The actors play members of the fictional village, Nyarurembo. In addition to recording in the studio, they also regularly visit rural areas to record the shows. These recordings attract up to 10,000 people and give the team another chance to address topical health issues in an interactive way. The organisers co-ordinate with a large number of stakeholders at each stage of the production, which gives everyone a sense of ownership of the production. These key groups include the Ministry of Health, other NGOs, the National AIDS Control Commission (CNLS), and the Treatment and Research AIDS Centre (TRAC). The Urunana team ensures the health messages it portrays are in line with the Ministry of Health’s policies.

The team consults regularly with Urunana’s listeners, for pre-testing storylines, and gathering feedback after the show has been broadcast. This feedback is recorded and given to local health policy makers, which increases their awareness of the health issues facing their communities and ultimately influences health policies. It is also processed by the Urunana team to influence future storylines. According to organisers, the Urunana scriptwriters regularly spend time living in villages to help them ensure that their writing reflects real life experiences. Individuals also submit written feedback on the soap, which gives the production team further insight into the daily struggles of listeners.

The programme airs twice a week on Radio Rwanda and the BBC Great Lakes Service.

According to the organisers, the World Health Organisation’s Roll Back Malaria campaign awarded Health Unlimited Rwanda a Prix d’ Excellence for the programme’s contribution to malaria control on World Malaria Day 2002. More recently, in December 2007, Urunana Development Communication received a Community Service Award for its contribution to raising awareness on sexual and reproductive health in Rwanda. In June 2008, Urunana won the One World Broadcasting Trust’s Special Award for Development Media.

In September 2008, the programme celebrated its 1000th episode, which was broadcast live at a celebration attended by 180 people, and included the participation of the Minister of Health, who was written into the episode. To promote the 1000th episode, a community outreach show focusing on family planning was also organised in Kigali. According to the organisers, it was attended by 15 000 people. The show has an estimated audience of 10 million people.

A Rwandan government literacy rates survey in 1996 showed that 47.3% of the population over 6 years of age did not know neither how to read or write. 58% of this figure comprised women and girls. Organisers say that in Rwanda there are 101 radios for every 1 television set, making it the dominant media in the country.

Organisers say that the project has stimulated discussion of sensitive subjects which are rarely discussed in Rwandan families. They attribute this success to some of the following lessons learned:

• programmes less than 15 minutes in length are more marketable to broadcasters who have 15-minute transmission slots to fill
• the listener's ear tends to 'tune out' after 15 minutes
• drama serials with longer episodes have a shorter life span
• varied storylines and characters over time add contrast and ensure that there is something for and about every type of listener
• plotting a story's development on a grid storyboard reduces the risk of inconsistency, repetition, or missed educational opportunities
• ongoing storylines engage listeners over a long period, but occasional 'hot stories' that begin and end across just 2 episodes give instant drama
• constantly incorporating listeners' feedback into the design of the soap and the time and frequency of transmission keeps it relevant to the audience
• broadcasting 2 episodes a week and an omnibus builds audience loyalty
• repeating simple messages reinforces information
• educational messages work at varied levels, e.g., making first aid tips incidental to a main storyline
• characters with someone to confide in within the story enable the audience to hear what characters feel about events and work out how they would respond to the same dilemmas in real life
• storylines that involve action then consequence draw the audience along with the character's self-learning
• dialogue can be prescriptive while remaining realistic.