In a one-year experimental study published in 2009, researcher Elizabeth Paluck found that regular exposure to Musekeweya led to measurable changes in attitudes and behavior.

Listeners became:

• less likely to encourage marriage only within their own social group

• more trusting of others

• more willing to express disagreement

• less likely to blindly follow authority

• more empathetic toward marginalized groups, including prisoners, genocide survivors, and the poor

• more open to speaking about trauma

The study concluded that the program successfully shifted perceptions of social norms, leading to meaningful behavioral change.

Paluck, E. L. (2009). Reducing intergroup prejudice and conflict using the media: A field experiment in Rwanda. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 96(3), 574–587. https://doi.org/10.1037/a001198

An independent ten-year evaluation by Kogen and Price examined the impact and adaptability of our work across Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda.

The study found positive shifts in social norms among our audiences, including:

• increased trust

• healthier ways of dealing with trauma

• greater openness toward intermarriage

• stronger awareness of the dangers of scapegoating

• more active bystandership

• greater willingness to hear different perspectives

• less tendency to blindly follow authority

Listeners were also more likely to participate in reconciliation activities and openly discuss the social issues addressed in our programs.

The evaluation further highlighted our success in adapting educational radio dramas to different local contexts, reaching an estimated 70–90% of target audiences across the region. It described our work as an important contribution to efforts countering hate speech and supporting peacebuilding in the Great Lakes region.

Kogen, L. (2014). Assessing impact, evaluating adaptability: A decade of radio la Benevolencija in Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC. Philadelphia, PA: Center for Global Communication Studies.

An independent evaluation of our Media for Dialogue (M4D) program found that our work successfully promoted inter-community cooperation, encouraged access to reliable information, and reduced the instrumentalisation of identity.

The study highlighted our ability to adapt to different contexts and audiences, as well as our effective collaboration with both formal and informal partners. The evaluation concluded that we reached our objectives in a conflict-sensitive and cost-efficient way while generating measurable behavioral and attitudinal change among participants.

Importantly, the evaluation also found significant spillover effects: participants shared newly acquired knowledge and skills within their own communities, extending the program’s reach beyond its direct audience.

Research on the GAMER project and the Horns of Justice games further demonstrated the adaptability of our approach in digital environments, highlighting the potential of peacebuilding work in online spaces.