Nelly Bassily | April 28, 2014
This week’s story from Cameroon deals with a refugee situation. Our script of the week deals more directly with the needs of refugees.
Unfortunately, the needs of refugees are not always addressed by the media during a crisis. Instead, there may be more focus on providing information to foreign journalists about the activities of relief agencies. But refugees need information that can help them take a more active role in the relief effort.
Before broadcasting information to refugees in your region, educate yourself about who they are. Where are they located? Do they live in official or unofficial camps, on a short-term or long-term basis? What kinds of problems, including local epidemics, do they face? With this knowledge, you can provide valuable information that other media may not be providing.
These five radio spots cover clean delivery kits, water safety and storage, sick children, men’s mental health, and prevention of HIV and AIDS. The spots can help start discussions about the physical and mental health problems faced by refugees in your area.
One way to use these spots is to do a role play. You are a visitor (or maybe a resident) walking through the camp. As you walk, you overhear different conversations. There are some sound effects in these spots, but to produce them you will need only a drum, two glasses, and some cheerful music.
The information contained in the INTRO to each scene is intended as a guide only. Depending on whether you air the spots on the same day, or over several days or weeks, you might want to include additional information here – reintroducing the topic, setting the scene, or recapping some of the information.
This week’s story from Cameroon deals with a refugee situation. Our script of the week deals more directly with the needs of refugees.
Unfortunately, the needs of refugees are not always addressed by the media during a crisis. Instead, there may be more focus on providing information to foreign journalists about the activities of relief agencies. But refugees need information that can help them take a more active role in the relief effort.
Before broadcasting information to refugees in your region, educate yourself about who they are. Where are they located? Do they live in official or unofficial camps, on a short-term or long-term basis? What kinds of problems, including local epidemics, do they face? With this knowledge, you can provide valuable information that other media may not be providing.
These five radio spots cover clean delivery kits, water safety and storage, sick children, men’s mental health, and prevention of HIV and AIDS. The spots can help start discussions about the physical and mental health problems faced by refugees in your area.
One way to use these spots is to do a role play. You are a visitor (or maybe a resident) walking through the camp. As you walk, you overhear different conversations. There are some sound effects in these spots, but to produce them you will need only a drum, two glasses, and some cheerful music.
The information contained in the INTRO to each scene is intended as a guide only. Depending on whether you air the spots on the same day, or over several days or weeks, you might want to include additional information here – reintroducing the topic, setting the scene, or recapping some of the information.