Job advert - Radio Expansion Programme Manager 

Summary

 

We believe that the Lively Minds Together (LMT) Radio Programme could offer a cheap, impactful and highly scalable solution to the ECD crisis: 

• It is low cost and low resource, requiring just a small team to run it 

• Easy to set-up quickly and to implement 

• Has the potential to reach millions of rural parents as radio is the largest and most trusted form of mass media in most rural areas of Africa (On average, over 50% of rural households own a radio & on average, rural listenership of radio is over 50% (varies by country)

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However, we first want to prove and learn more about the impact through a rigorous evaluation. To do this, we plan to optimise the programme (maximising impact while reducing cost/effort), pilot in a new district in Uganda (to be determined) and conduct a randomised control trial (RCT). Through an RCT we hope to answer the following key questions: 

• Does LMT improve upon parenting knowledge, mindset and practice? And how?  

• Is LMT scalable and worth scaling (I.e. do the outcomes justify the cost)?  

• What are ways we can further improve on listenership and impact? 

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If proven impactful, we plan to scale the radio programme in Uganda and elsewhere. 

We are seeking a passionate, creative and versatile Radio Expansion Programme Manager who will be hands on in managing all aspects of the LMT programme optimisation, testing, pilot and RCT to high quality standards and in developing a well analysed strategy to expand to other locations in Uganda and elsewhere. This is a very exciting opportunity to get involved in all aspects of designing, implementing, testing and potentially scaling a radio programme that could make a real difference in the lives of millions of rural parents and their children. 

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For a detailed understanding of the role and person criteria, please see the Job Description.

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About us

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Our mission is to get preschool children in rural Africa school-ready.  At present over 250 million children worldwide fail to receive the education and care they need in their early years which means they are less likely to do well in school, find gainful employment, and are at greater risk of early marriage, early parenthood and even criminality. Current approaches to solving this crisis are not proving effective or scalable in lower middle income countries.  

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That’s where Lively Minds comes in. We have developed an award-winning Early Childhood Development programme that has been proven through randomised control trial to improve cognitive and socio-emotional skills and reduce malnutrition for pre-schoolers in hard-to-reach communities school-ready, so they have a greater chance of succeeding in school and in life. The programme provides marginalised Mothers with a parenting course that empowers them to run educational Play Schemes for pre-schoolers and to provide better home-based care, using cheap local resources. Government of Ghana have now adopted the programme and we have a ground-breaking partnership with them to support them to institutionalise it, fund it and to scale it to 60 education districts, reaching over 4000 communities and 1million children. We have also scaled the programme through all rural communities in Mayuge District in Uganda.  

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In addition to our regular programme, we have leveraged the opportunity to reach an even larger number of rural parents through radio. During COVID, we developed a radio programme for rural parents, Lively Minds Together (LMT), which has now become a permanent fixture. LMT adapts our proven and tested content from the regular programme into very interactive and practical episodes for rural parents that supports them to provide learning and care at home. Each week the following is broadcast in local language: 

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• a 20 min parenting episode, that shares simple cost-free ways for parents and caregivers to support family health, wellbeing, and children’s development. Example episode topics include handwashing, nutrition, malaria prevention, wellbeing. 

• a 20 minute play episode: teaching parents simple, fun, cost-free games and activities that use available household materials to support development and school-readiness in young children. 

• Live phone-ins after each episode: giving parents the opportunity to share experiences and ask questions. 

 

The main objectives are to: 

• Change the mindsets of rural parents so that they understand the critical role they play and are confident in providing ECCE for their children using the resources they have 

• Give rural parents the information and skills they need to provide ECCE at home 

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The programme currently airs in Uganda on 1 radio station, 1 local language and in Ghana on 18 radio stations, 16 local languages. The show’s reach is estimated to be around 2 million listeners.

 

A study conducted by Farm Radio International (FRI) in Ghana shows that rural parents are listening to the show, feeling more confident and putting what they are learning into practice: 

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• Of parents who listen to the radio, approximately 80% listened to the LMT program  

• Overall, nearly 90% of surveyed listeners noted that the program helped parents and caregivers learn parenting skills and skills related to teaching children at home  

• Most LMT program listeners (76.5%) reported that they had started using new games or activities with their children after listening to the radio program  

• 91.5% of listeners agreed that the LMT program had influenced their decision to start using new practices at home related to early childhood care and education 

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The programme is also cheap to deliver and highly scalable. We believe LMT genuinely has the potential to play a transformative role in ending the global ECD crisis. We plan to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the programme to prove impact and are exploring how to expand the programme in Uganda and elsewhere given positive results. 

We’re a lively ambitious organisation, determined to have a major positive impact on the world. We work hard, at a fast pace, in a challenging environment. We expect everyone to give their best to achieve the best possible results. Our work is demanding but provides plenty of opportunity for innovation, responsibility, growth, collaboration, creativity and fun. We want all staff to be happy, fulfilled and to feel appreciated and valued in their work. 

To find out more about our programme, please visit www.livelyminds.org. 

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How to apply

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Please download an Application Form and send together with your CV to jobs@livelyminds.org before the deadline.

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Deadline for applications: 11:59 PM EAT Monday, 26th June 2023