One of the key reasons Feba’s radio programmes are so valuable in remote communities is their ability to educate people on health issues.
Aafno FM, our community stations in Nepal, raise awareness of precautionary steps people can take to help themselves, and broadcast information on free primary health care services.
In the ‘forgotten district’ of Okhaldunga, Feba in partnership with Human Development and Community Services (HDCS) broadcasts programmes that reach the poorest people.
By highlighting the hospital’s free services, the community station is supporting and advising those who had previously thought healthcare was too expensive for them.
An unreliable electricity supply is always a major factor in any form of development in this region, and the team at Aafno FM aren’t alone in exploring a self-sustainable energy resource.
But although the station is currently only able to broadcast for four hours each day, Binu, a programme producer with two years’ health training, is using the time to bring welcome change to the communities.
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The latest initiative for Aafno FM will involve Binu attending monthly hospital meetings. There, female community health volunteers who live in outlying villages gather to share information and plan ahead. Binu’s attendance will enable her to strengthen the community health programmes.
Broadcasting basic health information, such as on family planning, highlights the needs and problems of the communities, and gives local people a voice that can be heard.
In an area comprising varying ethnicities and forms of worship, Aafno FM also broadcasts music, listeners’ requests and features of interest – all through a Christian worldview.
For station manager Vijay, Binu, and the rest of the team, if a reliable electricity source can be found, harnessed to their passion and vision for growing the holistic mission of Aafno FM, the future looks bright.