Posts by Jon Hargreaves
Training Peace Ambassadors
Eastern Kenya’s Tana River County has long been affected by violent conflict. Poverty and political interference has added fuel to the fire, along with pressure from Al Shebab extremists who are trying to destabilise Kenya. It is for that reason that journalists from Amplifying Voices’ partner station, Amani FM are undergoing training as “peace ambassadors.”
Read MoreThe Next Ten
Eighteen months ago, Nanda could not read or write – today she regularly reads stories to her parents! The ADIVASI VOICES PROJECT is changing the lives of Nanda and others in her remote tribal community in Maharashtra, India. Her teacher says, “Thanks to the project there is now 100% school attendance and there are more girls in school than boys. You have helped parents see the value of education.”
Read MoreAdivasi Voices – Maharashtra
Amplifying Voices is partnering with Seva Social Welfare Foundation to tackle poor health and build resilience in indigenous Adivasi communities. Seva augments their healthcare activities by distributing “speakerboxes” which play audio content stored on update-able memory cards. Based on the community’s own stories, the audio content includes local-dialect dramas, music and talk programmes that educate,…
Read MoreYet more evidence … Radio changes lives
How a radio project dramatically improved the lives of communities in conflict… By Dr Ross James, Founder, Health Communication Resources Background The communities of Magindanaon province in Mindanao, Philippines, have experienced sustained conflict, disadvantage and disempowerment. Radio Gandingan (RG) has quietly transformed minority Maguindanaon communities, severely affected by decades of armed struggle for political autonomy…
Read MoreTwo years of promoting peace
Two years ago a team from Amplifying Voices set up a community-centred radio station in the town of Garsen in eastern Kenya, training a team of volunteers from different tribal groups. Ahead of the August 2017 elections, the station was designed to promote peace and social development. Today, two years on, Amani FM has become a vibrant part of the community and a powerful voice for peace
Read MoreCommunity cleans up
“The garbage situation was getting so bad in our town, that something had to be done about it,” says Harriet Atyang, the station manager of Amplifying Voices’ partner station, Amani FM, in eastern Kenya’s Tana River county. Approached by the Kenya Red Cross in an effort to help the problem, Amani FM was able to go on air and get a conversation going about the importance of keeping the environment clean.
Read More“You kept your promise!”
What a joy to be back in the remote Maharashtran village of Kahandol in time to celebrate the inauguration of their two new wells. Just four months earlier I had been standing on a dried up riverbed with my Indian colleagues, Shilpa, Sam and Akshay and the head of the village, Patil Ramdas Warde. Ramdas told us how the drought had brought great hardship to his village, with only 28 days of water, and he had asked us if there was anything we could do to help …
Read MoreStations collaborate to end violent extremism
Amplifying Voices partner station Amani FM in eastern Kenya’s Tana River County, has joined forces with another community station to promote peace in this conflict-affected region. The project “Amani Mashinani,” which in Swahili means peace at the grassroots, involves young people in the design and creation of feature stories and talk-shows that promote peace, using the airwaves of Amani FM in Garsen and TBS (Tana Broadcasting Service), in Hola.
Read MoreRadio station supports thousands fleeing attack
Umoja FM, HCR’s partner station in Nobili, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is supporting communities fleeing attacks by Islamist rebels. “Our team are doing all we can to provide essential information to displaced people as well as support to the wider population,” said Station Manager Baraka Bacweki.
Read MoreI am not a witch!
Children in their thousands are suffering significant abuse and stigmatisation, or even being killed, due to accusations of witchcraft against them. There are tens of thousands of cases, in many nations worldwide.
‘I’m not a witch’ is a powerful, new short film produced by Congolese film maker, Tshoper Kabambi, designed to promote awareness of the problem.
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