Pakistan

Amplifying Voices Pakistan were recently invited to Nowshera in KPK by an enthusiastic group of socially-minded people who want to learn what community-centred media is all about.

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…

Amplifying Voices partner in Pakistan recently hosted a workshop for women to learn more about health and hygiene. It was a great opportunity to give some hands-on help, so after the event the women received free check-ups from health workers and medicines were provided through Amplifying Voices Pakistan. The local partner based in the Khyber…

A couple of weeks ago HCR Pakistan held a competition in a village primary school near Charsadda. The competition got children thinking about sickness and how to prevent it – especially Covid-19. It was community-centred media – but not as we know it

Community-centred media helps people facing disadvantage or injustice to speak out and be heard by those in positions of power. Local stories are powerful, as HCR Pakistan’s partner, New Dawn, saw recently when responding to a scam that was hurting low income families. A few years ago in Pakistan, the government started to roll out…

In a world suffering from too many strong people using their strength to enforce their will on others, its really exciting to find this Pakistani youth group who are using their strengths to listen to their community. These young people from a church in the small city of Jauharabad said they had felt despair about…

In a health crisis, fear can spread faster than a virus, and with that, the potential for hatred and violence. Clear, actionable and trustworthy communication is essential to combat this. It is also essential for service providers and government officials to listen. What have people actually heard and understood from the health messages? What are…

It can’t be done! How often do you hear this said? What does it stir up in you? Disappointment? Or determination? “It can’t be done” is a phrase the New Dawn community services group won’t accept! They’ve heard it said that local women can’t talk on the media about topics that are considered shameful in…

Whatever we asked, the reply was: “no, we do not have it”, “no one listens to us”, “no one comes to us” or “no one is willing to help us”.

A community leader told HCR’s Hazeen Latif, “we are 3000 houses and an estimated population of 15000 including children and elderly people there is not a single BHU (basic health unit) or even some private clinic. There is no public dispensary. The list goes on and on.  This is “Sunda Sar” or “skull of bull” meaning a place of prosperity and power.

Picture this: a village with around 120 households; men, women, children and elderly all living together in conditions very few would dare to live. As the night falls the world beyond the village illuminates with lights glowing from house windows and on the streets. Cool air wafts from air conditioners and fans are blowing. But this village in KPK looks like a campsite with candle lights getting dimmer and dimmer as night get deeper.