Africa

Day 3 of #16DaysofActivism HCR is working with a large Christian Radio station and counselling centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the “Amplifying Voices” Project.  This project, which was launched by Feba UK, is increasing the engagement of local people in conversations with their communities, which are amplified by radio broadcasts that address the health and…

Day 2 of #16DaysofActivism I was recently asked why we are focussing on the issue of gender-based violence, as many people do not recognise the scale and the impact of this issue. Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights abuses in today’s world, and affects all countries and all…

There is an old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”   At Amplifying Voices we’ve come to realise that if we really want to help alleviate poverty, we need to go even further – we…

“I never realised how the Orma people came to be in this region of Kenya,” said a retired teacher from Tana River, “but since I started hearing their stories on the radio, I have begun to understand them better.” The man, from a rival community, was responding to a series of cultural programmes he had…

By Jon Hargreaves With just over four months until Kenya goes to the polls amidst concerns that there will be election-related violence, HCR (now known as Amplifying Voices) is exploring the feasibility of a new radio station in eastern Kenya’s Tana Delta. Last year we partnered with the Sentinel Project to set up a peace…

MSc Student, Joseph Thompson has just completed writing up his research which he conducted at HCR’s partner project, Tana FM in Eastern Kenya during June and July.  A student of water resource management at Wageningen (Holland) and Copenhagen (Denmark) Universities, Joe’s research addressed the conflict over resources in the region and particularly how the radio…

HCR and Canadian-based Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention, are about to set up a “Peace Centre” in the conflicted east Kenyan region of Tana Delta.   The centre will be established in the town of Garsen and will serve as a hub to analyse misinformation and rumours, as well as disseminate reliable information and messages…

In eastern DR Congo’s conflicted province of North Kivu, HCR has been working with partners to establish a new community radio station, Umoja (Unity) FM.  One of the architects of the project is Member of Parliament Albert Baliesima Kadukima who has great hopes for this station….

With recent warnings from Kenya’s electoral commission that a rise in ethnically charged “hate speech” threatens Kenya’s elections in 2017, the team at HCR partner station, Tana FM, know they have an important role – to promote peace.  Elections in the past have led to violence, particularly in Tana River County.  Next month,  some 22.4 million…

It is nearly 3 months since their country was declared Ebola-free and Sierra Leoneans are yearning for a return to normality.  But for many, life still remains far from normal, as communities emerge from trauma, where many still face social stigma, persistent health problems and don’t trust the health system.  Added to this, an estimated…