OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net note: A rural radio program that seeks to give a voice to disenfranchised groups in Nepal celebrated its first year on the air last week.Producer Yogendra Milan Chhantyal in Collective Campaign for Peace Radio studio. © Advocacy Project

• Radio is the main source of news for most Nepalese, said a March public opinion survey conducted by the human rights advocacy group, the International Center for Transitional Justice. "Radio is a major source of information, not only because radios are relatively cheap, but also because a high percentage of the respondents are illiterate," explains the Center.
• In December 2007, Nepalese politicians agreed to abolish the country's monarchy. On Apr. 10, Nepalese took to the polls to elect a constituent assembly tasked with drafting the nation's new constitution. "Around 250 women and lower-caste Dalit have been elected to Nepal's new 601-member Constituent Assembly, reversing centuries of exclusion and raising hopes for a major political push to eradicate discrimination from Nepali society," stated the human rights activist group, the Advocacy Project, in late April. Approximately 20 percent of Nepal's population is estimated to be Dalit, but the Dalit community, women, and other minorities have historically been disenfranchised.
• In the lead up to the elections, "tens of thousands of minority and indigenous people in Baglung, central Nepal [were] being encouraged to participate in the electoral process through a pioneering new radio program," writes the Washington, DC-based Advocacy Project, which supports the Collective Campaign for Peace Radio and other grassroots initiatives in Nepal that promote rights and development.

Rural Radio Program Celebrates One Year on the Air

From: Advocacy Project

July 29, 2008, Baglung, Nepal: A radio program that has provided a voice for disadvantaged groups in the remote regions of Western Nepal recently completed its first full year on the air.

The program, “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights,” was launched in 2007 by the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), a grassroots human rights organization in Nepal, with support from The Advocacy Project (AP) in Washington. It aired its 52nd episode July 27.

Initially, the radio program helped marginalized groups in Nepal – such as women and lower-caste Dalit – understand the country’s complex electoral system and participate in the historic elections held in April 2008. Now, the show focuses on getting the voices of these groups heard by members of the Constituent Assembly as they draft a new constitution.

A big obstacle to raising political awareness in Nepal is the remoteness of the rural areas, where 86 percent of people in the Western region live. In these villages, there is usually no access to newspapers, television, or mobile phones. For these citizens, the connection to the rest of Nepal comes through radio.

Yogendra Milan Chhantyal, who produces the COCAP show, takes questions from rural Nepalis and members of disadvantaged groups and gets answers from members of parliament. The weekly half-hour show broadcasts in 17 districts in Western Nepal, and has the capacity to reach more than 1.9 million Nepalis each week.

AP Peace Fellow Tassos Coulaloglou helped get the program started in 2007, and AP has sent Peace Fellow Shubha Bala to volunteer with COCAP Radio this summer. However, despite a staff of dedicated volunteers, the show is in danger of shutting down because it cannot keep up with airtime and production costs.

To air the show for one week on one radio station costs $15. To help keep “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights” on the air, or to listen to past episodes, please visit the show’s web page. All donations go directly to COCAP Radio.

To visit the show's Web page, click here.

Advocacy Project currently has a Peace Fellow, Shubha Bala, working with the radio show. To read Bala's blog about her work with the show, click here.