Khartoum, August 10, 2011

On August 1st 2011, SUDIA signed an Agreement with the UNDP-Sudan country office to implement community outreach and radio activities as part of the Public Information campaign of the North Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Programme (NSDDRP). read more ...

The kick-off of the Community Outreach and Radio Project has had to be postponed due to outbreak of violence. Now however, we have finally been able to carry out the inception workshop and the official launching. The event was a tremendous success - all invited officials came to join the launching ceremony, and the workshop that took place directly after attracted people from the streets as well as the invited NGOs, DDR participants, soldiers, police officers, community leaders etc. The speeches during the launching were held by the Director General from the Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for TV and radio in the state, the Director General from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Head of DDR. The spoken words were emotionally charged as the region nowadays is in severe need of this project, which will be the first official peace contributing initiative after the recent fallback into fighting.

During the workshop Team SUDIA divided the participants into three groups and through group-work they decided which four villages in the three chosen localities that should be the focus of the project. Seven local leaders were present and everyone was active and eager to come to an agreement. Taking the participatory approach seriously the suggestion was accepted that there should be four community outreach workers in each locality, instead of two as stated in the proposal. This way, there will be one volunteer from each village, equally representing all beneficiary tribes and languages in order to remain culturally sensitive in a politically tense time.

The team wrapped up the inception workshop very content with its outcome and will now start the radio production and broadcast, as well as facilitation for community outreach activities in a Damazin, Roseiris and Tadomon localities.

 

SUDIA and the Blue Nile State Radio and Television Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen and develop relations between cooperating civil society organizations and the media, to encourage a consolidation of democratic action, and to promote the development and achievement of social justice in Sudan.

 

Tuesday 16^th of August the president of SUDIA, Abdel-Rahman Al Mahadi, traveled to Blue Nile State in order to sort out pending endeavors such as the Community Outreach and Radio Project currently starting up. He will also be visiting the two villages SUDIA focused on in the Social Reintegration Project, Zindia and Zariba, and organizing micro-credit grants for our clients there. Furthermore, a trip up the livestock route in which we will be implementing the SPDP (Sudan Peace building and Development Project) is on the agenda, as well as moving offices for SUDIA in the state capital Damazin.   

 

Based out of Khartoum, but travelling at least twice to Blue Nile State to assist in the delivery of the radio production/broadcasting component of the project including in-station training and co-production to staff of the state radio stations.