USAID Fact Sheet: U.S. Government Assistance to Afghan Media

U.S. Government Assistance to Afghan Media

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FACT SHEET

WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-4320

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2002

Contact: USAID Press Office

Background

During a ceremony inaugurating the rebirth of Radio Afghanistan, USAID Mission Director Craig Buck powers up radio transmitters provided to the broadcast facility with assistance from USAID.

The U.S. Government, as part of its strategy to support democracy in Afghanistan, is assisting the development of Afghan media with a package that includes training, equipment and transmission facilities. Among the organizations providing support are the U.S. Agency for International (USAID) and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which supervises nonmilitary U.S. international broadcasting. USAID, through its Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), has committed over $1.5 million to projects that directly benefit media in Afghanistan.

USAID's Support

Building Journalistic Capacity: Internews, an NGO, received a grant to support local radio broadcasters by providing hands-on training, technical assistance and equipment upgrades and development of a media policy and regulatory framework.
Rebuilding National Broadcasting: The national radio station of Afghanistan, Radio Afghanistan, began broadcasting nationwide in early June thanks to USAID's technical and financial support. A satellite terminal has been installed at Radio Afghanistan, linking Radio Afghanistan's signal to offshore shortwave transmitters that broadcast the station's programs throughout Afghanistan.

Damaged satellite dish at Radio Afghanistan's broadcast facilities in Kabul.

Enhancing Printing Facilities: A $40,000 USAID grant to the national Print House, signed May 26, is enabling the facility to replace essential parts of the printing press that were damaged or destroyed and will permit rehabilitation of several rooms. As a symbol of the greater freedom of the press now enjoyed by the Afghan people, the Minister of Information and Culture, Dr. Sayed M. Raheen, renamed the printing facility, the Freedom Print House.
Media Support for the Loya Jirga and Bonn Process: Grants to NGOs, including Internews and Media Support Solutions provide support to Radio Afghanistan and the Loya Jirga Commission. Under the grants, news stories, radio programs and other materials are produced to educate the public about the work of the Loya Jirga, Afghanistan's traditional process for selecting a national government.
Enhancing Public Information Capacity: Through Internews, the Afghan Interim Authority's capacity to provide the public with information about its work has been enhanced through provision of a full-time public information office and personnel.

Photo: USAID Mission Director Craig Buck shakes hands with participants at a ceremony inaugurating the rebirth of Radio Afghanistan.

USAID Mission Director Craig Buck shakes hands with participants at a ceremony inaugurating the rebirth of Radio Afghanistan. In the background are radio transmission dishes provided with assistance from USAID.

Afghanistan Emergency Information Project: Under an agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a daily humanitarian information bulletin was broadcast over radio to the Afghan people. In addition, IOM distributed 30,000 radios in 11 provinces across Afghanistan and approved $245,086 in small grants to Afghan NGOs to encourage better communication, particularly among women.

Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Support. The BBG is the federal agency that oversees all U.S. nonmilitary broadcasting, including VOA and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan

Training: Under an agreement with USAID, VOA increased coverage of humanitarian, health, educational and political issues in and around Afghanistan by hiring and training freelance journalists. RFE/RL also conducted training for journalists, and translated its "Guide to Radio Journalism" into Dari and Pashto. Together, VOA and RFE/RL have trained about 40 journalists.
Increased News Coverage: VOA and RFE/RL have increased programs in Dari and Pashto to a combined total of more than nine hours in each language. Programming streams, including international and domestic news, are coordinated to give maximum coverage. VOA and RFE/RL broadcast on shortwave to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and other countries in Central Asia.
Transmission Facilities: BBG has negotiated a letter of intent for the installation of two medium-wave (AM) transmitters with nationwide reach. Radio Afghanistan would use one transmitter; the other would be used by the BBG. In the Kabul area, BBG has installed two FM transmitters, one for Radio Afghanistan and the other for programs produced by VOA and RFE/RL.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

For more information about USAID's activities in Afghanistan, please visit http://www.usaid.gov/about/afghanistan.