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Entertainment Education Programs
Pakistan: Aahat - A Social Drama
Analysis A formative study was carried out to obtain an overall picture of the existing family planning conditions in Pakistan. In 1991 figures showed that awareness of family planning was high (above 80%), but contraceptive prevalence was quite low (below15%). An estimated 59% of the married couples of reproductive age were non-users of contraceptives, favoring either spacing (35%) or limiting (23%) and thus constituted an "unmet demand" for contraceptives. This intended group primarily comprises Pakistan’s emerging middle and lower classes who are high consumers of mass media, especially television and radio. Television reaches 43% of the rural and 68% of the urban audiences and is the most effective medium to reach people. The process of message development for the campaign was carried out in many phases. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews among middle income married men and women of reproductive age, as well as family elders, religious leaders, service providers and traditional medical practitioners investigated family planning decision-making and the causes for the comparatively large (59%) “unmet demand” in Pakistan. Ethnographic research on the process of family planning communication, particularly husband-wife communication, was carried out through a series of four socio-anthropological case studies. Advocacy Design After extensive exploration for the most effective means of developing an entertaining social drama to reach the national audience as well as an assesssment of production and broadcast capabilities, it was decided that Pakistan Television (PTV) was the best organization to handle the entire production. The production team consisted of professionals from throughout South Asia and included Sahira Kazmi, a well-known dramatic producer of “social issues” dramas and Huseena Moeen, a reputed scriptwriter. These two women, working together with Educational TV and PTV, generated awareness and excitement about the project through favorable press. The drama had significant impact. Aahat swept the national media, making it the subject of numerous lead articles and cover-page stories. The key persons involved in the project became national celebrities, and the drama placed family planning at the forefront of the nation’s agenda. An evaluation to measure the impact of the family planning
IEC campaign among three broad population groups (married
men of reproductive age, married women of reproductive age,
and married couples of reproductive age) in the major population
centers of Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad)
revealed the following:
Aahat was viewed by an estimated 30 million people, and was among the most popular prime-time shows on PTV’s fall season. The drama was discussed on television talk shows and covered extensively in the English and Urdu press—approximately fifty reviews and articles in all. A review in “Jang” the most widely read Urdu daily, concluded with the following lines, “ …AAHAT centers around a family’s well-being, with the entire society reflected in it. Broadcast in six parts, this mini-series has proved to ba a unique form of instruction. Perhaps in the darkness of ignorance and illiteracy, this small “aahat” brings news of bright and hopeful destiny.” Noting the tremendous response to the first episode generated, Lever Brothers offered to sponsor the remaining five episodes. |
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Aahat
(An Approaching Sound) is the story of a young couple,
their dreams, social pressures and the consequences of having
too many children too soon. The television drama of six one-hour
episodes is an outstanding example of the success of the Enter-Educate
concept in diffusing family planning messages. It marked the
first highly visible collaboration between Pakistan TV and
the National Population Program, signaling a positive change
in high-level government commitment to family planning communication
in Pakistan. As in many Muslim societies, family planning
has long been considered too sensitive a topic for mass media.
However, the overwhelmingly positive response that the drama
received has quieted such misconceptions and given high visibility
to family planning. Originally scripted in Urdu, followed
by an English subtitled version, the drama was broadcast on
Pakistan Television (PTV) beginning October 1, 1991.
Starting
in August 1990 the Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication
Services (JHU/PCS) assisted the Government of Pakistan, Ministry
of Population Welfare (MPW) in the design and implementation
of a comprehensive family planning communication strategy.
The design of the National Family Welfare Campaign followed
the the P-Process, a research-based, impact-oriented approach
to message design and program implementation. 
© 2005 The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.