CEMCA - TL2L Model
CEMCA - TL2L Model
By Sanjogita Mishra
Background
In many African countries, especially in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the community radio developments have reached a stage where the listeners are increasingly turning into learners and the transition is being moderated by the proactive involvement of CR Stations under the guidance of Community Radio experts. Kenya AIDS intervention Prevention Project Group (KAIPPG) participated in a study commissioned by COL in 2012 to ascertain relationship between learning, profit efficiency, food security and empowerment. Findings indicated that radio is widely owned and listened to by farmers in Western Kenya to improve their knowledge, attitudes and practices in farming. KAIPPG used community radio in building the capacity of 4,800 community members on the theme of “women and health”. 87% of these members were women and KAIPPG has achieved very good results. Similarly, Matumaini Mapya have reached more than 4,500 learners using radio.
CEMCA for the last many years has also been engaged in capacity building of Community Radio Stations in India; making a silent but significant contribution. Many baseline studies and capacity building interventions in programme production and dissemination, involving local population have shown encouraging results, making marked difference in the special lives of ‘ordinary people’. Some of the CR Stations are doing a commendable job in community development despite having meagre resources.
The CEMCA 6-year Strategic Plan (2015-21), also envisages to help CR Stations to move from listener orientation to learner orientation. Therefore, it is important to explore the possibility of building capacity of CR Stations and help them to experience and enforce the change in a strategy that may, in the long run, help in achieving the goal of sustainable development through community media.
Proposed TL2L Model
Based on many successful case studies around the globe, CEMCA proposes the following six ingredients absolutely mandatory to transition listener to becoming a learner.
- Mobilize the community into learning groups: Strong social capital is essential
- Understand the learning needs, participatory content creation, sequencing the learning, delivery plan (structured learning)
- Synchronise with the enterprise or livelihood value chain, structure group meetings and synchronise the delivery, facilitate group discussions, community share the experience
- Feedback system to share the feedback synchronously or asynchronously
- Assess the learning outcome, participatory evaluation
- Evaluate the outcome and impact in terms of the broader objectives such as health, livelihood, empowerment etc.
Pilot Implementation
CEMCA has started 2 pilot programmes using the above model. One is in North Eastern India in partnership with Anamika Ray Memorial Trust which involves working through 8 CR Stations. The other is in Bangladesh in partnership with Rupantar which involves working with 5 CR Stations and also launching a web radio station - RadioBanglaWave.
While the model is still being implemented and will need a year to be assessed for impact, we welcome participation from all practitioners in helping tweak the model if need be, to make it more effective or easy to implement. We therefore request our readers to kindly share their views and experiences about the proposed model. CEMCA is keen in benefitting from your experience and further disseminating your good work, best practices and learning to a wider group of practitioners so that the reach is broader, the impact is deeper and no one is left behind!
