The Radio Show Must Go On

5 December 2011

Operating a community radio network is more than about managing regulatory systems, producing programmes, arranging broadcast logs and rosters, and coordinating women to attend the interactive dialogue sessions. It is also about managing technical operations.

But as the Generation Next team assigned to the Nausori broadcast are finding out, the show does go on, even though the transmitter is down.

And according to Eleni Nabalarua, the interactive dialogue with members of the Jyoti Mahila Mandal who travelled in from Vuci to Vunimono, just engaging in dialogue and sharing their stories for a radio programme was just as important as participating in a radio broadcast:

“Women still come into to Nausori and we continue to listen as they share their individual stories of issues that they face within their communities. They were very happy with their interviews. The issues that they had brought up were very interesting. One lady said she would like more advertisements on human rights education and the services of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre because domestic violence is prevalent within their community.”

As Jima Luvunkaoro and Paulin Fong Chowdhury reported today, the Jyoti Mahila Mandal is a small mothers club which was formed just over two years ago. While they met initially to share “bhajans and lok geet” (traditional and religious songs), they have found that working together they are able to raise money singing at local events. The money they raise supports family and community projects.

Living in a settlement a slow 30 minute walk from the main road, the women shared that like many women in rural settlements across Fiji, one of their daily challenges is having to carry groceries and household supplies from the main road to their homes because taxi drivers refuse to drive the women to their homes.

The members of the Jyoti Mahila Mandal also highlighted the need for improvements to access to health facilities especially dispensaries.

The right to development , defining ones human security clearly a reason why the "Radio Show Must Go On"

...
Sharon Bhagwan Rolls
Executive Director
femLINKPACIFIC
+6799244871 (Mobile)
+6793310303 (Office DL)
www.femlinkpacific.org.fj
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ENDS

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