COMMUNITY MEDIA

TEST strongly believes that independent media organizations play an important role in communities. The focus of TEST’s Community Media Program is the management of Loliondo FM Community Radio (107.7 MHz). This radio station started broadcasting in 2012 and is based in Wasso, the administrative headquarters of Ngorongoro District. It is the only radio station in the entire Ngorongoro District and serves a population of 200,000 people in four districts (Ngorongoro, Tarime and Serengeti Districts in Tanzania; Narok District in Kenya).

Loliondo FM Community Radio Station building. Photo credit: Loliondo FM Community Radio

Community radio is an amplifier of community voices and a change agent for all stakeholders interested in cultural knowledge, natural ecosystems, and local livelihoods. Radio programs also provide a vital platform for awareness raising and disseminating information about TEST’s programs and activities.

The fundamental functions of Loliondo FM Community Radio are:

• To reflect and promote local identity, character, and culture by focusing principally on local content.

• To support a diversity of voices and opinions on the air through open participation from all sectors.

• To encourage open dialogue and enhance democratic processes by providing an independent platform for interactive discussion about matters and decisions of importance to the community, including natural resource management.

• To promote positive social change and development.

• To promote good governance and civil society by holding local authorities and politicians accountable for their public responsibilities.