10th Anniversary for Syban program

The tenth anniversary for Syban program was on the 11th of May. Syban Radio program was launched in Pakistan by Feba Pakistan in 2006 as a response to the devastating Muzaffarabad earthquake in late 2005, where 80 000 died and an estimated 4 million others left homeless.  Various government agencies in Pakistan had asked HCR to help them respond to the earthquake at the same time Feba Pakistan was looking at FM radio involvement. The program led to an ongoing expansion of programs into FM broadcasting stations in other cities in partnership with local churches. HCR is currently evaluating transformative outcomes of the expansion program.

When Ross was in Pakistan in April/May the team began planning for tenth anniversary celebrations, asking the community what they thought of the Syban radio program.

ISMAIL (regular listener of SYBAN)

Greetings my name is ISMAIL. I live in UPPER CHATTER MUZZAFARABAD. I have been listening pro SYBAN for last five years continuously. In SYBAN most significant topics are discussed for their solution. It is very good program. On the accomplishment of 10 years of SYBAN I say congratulation. I listen to it eagerly, you should also listen. It is my voice, thanks.

AMEER UL DIN MUGHAL (JOURNALIST from SAMHA NEWS)

Greetings I am AMIR UL DIN MUGHAL. I am doing work in AZAD JAMU & KASHMIR, as a representative of SAMHA TELEVSION channel. Apart from it I am also working on my website. So far as Program SYBAN is concerned, it is very good Program, I have been invited in it many time for giving my services to the community. It is very good program. SYBAN is working on education, health, and other social issues very effectively. On the HAPPY 10th anniversary of SYBAN, I say congratulation with the best wishes that may it keep on working effectively for removing social evils and we become a developed country one day. Thanks!

RJ UMAIR (VOK FM105)

Hello I am RJ UMAIR here; I have been working with VOCIE OF KASHMIR FM 105, for eight years. So far as SYBAN Program is concerned, since the time of earth quake in MUZZAFARABAD by helping the effected of the earthquake, to on word SYBAN team very effectively working on education, health, and other social issues.  ON the eve of 10TH ANNVARSARY of SYBAN I say congratulation to all SYBAN`s team with my best wishes thanks.

NADEEM AHMED AWAN (PWD person with disability, and chairman of SAHARA WELFARE COMMITTEE)

Click link below to see his video response. 

A vision better than sight guides Wahid.

 

Our story begins in October 2005, when a magnitude 7.6 earthquake changed Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu Kashmir forever. The quake shook a mountainous region around Muzaffarabad, a city 100 kilometres northeast of Islamabad, at the foothills of the Himalaya mountains. At least 86,000 people were killed, more than 69,000 injured.

Not far from the epicentre of the earthquake is the village of Chalabandi, which was virtually swept away by a massive landslide. The only way out for any survivors in Chalabandi and nearby villages  was across the mud and rubble of the landslide. A road of sorts led to a landing pad for helicopters. Volunteers brought in food, medicine, blankets and tents for survivors but many aid workers refused to go to Chalabandi for fear of looters.

Wahid lived in Chalabandi with his mum, dad and two younger siblings, a sister and brother. As with many school children, both siblings did not survive when their school building crumbled and collapsed, such was the violence of the earthquake. Wahid’s terror was shaped by something affecting no other; the 10 year old had become blind in his first year of birth through a medical condition that could not be treated because of a lack of medical services.

It’s now 2016. The last 11 years have been difficult, Wahid admits. Rebuilding their lives has been slow. An uncle has helped them to restore their demolished house. Wajid’s father has found poorly-paid work as a security guard in a nearby school. The noise, confusion and uncertainty of the earthquake is not a distant memory for Wahid has a daily reminder: his mother continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, so great was the impact of the earthquake on her.

But Wahid has a vision. With education as a priority, he studies humanities and arts subjects at an institute that specialises in educating people who live with disabilities. Dedication and commitment is necessary: the institute is about four hours travel from Chalabandi on local transport. Each week, for the past few years, he has made the journey to attend classes and tutorials.

