The UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) in collaboration with the Perch Media Trust, the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Association of Community Radios (ZACRAS) conducted training workshops for newly licensed community radio stations in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province. The workshops were funded through the support of the EU funded project on #CoronaVirusFacts and the Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project (ZIRP) funded by the World Bank and managed by UNOPS.
The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa handed over certificates of course completion to the trainees during the national celebrations of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) held in Chimanimani District on 27 September 2021.
The training workshops were conducted in Nyanga for Nyangani FM, Chimanimani for Chimanimani FM and Chipinge for Ndau FM from 20-27 September 2021.
Addressing the trained community radio staff during the monitoring visits of the three new community radio stations in Manicaland Province, UNESCO ROSA Officer in Charge, Martiale Zebaze-Kana challenged the trainees to make use of their community radio stations to showcase their talent and improve their communities.
He said the certified community radio personnel should harness their skills and work together towards improving their radio stations. He went on to congratulate the certified community radio practitioners for their efforts and commitment during the training period.
Bright Barwe, one of the trained participants from Nyanga FM, promised to apply the skills learnt to develop his community. He said the training had brought them to collectively work together for the betterment of their community.
The training was organised to strengthen the capacity of the new community radios in serving the disaster-prone communities in Manicaland Province as reliable sources of flood and drought early warning communication. The community radio practitioners were also trained on how to address corona virus misinformation and disinformation.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, UNESCO is providing technical support to the Government of Zimbabwe in establishing community radio stations in the country.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
