Community radio listening groupsAcross Sudan, local radio stations play a vital role in getting information directly into people's homes. UNICEF works closely with Community Listening groups that engage local people in discussing and influencing the programmes that they hear - and the issues they want to hear about. Different communities have organized themselves into linguistic groups to produce programmes in their own languages. Led by a coordinator from within the community, the groups decide on programme content and then record their own programmes, which are passed onto local stations for airing. The groups then listen to and evaluate each broadcast. The groups enourage participation from women and children in each community, to ensure that the needs of these community members are included in programme making. Topics that have been covered recently by the 50 active groups across Southern Sudan include HIV/AIDS, hygiene and sanitation education, enrolment of girls in school, early marriage and the importane of peace and reconciliation. Community discussions often take place in the open air, with group members actively debating the priority of each issue, and deciding on how the programme should be made. In the northern states of Sudan, 376 new community radio listening groups were established in 2007 alone, reaching an estimated 23 million people with similar programming. UNICEF provides each group with tape recorders, solar radios and bicycles for group coordinators, and supports training of the programme producers. In Southern Sudan 15 minutes of airtime are provided by three main radio stations each day for these community programmes, while in the northern states 11 broadcasters allocate up to two hours of airtime per day. Listening Groups advertise the broadcast to their local community, and encourage households to tune in. The groups then evaluate the programme, and monitor activities within their community to see if the messages have been understood by listeners. In 2007, UNICEF sponsored a study visit by radio producers to Ghana, to learn others' experiences of community radio. While the capacity of Southern Sudan's Community Listening groups in need of constant development, the value of local, community-led radio is already well-understood by those involved in the project. Ugo Aurelio is a regular contributor to his local community radio programmes. "Community radio plays a vital role in encouraging just peace, promoting tolerance and facilitating the prevention of conflict," he believes. His views are echoed by Louis Pasquale, who coordinates a community radio group in Wau. "Community radio is a voice, a resource and a tool for communities to work together towards development."
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