Ms. Madhavi Wijerathne

Forum Theater as a method of participatory communication to sensitize farming community and school children on CKDU and mitigation methods

The high prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown (CKDu) etiology is a severe environmental and heal;h issue in the North Central Province(NCP) of Sri Lanka. An effective education and communication strategy is important to mitigate CKDu-related issues. The Brazilian dramatist Augusto Boal invented the Forum theater drama format which allows the audience to become actors/actresses(spectators) while giving the opportunity for them to analyze their own problems critically. This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this new form of theatre as a method of participatory communication to sensitize the farming community and school children on CKDu.