Wave Power showcases four community radio projects helping to tackle the Millennium Development Goals in developing countries. The case studies – in India, Malawi, the Caribbean and Nepal – demonstrate how communication at the grassroots level is so important, not only empowering the people most affected, but enabling them to become advocates for change in their own communities.
Each of the 4 case studies includes a list of MDGs addressed, a summary of the project, a summary of impact information, contact information, and notes to editors. In brief, the projects profiled include:
1. Choti Choti Batein (Small, Small Things) – youth radio in Bihar, India – addressing MDG #2 (achieve universal primary education), #4 (reduce child mortality), and #6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases): “a community radio programme in Bihar which aims to inform and empower the state’s adolescent community on issues of reproductive health, good governance, and the environment. It is scripted, voiced and edited by young people from socially and economically marginalised communities. Some are from families of ‘untouchables’ or rescued from child labour. They are encouraged to be proactive on social issues such as education and health, to debate matters of common concern and look for local solutions to their problems….The impact can be clearly seen among the CCB participants, who have come a long way in making themselves capable not only in radio production, but in other aspects of life too….Panos South Asia and partners have created Radio Listening Clubs and there are now 29 of these with an average of 15 members of varied ages listening from their homes…”
2. Mwana Alirenji (There Is Nothing a Child Can Cry for When Food Is Plenty) – farmer-to-farmer radio in Malawi – addressing MDG #1 (eradicate extreme poverty and hunger) and #7 (ensure environmental sustainability): “features interviews with farmers who have overcome problems through initiative, resource management, and trial-and-error testing of new methods in their own gardens. They go on to inspire and help struggling farmers to implement these ideas and guide them in designing experiments….Innovations like these are being popularised not only through radio but also week-long village festivals, where many aspects of food security, such as leadership, gender and environment issues are addressed through workshops. The festival ends with a ceremony where the different working groups showcase what they have been doing during the week. During this ceremony a video documentary, addressing the central problem as identified by the community, is screened…”
3. My Island – My Community – radio soap opera tackling climate change in the Caribbean – addressing MDG #7: “…underpinned by educational content to encourage greater conservation of the environment throughout the Caribbean and is aimed at a wide audience….In each of the 11 countries, environmental NGOs [non-governmental organisations], government agencies, radio stations, academics, and scientists will join the regional partners to develop country-specific public awareness campaigns to complement the radio drama through radio call-in shows, music festivals, and community action campaigns…”
4. Samajhdari (Mutual Understanding) – community radio addressing links between violence against women and HIV/AIDS in Nepal – addressing MDG #3 (promote gender equality and empower women) and #6: “Twelve female community reporters, all survivors of violence or living with HIV, go into rural and poor areas with high HIV and domestic abuse rates to interview women about their experiences for the programme. With the microphones in the hands of survivors, these previously stigmatised women have gained self-confidence and are accepted as equal members of society through their status.”
Article Source: http://www.comminit.com/hiv-aids/content/wave-power-radio-and-mdgs.
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