Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - 22 October 2004
Abel Hamutenya of the Namibia Red Cross
The NRCS has decided to harness the potential of the local media to improve the welfare of young Namibians by launching a television series that deals with health and development issues.
Soul Buddyz, a 26-episode children's television series, was launched on 14 October 2004 in Windhoek thanks to a partnership between the NCS, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation and Soul City, a South African health and development institute.
This programme will cover a range of social issues affecting young people, such as children's rights, HIV/AIDS, violence, sexual abuse and safety. Six child actors travelled to various rural and urban areas in the country conducting interviews with other children, youths and adults.
The half-hour programmes, which will be shown on Saturdays and Sundays, combine drama, documentary, vox pops, studio and location interviews. The main target audience are children between the ages of eight and 12, although the programme-makers are hoping that older children and adults will also watch.
NRCS Secretary General Razia Essack-Kauaria said at the programme launch that children of that age were not well catered for in the media: "The Red Cross has thus decided to fill the gap by educating and entertaining this age group through this television programme."
"Lack of information has increased their vulnerability, but because they are very receptive to new messages in new and interesting ways, we can take advantage of this programme to change their lives. The Soul Buddyz Series is a great success in South Africa and it inspires us to be part of this initiative in Namibia," she explained.
At the launch, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Nangolo Mbumba, having been interviewed by one of the children presenters, Chamaine Burger, said he was impressed by the initiative and encouraged children to take charge of their own lives by "producing programmes that make you happy."
He further said that the Namibian government policies stipulate that adults should provide quality education to children through positive entertainment.
During the pre-production stage, stakeholder consultations were conducted in the development of the messages that were later developed into scripts. The identification of episode themes and geographical areas in Namibia is done based on the needs and importance of the issues projected in the production.
Aadielah Maker, a senior manager with Soul Buddyz in South Africa also challenged other stakeholders to create the kind of environment which encourages children to share information through the media.
"Having children producing their own programmes is a wonderful thing. This will allow them to establish what is real in their daily lives and tackle it through the media."
Desert Soul, the Namibia Red Cross Society project under which the TV series falls, aims to achieve social and behavioural change through the use of the mass media such as television, radio and print, in line with the National Society's mandate of improving the lives of the most vulnerable people.
A booklet entitled HIV/Aids Action Now will be published before the end of the year to complement a radio series that starts early next year.
If funds allow, Desert Soul will take Soul Buddyz to rural areas through a mobile video van. Television reception in many rural parts of Namibia is very poor and the mobile unit would really make a difference in providing edutainment through this project.
Namibia Red Cross and Soul City entered into a five-year partnership in 2001 to implement health and development communication programmes. In 2002, Choose Life, a colourful magazine which targeted schoolchildren to educate them on HIV/AIDS issues, was launched and 400,000 copies were distributed.
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