The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Clement Sanga
3 April 2011
In its bid to address the problem of excessive use of child labour in Iringa Region, Country FM sought funding from Tanzania Media Fund (TMF), which has greatly helped the station to pursue its course.
According to the station’s managing director Alex Mwinuka, the extra financing was urgently need, among other things, to enable the radio enhance its quality of broadcasting. Equally important was the need to undertake and produce more investigative journalistic radio documentaries, as a measure to strengthen the role of the media in domestic accountability.
“The ultimate goal of all these efforts is of course to create community awareness of pertinent issues of social and economic development,” he told The Citizen on Sunday in a recent interview.
He says that unlike many local radio stations in the country, especially those in urban areas which mostly focus on entertainment programmes, the vision and mission of Radio Country FM 88.5 are to serve the community with more social responsible broadcasting.
“At our station, we have other programmes that directly identify with young groups, but the general focus of the radio is to produce works which seek to inform and educate the public on issues affecting the welfare and well being of young people, such as the perils of child labor in our community,” he noted during the interview.
“The noble mission is part of our long-term strategy to join hands with the government and other like-minded organisations to make Tanzania a conducive and safe place for children to live and grow; and secure the country from all forms of child exploitation.”
To accomplish the mission, Radio Country FM sought and obtained funding from TMF to undertake a 9-month project targeted to address the issue of child labour in all the seven districts of Iringa Region. According to Mr Mwinuka, the matter is a big problem in the region, partly due to lack of awareness among parents and children on the immediate and long-term implications of child labour.
“Many people, especially in rural areas, lack understanding of child labour and the related issues such as children’s rights, and that has been a big catalyst for increased exploitation of children,” the broadcaster said, adding: “Matters are made worse by lack of support and cooperation from both public institutions and private sector organisations in dealing with the vice.”
Commenting on the challenges to the radio’s endeavour, Mr Mwinuka said that like most stations, especially those operating upcountry and in remote areas, lack of adequate funds tops the list. He argues that with enough funding, more can be done and achieved through documentary programmes to address issues of national interest and development.
The official said it is high time for radio stations and other media channels to invest time and other resources in social courses, and shun the tendency of focusing in making super profits. According to him, the media has a pivotal role to play in shaping the future of society which however depends on media owners looking beyond monetary returns of their investments.
Calling on employers to invest in educating media practitioners, Mr Mwinuka said the contribution of the sector to national development cannot be optimal with half-baked professionals.
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TMF Financial Support Pivotal to Broadcaster’s