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Local radio is at the forefront of the fight to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage in Ngorongoro District, Tanzania. Loliondo FM, one of the radio stations benefiting from UNESCO's Empowering Local Radio with ICTs project, supported by Sweden, proves to be indispensable in raising awareness of this issue and educating girls on measures to prevent female genital mutilation.
This is the case of Loliondo FM where they provided information about FGM and an activist against him, Suzan Koila, through their broadcasts. Girls would have avoided FGM and forced marriage by contacting Ms. Koila through local radio programs.
"Radio is often the only way to reach many communities where FGM and forced marriage continue to prevail." said Mirta Lourenço, head of media development at # 39; UNESCO. "Radio campaigns can reach women and girls at risk, which can change the perceptions of women and men and inform women about their basic rights."
In the past, Ms. Koila has provided shelters for girls and coordinated with EMBUWAN, an NGO engaged in education, health and development, income generating activities, to provide long-term support.
"L & D NGO was able to identify donors to support girls. There, they can receive vocational training. " Ms. Koila reported at an anti-FGM meeting in December 2017. Local radio was found to be essential for disseminating appropriate information among at-risk girls in the region and for connecting girls to Loliondo FM has benefited from a training and extensive baseline study that has enabled listeners to identify the most important local problems for them.
Thanks to the project " Authorization of Local Radio by UNESCO ICTs The training increases their ability to effectively cover these stories, such as this one about female genital mutilation.By linking programs to problems Radio stations are in a better position to respond to the community's primary concerns for positive action.
Loliondo FM received a great response from its listeners, especially young girls from MGF in Ngorong District The girls were eager to find out who and where to turn if they were forced into marriage or were subjected to female genital mutilation – vital information that radio delivered
"UNESCO is working to Tanzania, especially the poor, women and girls, have the capacity to make informed decisions about issues that affect their daily lives based on access to information and information. Relevant, culturally appropriate, gender-sensitive and accurate knowledge. National Commission of UNESCO of the United Republic of Tanzania
The region represents one of the most prevalent areas for the practice of FGM, with Arusha ranked third in national rankings with 41% according to the 39 Tanzanian Demographic and Health Survey 2015/2016. June and July show a peak prevalence of FGM in Ngorongoro District, with students on school leave. To curb this trend, UNESCO Dar es Salaam is preparing to work again with Loliondo FM for a new campaign in 2018. This experiment has shown that local radio stations supported by the project Empowering Local Radio with ICTs "UNESCO can exponentiate campaigns on important issues, such as the fight against FGM, and pursue the United Nations goal of empowering women and girls, in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal. ODD 5.
"The project has been successful in Tanzania, showing how radio stations are sensitizing communities and therefore helping the government enforce laws and regulations. also an important role at the local level so that community development has equal access to information and knowledge as a means of sustainable development, "concludes Musaroche .
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