The
microphones are set.
The hosts and guest speakers are ready.
It is 8.30 pm at the Nikoya radio station 106 FM on Tuesday
night and the people of Aceh are getting ready to tune into
Rumoh PMI, a new radio programme.
"Welcome to the Rumoh PMI radio show, a special programme
produced by PMI and the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies. You can call us live to find out
what has been happening in the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam tsunami
operation.”
Launched on 18 July 2006, the new radio programme is fully supported
by the International Federation, the Irish Red Cross and the
Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).
This new programme follows a successful pilot project, which
was launched in mid-2005 and continued until February 2006.
The first show was a joint Turkish Red Crescent and International
Federation psychological support project and it included a hugely
popular song contest called PMIdol.
“The aim of the radio programme is to promote community
outreach programmes to our local beneficiaries, which the Irish
Red Cross has already started”, says Teresita Usapdin,
an International Federation information delegate.
“The Federation’s proposal to organize the radio
programme is timely,” she adds.
For the community, it is excellent news that a radio show will
continue. “Last year, it was very successful because the
audience participated so actively. We received a lot of phone
calls,” says Teresita.
A bulletin board for communities is also in the pipeline. It
is hoped it will cover the areas of Banda Aceh, Aceh Besar and
Sabang Island – all in the northernmost part of Sumatra
which was most devastated by the tsunami.
“We want to establish a free forum for both the Red Cross
Red Crescent and beneficiaries so that we know, understand and
also appreciate what they think and what they expect from us
as the International Federation,” says Teresita.
“Until now, we have found out what they expect from us
by sending Indonesia Red Cross (PMI) volunteers to each village
to find out their needs and what they are lacking.”
The radio programme encourages audience participation and it
has become a medium for public discussion. The topic for the
first programme, which aired on 18 July, was relief operations.
The second programme, which aired a week later on 25 July, focused
on transitional and permanent shelter. Delegates and beneficiaries
take part so that beneficiaries can ask questions of those with
specialist knowledge. The delegates tap into the issues and
concerns of the whole community.
“At least we will learn more about the issues they are
concerned with,” says Teresita.
The budget for the project is low, with only enough funding
to last until September 2006. The project’s future will
depend on an evaluation of audience participation.
The radio show is broadcast from 8.30pm to 9.30pm – prime
time, when the local audience sits down to dinner and families
gather together after work. So now, every Tuesday evening, the
people of Aceh can stay tuned into what is happening in their
world.
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“The
aim of the radio programme is to promote community outreach
programmes to our local beneficiaries, which the Irish
Red Cross has already started”, says Teresita Usapdin
(in the right), an International Federation information
delegate. (p14346)
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The
radio programme encourages audience participation and
it has become a medium for public discussion. The topic
for the first programme, which aired on 18 July, was relief
operations. The second programme, which aired a week later
on 25 July, focused on transitional and permanent shelter.
(p14347)
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