Geographic Region
The project has been implementing through 17 Community Radio stations located in 16 different districts of Bangladesh covering all 7 divisional geographic regions. The rate of literacy, culture, dialect, ritual norms, profession, and fashion of communication are observed different from region to region. In this phase, the project is planning to implement the activities by addressing the livelihood of all seven regions and the communities as well.
Overview of the Project
Community Radio in Bangladesh is rapidly becoming the medium of choice for creating community conversations around key development issues that covers contents relevant to the daily lives of local people. There is a total of 17 community radio stations in the country, broadcasting about 138 hours of programs each day. Therefore, it is become an “essential tool” in informing and engaging communities, reducing poverty and promoting good governance in rural and remote areas in the country where there is little access to information.
The project will fill up the gap and be able to serve community interest in line with access to information and ensuring good governance through inspiring rural communities to protect their rights. In this framework, showing that there is need for the protection of the electronic social interaction and to protect the free thoughts of the various members of targeted radio listeners, regardless of their age, gender, religion or other such classification, the importance of freedom of expression and protection of the human rights for the development of the opinions of the individuals and the protection of the modern world.
Therefore, the objective of this project is to bring stakeholders together to share their collective opinion, viewpoints on promoting Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs-16.10 through Community Radios, which included democracy, social justice, environmental protection, human rights, equal opportunities and good governance to promote peaceful and inclusive societies. The outcome of the project will be shared in form of findings compendium of all programs and activities which will further help in creating policy of users in respect to socio-economic emancipation of the rural communities.
Partners
All 17 Community radio Stations are on-air.
Stakeholders of the project
Community Radio (CR) Broadcasters, CR initiator, BNNRC Staffs, government departments, Civil Society Organizations, Community people specially youths, public representatives, social leaders, socio-cultural activists, local celebrities, media activists, human rights activists and advocates, academicians etc. within the assigned two CR Stations.
Goal
Building awareness of the community people on RTI through using Community Radios in Bangladesh.
Objectives:
- Capacity Building of the Community Radio Broadcasters and inspiring them to broadcast more programs on RTI related issues including contribute more in proper implementation of RTI Act. 2009.
- Inform and sensitize directly at least two thousand community people living around the Community Radio (CR) Station coverage areas about good governance issues in line with Right to Information (RTI) Act – 2009.
- Promote transparency and accountability of the concerned Service Providers at the selected CR Station coverage areas.
- Strengthen information services and raise awareness on right-based issues as per need of the communities and enhance social mobilization against misuse of power and promoting social justice.
- Make community radio stations a platform for interactive dialogue around the concerned issues, by engaging government officials, local elected representatives and other stakeholders through radio programs and community dialogues which would contribute towards implication of newly endorsed national policy.
- Sensitizing the rural communities about their right based issues, including RTI Act. 2009.
- Mobilizing the communities for creating dialogues and claim their rights.
Major Activities
- Training workshop on Mobile Journalism and RTI for the Community Radio Broadcasters
- Organize social dialogues engaging public representatives, cultural activists, journalist, government officials, academia, social leaders and local communities.
- Community Dialogues on promoting RTI Act. 2009 at Upazila and Union level.
- Organize Community Media Peoples’ digital summit 2018
- Awarding Broadcasters for best program on RTI award 2018
- Produce and publish Mobile Journalism Hand Book for Radio Stations
Project Duration: 12 Months
Total budget: BDT 1,900,000 (2018)
Expected Outcomes
The issues on Right to Information in line with RTI Act. 2009, will be mainstreamed in schedule programs of selected two Community Radio stations. The trained and motivated Radio Broadcasters will be able to produce and mobilize local communities along with the concerned government departments, civil society organizations as duty bearer through interactive community radio programs and community dialogues.
The concerned service providers will also receive increased number of requests and grievances filed by the citizens (at least 10% of the target beneficiary) under RTI Act. 2009. The audience of all events and programs will gain knowledge/skills in this concern for improving of their live and livelihood.
Contact:
Mark Manash Saha
Coordinator – AERP, BNNRC
Tel: 88 02 9130750, 9138501, 9101479
Cell: +880 1712144180
Email: mark@bnnrc.net