Based on a first collaboration in 2020, Fondation Hirondelle renewed its support in 2021 to Tribal News Network (TNN), a Pakistani multimedia agency that works with eight local medi in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Together we have developed a project to inform people about the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects.
The project works with local media and journalists to develop programmes in local languages to educate, inform, entertain and engage with listeners. A network of eight radio partners ensure their broadcast.
Financial Volume
56 940 CHF
Sources of Funding
• Chaîne du Bonheur
• Switzerland (SDC Programme contribution)
In Pakistan, information is largely provided by urban centres and ignores the information needs and aspirations of a significant portion of the population living on the periphery and in rural areas.
Since September 2021, Fondation Hirondelle and Tribal News Network (TNN) have been supporting journalists from the regions and local media through mentoring and training activities. The objective is to provide these professionals with a framework and tools to reflect in their work the concerns of local populations and to give them a voice, especially marginalized groups such as women, transsexuals, religious minorities, displaced persons and Afghan refugees who live in this region.
Our work is complemented by support to production of a weekly 50-minute radio programme. The programme is broadcast via eight partner radio stations located in different cities, in order to reach as many people as possible in a region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that has a population of about 35 million. The same programme is then adapted for the web and social networks.
The programmes aim to improve understanding of issues around the Covid-19 pandemic, the rollout of vaccination and the impacts of the crisis. The goal is to help vulnerable communities in the region protect themselves and their families, contain the spread of the virus, and cope with daily life.
The health crisis is not over, along with issues surrounding the acceptance of vaccination and the rumours that circulate about it. In 2022, it will be a matter of continuing to inform the population.