The purpose of USAID’s new Governance and Communications program is to empower Malians to play an important role in a decentralized system of democratic governance at the local level.
The program works with all key actors—the state, civil society and the private sector— in a partnership to find solutions to local development issues. The program promotes the participation of various groups in the democratic process, and creates viable links among them. It also provides local communities with the skills to administer their own financial systems; develops policies that support the success of decentralized government; and increase women’s role in decision making.
The Team also includes activities to make it easier for Malians to get access to information that will enable them to improve the quality of their lives. This is done by supporting Mali’s thriving community FM radio sector and community telecenters. These technologies are used to disseminate development-related messages, and programming to prevent and mitigate conflict.
The program produces multi-media content that will directly benefit students, teachers, entrepreneurs, farmers, families, health workers and government employees (especially those outside of the capital city). The program also provides community selected radio stations with Internet access, thereby making information from the worldwide web available to the vast listening audience in Mali.
Projects:
>Conflict Management through Community Radios
Project geographic coverage: Gao, Kidal, Timbuktu
Project objective: To manage destabilizing trends by strengthening the capacity of the private sector to contribute to peace building through increasing access to and community control over information pertinent to the overall education and development of the most isolated populations of Mali. More
>NietaKunafoni (Communications for Development)/HKI
Project geographic coverage: National
Project objective:To enhance social capital as the key element of national development by promoting positive change in social, cultural, political, and economic behavior, leading to an improved standard of living for the people of Mali. More
>CLIC –Community Learning and Information Centers
Project objective:Provide reliable public access to a wide range of development related information through ICT. The community Learning and Information Centers are designed to meet community needs and actively support development objectives of the Government of Mali and USAID/Mali.
Project key activities: Under the CLIC project, thirteen telecenters have been established across Mali, from Kidal in the north to Kangaba in the south. The CLICs are public fee-for-use access centers where people can use e-mail, Internet, telephone, do word processing, receive computer training, listen to radio via World Space receivers etc. The CLICs are also offering digital, paper-based and audio content in the main strategic objective areas of USAID - namely health, education (teacher training), agribusiness, and civil society/governance. More
Success Story:
Bridging the Communications Gap in Northern Mali
One of the many dreams of the communities of Bourem Inaly, Lerneb and Almoustarat came true this June. USAID and its partner Africare inaugurated three new radio stations in these communities, opening the door to new means of sending and receiving information, thus bridging the communications gap between people of these communities.
USAID and Africare decided to create 14 new FM radio stations in northern Mali because this region is remote, prone to conflict, and suffers from extreme poverty and scarcity of natural resources.
The 14 selected communities are provided with comprehensive community radio “packages”, including FM radio transmitters, 2-way communication radio transceivers, WorldSpace satellite receivers, televisions, satellite dishes and VCRs.... Full Story
last updated: monday, february 25 2008