Zambia

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zambia resulted in extended families and communities struggling to support the tens of thousands of orphans created by HIV/AIDS.

Education Development Center and the Ministry of Health collaborated to form QUESTT (Quality Education Services Through Technology) to produce and broadcast a radio series, titled Our Family. The project recognised that the key to overcoming both HIV/AIDS and its consequences rests within communities. It urged whole communities to tackle the issue, working with learners, teachers and parents, and encourages parents to speak to their children about illness, death and other taboo subjects.

The project was launched in January 2007 and thanks to the fundraising efforts of Reuters staff in London and Geneva, we were able to provide 250 radios which were distributed in Southern Province. Reuters also donated 250 radios to boost EDC’s Learning At Taonga Market initiative in community schools.

In 2008, thanks to the generosity of publisher and information provider, Reed Elsevier, we were able to donate 330 radios to communities in Zambia’s Northern Province and Eastern Province. The radios helped EDC-QUESTT extend the Our Family project. The programmes was broadcast on two community radio stations – Radio Mano in Kasama, Northern Province, and Radio Pasme in Petauke, Eastern Province.

Speaking about the value of the radios to the project, Godfrey Chitalu, QUESTT Project Coordinator, said:  ‘The programme would not succeed without the radios. Ordinary radios need batteries and electricity and our people do not have these’.

In a related projec the international charity World Vision integrated 500 of our radios for use in its HIV/AIDS education initiative in 2004. The radios were distributed to women, children and farmers in isolated and remote areas of Zambia. In addition to using the radios to listen to Learning At Taonga Market,recipients used them to gain access to information and advice on HIV/AIDS, other health issues and agriculture.