Supporting community media in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda

In Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, most people live in rural areas. However, the media are largely urban-based, with little, if any, attention paid to rural areas.

Vikes and local partners aim to give rural communities a voice, improve the flow of information from rural areas to the wider national audiences and increase citizens’ access to information.

The Vikes development programme has created online portals for rural community radio in Tanzania and Uganda, and is training local radio stations to use the portal while supporting their marketing.

In Kenya, young rural journalists are being trained and mentored to produce better stories about rural communities. Their programmes are broadcast on Radio Baraza’s online radio station.

In Tanzania, Vikes’ long-standing radio partner Jamii FM is also supported to produce programmes, particularly on women and girls, the rights and lives of people with disabilities and climate change adaptation.

East African organisations and trainers will also meet each other, network and launch joint activities to promote rural reporting.

More than 50 community radio stations and several hundred journalists in all three countries will benefit from the co-operation. The new portals will allow radio stations to broadcast their programmes online and reach a national or even global audience, which will also increase their revenue potential.