Instead of waiting for a disaster to happen, relationships are being built between agencies now as they discuss how to work together, with each one using their strengths to help save lives.

In the photo, Feba India's training manager, Suma Emmanuel presents a gift to Ashish Sen.

The head of the Asia-Pacific branch of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), Ashish Sen, says the FIRST Response training taking place in Bangalore this week is “the first step in the journey towards introducing mobile broadcasting in India for disaster management”. He was speaking to participants of the workshop which will culminate in a field trial in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Ashish, who is also head of the Community Radio lobby group, VOICES, believes that community radio will be a powerful force for the development of communities in India and that they are on the threshold of the first station being granted a broadcast licence in the next few months.

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Vital role of FIRST Response training

Community radio in India

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Getting help to victims of a disaster requires a variety of tasks to take place, involving a whole range of skills. For an efficient use of resources and a quick response, many different organisations must co-operate and co-ordinate with each other. Instead of waiting for a disaster to happen, relationships are being built between agencies now as they discuss how to work together, with each one using their strengths to help save lives.

The FIRST Response coordinator says: “For me, the beauty of partnership is that everyone does what they do best.” As a broadcast organisation, Feba focuses on its strength of radio skills and content creation. As relief organisations realise the benefits of radio in communicating critical information with disaster victims, Feba is able to work with them using Feba staff with the skills as programme producers and announcers to help get the message across. It is not only essential information like health advice or the location of aid that is broadcast, but also messages of encouragement and hope, letting people know that they are not alone in the situation. Feba’s ministry is to broadcast hope to people in need – that’s what we do best. Other agencies are well experienced in distributing aid and responding to material needs, that’s their strength and the part that they play.

Who is working together?

In running the FIRST Response Disaster Radio field trial in India, Feba has worked with a number of different organisations, and is grateful to them for contributing their skills, knowledge and materials to this effort. We would like to acknowledge HCR who have facilitated the training workshop and developed the curriculum. Our special thanks must go to VT Communications who are providing the short wave transmissions into the area free of charge, and to FEBC Canada who have financed the field trial.

World Vision and Compassion International are two non-governmental organisations who have worked with us on this. They are both experienced in disaster response and have a history of relief work in India. Finally, our thanks go to NOMAD who are providing the FM transmission equipment and licensing for this trial.

As we work in partnership with these different groups, we are reminded of our supporters, made up of individuals, churches and trusts, who give generously to the ministry of Feba, many of them on a regular basis over a number of years. Thank you for your financial support of our ministry that is much more than disaster response, as our website shows. To go on our mailing list or to find out more, please contact us.