Community Outreach: Local Radio Stations Help Raise Awareness in Matam

Raising Awareness Through the Airwaves: SPRINT-Sen’s Radio Programs in Matam

Radio is the third component of SPRINT-Sen’s community outreach in Matam, following forum theater and public talks. In a vast region characterized by long distances and villages that are sometimes difficult to access, community radio remains one of the most widely listened-to media outlets. Broadcasting in local languages, notably Pulaar and Wolof, it reaches everyone and carries far and wide across all three departments of the Matam region (Matam, Kanel, and Ranérou-Ferlo). The project thus relied on two well-established local radio stations: Timtimol FM (91.9 FM), based in Ourossogui, and Dandé Mayo FM (90.4 FM), Matam’s community radio station.

Live Community Discussions

Specifically, the discussions organized at the project’s four sites—in the villages of Gaol (Lougueré hamlet, Soubalo neighborhood) and Taïba (Pambi hamlet), as well as in the towns of Ourossogui (Mango 2, Darou Salam, and Windé neighborhoods) and Matam (Medina Gounass and Gandé neighborhoods), were recorded and broadcast live on the air by the hosts of the two radio stations. Broadcast in this way, the project’s messages on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and maternal mental health, in the context of extreme heat, reached beyond the circle of participants present to engage a much wider audience.

Dedicated Programs, Right from the Studio

The experience took on a new dimension with programs hosted live from the Timtimol studios. The format: one theme per program, either exclusive breastfeeding or mental health, explored in depth. At the microphone, a host facilitated a discussion among community leaders, health care providers, and a mental health consultant. Each program, broadcast live, was then rebroadcast during prime time.

A Real Resonance with the Community

The impact of these programs was tangible: the audience asked numerous questions live, which the panelists were able to answer, and following the broadcasts, several community members spontaneously attended project activities, with some wishing to meet the mental health consultant. This was a strong sign of the resonance these messages achieved, on a topic still rarely discussed publicly.