Adroit Associates conducted multiple studies to evaluate the impact of media initiatives focused on women’s rights, democracy, and public discourse in Afghanistan. The end-line evaluation was centered around two key radio programs: Open Jirga and New Home, New Life, including the radio drama Nawi Kor Nowi Zhowand. These programs aimed to engage audiences in discussions on Afghan peace talks, local accountability mechanisms, and the role of women in political life.
The evaluation involved a quantitative pre/post survey, targeting 300 radio listeners across six provinces who were regular followers of specific radio content, including BBC MA programs aired by local partner stations. Research interviews were conducted before and after the listeners tuned in to the programs, with both sets of interviews carried out over the phone to capture changes in audience knowledge, understanding, and perceptions.
The study aimed to:
- Assess audience engagement and preferences for Open Jirga and New Home, New Life.
- Evaluate whether Open Jirga provided a safe platform for ordinary Afghans to raise important issues with policymakers, fostering peaceful debate and demonstrating women’s political participation and representation.
- Measure the impact of these programs on audience knowledge of the Afghan peace talks process and local accountability mechanisms.
- Analyze the influence of these radio programs on political participation, particularly how they shaped both women’s and men’s involvement in local accountability mechanisms and political discourse.
To ensure comprehensive data collection, the study sample was drawn from both rural and urban locations across 16 provinces, employing a multi-stage stratified sampling method. The total sample size was 1,162 respondents, ensuring diverse representation and a well-rounded understanding of audience engagement and media influence across the country.
Key Highlights:
- Pre and post-listening interviews conducted remotely with 300 radio listeners in six provinces.
- Study covered Open Jirga, New Home, New Life, and Nawi Kor Nowi Zhowand radio drama.
- Data collected from 1,162 respondents across 16 provinces, using a multi-stage stratified sample.
- Focused on women’s political participation, audience knowledge on peace talks, and fostering democratic discussions.
Voices from the Field:
Testimonial
One of the happiest memories I have from conducting the BBC surveys was the day I went to survey one of the remote villages. It was the 10th of Muharram, and the people of that village were Shiites, so there was a religious event being held at a mosque to which we were warmly invited. They even invited us for a delicious meal. It was an excellent memory for me. My worst memory from conducting BBC surveys was that most people talked about their dire economic situation. One respondent shared how they were consistently borrowing money, reducing their meals, selling their household goods, and being forced to make their children do hard labor to survive. It was excruciating to hear this.
Testimonial
One of my best memories from conducting this survey is that I once went for a survey to a village, and an older man insisted I take a picture of him with his wife and publish it somewhere, and I obliged him. I put their picture on my phone screen and told the man it was done. The man was delighted. My unpleasant memory of the survey was when I figured out that because of the poor economic situation of the people, they did not have access to the media and other means of communication to draw the world’s attention to their needs; It made me very sad.