Amplifying Voices helped set up the Umoja (Unity) station in 2016 and when two of our team members visited there recently, they were blown away by the impact this station has had since then.  Visiting different communities in the region, they heard many stories of how Umoja FM has become a life-line and seen them through war, Ebola, a refugee crisis and the pandemic.

The funding will help:

• Rebuild the Umoja FM studio, which has been damaged by weather, war and termites – see below
• Develop a solar-powered FM relay station to reach more communities with little or no access to reliable information
• Purchase two motor-bikes to help the team reach inaccessible areas
• Support regular community-engagement across the region
• Conduct training and monitoring visits

If you would like to help the triathlon reach 100% of their target, please visit the team’s funding page: Triathlon for DRC

The current studio, which has been damaged by weather war and termites, will be replaced by this…

Thank you for your generosity

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“If the radio station was not there, we would feel insecure again!”

These words from a listener to Umoja FM were one of the many powerful testimonies we heard, as Johnny and I visited different communities in the chiefdom of Watalinga in the DRC’s conflict-affected region of North Kivu.  Story after story confirmed how this humble radio station has been a life-line to local communities, seeing them through war, a refugee crisis, an Ebola outbreak and the pandemic.  One listener told us: “Before Covid arrived in the DRC, Umoja had prepared us, so we knew how to protect ourselves.”

It’s been nearly 5 years since anyone from our team has been able to visit the radio station that Amplifying Voices helped set up in 2016, as part of an initiative to promote peace and development in this region. During that time all of our contact with the team has been through WhatsApp calls and text messages.  And despite many setbacks, including equipment failure, the team managed to stay on the air, continuing the community conversations.  Even the war couldn’t stop them.  As station manager Baraka told us, “When thousands were fleeing to Uganda because the rebels attacked the town, our team decided it was important to stay.  The army felt we were providing such an important service to the community that they even sent soldiers to defend our station.”

Accompaniment

An important part of Amplifying Voices’ work is to ‘walk alongside’ our partners as they support their communities, which are often facing challenging circumstances.  We call this “accompaniment” and while a lot of it takes place on-line, nothing beats face-to-face visits. Our recent visit to the DRC was a wonderful opportunity to build on our relationships with the local team as well as support them with training, technical advice and equipment.  As the Democratic Republic of Congo gears up for elections in December, an important part of our training workshop this visit was devoted to the role of Umoja FM in the run up to, during and after the election and especially how the station can contribute to a peaceful, democratic process. While training on conventional subjects like reporting, we placed an emphasis on ‘solutions journalism‘, which takes a different approach to conventional news reporting by focusing on how communities respond to and resolve social issues and problems themselves.

After completing a community-centred media workshop, the Umoja FM team proudly display their certificates of participation

Extending the Reach

During our visit we upgraded the radio transmitter. To confirm this was having an effect, we took the opportunity to visit some remote communities who feel disconnected from the wider community as they have little access to reliable information and no mobile phone connectivity.  When we arrived in one village, Kichanga, we were ushered in to join a community meeting led by the local chief, discussing their need for a school and a medical clinic. They were delighted that they can now hear Umoja FM in the village instead of taking their radios out to the high ground. Umoja presenter Sammy interviewed the chief, telling him that his voice would be on the radio that evening to amplify the voice of his village. We are still working with Umoja team to extend the radio signal to other villages who can’t yet receive it.

Umoja FM presenter, Sammy interviews local chief for the evening programme

New Studio Building

Besides the importance of extending the reach of the station to communities that are underserved by radio, the Umoja FM studio is itself facing major challenges. This old wattle and daub building, has been in existence for more than a decade, but it has finally succumbed to damage from termites, weather and war. To that end, Amplifying Voices in partnership with FEBC Australia, has committed to helping our local partner ESADER to build a new building. Albert, the President of ESADER says: “The construction of a new studio building to replace the existing one, will enable Umoja FM to operate sustainably into the future and is part of an ongoing process to help the radio station to increase its reach to communities that have little or no access to radio or other media.”

Construction of the new building is planned to begin in October.

