PDTU COVID-19 response: radio jingles

Since 2016, Transaid’s Professional Driver Training – Uganda (PDTU)  project has been working to improve the capacity of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and passenger service vehicle (PSV) drivers in Uganda. The COVID-19 pandemic, first recorded in Uganda in March 2020, has added a number of new challenges for professional truck drivers at a time when the need to maintain vital supplies of foods, medicines and other essential assistance is increasingly falling to road transporters.

Despite the risk of exposure, truck drivers have continued to work through unpredictable and deteriorating working conditions, whilst facing increased scrutiny and stigma particularly as many of the new cases of COVID-19 being reported in Uganda are from long distance drivers being tested at the borders.

In response, Transaid and Safe Way Right Way have partnered with transporter unions in Uganda to produce truck driver-specific COVID-19 information and key road safety messaging. Due to the nature of their work, truck drivers are often away from home for several weeks at a time and work irregular hours, so in addition to printed factsheets and face to face sensitisation, three radio jingles were produced to increase the reach and coverage of our messaging.

All three jingles were recorded in Uganda and are available in English, Luganda and Swahili.