RHVP has begun a radio project in Lesotho, aimed at stimulating widespread discussion of issues related to Social Protection.

The Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP) has begun a radio project in Lesotho, aimed at stimulating widespread discussion of issues related to Social Protection.

The first series, of four hour-long discussion programmes, was broadcast on the station MoAfrika FM during March and early April. The programmes on MoAfrika focused on creating awareness about Social Protection and what it entails, and discussing the role of civil society in advocating for, but also implementing, Social Protection.

The programmes took the form of talk shows involving an in-studio panel, with listeners calling in to pose questions and offer their comments. In order to provide practical examples from the field, and to ensure that the voices of people affected by social protection policies and projects were included, pre-recorded interviews were also played during the course of the discussions. These interviews were gathered in the field, in small towns and rural areas within easy driving distance from the capital, Maseru. They included interviews with old-age pensioners receiving the government pension, members of a dairy cooperative who also run a community bank, members of a women's support group and burial society, and a farm owner and workers.

The first programme focused on understanding the definition of social protection, and went into an in-depth discussion of how the concept translates into Sesotho. As the presenter, a Sesotho language expert and the listeners searched for a suitable translation, they also delved into traditional concepts and practices in Basotho life, and began to draw connections between these and current understandings of Social Protection. The subsequent programmes explored specific types of initiatives in detail: such as burial societies, cooperatives, and traditional asset-transfer practices. The programmes seem to have proved popular with listeners, and the discussion was lively.

While RHVP now looks at how to take the MoAfrika initiative forward, further programme series will start on other radio stations in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. Programmes on another independent station, Harvest FM, will explore the Social Protection role of chiefs and traditional authorities, while programmes on a state-owned station will look at the role of the Lesotho government.

All the programmes are being recorded onto CD, and RHVP will have them transcribed and the text translated into English. Key comments and quotes from the programmes will then be incorporated into other RHVP advocacy initiatives. RHVP is also currently setting up a similar radio series in Malawi, and will follow suit with the other countries it works in.

Image credit: World Bank / Eric Miller