Integral Media Limited (IML) has completed the conceptualized and development of podcast messages with a focus on the learning needs of the women entrepreneurs carrying on the business of production and marketing of ICS.
The podcasts are now in the deployment phase. Recipients are organised in regional groups, with dispatch from the Fululizo digital platform.
This initiative was sponsored by Practical Action, an international NGO headquartered in the UK with offices in Nairobi and other parts of the world. The task for IML has been to provide services to train improved cook stove (ICS) Last Mile Energy Entrepreneurs in rural and peri-urban areas of Kenya through podcasts. The locations covered included Baringo (Mogotio, Kabarnet and Eldama Ravine), Nakuru (Naivasha, Gilgil, Molo, Njoro, Nakuru town and Bahati), Nyandarua (Ol Kalau, Ndonyo Njeru and Engineer) and Kericho (Kipkellion, Londiani).
Members of the IML Fululizo Channel Podcasting Crew take a well-deserved break during a podcast recording session. The team of over 20 youthful professionals includes trained mass communication and multi-media production enthusiasts.
To accomplish the outcomes of this ambitious project, IML’s expert team of podcasters and audio-visual producers embarked on an implementation strategy that was rural-centric.
Fululizo Multi-Media Channel, IML’s web and USSD solution, was the key deployment tool. Fululizo has the capability to deliver content to phone users, whether they have internet or not. This unique feature enables rural-based consumers of content to access crucial information via Fululizo’s audio library by dialing *384*585#
IML team was also tasked with reviewing the existing training curriculum on improved cookstove production, and scripting of podcast messages based on the recommended key areas identified as barriers to successful enterprise.
A typical Fululizo production run involves understanding the needs of the potential audience, production and testing of the podcast messages, refining the podcasts based on the feedback during testing, followed by broadcasting, on a rolling basis. The pre-recorded messages are dispatched on an agreed schedule, while the main library on Fululizo digital platform remains accessible for on-demand content consumption. Listeners can download content at their own leisure, wherever they are located.
Practical Action requested IML to provide means of verification of dissemination and consumption of content. For this purpose, IML provided Practical Action with an online dashboard from where they could monitor downloads and listernership in a real-time environment.
Left: Examples of locally produced ICS
One key outcome of the Fululizo podcast learning process was peer-to-peer learning, as IML integrated audio messages from entrepreneurs willing to share their experiences with their peers.
The podcasts were crafter to include thematic role play and gender inclusivity – as men as part and parcel of the family and work environment of the women entrepreneurs, and therefore a key component of wholesome content.
