Several organisations came together in India’s national capital last week to celebrate the broadcast of 200th episode of Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz, a radio programme initiated by OneWorld South Asia. The programme aims to ‘voice the voiceless’ and educate communities on issues of social relevance.

New Delhi: Braving a hot sultry afternoon, about a hundred people from the grassroots communities gathered at Dilli Haat, a craft bazaar located in the heart of the Indian capital, to celebrate the 200th episode of radio series Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz.

It was not only a day of celebration for OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) but also for its several partners – community-based organisations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which have been an integral part of the series.

Volunteers shared their experiences about training, production and listeners’ club meetings. The programme on nomadic tribes, violence against women, New Year celebrations with HIV+ people and mentor mothers were especially highlighted by the partners.

The volunteers felt that this voice-based platform helped them address the vital concerns of their communities and raised issues related to development of the oppressed and marginalised sections, including children, youth, dalits, HIV-infected people, sex workers, transgenders and gays.

The community members representing different organisations, who had undergone training in producing radio programmes, received certificates from Dr. R. Sreedher, Director of Commonwealth Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA).

Felicitating the volunteers, Dr. Sreedher expressed hope that these trained people would now work in different community radio stations.

A listeners' group was also organised at the event. The group listened to the 200th broadcast together, discussed the journey covered thus far and expressed its support for future programmes.

In the past, many such listener groups had been organised during previous broadcasts, which vastly helped in converting passive listeners into active participants.

Launched in 2005 and broadcast every week on a popular national channel, the programme aims to voice the voiceless and educate grassroots communities on issues of social relevance such as minority rights, child labour, gender equality, health and hygiene, culture and communal harmony, environment and governance, etc.

In August 2008, OWSA initiated a nine-month long intensive capacity building programme for six NGOs in Delhi – JAGORI, a women’s organisation; NIRMAN, working for unorganised workers; UDAYAN CARE, working for children and youth; NACDOR, working for dalit rights; Bachpan Bachao Aandolan, a group that works for the elimination of child labour; and CHELSEA, working with HIV-infected people, gays and lesbians, sex workers and transgender communities.

The programme incorporated capacity building workshops for CBOs in the use of audio tools for social and economic empowerment, and for networking and content sharing.

Three-member teams from these organisations were trained in scripting, recording people's voices and opinions, interviewing experts and anchoring. They produced programmes on issues they grappled with on a day-to-day basis - echoing the voices of people on the ground, educating wider public on issues such as rights of people in police custody, masculinity, Bal Panchayat and rights of construction workers.

OWSA also closely supports the production of radio programmes that are broadcast through Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz. The initiative has generated a lot of enthusiasm, as these teams toil to consolidate and articulate their concerns on the issues closest to their hearts.

As NGOs set up listeners’ clubs in various parts of Delhi, Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz has been able to carve a niche for itself in the poorest localities of the city, and has come to be known as a programme that highlights the voices of the poor for progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Spurred by the reach of Ek Duniya Ek Awaaz, other partners have also now begun to use the medium of radio.

On August 16, 2008, Chetna, an organisation that works on child rights, supported by OWSA and PLAN, broadcast their first episode of Baat Nanhe Dilon Ki. All 26 episodes have been a big hit with the audience that comprised both adults and children.

k Duniya Ek Awaaz has empowered people at the grassroots in moving away from being passive listeners to active producers of information.

Through this initiative, participants develop an insight into developmental issues, and simultaneously grasp all aspects of radio production and programming.

They also learn to disseminate the recorded stories through listeners’ clubs and make communities listen to the programmes and debate on relevant issues.