Impact | climate-change-news

DRP Impact

After a DRP youth-sponsored radio program in Monkey Bay, on March 25th, the local health clinic in nearby Nkope changed its hours to accommodate young people. Originally, the youth hours were during school time, but after interviewing the director, Gertrude Kachepasonga, the clinic changed the hours from Wednesdays to Saturdays. Ms Kachepasonga also agreed to hold regular meetings with youth from nearby villages to inform them about reproductive health services available at the clinic.

Seventy percent of respondents say they now use a mosquito net to avoid malaria after hearing DRP-sponsored radio programs about the issue - based on pre-and post project research.

In a baseline survey in late 2013/early 2014, most survey respondents in all three communities said there was nothing they could do to mitigate climate change since it was God’s will. In a September 2014 follow-up after DRP-sponsored programs on climate change, around 100% of the respondents from two communities said they felt they could do something to mitigate climate change, while 60% of the respondents in the third community felt they could do something.

The number of women using health clinics for child birth has increased eight percent since DRP’s baseline survey in December 2013

September 2014 research found that the use of birth control pills has climbed 14% since DRP’s previous survey in late 2013.

Listeners shared knowledge gained from DRP-sponsored programs up to 60% of the time based on September 2014 research.

The district coordinator of Nkhotakota Banja Mtsogolo Hospital says, the use of family planning methods by clients in the Nkhotakota district has “increased tremendously since the month of March 2014 – and says the “main contributing factor” was the DRP-supported radio program on Nkhotakota Community Station’s radio program on family planning.

As a result of DRP-supported programs, station listeners in the village of Vinthenga, led by the village chief, have taken steps to mitigate the effects of climate change. One step includes the establishment of the Natural Resources Management Committee. The NRMC has been focusing on tree-planting and since February 2014, has planted 5000 seedlings in Vinthenga. In addition, NRMC is urging the community to use wood-saver stoves.

After DRP workshop, radio reporter Laura Hamusonde in Mazabuka, began helping innovative farmers produce their own shows to convince other farmers to adopt “green” techniques. Twenty farmers are involved and have trained 200 other farmers. After the radio program, the innovative farmers visit other farmers to demonstrate the techniques. Ms Hamusonde’s station goes, too, and broadcasts the demonstrations live.

Motion introduced in Parliament by MP Kennedy Chipungu to ban the indiscriminate cutting of trees. Motion comes after Chipungu took part in DRP-sponsored community activity on deforestation organized by Yatsani FM. Motion was approved on July 3, 2014. Legislation to follow.

Farmers in Mazabuka begin to adopt organic farming methods after hearing reporter Laura Hamusonde programs on non-conventional farming techniques. Ms Haumsonde gets her topics from the DRP-produced Weekly Bulletins. She expects more farmers in her community to adopt similar farming techniques now that the village councilor supports organic farming.

A city council member in Lusaka’s Mtendere Ward 30, has, through Yatsani’s radio programmes, encouraged his community to plant trees. He secured 400 trees from Lusaka City Council that were distributed to individuals in his ward to plant.

In its 30 minute, weekly farming program called Kasisi on Air, Yatsani Radio, uses participatory radio techniques learned in a DRP workshop. The program features small scale farmers informing other farmers about sustainable and organic agriculture practices in Lusaka, Chongwe, Kasisi and other surrounding areas. Studies show participatory programs lead to behavior change.

DRP provided training to approximately 120 people in six Niger Delta villages during its project in Nigeria called Tomorrow is a New Day. It involved the establishment of Information Resource Centers. Some of the trainees were ex-militants or young people looking to live the militant life-style. One of them, “Alex,” who lives in Oporoza, said he had been interested in the militant life-style – until he got involved with the IRC in his village. He has learned new skills and is now the Public Relations Officer at IRC Oporoza. He told his DRP trainer, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, that he realizes now that “violence is not the path he wants to go down.” He said that “dialogue is the key to peace” and now that he has skills he can transform his community by developing programs with input from the community. He told Mr. Ikegwuonu that he is “committed to seeing the IRC become a success story.”

DRP assisted in the creation of the Independent Radio Network (IRN) in Sierra Leone. In the 2007 elections, IRN was praised by the National Electoral Commission (NEC), political parties, observer groups and the public for its quality reporting. Recognition also came from the Media Monitoring and Refereeing Panel which commended “the admirable roles being played by media institutions such as…the Independent Radio Network….in charting the way forward for the media to be actively engaged at all levels of the political process in the country.” In contrast, other media outlets were censured for “inciting violence, promoting hate, malice tribalism and political intolerance.”