Wednesday, February 29, 2012

UNAMID donates self-powered radios to Darfur’s disabled

Disabled people of Darfur need full access to information, particularly from radio. That was the objective behind the provision of 30 wind-up and solar-operated radios to the El Fasher Association for the Disabled today organized by Radio-TV El Fasher, the state broadcaster.

The wind-up radios were a gift by the Communications and Public Information Division of the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). In addition, as the state broadcaster was also holding a workshop on covering peace and reconciliation for journalists from around North Darfur, UNAMID gave five radios for correspondents from distant parts of the state where electricity is inconsistent or not available.

The Mission had also provided the Disabled Association with a new building which will be used to house an audiovisual library. This centre is intended to assist disabled university students, particularly the sight-impaired, with accessible material so that they can proceed through a standard university programme. For now, the building is empty as the Association is seeking funds and gifts for Braille materials.

UNAMID had another objective to the gift of radios: the mission’s Yala Nebni Darfur programme will begin to be broadcast next week over Radio El Fasher’s FM frequency. Currently the UNAMID programming is broadcast to Darfur over shortwave by the Sudan National Radio Corporation’s Al Salaam (peace) Radio.

UNAMID’s acting director of communications, Susan Manuel, discussed with El Fasher broadcasting director Saad Abuzeid Ali, collaboration on a listener survey with the University of El Fasher’s Peace Centre, to determine what kinds of programming are most popular and effective for the ongoing peace process.

(Source: UNAMID via Media Network Weblog)

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