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91Èȱ¬ World Service Trust wins Radio for Peacebuilding Award
Darfur Lifeline - The 91Èȱ¬ World Service Trust's humanitarian radio service in
Sudan - has won first prize for its children's programme Ursom ala el ard
makaanak (Draw Your Place On Earth) in the Youth category of the Radio For
Peacebuilding Awards.
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The prize is awarded by Radio For Peacebuilding Africa.
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The 30-minute programme, Ursom ala el ard makaanak, which goes out twice a week
(Tuesday and Saturday) is targeted at Darfuri children and is delivered in a
magazine style format.
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Each show consists of testimonies from Darfuri children,
an information spot where children get to voice their opinions, story time,
recordings of children singing or playing and a short drama skit.
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The Darfur Lifeline project, which was launched with the aid of ECHO and the
Ford Foundation, is currently funded by DFID Sudan.
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The project has been running
since the start of this year and the award-winning team (from Sudan and Egypt)
were recruited and trained specifically by the trust.
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Programme editor, Zeinab Mubarak, and her award-winning team operate out of a
base in Nyala, South Darfur.
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Zeinab is delighted with the outcome: "Winning the prize is wonderfully gratifying; especially that it came after
almost a year of work in very challenging conditions.
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"It is a sign of
confidence in all our work, not just this one programme.
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"The messaging was very important and we tried to put the idea of finding
alternative ways to solve differences foremost. I'm glad we were able to do it
well. I'm extremely happy, because the prize says that what we did is
effective."
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Producer Lina Attalah, presenter Eptihag Homri and the team continue
broadcasting to the internally displaced populations of Darfur with support
from project director, Rosalind Yarde, in Khartoum.
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Eptihag says: "It is not difficult to put together an episode because we work together as a
team. We help each other."
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These thoughts are shared by Lina: "I remember sitting on
my computer to edit the children's testimonials after having spent a morning
with them for the winning episode and smiling at their wit and honesty.
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"But if
it wasn't for the team work and spirit I'm sure it would have been very hard to
produce a proper show."
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The programmes are produced in Darfuri Arabic and are broadcast on 91Èȱ¬ World
Service short wave frequencies at 08.00hrs local time - repeated at 20.00hrs.
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Anna Da Silva, head of projects in London, also recognises the hard work and
dedication the team have shown in Sudan since the start of the project.
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"This is a well deserved reward for the great commitment they have shown over
the last year under immensely difficult circumstances," she says.
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The Darfur Lifeline Radio project also broadcasts a programme for adults called
Salam ila Darfur (Peace/Greetings to Darfur).
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The show which airs five days a
week is crucial to the community of Darfur as radio is often the only way to
deliver vital information.
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The show covers testimonies, informative reporting, features, dramas,
discussion time and family reunification.
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Stephen King, Director of the 91Èȱ¬ World Service Trust, says: "Media's -
especially radio's - often unprecedented reach into both urban and rural areas
and the ability to target content to specific audiences in local languages are
a powerful combination to support development goals such as improved health,
education or humanitarian needs."
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91Èȱ¬ World Service Trust
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