The current Umoja FM studio affected by years of termite, weather and war damage

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Umoja FM broadcasts in the midst of Virunga national park

“Umoja” means unity, and in the years since we helped set the station up in 2016, the wonderful team that runs Umoja FM have been a constant voice of hope and peace, throughout conflict, the ebola crisis, the pandemic and a refugee crisis.

These events were also a barrrier, preventing us visiting the project. While we have been in regular touch with the team through WhatsApp and helped replace key pieces of equipment, nothing helps strengthen relationship than being together. In an evaluation last year we heard from community members about the value of Umoja FM during some very tough times. This trip gives us the opportunity to meet some of these people, as well as the voices that make Umoja FM what it is, and hear their stories in person.

For our part, we have been asked to provide refresher training for the team members. After so many years, our own team has changed – this will be Johnny’s first visit to Nobili. The Umoja team has changed too. Some people that I trained previously have moved on and there are several new team members. As the community faces upcoming elections, reliable, trustworthy and transparent dialogue within and between communities becomes all the more essential for peace, so this is our training emphasis, with workshops focusing on conflict-sensitive journalism and responsible election coverage.

We also hope to move forward with the important work of planning a relay station to Kikingi. The village is located in the Virunga National Park which is heavily forested and there is a mountain which prevents Kikingi’s residents from receiving the Umoja FM signal. The village has no roads or electricity. The community feels marginalised and has been under constant threat of attack from armed groups hiding in the national park. Kikingi community found a place just outside the village where a weak radio signal can be heard, and they set up a hut for listener groups. However, they have continually sought a better solution so Kikingi villagers can hear the Umoja FM broadcasts in their homes or workplaces. In principle, a station relay should be quite straightforward to set up. However in this remote and difficult to access location, with so much instability and threat from armed groups, the solution needs to be something that local people can maintain and repair through local technicians with parts they can access locally.

As we re-engage with each of these communities, local action groups and other key stakeholders, we are inspired by those who have been here the whole time, living through the crises and yet still ready to put themselves out for sake of their neighbours. We want our support to be something that further equips, without harming that spirit of resilience and local initiative that has sustained Umoja FM so far.

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Conducting telephone interviews with key stakeholders in Watalinga district of North Kivu, through an interpreter Theo was able to learn how Umoja FM had earned the trust of the community and become a vital part of the security of the region.  One informant said Umoja provided a warning system, providing critical information on when and where military activity was taking place and how the community could stay safe.  “It was clear from the interviews that the station not only helped people feel more secure,” Theo said, “But it helped to promote a sense of well-being.”

One listener shared how in the past the rebels recruited children and young people to join their ranks and how the chief and community would raise awareness through house-visits, trying to  dissuade them from being lured into the cruel and criminal world of the so-called ‘rebels’.  Now the radio station is doing this work for them, amplifying the message and informing young people about the harsh realities of living life as a rebel, in comparison to the benefits of living in a peace-loving community.  The station manager reported that their programmes had been so effective, that the army came to the station recently and congratulated them because they were no longer seeing young people being recruited from Watalinga, which was a big contrast to other districts.

Umoja FM has successfully campaigned against the recruitment of children by armed groups in North Kivu

Every day the station’s signal resonates over the verdant expanse of the Virunga National Park in the valley below and there is evidence to show that the different armed groups are listening.  One producer says he is responsible for creating content that promotes peace and encourages the fighters in the forest to lay down their weapons and stop killing innocent people.  But a local Christian leader believes that the station could go even further, to actually invite the militants to come in from cold and peacefully rejoin the community.  He knows that such a thing would be difficult, as so much blood has been spilled and so many lives devastated.   “Sometimes militants come to a health centre and loot medical equipment because they don’t have hospitals in the bush. Sometimes when they run out of food, they come and loot from local people and even kill them.  But living conditions are also tough for them.  The radio could encourage them to come back home.”  When asked if he felt the community could forgive people who had killed, he agreed it would be difficult at first.  “But like the story of the prodigal son, eventually people will say, they are  our children and they have come back to us.”

