Impact | MFDI Website

top of page

MFDI

Impact Evaluations

Since its founding, Media for Development International has committed to not only producing powerful stories, but also rigorously measuring their effects. Independent evaluations, academic studies, and community feedback consistently show that our films and dramas spark dialogue, shift social norms, and inspire action — from reducing stigma around HIV and AIDS to strengthening women’s inheritance rights and mobilizing communities against corruption. This page highlights the research and reports that document how MFDI’s work has touched millions of lives and shaped lasting social change.

Consequences (1988)

World Health Forum

Found the film effective in schools, contributing to a decline in reported student pregnancies in Zimbabwe; role models influenced more responsible sexual attitudes.

Neria (1993)

Washington Post Review

Called Neria “a great help to women who find themselves in similar circumstances,” highlighting its role in raising awareness of widows’ rights.

Legal Analyses (Zimbabwe Succession Acts)

The inheritance reforms of 1997, protecting widows, are popularly known as the “Neria laws”

More Time (1993)

Evaluation (Johns Hopkins/UNAIDS Sourcebook)

Documented increased willingness among teens to discuss sex and pregnancy with parents after screenings.

Everyone’s Child (1996)

DFID Evaluation

Found the film successfully reduced stigma and prompted communities to prioritize orphan care alongside hunger and unemployment.

Yellow Card (2000)

PhD Dissertation (Beunting, 2013)

Showed the film was very effective in promoting safe-sex behavior among African youth, recommending a re-release for new generations.

Sex, AIDS and Videotape (Törja Ngenge, 2003)

In villages where Yellow Card had been screened weeks earlier, young people still remembered the story and its lessons. Some reported that it had changed how they think about relationships, sex, and protection, showing signs of sustained impact beyond the immediate screening.

Wahapahapa (2007–2010)

Peer-Reviewed Study (Health Education & Behavior, 2021)

Field experiment showed listeners were 16% more likely to prioritize HIV treatment as a voting issue, and more supportive of HIV disclosure.

Siri ya Mtungi (2012–2015)

TCCP/USAID Evaluation

Viewers reported higher self-efficacy for condom use and rejection of multiple partners, compared to non-viewers.

Bahasha (2018)

Swiss Embassy Report

Noted the film was central to Tanzania’s anti-corruption campaign, screened for Parliament, and later released on Netflix.

Tunu (2017) & Fatuma (2018) – Kumekucha Campaign

Africa Lead

The campaign (radio + films) reached 4.6M youth and 686,000 women, shifting attitudes toward youth agribusiness and women’s empowerment in agriculture.

bottom of page