Radios Help to Bring Government to the People

There are few radios throughout rural Southern Sudan—in the markets or in the hands of the people. Consequently, one of the greatest challenges to the new southern government is its lack of capacity to communicate with its people, who live across a vast territory with little or no infrastructure. And the lack of information about the country's nascent peace has fueled doubts among some that it will last.

Residents of Blue Nile state learn how to use their new hand-crank radios. Credit: USAID

As part of a campaign to increase awareness of the year-old North-South peace agreement, USAID is distributing radios throughout Southern Sudan that will enable people to listen to broadcasts on the constitution, citizens' rights, government accountability, and political developments. The 50,000 solar- and hand crank-powered radios are being distributed mainly to isolated and war-affected areas, specifically targeting the lower-income and marginalized people within those communities—women, youth, displaced people, and ex-combatants.

To complement the radio programming, USAID is helping to organize listening groups to give citizens the opportunity to discuss civil society issues. Regional resource centers are being set up in six areas—Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria, Upper Nile, Abyei, Southern Kordofan, and Southern Blue Nile—to host the groups and provide meeting space and resources for civil society organizations. USAID is also developing radio-based educational resources, such as classes and teacher trainings, that the listening groups can access.

USAID Democracy and Governance

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