Wahid has had to learn to deal with the torments of unsympathetic people. “People,” he said, “injured my feelings by laughing at me. They did not help me, but just made me a source of their humour.“

One day he heard Syban (Shelter) a community development radio program broadcast on a local radio station by an HCR partner. A guest was talking about the rights of people living with disabilities (PWDs) and how they can lead a productive life like anyone without disabilities. Inspired, Wahid contacted the radio program with an offer to tell his story of pursuing an education despite being blind. All he wanted was for people to change their attitude toward PWDs: to accept them, to support them. His words were passionate and, unusually for someone speaking on the radio in Pakistan, very direct in his appeal. “Although I have a disability I have the vision and the courage to live like normal people. I want to be a part of changing our community. All of you listeners could have a child or family member, just like me, who becomes disabled through no fault of their own. I am a member of this community so please consider me, and those like me, human beings!’’

The story doesn’t end there.

Syban is dedicated to empowering people to tell their stories and contribute to discussion and social learning. Wahid’s appearance led him to being asked to join an advisory group for a local disability NGO and to counsel other PWDs. Not only that, the NGO now provides Wahid dedicated transport for his journey from Chalabandi to his college in the distant town.

Syban has received praise from the community for its efforts to support people with disabilities.

More importantly, Wahid has become a part of the Syban radio program. He has attended workshops to learn radio programming skills, and there are plans for him to become a Syban reporter on disability issues.

Wahid may be blind, but he has a vision. Syban is using HCR’s community-centred strategies to empower Wahid, and others like him, to contribute to the transformation of their community.

Innovative Radio Program Spreads Hope in Pakistan

Say “Pakistan” and people think the worst, because the news presents the worst. But Pakistan contains much beauty, much of interest and wonderful personal stories of hope.

Nadeem Awan, disabled since childhood, is one of those stories. A few years ago Nadeem began listening to a radio program in his city of Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu & Kashmir Provence (AJK). The program, Syban (meaning shelter) has forged strong links with local aid, development and education institutions. Syban is broadcast for an hour a week on VOK FM Muzaffarabad and has a strong commitment to issues affecting people who live with disability. The program has achieved great recognition for innovative ways of promoting solutions to community-identified issues and of involving listeners on air in ways not before seen in Pakistan.

Nadeem says he never misses a Syban program. “I am a wheelchair user and what I am today is because of Syban. I do not have any word to (adequately) say thanks to the Syban team. I have learned to live independently because of Syban.”

HCR has provided training and coaching to the local Syban team who produces the program with funding from organisational partners. Following HCR’s community-centred radio framework, Syban has involved local people as contributors. Syban recently reached a milestone, delivering training workshops using manuals and materials developed by HCR but contextualised to the local cultural context.

Shahzad, Syban team leader, said the purpose of the recent training was to increase community participation by training listeners to co-host the Syban radio program and to interview local people about their experiences. “We have learnt this from HCR and Dr Ross James,” said Shahzad, explaining, “It is called ‘handing over the mic’ to local people who are not professional broadcasters but who can communicate to their peers”.

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Pictured is Nadeem, who attended the workshop, being presented his training certificate by Radio VOK FM manager. Nadeem will be appointed as a Syban volunteer program host and reporter, and paid an honorarium for his work. Nadeem’s brother, Maqsood (slightly hidden behind Nadeem), received a local hero award by Syban in 2014 in honour of his dedication to his brother, assisting him in his daily life.

Radio VOK FM is now considering the suitability of some of the training participants for on air programs. Local journalists who saw workshop photos posted on Facebook complained to the station manager because he did not invite them to the training. The manager told Shahzad he switched off his mobile phone because there too many calls!

HCR’s Dr Ross James travels to Pakistan twice a year to provide coaching and consultancy to the Syban team, with funding from Syban partners.