Introduction

Community Research and Development Services (CORDS) has initiated a pastoralist community radio programme designed to inform pastoralist and bring them out of isolation. The purpose of the proposed pastoralist radio programme is to integrate information fully into pastoral development processes through coordinating initiatives that inform the pastoralists about issues of primary concern with the aim of reducing their vulnerability, improving their working and living conditions and enhancing their status.

Programme Objective

To integrate information fully into pastoral development processes through coordinating initiatives that inform pastoralists about issues of primary concern with the aim of reducing their vulnerability, improving their working and living conditions to enhancing their status.

This is done through establishing an information system that is designed to enhance the security of resource tenure among the pastoralist communities in Tanzania. Among other things, the contents of the radio message will include: the legal status of pastoralist land claims in Tanzania, public and policy – level education in the present legal regime, development and promotion of more equitable and sustainable land tenure systems, awareness raising activities with pastoralist communities and their leaders, support for pastoralist communities in advocacy and pressing issues.

Area of operation

The Radio programme covers all regions and districts where pastoral communities in Tanzania live. The said regions are Arusha, Manyara, Morogoro, Mbeya, Tanga, Pwani and Kilimanjaro.

Activities

Planned activities for the period

In order to meet the above mentioned objectives and bring about the desired outputs, CORDS plans to undertake the following activities:

• To produce at least a series of 52 community radio programmes annually of 15 minutes each, aimed at educating the pastoralist communities of Tanzania.

• To disseminate the programmes widely over a period of at least three years, by well-advertised and broadcast on national radio (Swahili service) and in tape cassette form through NGOs, community groups cultural groups, educators etc.

• To create a body of scripts and other materials that can be used for later series of programmes in different other languages.

• To gather feedback on programmes and inputs to programmes though three listening/focus groups in different parts of the pastoral community.

• To monitor and evaluate the impact of the programmes and disseminate the project experience among NGOs and agencies in media and community empowerment.

• In addition CORDS will develop and distribute printed materials to complement the programmes.

Project output/ results

CORDS Pastoralist Community Radio Programme is striving to achieve the following results and outputs under implementation of the project.

• Better informed pastoral communities and improved working and living conditions for pastoralists.

• Reduced information gaps.

• Self-confident pastoral leaders.

• Increased awareness about legal rights to key resources.

• Improved access and control over productive pastoral resources.

• Improved involvement of pastoralist in decision making processes.

Future plans and programme Prospects In the next period, the following activities are planned:

• To find possibilities of initiating a small production digital studio for programme editing. This will help to minimize editing costs from outside studios. We are expecting to introduce a software package known as “Cool Edit and Adobe Audition” to facilitate the exercise. Basic facilities and gadgets needed to set up a mini studio have to be mobilized.

• To continue producing radio programmes, which will be aired repeatedly (equal to 52 x 2 = 104 radio programmes) so as to maintain our time slot with The Tanzanian Broadcasting Cooperation-TBC annually.

• Circulating the programmes outputs to the targeted pastoralist communities.

• Provide training to Listening and learning groups.

• Capacity building to CORDS Radio Team.