The training underway at Metzy Residence Hotel, was designed to enhance the capability of community radio to address some of the critical issues, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), family planning (FP), and gender-based violence (GBV), effectively within their community.
The move was also meant to advocate for social and behavioral change among people in communities through the community radio talk shows.
Bakery Manneh, a member of the Network of Community Radios, thanked the UN agency for the move and expressed confidence in staging such an important training, further calling on members do justice to the forum and be ready to translate what they’ve learnt during the session.
The training, he added, would go a long way in exposing members to new insight especially in the areas of Gender based violence, family planning among a host of others.
“Your unique thing about community radios is that people take ownership and if you take ownership of any thing you are doing, you take responsibility for. So, that is the difference between the Network of Community Radios and others.”
Declaring the forum open, Ndey Rose Sarr, UNFPA Country rep, expressed delight to be associated with the event, acknowledging that UNFPA is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency with a mission to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
She also talked about their three transformative results, also known as the three zeros, by 2030, which she said, are unmet need for family planning, ending preventable maternal death and ending gender-based violence and harmful practices.
She revealed that harmful practice against women continues in communities across the globe, even though the practice varies depending where one is around the globe.
However, in the Gambian context, the most prevalent forms include, female genital mutilation, child marriage and forced marriages.
To this end, she highlighted the role of community radios in advocating for the rights and relaying positive information to help address some of these cultural practices in communities.
She equally called on them to be mindful of some of the information they put across to their audience as community radios are a powerful medium in the dissemination of information.
UNFPA Country rep revealed that Community radios not only in The Gambia but even in the United States plays a crucial role in shaping people’s mind as it is about one’s community.
“So you like and understand what you hear. And hopefully, the person sitting over there and broadcasting is really looking at your interest as an issue in that particular community.”
Sarr also spoke of her agency’s resolve to support community radios and to serve as transformative agents in view of their vast audience.
Similarly, UNFPA Country rep reminded participants to always observe ethical standard and look at the greater picture of the community, encouraging them to always look at human rights approach and from the gender lens.
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