Harnessing the Power of Community Radio Broadcasting to Promote Accountability, Transparency and Responsiveness of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Service Provision in Uganda

This 14-page report shares experiences and lessons learned by WaterAid Uganda and the Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) in implementing community radio programmes on water supply and sanitation (WASH). According to the report, part of the reason that governments and other service providers are not sufficiently responsive to demands for better water supply and sanitation is that the heaviest burden falls mostly on women, children, and "the poorest of the poor." These excluded groups often lack the power to determine and direct the priorities of political processes. The report states that radio offers a unique opportunity for economically poor citizens to engage with policymakers and politicians in improving the quality of WASH services and responsiveness of government.

The report explains that radio is increasingly being used as a tool in promoting water and sanitation governance. It provides an opportunity for marginalised populations to complain, demand, and discuss their rights. Community radio can also enhance participation by creating awareness in rural communities regarding things to be done - for example, drawing up local government's budget and planning, as well as providing an opportunity to scrutinise the budget of local government and to ensure transparency and accountability. Unlike traditional interventions, community radio programmes are widely accessible across broad geographic areas; hence, they can create a multiplier effect beyond the intended community, are inexpensive to scale up, allow immediate response on matters under discussion, can be delivered in a number of languages, and can be tailored to a number of community issues.

In the WaterAid radio project, issues to be addressed on air are identified by the community as key issues. A partner radio station is chosen and a journalist identified to help to capture community input. The journalist/moderator interviews community members on the identified topic, and then edits the information and creates a script for radio playback during the show. The recorded clips are played during a live broadcast, where the moderator allows call-ins and texts from the audience to further comment about the problems and issues dealt with in the recording. Panellists chosen by WaterAid are also in the studio to participate in the discussion.

WaterAid identifies the following as success factors:

• Proper timing: The timing (exact hour) when the programme is aired is vital in order to properly reach the beneficiaries. It should be prime time with little or no interruptions with competing demands on the time of the intended audience. In addition, the duration of the programme is crucial to give the panellists and the callers ample time to exhaust the issues raised in the recorded script. However, it should not be too long to bore the listeners.
• Effective stakeholder participation: Involving all key stakeholders increases the effectiveness of the radio programme. The community whose rights and services are denied are represented either through recording of their real voices for the authenticity of the issues raised or by giving the service providers a chance to explain why the services are not available. This increases the credibility of the intervention/programme and it will not be branded as biased.
• Consistency and frequency of the radio programme: The ability of the radio programme to be aired frequently and regularly in the designated time creates a listening culture and attachment to the programme. People will schedule it into their daily activities. Caution should be taken not to be too frequent and not too irregular. A radio programme that is aired either once a week or every fortnight is consistent enough for local people to listen to effectively.
• The moderator: The moderator should be somebody who has an interest in the programme and who is knowledgeable about the topic, having done extensive background work on the programme. They should be a good facilitator who is objective and neutral to allow for balanced contributions by all panellists.
• Use of data: Generating and using factual information is a good backup for the radio programme. This information could be generated in a participatory manner from the beneficiaries and the service providers. This is done through enumeration, water point mapping, and/or collection of community voices to give a picture of the magnitude of the problem - what is happening, who is affected, what is being done, and what can be done to alleviate the problem.
• Choice of the radio station: The radio programme will be as successful as the radio station that hosts it. If the radio station has wider coverage, the community issues raised will also have a wider coverage. Overall, it should be a radio station with both wider geographical coverage and wide listenership. Other considerations may relate to the cost of the programme and audience category.

The report identifies the following challenges:

• Politics: Good intentions of the programme may be challenged when politicians use their political power to sabotage the programme. For example, politicians may link the programme to political parties and label it as an opposition-led venture against the existing political administration. In doing so, they work towards closing the radio stations and threatening the journalists. However, this can be addressed with presenting fact-based information at all times.
• Sustainability of the radio programmes: Running a regular radio programme is an expensive venture, especially for non-governmental organisations (NGOs). For example, it costs US$200-300 to run one programme, rendering sustainability a challenge. However, innovations such as the following have been identified: seeking sponsorship from the private sector; using jingles which are less costly; negotiating for discounts from the radio stations; and lobbying radio stations to take up the programmes as corporate social responsibility (CSR) if they gather wider listenership from the community.
• Technocrats vs. politician blame game: Often on the radio, the politicians and technocrats turn the radio programme into an avenue for trading accusations and counter-accusations, and the programme ends without achieving its aim. As a result, some technocrats have ceased appearing on radio or delegated junior officers due to fear of being held accountable on air.
• Limited time: The radio programme by design is one hour (which includes commercial breaks). This time is too short vis-à-vis the number of people hosted to make very meaningful deliberations. For example, a maximum of four people are hosted with a moderator. If the script is 7 minutes, the moderator has 5 minutes to introduce the programme and set the pace of the programme. This leaves less than 10 minutes for each guest to express themselves and to respond to the calls coming in during the show. This leaves many SMS and phone calls unanswered.