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The area around Virunga, located amid a string of volcanoes that straddle Congo’s borders with Rwanda and Uganda has been a hotbed of violence for decades. Armed groups from all three countries compete over the region’s mineral riches and other resources while terrorising defenceless civilian communities, resulting in an intractable humanitarian crisis.  That is why, in 2016 Amplifying Voices worked with Albert, who is also the local MP, to set up a community radio station called Umoja FM.  It’s purpose was to promote peace and development in the troubled Eastern DRC province.  “The station has supported our communities through some terrible times,” says station manager Baraka.” It has also been a voice of hope and promise and helped sensitize the communities about peaceful cohabitation.”

Albert has asked the Amplifying Voices team to help Umoja FM reach remote villages as they are cut off from the outside world with little access to reliable information.  They are also under constant threat of attacks from bandits operating under the banner of the Islamic State-linked group, the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), which according to the BBC has deliberately been targeting  Christians in the country over the last two years.

“These villages needs to be able to hear the broadcasts from Umoja FM as it will help them to access information, health education, community development as well as vital information about security,” says Albert.  “I feel bad when I think about this part of the population being left behind.”

Despite the deterioration of the security situation in North Kivu, Albert is hopeful that 2022 will be better with the deployment of more Congolese soldiers to the area along with the determination of President Felix Tshisekedi to restore stability to the region.

Without doubt, planning a relay station for this area is a logistical challenge.  Quite apart from the security situation, there is no main road to this heavily forested area, so we’ll need to get there and carry the equipment on motorbikes.  Then there is the issue of electricity – there isn’t any!  So we will need to plan a system that can stand alone, that requires little maintenance, and is solar-powered.  And then there is the challenge of ensuring that the system is high enough to receive the broadcast signal from Umoja FM in the town of Nobili, and is able to relay it far enough for widespread coverage.  Alex from the Amplifying Voices team says: “This will without doubt be the most complex technical project that we’ve ever attempted but we will work with our  partners to build a local team who can help ensure that the equipment is installed and maintained well.”

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According to the UN, urgent action is needed to help tens of thousands of people forced to flee their homes, following a spate of armed attacks in the eastern DRC by rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, which are linked to so-called ‘Islamic State’. Local MP, Hon Albert Baliesima described the situation as deplorable for communities who have already endured so much suffering and hardship. He said makeshift schools had been set up in Nobili, and surrounding areas near the Ugandan border to try and provide children with some education and stability.

This latest humanitarian crisis was triggered by attacks which began on March 30 and have continued for a month in Beni territory, North Kivu. According to local health authorities, over 60,000 people were displaced in April alone.

Tamba Emmanuel Danmbi-saa, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Program Manager in the DRC, said: “This is a deeply worrying situation. These people fear going back to their homes and are being forced to live in cramped, unsanitary conditions, in an area where Ebola remains a significant threat. These people urgently need food and adequate sanitation facilities as well as clean water and health services.”

Several thousand people are reported to be sheltering in a primary school just 1 km from the border crossing to Uganda. The only water available to drink is from the river and there are only a few toilets at the school, meaning the threat of disease spreading is high. As no food is being provided, for many people the only way to get food is to go back to their villages where they don’t feel safe.

Hon Albert Baliesima, MP for Beni Territory being interviewed by Baraka Bacweki from Umoja FM in Nobili

“The radio station is providing vital information at this challenging time,” says Baraka. “People are very confused and need information to help them make decisions.”

Humanitarian organisations say that that ongoing violence in the area makes reaching people with aid from within DRC extremely difficult and Ugandan authorities are preparing to receive an influx of new refugees.

HCR supports communities facing crisis in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information contact us.

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‘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. Shot in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this film is part of a media strategy to engage communities, churches, civic organisations and other stakeholders, with the aim of protecting children from child witchcraft accusations and the associated abuse.

The film features street-living children in Kinshasa that have been affected by the issue of child witchcraft accusations. Using their voices, the film introduces the issue of child witchcraft accusation and the impact it has had on children living on the street. The film includes a small dramatised scenario based on a real-life stories. It also features a pastor speaking about how he previously accused children of being witches and his recognition of the damage it has done to the lives of children and their families.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SCENES THAT MAY UPSET SOME VIEWERS

Child witch accusation is a complex issue. Alongside the film are related materials for radio and downloadable audio podcasts for churches that will further engage people and raise awareness of this complex social problem.  The film and materials recognise that there are differing beliefs on this issue and challenges these from a credible position, enabling misconceptions to be challenged, and highlighting the stigma, discrimination and trauma experienced by children.

