Safe Motherhood

Since most mothers-to-be in the Caribbean attend pre-natal clinics and 96% of children are born in hospitals, a 4-minute film on safe motherhood was designed for screenings in clinics, hospitals and teaching institutions.

Rather than prepare Safe Motherhood for national broadcast, it was more cost effective to narrowly target the audience for this information by placing the finished presentation in places where most mothers-to-be would want to see a film on motherhood. The film was therefore targeted to an audience where it would have the greatest impact.

In the preparation of the storyboard, discussions were held with several groups representing the potential audience. The storyboard was modified to accommodate the observations made in the focus groups. For example, it was pointed out that featuring a happy marriage would isolate many of the potential viewers since almost 50% of children are brought up in single-parent families. So, the marriage was redesigned into a dream sequence. In addition, it was felt that many of the mothers would give birth without the presence of the father, so the hand of support necessary at childbirth was portrayed in close-ups as anonymous.

Utilization of the tape is currently being monitored through the distribution of a short questionnaire seeking information on the type of organization which uses the tape and the number of times it is shown. Although the film was designed for long term screenings in clinics, schools and educational institutions, it has been widely accepted by the media, who have also broadcast it on national television stations.

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