Guatemala -La Ruleta: donde las emociones se funden - Season 1

The radio drama La Ruleta (The Roulette: Where Emotions Melt) is the core discussion in the magazine live show: Sexo Tips Juvenil (Sex Tips), an hour show produced by a group of 14 energetic adolescents. The goal of the project was to increase health awareness in regards to issues dealing with sexual/ reproductive rights, teenage pregnancy prevention and STD/HIV/AIDS transmission. The plot of the serial drama was used to reach this goal by specifically dealing with the following issues in its storyline and design of the magazine show:

• A lack of sexual protection leads to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and STDs.
• Gay characters stand up for their rights and confront homophobia, intolerance, and traditional taboos.
• Young people learn to protect themselves from HIV, and reduce stigma and discrimination.

Our partner “Asociación Tan Ux´il” is a civil society group oriented towards adolescent and reproductive health sexual education, and the distribution of contraception. PCI-Media Impact provides them training, funding and technical assistance in order to improve the lives of the people in their communities.

Above is a picture of the “Combo de la Anticoncepción de Emergencia”/ Birth control emergency combo, which included two two condoms and one emergency pill. The combo was distributed in the Tan Ux’il’s pharmacy and was branded with the name of the radio show. Tan Ux'il reported high demand for this package.

Social and Economic Facts: Peten, Guatemala

• 23% of women had their first sexual relation experience between the ages 15-19.
• 69% of women had their first sexual relation experience between the ages 20-24.
• 92% did not use any STD, HIV or pregnancy prevention measure during their first sexual relation. Source:
  ENSMI:2002

Broadcast Details:

Broadcast Period : March 2006 – October 2006
Broadcast Reach: Radio Nacional Tikal 107.3 FM. Petén, Guatemala 489,209 population
Target Audience: 10-24 years old, over 13,440 listeners (research showed 10% of the potential audience listened regularly).

The Magazine Show:
The magazine show broadcast on a weekly basis and includes different elements such as: the radio drama, health news, interviews with health experts, contests, debates and testimonies. Magazine show consists of 20 episodes, 60 minutes each. The show is divided into the following sections: Your sexuality, Taboos, Myths and realities, Say it Don’t Hide it, AIDS and Sexual Relationships.

The Serial Drama
Like many of the shows being broadcast with PCI-Media Impact, the radio drama is included within the magazine format. This radio drama has 20 episodes and was 10 minutes each.
Main Characters Profile:
Paulo: Middle class, honest, comes from a single mother family, has feelings for Carolina.
Marina : Superficial, popular, comes from a divorced family, she is mean to others, and believes women should always please men.
Juan: A “macho” man, homophobic, who has a hard time trying to express his feelings.
Catalina: A feminist, her parents do not accept her as a female; she has feelings for Paulo.
Maco: He is gay, but has not been able to accept it, which causes him many personal conflicts.
Cristina: Indigenous girl, left her community to study; she is intelligent and a mediator.
Carolina : Lesbian, the most beautiful girl in the group and has strong feelings for Marina.

Plot: The story reflects the daily life of the Peten’s youth. Adolescents not only have to take decisions regarding family matters, romance, violence and sexuality, but also live with the consequences of it.

Reported Program Impact:

PCI-Media Impact and Asociación Tan Ux’il developed a robust methodology to monitor the impact of this program. For example, one of the main impacts reported was a 70% increase in demand for existing sexual health services.

POST - BROADCAST RESEARCH

Increase of new clients visiting Tan Ux’il’s pharmacy during the radio drama broadcast: March 2006 – October 2006

 Capacity Building and Participation: We ensure the program sustainability by increasing broadcasting skills within the community. In addition, participants identify and communicate their own needs, which create credibility among listeners.

• Two workshops about sexual/ reproductive rights and STD/HIV/AIDS prevention with 21 participants each.
• Education Entertainment and Social Marketing / Radio Production workshop with 22 participants.
• 14 teenagers trained in radio production.
• Exchange program with “Fundación Puntos de Encuentro” in Nicaragua.

 Cost – Effectiveness: To ensure program sustainability the project requires cost-sharing. PCI - Media Impact provides 21% of the project cost and our partners provide the remaining 79%, often through in-kind contributions, contributions, volunteers, and sponsorship.

More Impact Findings :

• During the first three months of “La Ruleta’s” broadcast, 600 new clients visited Ux’il’s pharmacy, 70% seeking for pills and condoms.
• After three months of broadcast, Tan Ux’il reported an increase of 1,673 new clients.
• The project was selected as an example of a successful experience working with youth on public health in Guatemala by the Alan Guttmacher Foundation.

Local Partnerships
We work with public and private partners to promote social development. These included: Media: Radio Nacional Tikal, Radio Interface, Academia: Radio Ado, Project from Universidad de Guadalajara, Health service providers: Tan Ux’il pharmacy, Asociación Mujer Despierta (Women’s advocacy organization.)

Related Link:

Case Study 2: Guatemala – Tan Ux’il Association (Asociación Tan Ux’il)