Community members in Wasso, Loliondo, Samunge, Digodigo, Lake Natron and Malambo will now be more informed on issues around their localities following the installment of new transmission and studio equipment at Loliondo Community Radio in Ngorongoro district.
The equipment is part of the continuous support by UNESCO in a bid to increase coverage on issues of local concern for the marginalized and pastoralists communities in the district.
According to Mako Kibaki, the Manager of the Community Radio, the new equipment has been installed at Waso and initial testing has been done, indicating an increase in coverage to areas that were unreachable before.
“We managed to receive and install all equipment at our new studio at Waso in Loliondo with great expertise from George Johannes, a technician from Sengerema FM. Our studios have officially been relocated from Ololosokwan to Waso. Our transmitter previously at the Airtel tower in Soistambu has been shifted to Loliondo where initial testing indicate that our coverage is now wider”.
The support includes full studio equipment as well as a transmitter, among others, where the station now awaits for the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority to conduct a final inspection and to give them a license before they can go on air in full swing.
Loliondo Community Radio is a non-commercial community station, established in 2013 to give a voice to pastoralist populations of Tanzania. The station covers an area between the Ngorongoro district and the Serengeti National Park, being the only radio station in the area. The station serves a Maasai community, and acts as the only source of information as no newspapers are delivered in most of parts of the district.
The station is also particularly involved in education and, in particular, the promotion of school as a right for every child. Established in an area where traditional pastoralist practices prevail, Loliondo FM has a mission to help the population challenge such practices through education. Additionally, the radio has been instrumental in the campaign against harmful traditional customs, such as female genital mutilation.
