C12392: Siri ya Mtungi Educational Docudrama for Improved Health Care in TanzaniaNovelty:
An educational television drama featuring everyday life and challenges in Tanzania, aiming to introduce societal and behavioral changes for an improved health outcome.
Value Proposition:
Tanzania is facing a generalized HIV epidemic, with an estimated adult prevalence of 5.6%. Yet, poverty and inadequate human resources to deliver quality health services to the population exacerbate an efficient disease management. Hence, the here-disclosed educational television drama set in Dar es Salaam comprising storylines around concurrent partnerships, family planning, and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, is intended to alter Tanzanians health behaviors and social norms, beneficial for an improved health outcome. Advantages include:
• Relatable, colorful, high-quality production in native Tanzanian language
• Efficient health care improvement by combining entertainment with health education
• Health educational program applicable in Tanzania and potentially other African countries
Technical Details:
Johns Hopkins researchers have created a television drama reflecting Tanzanian everyday life and challenges, presenting a novel health education program aiming to change longstanding health behaviors and societal norms. Although HIV prevalence appears to have slightly decreased in Tanzania in the past years, there is still an unmet need for family planning and reproductive health services for advanced disease management and better quality patient care. Siri ya Mtungi Secrets of the Gourd is an original audiovisual recording comprising a television drama set in Dar es Salaam. The colorful unscripted docudrama recorded in native Tanzanian language follows characters representing average Tanzanians, making it highly relatable for viewers. Storylines feature instances of family, friendship, concurrent partnerships and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, thereby providing models for practicing healthier behaviors and lifestyles. By combining education with entertainment, this high-quality production can be used to initiate environmental changes and shift societal norms for an improved health outcome in Tanzania and possibly other African countries.
Looking for Partners:
To develop and commercialize the technology as a health education program in Tanzania.
Stage of Development:
Fully developed
Data Availability:
Under CDA / NDA
Publications/Associated Cases:
Siri ya Mtungi 13 Episodes
