CONSERVATION RADIO

The objective of this program is to reach communities with messages that (a) promote awareness and advocacy of conservation, and (b) provide practical information that can benefit local people in their lives.

• Programs occur twice-weekly.
• They use live discussions and conservation news, as well as children’s conservation programming, such as using local folktales
• Students and teachers share their knowledge and experience from field trips we provide.
• Elders are interviewd about traditional views.

• An online community network (Facebook) in Kiswahili also advances awareness and advocacy and promote participation in SPF programs.

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Broadcasts from this station extend to the entire region of Musoma, Masai Mara, Loliondo area and some parts of Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  Programs are broadcast in both Swahili and Maa languages. The purpose of this programming is to involve communities in education and dialogue, giving them a platform to link traditional values with modern conservation, and build the role of the local community as direct and front-line actors in conservation efforts.  Jamii na Uhifadhi, which means Community and Conservation in Swahili, is broadcast weekly from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, on an off-market day. It is then re-broadcast on another day, totaling eight hours per month.

Program format

• 20 Minutes. Elimu ya Uhifadhi  (Conservation Knowledge) This segment is pre-recorded in Arusha with support from Tanzania National Parks, and talks about conservation, why it’s important, and benefits of conservation to the community
• 10 Minutes. Habari za Uhifadhi (Conservation News) News of the past week about conservation in Tanzania and globally.
• 20 Minutes. Maoni, Ushauri na Changamoto  (Listener comments, questions and advice). Listeners are encouraged to be part of the program: to call, text and email their comments to be aired during the segment. Listeners will be able to address conservation challenges in their communities. Questions are answered in the next program.
• 5 Minutes. Je Wajua (Did You Know?) This segment provides general information about wildlife, especially directed at a younger audience.
• 5 Minutes. Wrap-up End up the session and invite listeners to the next program.

Community Participation:

The program involves women, men, youth, and elders.Men like the Laigwanani- traditional leaders who have respect in the community. We have a live talk show session in which we bring the traditional leaders (Laigwanani) on board where they tell the communities how they were using the traditional modes of conservation in the past and what is happening now. The aim is to make the communities own the Radio program in order to have impact. During the live talk show, there are Morani (young men warriors) who have the responsibilities of security in the communities. We believe the Morani will change their attitudes toward wildlife and educate their communities about the important of wildlife in the Serengeti Ecosystem.

Programs are aired on every Thursday of the week from 7:00pm – 8:00pm. At this time most of women are done with home duties like milking and cooking for their families.

The journalist who hosts the program is Mathias Tooko, Masai who knows how to talk to his communities. We are training him and will expand his role in the future.

Positive Results:

We have seen the following feedback from the community:

• The phone calls and the texts we received during the Radio program sessions, in which people were encouraged to advise and comment on the program, were very positive.
• Morani have called during the live show and have given complements to the journalist Mathis Tooko. The Morani also have commented about stopping the killing of the wildlife.
• There has been willingness of the traditional leaders and Morani to come to the live talks show to talk about traditional conservation.
• Some of the calls and text messages we received from the listeners are telling the communities to protect water sources.
• During the airing of the program at least every 7 calls we received during the program 3 are from women which makes 43% of women involvement. Most of the women comments during the calls are telling their communities to protect wildlife in order to get more tourists to visit their bomas to buy their cultural products like beads.
• The population of women in the area is around 60% and we believe that they are receiving conservation awareness from our Jamii na Uhifadhi program. One of the program segments is conservation education where we educate the communities on the importance of protecting the wildlife to attract more tourists and get more benefit from tourism.
• We were welcomed by the Ngorongoro District Commissioner to participate in conservation meeting in the area.