Radio Tap Tap is an exciting new communication method that offers an entertaining package of music, entertainment and fun for the hundreds of thousands of people who public transport in Haiti. The tap tap is the name given to the iconic painted trucks and pickups which ferry people around in Haiti for a small fee. Think "Pimp My Ride" on a massive scale and you will get the idea.

Shows are produced soap opera style, introducing familiar characters to a captive 

audience of commuters. See a list of recent programs to listen to here

 Radio Tap Tap has teamed up with the volunteer call center run by the  Haitian Foundation Noula.ht.  

This enables us to have unique media metrics on the numbers of people who listen to the programs. Noula measures listeners comprehension of the messages on a range of subjects.

The high volume of calls received by the call center reflects the growing popularity of the Radio Tap Tap programs. In less than a month Radio Tap Tap has moved into the top position on the Noula.ht website.

A large number of hard-working Haitians spend hours every day inside tap taps, while grinding through the traffic of Port au Prince. Many more ride for 

hours at a time to and from rural areas. Radio Tap Tap targets long 

distance tap taps and those smaller kamiyonets that criss-cross the

 cities and towns of Haiti. These programs are also distributed

 throughout church networks, played Radio Minustah Fm, on Radio

 Boukman in Cite Soleil and across our network of 50 community

 radio stations  linked via www.citizenhaiti.com 

           ..

Passengers riding overcrowded Tap Taps have "in journey entertainment" with sponsored programs containing key messages

This project proposes reaches this audience via a system of 

pre-recorded programs on CD or mp3 audio players. An incentive 

system ensures that Tap Tap drivers will play the pre-recorded 

programs. Audience involvement is also crucial. Listeners are 

encouraged to call a free phone number with the prospect of

 winning a prize. This ensures feedback provides us with transparent

 media metrics, something which is both expensive and unreliable 

for radio in Haiti.

Tap Tap passengers are asked to participate in a competition by

 making a free phone call to a volunteer call center (Noula.ht) 

where operators test comprehension of key messages. "Winning" 

passengers are entered in a raffle for a small prize of 250 gourdes or $5.

Early Success for Radio Tap Tap

How it Works

 Above, Illustrated stickers are affixed to the inside of Tap Taps to explain the process. The plan is to have stickers to show the routes the tap taps take, a valuable and much needed service for both drivers and passengers.

The Radio Tap Tap Team

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Production, recording and distribution of programs with music content destined for  youth, mature and/or church-going audiences. This includes studio recording of voice over actors  for sketches written to the requested theme.  Access to  Noula.ht  call center and monitoring software to track listenership.

CDs will be distributed starting on a Monday when the program official begins:      

Supplementary activities

1. CDs for distribution on Tap Taps, churches, etc
2. We can also record and play short spots for advocacy from 30 seconds to 4 minutes long. We can also provide call center feedback for these spots.
3. Distribution of visibility materials and prizes.
4. Hiring roller blade team to promote tap tap radyo

Media coverage  

NPR story on painted Tap Taps

See here for a visual presentation of the tools

Context

Radio Tap Tap is an initiative of IOM Haiti's citizen media project. The aim is to generate a two-way communications network between the humanitarian community, the Haitian population and the general population.

The project incorporates CitizenHaiti.org a social media website for 

Haiti where local NGOs can curate their own web pages, Radio Tap 

Tap and Noula.ht an initiative of Solutions Sa which provides a 

crowdsourcing platform for humanitarian issues.

For more information contact

Renald Derazin  (Media and Communications IOM Haiti)  3716 5213 email

Jethro Sereme (Citizen Haiti Media) 37037310  email

Lesly Hillaire      (Eclotech Multimedia)     3732 8861  email

Mike Chares     (Media and Communications IOM Haiti)     3774 8644  email

Leonard Doyle  (Media and Communications IOM Haiti)

 LDoyle@iom.int  + 509  3702 5066