, she is devastated to discover Haiba has just learned he is HIV-positive. Now she must decide how she will live. And across town, Gogo cannot decide whether to care for his son’s out-of-wedlock daughter. In the story, elders are split in arguments for following old traditions or creating new traditions.

Stories are about people
Taru - India
52 episode, radio drama

One of the most famous characters PCI-Media Impact created is Taru, a young woman working in a health clinic in northern India. Her story reached over 60 million listeners. In each episode, Taru courageously confronts villagers who face miserable choices. In one show, she confronts a distraught father’s attempt to kill his own infant daughter, then she rushes off to prevent a young child from being married off. Her brave acts inspired young women to open schools for girls, and other social development activities in real life.

Stories change lives
Bai Xing - China
60 episodes, 3 season nationally broadcast television drama

The story revolves around a love triangle. A father must marry one of his two daughters to afford a wife for his son. Despite his elder daughter’s love for another man, she sacrifices her love to allow her younger sister the coveted chance to attend university.

Stories motivate young people
Empezando a Vivir (Beginning to Live) - Peru
24 episode radio broadcast

In this coming of age tale Valeria, a young teenage girl, attends a high school in the fictional city of Sol, Peru. Surrounded by friends who experience family violence, sexual abuse, and teenage pregnancies, Valeria must confront a difficult situation of her own. Eventually persuaded by her older boyfriend to have unprotected sex, Valeria contracts a sexually transmitted disease. As she matures during the tough times of adolescence, it is her family, friends, and teachers who will begin to truly guide her. Valeria and her friends learn throughout the year to make responsible and educated decisions about their emotional and physical health and well being.

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