Researcher Theo Hannides met up with ICMS and other researchers to spend three weeks trekking through rural communities in Nepal to learn what the villagers’ greatest needs were. They also learned their thoughts on Aafno FM’s programmes and an understanding of lives below the poverty line in one of the world’s hardest-to-reach regions.
After the short flight from Kathmandu and weighed down by a hefty rucksack, Theo wasn’t to know that the four-hour walk from the airport to Okhaldunga was one of the easiest treks she’d make during her research trip to Nepal!
This research will enable the team to further inform Aafno FM’s programme content as well as provide data for later evaluation.
Community-building radio
Feba partners with Human Development and Community Services (HDCS) in the region, and has a government licence to build community radio stations in districts where there are hospitals.
Aafno FM has been broadcasting health awareness guidance, music and listeners’ comments for around nine months, hoping to improve lives in the community. While gathering research information, Theo talked to a couple of female patients at Okhaldunga Hospital who are now less embarrassed to turn up there to check on a health issue previously discussed on air.
Aafno FM’s programmes are broadcast clearly though a Christian worldview – and the station’s production team have been overwhelmed by the response of listeners, and requests and programmes suggestions pour in.
As the area’s first community station, Theo says: “The villagers see it as a child. They care about it and they love it. They want to see it grow and develop.”
With new FM stations now also broadcasting in Aafno FM’s region, the production team know there’s still plenty to do; the reception needs broadening and improving to engage more listeners, and the presenters are looking to add extra flair and polish to programme content.
Mapping the future 
For qualitative research, Theo concentrated on mapping techniques to highlight problems. By asking villagers to draw maps of their homes and nearby areas, sketches emerged that included a wide range of information, from people’s nearest taps to their subsistence crop patches.
This led on to explanations of villagers’ having to borrow money at high interest rates from other villagers to buy food when crops, such as rice and millet, were unavailable.
In many cases, bad or non-existent roads and the lack of electricity were crucial issues for remote communities.
Good cultural insight is vital when offering a holistic service to rural communities. Part of the mapping was to highlight how work is distributed between men and women in the community. 
For example, Theo met with women in the village, and they labelled the map with nearby flowers to show where the women spend their time and where the men were. Later she met with the men and they showed their locations on the map using small stones. A picture of the living dynamics and divisions of the communities emerged, making the map a great tool for talking about gender issues.
By covering a range of village communities comprising varying levels of access to resources (cash, crops), ethnicities, castes and faiths, Theo and the team have put together data about the communities’ needs, opinions and perceptions. 
Though a wide and reliable electricity supply is still some way off, Aafno FM will be looking towards providing communities with even more programmes that interest them, such as greater news content and programmes for mothers.
Feba’s ministry in Nepal is growing, and Aafno FM’s Christian worldview programmes are welcome and thriving in the homes and hearts of Himalayan communities.
Also see this newsbrief:
Radio supports Himalayan hospital
The research expedition to Nepal included these team members:
+ ICMS researchers: Dr Robert Fortner, Peter Fortner, Tim Dam
+ Development practioners: Ian and Monica Verhaeghe
+ Researcher: Theo Hannides
