When a rainstorm destroyed several houses in a village in rural Liberia, the inhabitants sent a text message to their community radio station using the new SMS Initiative “Constituency Communication Platform” (CCP). After receiving the text the station immediately broadcast the information, and a local affiliate of the International Red Cross, listening to the station, rushed to help rebuild the village. The CCP is a successful component of the Civil Society and Media Leadership (CSML) [7] program in Liberia, implemented by IREX and funded by USAID [8].
In Liberia, about one-third of the population is illiterate and relies mostly on the radio for news. At the same time, the majority of Liberians own mobile phones. Building on the popularity of community radio stations and the widespread access to phones, sending texts to the stations is both a simple and potent way to engage people from all parts of society in debates on issues in their communities. Did someone witness an incident of corruption that they want to bring up? Does someone have an idea how best to use the funds allocated to the county? What do people think are the best ways to prevent sexual and gender-based violence? Which issues should the politicians prioritize – improving infrastructure, health care or education?
IREX Liberia and one of its main partners, the Liberia Media Center (LMC) [9], developed the SMS Initiative to provide community radio stations with the necessary technology to receive, organize and analyze texts that listeners send in and use that information to create innovative information sharing programs and opinion polls to encourage community engagement on pressing issues. For the technology to be used effectively and responsibly, IREX and LMC provided a two-day training on the SMS Initiative to community radio station Managers and SMS System Operators in early June, 2013. The IT staff from IREX and the LMC taught the participants how to use the system, develop their own opinion polls, and practice sending and receiving complaints.
In addition to the technical training, the participants exchanged ideas on how to implement the SMS program, moderate and follow-up on the issues that are brought up by the listeners, and promote this new technology. They discussed ways to verify the information that is reported through SMS, to engage local authorities and civil society organizations in roundtables on the topics that prove important to the listeners, and to use the system in a way that is conducive to the transformation of attitudes as well as practical changes on the ground. If the communities bring up rape as a pressing concern, how can the radio station incorporate the issue in its programs in order to sensitize and educate its listeners? If people complain about the condition of roads in their district, how can the station bring it to the attention of the relevant authorities?
The Civil Society and Media Leadership program focuses on building local capacity in order to support sustainable peace. Training community radio stations on the use of SMS technology to let citizens voice and share their concerns and ideas is one of many steps in this process.
This story was written by Berenike Schott for IREX Liberia.