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UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) seeks the services of a consultancy to translate radio programmes ‘Let’s Talk Early and Unintended Pregnancy!’ and ‘Back to School’ into Siswati. Adapted and translated radio contents will be aired through national and community radio stations to spark conversations among young people and community members about sexual and reproductive health issues that are affecting adolescents and youth in Eswatini.

The ‘Let’s Talk Early and Unintended Pregnancy (EUP)’ campaign was launched in 2019 to advocate for action to eliminate EUP at both regional and national levels through to the grassroots levels in 21 countries in East and Southern Africa (ESA). The “Let’s Talk” campaign focuses on health, education, and rights. Subsequently, the radio drama series addresses issues related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information, modern contraceptive use, early onset of sexual activity, violence against women and improving young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and importance of provision of Life Skills Education for young people.

The “Let’s Talk'' radio drama series follows two aspirational and dynamic sixteen-year-old girls, as they navigate the ups and downs of school, young love and life in the fictional community of Riverblock alongside their parents, teachers and religious leaders. They grapple with an unintended pregnancy while balancing their education and planning their future. The 13-part radio drama series is available in English, French, Portuguese and Swahili.

The series amplifies the ‘Let’s Talk EUP’ campaign messages by showcasing the importance of providing timely life skills education (LSE) for in and out of school adolescents and youth. The ‘Let’s Talk’ radio drama series helps to motivate policies, which stem from social behaviour change, that can contribute to reducing early and unintended pregnancies among adolescents and young people in the region.

Sensitization of EUP is paramount in Eswatini, as Eswatini has high adolescent fertility rates, at 2.803 births per woman. The adolescent birth rate is high at 87 births per 1000 adolescents aged 15-19 years. The percentage of women aged 20-24 who have at least one live birth before 18 is 16.7%1. Adolescents are more likely to have physical complications during their pregnancies, especially from unsafe abortion and more likely to become young mothers a second time. They also face rejection from their peers, and are more likely to drop out of school and face isolation from their communities.

This radio drama series is inclusive and brings together different audiences for conversations. While primarily targeting adolescent girls and young women, the drama speaks equally to and engages men and boys as agents of change. It also aims at starting conversations in order to create a dialogue as well as attitude and behaviour change for youths. It also brings awareness to parents on the importance of have conversations with their children on issues relating to their lives, their experiences and challenges as they grow up. In April 2020, schooling was disrupted for over 1.5 billion learners in more than 190 countries, including in Eswatini, following nationwide closures to contain the spread of COVID-19. In response to this, UNESCO launched the #LearningNeverStops Campaign. This campaign complements the ‘Let’s Talk EUP’ campaign and aims to safeguard any progress made in the interests of girls’ education, to ensure girls’ continuity of learning. The aim of the campaign is to demonstrate what happens in the lives of those girls who don’t return to formal education to continue with learning.

The radio programmes are contributing to the vision of an East and Southern Africa region where all adolescents are empowered and have the knowledge, information, agency and support to prevent early and unintended pregnancy and reach their full potential.

The radio drama series have been aired in English in Eswatini in May 2023 on Eswatini Broadcasting Information Services English Channel (EBIS 2) reaching an estimated 200 000 people leaving a gap of adolescents and young people fluent in Siswati and listen to the Siswati channel. The Eswatini Broadcasting Information Services 1 (SiSwati channel) has a larger following of an estimated 250 000. in order to maximize the reach of these programmes, UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training seeks to have these sessions translated into Siswati to allow them to be aired on the Eswatini channel and community radios in Eswatini.

1 https://eswatini.unfpa.org>topics 

UNESCO seeks to engage the services of a consultant to translate radio the ‘Let’s Talk Early and Unintended Pregnancy!’ into Siswati. The aim of the consultancy is to have the EUP radio drama series, ‘Let’s Talk EUP’ and audio clips’ translated into Siswati.

Objectives
UNESCO and Ministry of Education and Training seek to translate the radio drama and have it aired on multiple radio stations. Specifically, UNESCO will:
-Contract a service provider to translate the English scripts into Siswati and record the audios in Siswati.
-Support the airing of the radio drama on Eswatini Broadcasting Information Services Siswati channel, UNESWA Radio and Hala online Radio.
-Facilitate conversations on radio with SRHR experts in the country.

The objectives of the required services are:
1. Translation of the ‘Let’s Talk EUP’ radio drama and audio clips into the Siswati.
2. Increase access to sexual and reproductive health and rights information through mass media (airing the radio drama and audio clips in local radio stations).
3. Increased coverage of CSE to reach adolescents and young people in remote areas.

UNESCO is seeking the services of a consultant to translate radio programmes ‘Let’s Talk Early and Unintended Pregnancy!’ into Siswati. The aim of the consultancy is to have the EUP radio drama series, ‘Let’s Talk EUP’ and audio clips’ translated into Siswati. Specifically, the consultancy will conduct the following activities:

1. Translate the English scripts into Siswati
2. Translate the radio host discussion guides into Siswati
3. Recruit voice over actors and produce the radio drama in Siswati
4. Pre-test recorded radio series and revise in line with comments received during pre-test
5. Share revised radio series with UNESCO and Ministry of Education and Training for review and comments.
6. Revise recorded sessions in line with comments
7. Share final recordings for approval.

Translation of the EUP radio drama series, ‘Let’s Talk EUP’ programme scripts and the audio clips into Siswati. The consultant will work with MoET, and with UNESCO staff in country to agree on the process for the consultancy such as approaches to fine-tune scripts into Eswatini contexts.

There will be four main deliverables:

1. Inception report that includes the following:
(a) Outline of the translation process
(b) Cost for production
(c) Timeline
2. Scripts for ‘Let’s Talk EUP!’ radio programmes translated into Siswati.
3. Recorded audio clips in Siswati
4. Translated radio host guide in Siswati

All radio content will need to be approved by the Ministry of Education and Training before being accepted as a final deliverable.

The assignment will start on 13 August to 14 November 2024.

The successful organization will have the following:

Mandatory:
o A team leader with a bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field of study such as behavioural change communication, health education, public health, and journalism.
o Three years or more experience in social and behavioural change communication using mass media with some of it being in Eswatini.
o Technical background in social and behavioural change communication in relevant areas such as adolescent sexual reproductive health and HIV education; Life Skills Education (LSE); public health in general.

Desirable:
• Excellent communication skills, in both written and spoken English and Siswati.