³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Mwera village, Tanzania

When their water supply was cut off due to a local dispute, the villagers of Mwera on the coast of Tanzania contacted their local radio station to ask for help. Journalist Mohammed Hammie tells how his report helped to resolve the problem - and turn the water back on.

Pangani FM helps draw national attention to local issues and enables people to be heard.

"I work for Pangani FM, a local radio station in rural Tanzania. I know how important the station is to the people who live here – it’s a vital source of information.

I train local journalists to improve their news reporting skills and also make radio packages for my local station and  (Little By Little), a national show made by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Media Action in partnership with ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Swahili.

Haba na Haba takes regional content from stations like Pangani FM. It helps draw national attention to local issues, share solutions and enables people to be heard.

A DJ at his mixing desk
Pangani radio reporter Mohammed Hammie in the studio.

Cut off

One month I highlighted the plight of the people of Mwera village who were having problems with their water supply. The communal water pump suddenly stopped working – it has been cut off due to a local dispute.

As most houses do not have their own piped water, this was an immediate and pressing problem for everyone.

A group of villagers gather around a pump with plastic containers
The water pump in Mwera village, Tanzania.

One villager called Pangani FM to let us know what was happening and to ask for help. So I visited Mwera to find out more an interviewed the villagers.

It seemed that the local dispute was too hard to resolve at village level. So we broadcast the story on Pangani FM so everyone in the area could hear what was happening.

Within two days of the report's broadcast, the water supply had been turned back on. 

National attention

By drawing attention to the problem, the villagers had managed to ensure that those in authority got to hear about their crisis quickly. And by putting more pressure on at a higher – and more public – level, it resolved things fast.

Sometimes the local stories we cover on Pangani FM are scaled up again and get an airing nationally on Haba na Haba.

And in the case of my water story it even made it to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World News, the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s international TV service, watched by millions."

This story was compiled by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Media Action's Kirsty Cockburn who was in conversation with Mohammed Hammie.  

Stories of change

  • Abdul Bari Bawar, Afghanistan

    After taking part in national debate show Open Jirga, community elder Abdul took the format home with him and persuaded his local radio station to make their own version for southern Afghanistan.
  • Kan At village, Myanmar

    After hearing an episode about water conservation, young listeners of radio show Lan Lat Kyiar Sin (Bright Young Stars) were inspired to take action – rebuilding their village pond so that now it's ready to provide a reliable water supply all year round.
  • Dugo Boru and Aye Bejiga, Ethiopia

    Dugo Boru wouldn't allow his pregnant wife Aye Bejiga to visit a health centre. But the radio programme Biiftuu Jireenyaa helped him change his mind.
  • Oluchi Atu, Nigeria

    Due to a poor electricity supply, trader after trader was leaving Lugbe AMAC market in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja. But then the chair of the market appeared on an episode of radio show Talk Your Own – Make Naijia Better. She asked the minister of power to help and a week later a new transformer was installed.
  • Yahaya and Salamatu, Nigeria

    Yahaya Abdul-Rahman and his wife Salamatu never miss an episode of radio health programme Ya Take Ne Arewa. Thanks to the Nigerian show, they've learned the importance of antenatal care, birth spacing and how to treat their water to make it safe to drink.
  • Asadullah Kamawi, Afghanistan

    32-year-old disabled man Asadullah held President Hamid Karzai to account on TV debate show Open Jirga – and was invited to discuss his views on disability issues with Afghanistan’s entire cabinet.
  • Dr Kedar Budhathokii, Nepal

    Farmer Dr Kedar Budhathoki shared his pioneering techniques on Nepal’s TV and radio debate show Sajha Sawal – and transformed people’s livelihoods across the country.
  • Mwera village, Tanzania

    When their water supply was cut off due to a local dispute, the villagers of Mwera on the coast of Tanzania contacted their local radio station to ask for help. Journalist Mohammed Hammie tells how his report helped to resolve the problem - and turned the water back on.

Rebuild Page

The page will automatically reload. You may need to reload again if the build takes longer than expected.

Useful links

Theme toggler

Select a theme and theme mode and click "Load theme" to load in your theme combination.

Theme:
Theme Mode: