We envision community radio journalism training in HomaBay County. The outsourced programs are expected to promote increased participation of communities in the democratic process of the County by providing forums through which communities can ‘freely’ communicate between themselves and their leaders about development issues without interference or fear of intimidation. We intend to setup a studio whereby we shall train 21 community members from 3 pilot districts on community journalism, local content outsourcing and sharing of the content via organized online listeners clubs.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
HomaBay
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
From the 2009 Census statistics on HomaBay County, the data indicates that the poverty level at 44.1% with a literacy mark of 73.3% in a population of 963,794. Basing on this facts, poverty level is barely as a result of the peoples illiteracy, but mainly from lack of a unifying platform that should be set up to improve awareness and knowledge creation of solutions to the various communities developmental challenges. We are targeting to work with 21 trained community radio journalists from the 3 districts to be able to reach a set target population of 3000 members of the online listeners club. The envisioned community radio has a locally sourced management board from HomaBay County whose mandate is to ensure that this program benefits its targets.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
The following organizations will be involved in the implementation of the Radio Taluma Community Journalism Training:
Ndhiwa Maarifa Centre – ndhiwamaarifacentre.blogspot.com;
Gerald Cosmas Yongo – cosmasgerald@gmail.com;
Modestus Owuor Onyango – owuormode@gmail.com;
Nicholas Omondi – nickymosh03@gmail.com
Dorcas Ayon – ayonlady@gmail.com
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The Project aims to use audio, video and social media as an advocacy tool. Through the 21 trained community journalists in the 3 districts, we intend to come up with audio and short video programmes with community contents geared towards provision of simple and economical solutions that will lead into reduced poverty and illiteracy. With community participation in the programming, the media will play a very critical role in shifting people’s attitude and behaviours to become inclusive, open minded and committed to the desired community transformation.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
ProCAD Organizationnal has a medium office in Ndhiwa district that can be used used to host the offline studios and facilitate training of the 21 community radio journalist; we are also in negotiation with various donors and friends to help pursue an on air community radio that will enable community members communities voice their own experiences, tell their own stories and critically examine issues, processes and policies affecting their lives through airwaves; and the radio too will facilitate education and mobilization of communities around development initiatives and strategies
We also intend to form future partnership with Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) an international NGO promoting information exchange, ICT knowledge and community journalism – www.alin.net
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
The training will engage 7 community journalists from each districts bringing them to a total of 21 journalist. The 7 vacancies in each district shall be publicly advertised and contested for in a free and fair interview with invited journalism experts. We shall then set up a training and editing studio thereafter engage them in the collection of various relevant information from the locality that they shall share via the online platforms with a competitive opportunity to engulf the best from each district to work as a reporter for the community radio once it set off. Once in a while we shall be be organizing motivational moments.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
I am a journalist by profession with 6 years experience in radio, video and social networks platforms. I have also been a trainer in Adobe Youth Voices programme since the year 2011 – 2012. We intend to involve ALIN organization in our programme since they are promoting knowledge and information sharing by the use of ICT platforms in Kenya and especially in Ndhiwa district where they have trained over 4800 members on ICT skills. This is the most effective means of communication today in rural communities where most people can neither read nor write, as those people can always speak and listen especially in Kenya where over 75% of people own FM radios and mobile phones that can easily access radio transmissions (UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)).
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
ProCAD has a medium sized office where we shall use to train the 21 journalists, the facility has enough furniture for the sessions. We shall have to borrow 10 computers from ALIN to support in the training and editing training, we also have a router that can assist us in internet sharing.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
ProCAD is a legally registered NGO working in Kenya with its Board of Directors drawn from the immediate community it is serving. The organization has also supported other community based programmes like trees for schools and WASH projects in Ndhiwa district with the support of the local government and government departments. We remain outstanding in the implementation of this project since in our major goal of coming up with the community radio will ensure the continuity and usage of the acquired skills by the trainees even after this project period elapses.
Remember that radio listenership, which is dominant and cheaper, has been enhanced by radio receivers in public transport and increased use of mobile phones that receive radio signals.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Establishing a standard recording studio due the slightly expensive equipment involved – if we can get some slight support to purchase the inevitable studio requirement equipment, then we shall go for the less expensive models so as to spare some amount to assist us in coming up a recording booth. Otherwise the building has a 24 hour guard at the entrance and only authorized personnel will be allowed to access the room. We are also pursuing to install a CCTV cameras in the building at a later date.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
1) By the number of Journalists trained by the project;
2) By the number contents posted on the social media by each journalist in quarterly basis;
3) By the number of comments and likes left by the readers and listeners on the social network platforms per quarter;
4) By the number of established online listeners club and its recruited members per quarter;
5) By the number of community challenges addressed as a result of the journalism highlight;
We will determine our success once the community challenges begin to be highlighted by our trainees and by the number of positive response/action received from the relevant authorities in addressing of the matter.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
Taluma community radio journalism training will go on for a year. The first 1 months will be solely training environment setup. The next 4 months will be dedicated towards training the participants and equipping the teams with both the theoretical and practical session. Once the participants complete their training, an online radio platform will be formed where the group will post both their audio and short videos. We shall create a group Facebook account to encourage journalist work as a team and share their findings with themselves and the experts.
Tentative schedule of the proposed project:
1) By the end of first month – we will have hired media expert; registered participants; made logistics arrangement for the training;
2) By the beginning of second month – we will start training the first batch of 11;
3) By the end of fourth month – we will start training the second batch of 10;
The remaining months will be used to monitor and evaluate the project
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
1. Experts motivation allowance for the a media expert – USD 300;
2. Purchase of training equipment – USD 1,500 (mixer, microphones, speakers, Voice recorders, etc.);
3. Procurement of stationery & logistics – USD 400;
4. Website creation – USD 250
5. We will use borrow 10 computers from our partner (Ndhiwa Maarifa Centre (ALIN) for free
6. ProCAD will provide training room free of charge
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Besides microgant funding, we are also looking for new ideas and engaging ways of carrying out similar programs from the network and other participants. We look forward to learning a great deal from your expertise especially in the field of citizen media, which will help us understand the best approaches and practices on how to launch and sustain a youth led online media group and platform. We are also planning to use and adapt Rising Voice’s outreach guides series on Global Citizen Media, the first one in the series being “An Introduction to Citizen Media’.
Contact name
Gerald Cosmas Yongo
Organization
Community Action Drivers Programme (ProCAD)
