PMC and community partners continue to flip the script on social norms impacting women in Ethiopia. Nekakat (“Cracked”), an emotionally resonant radio show, is changing views on gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and family planning. These issues, which PMC works on worldwide, continue to be prevalent in Ethiopia and have raised serious concerns in the United Nations General Assembly.

PMC is measuring the impact of Nekakat by hosting 40+ radio listener groups. These groups are precisely what you might imagine. Members of the community come together in a public space, listen to the episodes, and then discuss what they have heard. The groups provide valuable insight on how the audience perceives the broadcast and the impact that the characters have on individuals. For example, the popularity of the female character Mulu gives us hope that even the most damaging, deeply rooted social norms can be changed.

Each day, there are approximately 382,000 births and 168,000 deaths. This accounts for a global net growth of over 200,000 people per day. Contraceptive use has slowly but steadily increased globally, rising from 55% in 2000 to 57% in 2019. This is good news. The problem is, however, that modern contraception is still greatly underutilized. 

However, there is hope. As PMC Advisory Board Member Eileen Crist has stated so eloquently, “The combination of heightened public awareness, the empowerment of women, and the availability and affordability of up-to-date reproductive information and services yields swift declines in birthrates,” especially unwanted and unplanned ones.