New hope builds as studio takes shape

Amplifying Voices Pakistan is supporting a church youth group in Punjab to develop a community-centred media project called New Hope. Following training at the end of last year and early this year, the youth group have been making regular podcasts that they distribute over WhatsApp, addressing local social issues. Hazeen Latif told us how pleased he is with young people’s work – “the podcasts are near to broadcast quality!”

So far audio production has been done using a voice recorder and a PC. With lots of effort by the local team and some support from Amplifying Voices Pakistan, a pile of insulating wool and sheets of plasterboard are taking shape as an audio room.

Meanwhile our partner has managed to work through contacts in the radio industry to get a great deal on equipment for a small scale recording studio.

The New Hope team belong to a minority community in a poor neighbourhood in Punjab. But they refuse to let their minority status control their identity or their destiny. Their enthusiasm and capacity is reflected in their audio recordings. Their determination is clear in the efforts to build and equip a studio. We are excited to see how this project will develop as they keep building local partnerships and keep producing new community-centred material.