The project began with a needs assessment of community radio station managers and NGOs in selected countries in Africa and Asia. A questionnaire was developed to assess the reproductive health information they provide.

Then organisers held regional training workshops in South Africa and the Philippines in an effort to strengthen partnerships among community radio networks and reproductive health agencies. The weeklong regional training workshops were held in Johannesburg, South Africa (March 2003) and Manila, Philippines (April 2003). Participants included members of local FM radio networks, as well as representatives from health and education, youth, and women's community-based organisations. Attendees at the South Africa workshop came from Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, South Africa, Mali, Namibia, Niger, and Nigeria; attendees at the Manila workshop came from Cambodia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. They were selectedbased on ongoing collaboration with UNFPA country programmes and the earlier needs assessment process.

During the workshops, participants discussed strategies related to the enhancement of radio programmes and the need for entertaining, accurate, and culturally relevent programming to address HIV/AIDS. Specifically, participants learned strategies for HIV/AIDS education using drama. All the participants developed plans of action to apply what they had learned, and several arenow planning projects in partnership with PMC.

HIV/AIDS, Networking, Community Radio Development.

According to organisers, "Community radio recognizes that the right to communicate is a fundamental component of development...In many parts of the world, the right to freedom of expression is still suppressed. Participatory types of communication are increasingly practiced in the face of numerous obstacles. Community radio provides a vehicle to disseminate multiple viewpoints and information to reach a large population through local participation and to promote positive dialog and change." These passages are part of a larger paper commissioned and copyrighted by UNFPA, entitled "Strengthening Partnerships among Local FM Radio Networks and Reproductive Health Agencies on HIV/AIDS: A Review of the Effectiveness of Local FM Radio in Promoting Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Gender Equity." Click here to download that paper in PDF format.