Community Radio Project for enhanced access to information in remote areas of Chad

USAID/West Africa issued an award to Internews to support Community Radio Project in Chad. As part of the Community Radio Project, Internews Network recently inaugurated its radio production studio and training center in Ndjamena and held its first 3 training sessions for 29 radio journalists representing 18 radio stations from all over the country (with the exception of the east where journalists are being trained by the Internews Humanitarian Information Service program). These accomplishments follow a difficult start for the project. Two days after Internews leased its first furnished facility; rebels attacked Ndjamena and ransacked the city including Internews' facility in February 2008. Despite these difficulties and in a very short period of time, Internews Resident Advisor Farida Ayari was able to successfully launch project activities. Following the first training sessions from May-June 2008, for instance, Internews trainees returned to their stations to begin production on the following stories: schooling of girls, child protection against Malaria, the employee-employer relationship, environmental pollution, AIDS and youth, child marriage, education and agriculture. The trainees will bring these stories back to Internews' facility for final editing prior to broadcast as part of their training program. Agadez - Niger Rural Radio Rehabilitation

The Agadez Rural Radio Rehabilitation and Expansion Project was funded by USAID for a two-year period from July 2006 to June 2008. Throughout the implementation period of the project, persistent was ongoing insecurity situation in the northern part of Niger, mainly in the area of Agadez. This situation represented nine tenths of the project intervention zone. Since February 2007, this area has been exposed to insecurity which made it very difficult to assist communities in developing socio economic activities. Despite these circumstances Africare Niger achieved the project objectives and goals. Africare/Niger achieved the rehabilitation of 13 existing rural radios in the Agadez region and the set up of one new radio in the rural commune of Tassara located at 27km (16.8miles) of Tchintabaraden, Tahoua, Niger.

As a result of the main rehabilitation equipment of the thirteen (13) old radio stations by the Project, the emissions now reach the maximum number of people living in this wedged northern region. In this insecurity context the availability and access to information is still very crucial. As one of the recipients stated to Africare, ''Now our radios broadcast our messages much further, particularly Peace Messages which are actually very significant for us''.

With the support of USAID the project beneficiaries received through several training workshops not only assistance for their information needs but also learned how to work in small groups as in this picture. The objective of this particular workshop held in the departments of Tchirozerine and Arlit focused on various technical radio production methods. A training workshop of the animators/journalists in management and exploitation of rural radios was held from December 2007 at the Africare/Agadez conference. This workshop has reinforced the capacities of the twenty (20) animators/journalists of the first five (5) rural radios physically rehabilitated with antennas, in the conception, production and the realization of emissions in concordance to international standards. This training workshop was very much appreciated and was a success as the participants completed a positive evaluation of the consultant who animated the workshop.

At the end of the workshop all the different radiophonic and journalistic editorials were reviewed. A conventional conductor was made available to the participants and practical exercises were carried out to reinforce the capacities of practical applications of the animators/radios. This training workshop will allow and impact the beneficiary radio stations to emit in the standards required in particular, while respecting journalistic ethics, deontology, the charters, treaties and conventions which govern the radios of proximity in Niger.

A great achievement was illustrated by this community radio journalist interviewing with strong professionalism a nurse in charge of children nutrition in a Child Health Center for Nutritional Recuperation (CRENI). The information collected will than be broadcasted through radios. This interview was administered during one of the exchange trips, which was held in Doutchi with the Dallol FM community radio in May 2008 that concerned ten (10) participants from community radios in the Agadez region.

Transfer of capacity

For 4 years, SFCG has been working with local theatre groups to build their capacity around message designing. Over the years, the teams of dramatists have been trained and have now formed associations that provide messaging services to the communities. With their capacity, they have been contracted by various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver messages and increase community sensitization about a variety of thematic issues such as health education, civic and human rights education and governance issues. In this way, SFCG is facilitating the process of incorporating local drama into the fabric of civil society movements.

During the implementation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons project, SFCG continued to produce one of their local radio drama series "Unity Boat". Previously, the script writers and playwright conducted a tour of the region to collect issues and content that would inform the storyline. The series was then produced from Bo, the regional headquarters town of the south. However, recognizing the importance of localizing the production, SFCG decided to use the trained members of the drama team in Kailahun, called Tegloma Theatre, as the actors and to produce the series from Kailahun. This has been a successful way to transfer capacity, provide livelihood, and empower community groups to tackle their own issues. One of the local dramatists, Gina Kpundeh, who is also handicapped and resides in the disabled camp in Kailahun, said "I thank God I have been able to be part of this group and with my skill I can now make a living. We now have a bank account in the community bank in Segbwema and this is a source of inspiration for me. When we acted the drama on trafficking on video it was shown in Kailahun and when the community people saw me, it made me popular and I am now a star, thank God!"

Local language video creates impact

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) produced four short 15 minutes local language videos on issues of trafficking in persons. The videos were screened in border communities in Lofa, Gkekedou and Kailahun. Using local actors who have been trained on TIP issues as well as know the local context, the video highlighted real life situations, leaving the audience shocked about the way in which TIP takes place.

During the video feedback session in Kailahun, a lady who described herself as a victim of human trafficking shared her experience to confirm to the rest of the audience that the practice was real. She said "I was given to my aunt who used to stay in Kenema, so that I would be sent to school. Upon arrival in Kenema, my aunty did not send me to school. Rather she kept me at home to perform household chores for her own children while they went to school. Eventually, I fell in love with a Nigerian soldier who was in Sierra Leone on military operations with the Economic Community of West Africa Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). After his mission, he took me to Nigeria to see his relatives without telling me that he had three wives back home and I was going to be the fourth wife. When we got there, I was taken to the village and forced into farming. Life became very difficult and unbearable for me in Nigeria. Fortunately, some neighbors assisted me with transportation to visit the Sierra Leone embassy in Nigeria. The embassy contacted my parents and repatriated me back to Sierra Leone. I came back with three children I had with the Nigerian soldier." The entire audience was shocked and overwhelmed, some even weeping in sympathy for the victim. They demanded that the video be screened again, while parents went to call their children and other community members to see. They also requested that the video be shown in schools and copies be made in more local languages, as seeing the videos in local languages will help to educate more people.