3…2…1…Action!

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Today we showed the first round of Makutano Junction episodes in Mukuru.  Despite some expected first days kinks, overall it was a tremendous logistical success.  We had videos simultaneously showing on homemade projector screens in 25 venues throughout the slum.

The project we are implementing for Twaweza is designed as a 2×2 randomized control trial impact evaluation.  This means that the recruited women are divided into four groups: the first “treatment” group of women watched the Makutano Junction episodes that we are interested in evaluating for Twaweza.  These episodes had clips of inspirational community action commercials spliced in, as well as a message from AMT at the end talking about their sanitation signature campaign.  The second “treatment” group watched the same thing, but without the AMT message. 

The other two groups of women watched “placebo” episodes.  We showed them episodes from another popular family-friendly Kenyan TV series.  Half of these women also saw the AMT message at the end of the show.  None of the women in the placebo group saw the inspirational commercials.  We will also have a pure “control” group of women who do not see any shows, but who are only surveyed. 

This design allows us to evaluate the effects of the different messages embedded in the episodes have on collective citizen agency in Mukuru.  Our main outcome will be measured by looking at the number of women who sign the AMT petition demanding more sanitation services from the Government after seeing the Makutano Junction episodes. 

Our video showings will continue for six weeks, Monday through Thursday, twice a day.  Every morning we meet early in the Digital Divide Data office to load up three trucks to take the 25 generators, DVD players, projectors, electrical cords and curtains into Mukuru, and then pack everything up at the end of the day to bring it back to the office.  The projector screens we are able to leave at the venues.  Each night we also have to pack up the next day’s DVDs and giveaways for each of the venues and print off attendance sheets to analyze the data.  We have purchased sanitary pads, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and other health and beauty items to give to the women who come to the shows.

On the first day of the showings Whitney and Don were on the ground in Mukuru helping to troubleshoot the equipment set up.  They dealt with a few generator and DVD malfunctions, fielded questions from the venue managers and enumerators, and generally checked up on each venue to make sure things were working smoothly.  Keith and Emily debriefed the enumerators who are continuing to survey and recruit women and then picked up extra supplies in town and delivered them in Mukuru.