The Haiti Media Assistance and Civic Education Project, implemented by Creative Associates International, Inc., continued to support two complementary objectives in the second year: increasing citizen awareness and everyday application of rights and responsibilities, and strengthening journalists’ ability to report on issues related to democratic development and to advocate for greater freedom of the press.
RAMAK worked with 36 partner community radio stations, which play a unique role in Haiti by focusing on issues of interest to their immediate community. Through this partnership, RAMAK provided training and technical assistance, developed civic education programs, and addressed stations’ urgent equipment needs. Highlights of program accomplishments during the second year include the completion of five days of training in civic education themes for 98 journalists from 36 community radio stations, resulting in improved broadcasting of civic education messages.
RAMAK also delivered and installed electrical and studio equipment in 36 partner radio stations, expanding their broadcast range and improving their capacity to reach out to populations in isolated areas. The project launched Kadejak nan Ansmari, a 12-part civic education “soap opera” that is being heard on 17 private radio stations and 36 community radio stations. RAMAK provided training in fundraising and management for 71 station managers from 36 stations, with more than half of the participants developing fundraising strategies.
To achieve its second objective, RAMAK developed a number of activities, including a successful speaker series on issues of concern to journalists and training activities for journalist organizations on advocacy, democracy, and security. The project also worked to help the leadership of the two leading journalists’ associations find common ground on which they could stand to lobby for shared objectives.
RAMAK made progress in other areas that supported project development, including the submission of an updated baseline assessment and a 137-page inventory of community radio stations, as well as a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan with five indicators to measure the project’s progress. The project also designed and commissioned a comprehensive survey to measure Haitians’ knowledge of community radio, their understanding of civic education, and their listening habits.
Upcoming activities include advocacy training for journalist organizations, training for journalist organizations on internal democratic practices, a community radio conference, expansion of the civic education radio soap opera, continuation and expansion of the successful speaker series, and development of security training for journalists.