Radio La Benevolencija Humanitarian Tools Foundation
Radio La Benevolencija Humanitarian Tools Foundation
Established in 2002, Radio La Benevolencija Humanitarian Tools Foundation (RLB) is a Dutch NGO committed to the empowerment of minorities and social groups that are, have been or are in danger of becoming the victims of ethnocentric or other forms of hate violence. Using a combination of edutainment methodologies and comparative psychological research, RLB’s media intervention in Rwanda, the DRC and Burundi is a prototype campaign to embed, in national audiences, scientific knowledge of how to resist the psychological pressures and demagoguery that turn individuals into perpetrators of mass hate. RLB’s radio soaps, factual documentaries and educational programmes, in combination with grassroots activities, convey this knowledge while simultaneously stimulating best practices of active bystandership. Regular parallel impact evaluations are conducted to measure the effectiveness of this Intervention tool and to ensure that the strategies and methodologies are attuned to specific contexts.
In order to work towards its mission and institutional objectives, RLB media and grassroots campaigns employ an educative communication strategy based on general Learning Theory, widely employed in Education & Entertainment Attitude-change projects. The project activities are divided along three main axes that are designed to be mutually reinforcing and complementary:
1. Targeting the general population with Entertainment-education (edutainment) radio dramas
2. Targeting a leadership audience with a series of weekly factual/journalistic radio (and/or TV) programs
3. Creating practical experience for the audience by implementing broadcasted content through Grassroots activities.