Community radio outlets operate at the grassroots level and are directly in touch with people in the rural areas but lack the necessary resources, skills and expertise to effectively do their work.
MISA Malawi Vice Chairperson Clifton Kawanga said this during the opening of a five-day training for community radio broadcasters at Dzimwe Community Radio Station in Mangochi District on Wednesday, March 6, 2019.
Kawanga said most rural areas are cut off from mainstream media outlets and community radio is their only trusted source of information.
“Empowering community radio stations is empowering the grassroots. Community radios work at the district level and are in touch with people in the rural areas. Building the capacity of radio stations can help ensure that the rural people have access to relevant, accurate, balanced and credible information. Training community media is important to ensure community empowerment,” he said.
The training, termed ‘Essential Journalism Skills for Community Radio Broadcasters,’ is part of MISA Malawi’s broader efforts and plans to promote access to information for the citizenry.
The training aims to equip community media outlets with the necessary capacity to provide people with accurate, reliable and balanced information.
“We should at all times remember that we are the voice of the voiceless, election’s ‘watchdog’ and should always investigate the character and ability of our leaders, offering a balanced platform for all opinions and debates and educating the people on different issues including the electoral process,” Kawanga said.
MISA Malawi has partnered DW Akademie to organise a series of trainings on different thematic areas including elections, public communication and digital journalism.
The Akademie is also helping MISA Malawi to establish the MISA Malawi Training Centre which will be up and running around mid or late this year.
DW Akademie is Germany’s leading organisation for media development and Deutsche Welle’s center of excellence for education and knowledge transfer.
