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U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-43202002-002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2002Contact: USAID Press Office
Washington, D.C., January 3, 2002 - The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), working with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), Voice of America (VOA), and the Afghanistan Media Resource Center (AMRC), has launched the Afghanistan Emergency Information Program (AEIP). The program is providing $1.7 million to significantly improve direct communication about humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Through the IOM-implemented program, USAID is delivering more than 30,000 radios to internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups in Afghanistan to enable better access to timely and relevant humanitarian information. Over 20,000 radios (with battery sets) have been distributed in Herat, Taloquan, Andkhoi, Kunduz, the Faryab region and to others in need throughout Afghanistan.
In addition to providing radios to community leaders and groups - like female teachers, municipal workers, hospitals and families in villages-- the program expands VOAs regional capacity and funds a significant increase in special broadcasts, including customized messages, created by Afghans for Afghans, covering important information about the relief effort. Daily bulletins produced in the local languages of Pashtu and Dari are distributed to a growing network of local radio stations in Afghanistan as well as aired on VOA and other international broadcasters in the region, such as BBC.
"These radios and daily broadcasts will dramatically increase the Afghans people's direct access to accurate information, so they can make better informed decisions about their future," said Andrew S. Natsios, USAID administrator.
Through experienced Afghan correspondents in the country, the bulletin reports on issues of interest to local populations, relying heavily on interviews with Afghans themselves. Topics range from specific news items, like what returning displaced populations can expect to find once home, to items of general interest, such as the work of local NGOs, security issues, public health information and the contribution Afghans are making to the reconstruction of their country.
IOM Regional Representative Fran Sullivan notes, "There are many sources of official and institutional information on the aid effort, but the Afghan voice in this process, which affects their life in fundamental ways, is often missing. This project will help Afghans find their own voice."
The program also provides small-grants to support the emergence of local, independent press. Local media grantees receive technical training to enable them to expand their operations in Afghanistan.
"Media can play a vital role in providing critical information on health, agricultural news for farmers, and provide positive examples of inter-ethnic cooperation," Natsios said.
There are also grants to assist local Afghan groups to encourage better communication and free exchange of information among Afghans, particularly women, youth or other vulnerable groups.
The United States Agency for International Development has provided development and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
The International Organization for Migration is a Geneva-based intergovernmental organization, which operates programs worldwide for the benefit of migrants and governments. In Afghanistan, IOM focuses primarily on winterization relief efforts, capacity building, and assistance to internally displaced persons.
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