Radio Kwizera - which means Radio Hope in the local languages of Kinyarwanda and Kirundi - broadcasts in English, French, Kiswahili, and Kirundi to reach the largest number of people in Ngara, Kibondo, Kasulu, Kigoma, Biharamulo, and parts of Burundi and Congo. RK can be heard by at least 250,000 refugees as well as Tanzanians who also tune in because the broadcasts of other stations cannot be heard in the area.

Radio Kwizera basically consists of 4 programmatic elements: non-formal education, formal education, information-news, and information-entertainment.

Local authorities and humanitarian workers have recognised the station's popularity and use the medium to relay messages to the refugees and locals living in western Tanzania. The messages broadcast can take the form of a specific announcement or sponsorship of a programme by a humanitarian organisation. The Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which provides some support in terms of training of refugee journalists, said Radio Kwizera was "a great help on just about every issue" and "a valuable partner in the field". Since 2005, RK has promoted voluntary repatriation, disseminating this message as part of its partnership with UNHCR. The promotion of voluntary repatriation has provided an opportunity for RK staff to make periodical visits and to collect first hand information about the situation in Burundi. The Radio is more and more involved with refugees who are still in the camps in North Western Tanzania as well as the returnees and the local population of refugees host communities. Other examples of organisations partnering with RK include the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s promotion of programmes on women and children's affairs and Norwegian People's Aid support for projects on education and against sexual- and gender-based violence.

The station also runs a radio programme for adolescents, which is sponsored by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The programme encourages youth to discuss and inform the population about issues that are important to them in the camps. The youth themselves choose the topics and the format of the programme. According to RK, it makes it easier for them to discuss issues because they have a programme dedicated to them and in their language (Kirundi). They also feel more free to talk and express what is going on around them.

A peace and conflict resolution programme is also aired regularly to try to promote a spirit of reconciliation among the refugees, many of whom have lived in camps for over a decade. As part of this aim, RK has set up a relationship with the Bujumbura-based station, Studio Ijambo. Reporters at Radio Kwizera collect information portraying the realities of life in the camps and send this to Burundi, while Studio Ijambo provides the refugees with information about what is happening back home. Search for Common Ground, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Washington DC, the United States (US), manages Studio Ijambo.

Due to the wide reach of RK, it has also been considered a good platform to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS. As part of its HIV/AIDS programming, the station invites doctors and others to talk about HIV/AIDS and answer questions raised by the audience. According to the organisers, RK strives to "maintain a balance between information and entertainment." The station has, for example, used radio soap opera to deal with AIDS.

One campaign which targets HIV/AIDS is a UNICEF-sponsored project for primary and secondary schools based on children's rights. "The campaign focuses on extra-curricular activities, like music, drama and poetry, with messages about HIV/AIDS," said RK Director Mokua. "All activities share one objective: to enable students to absorb a message and pass it on convincingly to others. Students learn to integrate what they learn with what they live. The campaign has got the full attention of thousands of school children, with youth and parents also turning up to watch activities."

Radio Kwizera is committed in improving the broadcasting skills and the professional standards of its staff, organising in-service training and giving them opportunities to attend training courses and seminars. Furthermore, RK makes its expertise in broadcasting available to other institutions and personnel.

Conflict, HIV/AIDS, Education.