Radio stations across five countries, including Mali, are Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) with Voices for Peace (V4P) as part of their participatory V4P radio strategy. Starting in Burkina Faso, this approach has been rolled out to Cameroon, Mali, Niger, and Chad by national teams with support from the regional office. Partner stations are active participants in their respective community media ecosystems and are classified as either “high priority” or “champions”.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded V4P incorporates Sustainability Training as a component of its radio strategy. Sustainability Training is an interactive format that raises awareness and ensures commitment and buy-in from stations and the communities they serve. V4P also builds sustainability by ensuring that partner stations work with resource people in their communities, active participants in their media ecosystem, to develop their own programming.
One V4P partner station has introduced a weekly program focused on peace and social cohesion, with an advisory committee responsible for overseeing the quality of broadcasts. A second partner station has expanded its ecosystem by revitalizing a group of over 40 radio support committee members, comprised mainly of village chiefs. They are using a WhatsApp platform to enhance communication and collaboration.
V4Ps participatory approach has instilled a dynamic energy in participants determined to create a sustainable, informative media environment attuned to local contexts. Trainees share that they are more committed than ever before to mobilize and involve resource persons who support their radio stations, ensuring the sustainability of the stations themselves, as well as the sustainability of their efforts to promote peace and mitigate violence and conflict.
V4P partner stations in Mali are committed to continue their work countering extremist narratives. Listening club members pledge to produce at least one program per month on anti-extremism topics that are meaningful for their communities while Community Engagement Groups continue producing and distributing locally relevant CVE content.
V4P