These resources were commissioned by Feba in response to requests from street living children and survivors of witchcraft accusations, who wanted to talk about this issue and tell their stories in their own words. HCR Associate, Stephanie Mooney, is active in facilitating this work and encouraging the use of these different resources across the DRC and other countries, to challenge harmful cultural practices and to stop children being abused.

HCR is part of the Stop the Child Witch Accusations steering group (SCWA), a coalition of individuals and agencies responding to the reality of children experiencing serious harm or the threat of harm due to accusations of witchcraft or belief in malevolent spiritual influence.

For more information about this issue and helpful resources please see: https://stop-cwa.org

If this article raises any personal issues please contact your local professional services or contact the helplines below.

In DRC (Kinshasa and Goma): Dial 117

In UK: National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247

In Australia: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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Any form of abuse leaves scars. A few years ago I participated in some focus group meetings with street living children, aged from 6 years to 16 years, to explore starting a radio project for Feba UK for these children in Kinshasa, DR Congo. It was particularly difficult to get street living girls to participate but we where able to include a small group of teenage girls. I was deeply affected by a 16 year-old girl who showed me several scars on her body that she had suffered from being beaten and being raped. These were her outward scars but she also had deep psychological scars from her suffering that couldn’t be as easily seen.

Shockingly, this girl’s experiences are not uncommon; as there are approximately 25,000 children living on the streets of Kinshasa and the number is growing. Many of the children are on the streets because they have been accused of being witches and as a result, been thrown out of their homes and excluded from their communities. Any child living on the street is marginalised, but girls are particularly vulnerable and to survive, many are coerced into sex work.

As the Feba UK radio project developed, the group of street living children helped develop a script for a radio drama series to address child witch accusations and the girls in the group were particularly keen on their experiences being reflected. The part of the drama that they wanted to include was the traumatic ‘baptism’ of young girls on the streets, which is when a girl newly on the streets is ‘initiated’ by being raped.  The girls were very vocal about ensuring that this was reflected correctly in the drama as their experiences and their suffering had previously been ignored.

By being based on the real life experiences of young street living children, the radio drama series and the wider radio project were able to give these children an opportunity to talk about their lives on the streets. Skills development was provided for these street living children to become youth journalists.  This innovative project helped the children find ways to improve their lives and helped change the perception and behaviour of the wider community towards them.

Improving the lives of street living children is a massive challenge and will not happen overnight; however, these youth journalists are persevering and using the media space to share stories, to promote healing and to protect the rights of street living children.

If this article raises any personal issues please contact your local professional services or contact the helplines below.

In Australia: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

In UK: National Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247

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I photographed the billboard above recently in a remote village in North Kivu in the DRC. It depicts two men molesting a woman with the words: “You wouldn’t do this if it was your mother, would you!” It is a stark reminder of the widespread use of rape and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated in this country, notably as a weapon of war and coercion. Ravaged by over twenty years of conflict, with 3.7 million internally displaced people, UNWomen estimates that over 1 million women have been raped in the DRC.

HCR’s partner station in North Kivu, Umoja FM seeks to prevent and respond to sexual violence by building community resilience and changing attitudes about the value of women and girls, especially their education. The station runs programmes which provide counselling and trauma healing for survivors as well as advice for young people. In a meeting with listeners a few weeks ago I heard many stories of how the radio station has made a huge difference since 2016, when it was launched by Feba UK in collaboration with HCR and a local NGO, Esader.

One listener said: “In Watalinga (district) there was an attitude that we had to marry our girls at a very young age and so there was no point educating them. But the radio has changed all that, and I should know, because I used to think like that.” Another said that although many NGO’s had come and gone, the radio is always with them, helping them, bringing new ideas.

Station Manager Baraka Basweki told me, “We are changing community attitudes towards the value of women and girls. As one person changes so they influence another and another – you can feel it is different now.”

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