Mutoni is a dramatic video series aimed at promoting and improving the health of the Rwandan people. The series is centered on the life a community health worker supervisor named Mutoni and her struggle to meet the demands of her job while taking care of the needs of her challenging family and the administrative headaches of her new supervisory position.
Each episode presents important health information that has its foundation in materials that are consistent with messaging by the Ministry of Health.
Characters, Setting and Storyline
The story begins in a village right outside of Kigali, Rwanda where Mutoni has been a nurse for five years. Because of her proximity to the capital she is fairly well educated, speaks English and French and has a sense of worldliness, although she has never left Rwanda.
Mutoni has recently gotten word that she has been selected for a new, relatively high paying position with the Ministry of Health. Because of her teaching skills and ability to get along with others she is tasked with trying to improve the skills of community health workers across Rwanda.
Her new job will take her throughout Rwanda to many areas of the country that she has never seen before where she will be confronted with difficult personal, professional and cultural challenges. She will deal with district, village and health leaders, community health workers who are happy (and not so happy) to have her there as well as many villagers. She will hear, first hand, issues that are important to people throughout the country. She will experiment (and sometimes fail) with new ideas and teaching methods.
Throughout her travails, Mutoni will demonstrate her upbeat quixotic personality and endearing irreverent humor. Her love of teaching and her passion for the well being of her people will shine though even as she stumbles though difficult and sometimes painful and emotional situations.
Mutoni has a keen eye for health matters and this is often demonstrated through dreamlike flashbacks of her training or of personal situations that have occurred in her past.
Most of the scenes will take place in her house, particularly in the kitchen where many health lessons can be taught. In order to broaden the appeal of the show and to bring an air of authenticity to the program, scenes of many episodes will be filmed on-site in different parts of the country. Where possible, authentic local figures and settings will be used and this may produce a reality TVesque feel.
Educational opportunities abound as the story proceeds. Scenes of Mutoni actually teaching in communities will be commonplace, but, equally important, will be scenes where Mutoni deals with everyday life at home including the annoying, sometimes unhealthy habits of her husband and family.
Other Characters
Her husband is a gregarious somewhat uneducated man named Rusanganwa who loves to tell stories. His work is unsteady but he is able to pick up odd jobs on a fairly regular basis to help bring home money for the family. These jobs are of the manual type and cause him many aches and pains and sometimes put him at additional health risks (like loading and off-loading chickens). He is a traditional Rwandan man who occasionally helps with the housework and children but prefers talking with his friends and having a beer.
Ingabire is their seven-year old daughter who is exceptionally bright and does very well at school. She has a wonderful sense of humor and curiosity and often asks her father penetrating and on point questions about what he is doing and why he is behaving in a certain manner. She frequently helps her mother in the kitchen, runs errands for her father and helps care for her 2 year old brother
