| Pro-people Media (English)
"Empowering Rural People through Community
Media"
RDP: A Profile
Context:
Mass media in Nepal has not been able to play a vital role to change
the life of the people. It is dominated by politics since its beginning.
It is targeted to urban elite and political readers. Even after
the reinstallation of democratic system, it has failed to reach
the vast mass of the people living in rural and remote area. At
the same time the, global trend of liberalization, privatization
and free market is distinct in the media market of Nepal too. Market
oriented i.e. profit motivated new newspapers and capital based
FM stations are emerging and they have no space and time for the
mass of the people. They do not supply the essential information
and knowledge, which is necessary for the improvement of the life
of the people.
Rural Development Palpa (RDP), with the aim of empowering underprivileged
rural people, particularly women, by supplying essential information
and knowledge through rural newspaper, community audio tower and
adult literacy programmes, has been working since 1987. RDP's publication
Gaunle Deurali, weekly rural newspaper, published since 1993, is
appreciated as a unique, useful and first rural newspaper in the
South Asia region.
RDP is a non-profit, non-government organization. It is based in
Palpa, Tansen, a hilly area and 300 km. west of Kathmandu. It was
established in 1991 with the aim to support over-all development
of rural area - Palpa and neighboring districts.
Mission:
Empower rural people through community/alternative media.
Goal:
• Produce Community Media Gaunle Deurali Weekly newspaper
for rural people living in the Mid-hill area of Nepal.
• Conduct Barefoot Journalism Training throughout the country
to empower people, enable them to produce their own community media
and contribute to Deurali.
Objectives:
RDP's overall objectives are to give a voice to underprivileged
people living in remote and rural areas, to inform them about development
activities, to encourage newly literate people to continue reading,
to support women's development, to raise awareness about environment
conservation, to support the introduction of income generating activities
and to strengthen democracy in rural areas.
Activities:
• Publication of Gaunle Deurali Weekly Rural Newspaper and
essential community media
• Assist partner organizations to enable them to produce their
own community media.
• Produce a cadre of Barefoot Journalist who can expose the
rural problems and empower rural people.
• Establish a Establishment of a Rural Communication Training
Centre to:
1. Support Community Based Organizations, local NGOs and other development
organizations to produce their own community media
2. Provide Training on Rural/Community communication
3. Provide Production Facility to other organizations to produce
their own training/educational materials, reports, newsletters,
magazines etc.
Empowering Rural People through Communication:
Mass media in Nepal have not been able to play the role of changing
the life and mind of the people it should have done. It has not
been considered as an effective agent of development. Most of the
newspapers seem to be mouthpiece of political parties. The government
controlled electronic and print media and the newspapers published
from private sector also are targeted to the elite urban readers.
There is very little for the rural and low literate people. Broadcasting
fails to reach the majority of the rural poor. Massive illiteracy
prevents the print media from reaching the people. Limited transport
facilities and adverse geographical conditions restrict the free
flow of newspaper and radio transmission. Linguistic and ethnic
diversity also limits the usefulness of centralized mass media.
Efforts to meet the challenge:
To meet this challenge some efforts have been started in Nepal during
last five years. Rural Development Palpa has started a weekly rural
newspaper Gaunle Deurali since 1993. RDP's professional staff working
together with community-based contributors, mostly barefoot journalists,
produce the newspaper, which is distributed in more than 35 districts
in Nepal.
Gaunle Deurali is produced for and by the rural people of the Middle
Hills of Nepal, a unique geographical area sharing many common problems
and challenges along with rich cultural tradition and ethnic diversity.
A special focus point for Deurali is only literate adult readers
living in remote rural areas, who often have no access to reading
material after they learn to read in non-formal education classes.
Objectives of Gaunle Deurali:
Gaunle Deurali is produced for and by the rural people of the Middle
Hills of Nepal, a unique geographical area sharing many common problems
and challenges along with rich cultural tradition and ethnic diversity.
A special focus point for Deurali is new literate adult readers
living in remote rural areas, who often have no access to reading
material after they learn to read in non-formal education classes.
Its main objectives are:
- To give a voice to rural people and a create forum for exchange
of information, opinions and experiences.
- To encourage rural new literate people to continue reading.
- To inform rural people about development activities in rural
areas.
- To expose rural problems to government organizations and NGOs.
- To strengthen democratic practices in rural areas through creating
an environment of open discussion and dialogue and involve the
people in the decision making process.
- To support the introduction of income-generation activities.
- To inform rural people about appropriate modern technologies.
- To inform rural people and exchange their ideas about improving
indigenous technologies.
- To raise awareness about human rights, conservation of environment
and sustainable development.
- To expose rural people who are providing community service.
- To support the development activities of children, women and
unprivileged people.
- To dignify rural life.
Empowerment in Action: RDP's experience with rural newspaper has
indicated that when the problems and feelings of disregarded voiceless
rural people are printed they feel empowered. They realize they
have a place in their own community and the democratic decision-making
process. The feeling of self-respect and self-confidence is increased.
The result is even greater when rural people can produce their
own newspaper articles, respond to others views, and participate
in the production of the newspaper, with the support of training
courses and other activities such as Barefoot Journalism Training.
Barefoot Journalists:
RDP felt the need of a new breed of journalists who are dedicated
to change the fate of rural people and give voice to the underprivileged.
Deurali needed journalists in rural and remote areas who could report
the down to earth, the real people, their problems and their aspirations.
Development workers, schoolteachers, students, farmers, health workers,
housewives, members and staff of Village Development Committee with
a basic training of journalism could do that.
RDP conducted the first such training in June-July, 1992. The performance
of the first batch inspired RDP for training more barefoot journalists.
And with the support of MS Nepal the process of training barefoot
journalists is continuing. It has become a main source of people's
news and views. RDP's trained Barefoot Journalists are working not
only for Gaunle Deurali but also for other similar newspapers and
some of the National papers. RDP is also delivering training for
the development/ communication staff, field workers and beneficiaries
of various NGOs and INGOs.
Production Facilities:
RDP has its own Offset Printing Press and Desk Top Publishing unit.
Along with Gaunle Deurali, weekly it produces educational materials.
The printing press and DTP support the newspaper through its income
form the job.
Future Programs:
Self-sustainability – Gaunle Deurali Weekly was started with
the support of The Asia Foundation for three years' initial period.
It was assumed that the Offset Printing Press, Desktop Publishing
Unit of RDP and sales and advertisement would generate enough income
to sustain the newspaper. Our experience and efforts have shown
that a development-oriented newspaper, like Gaunle Deurali, cannot
generate adequate income through free sale and advertisement. As
far as the incomes form the printing job is concerned, and since
Palpa is not an industrial and business center the printing business
could not make considerable income to make the paper self-supporting.
Similar newspapers and magazines need external support. Such support
may in the form of bulk subscription to the paper and institutional
support.
Improvement of Gaunle Deurali
Barefoot Journalist Training and Trainer's Training
Coordination and Networking
Rural Communication Support Centre
Since RDP has developed its capacity in rural journalism and gained
experience in rural communication and Barefoot Journalism Training
it is evolving as a Rural Communication Facilitator outside the
capital. Therefore RDP thinks that it is time to start a Rural Communication
cum support Centre. The main objectives of the Centre are to:
- Support Community Based Organizations, local NGOs and other
development organizations to produce their own community media
- Provide Training on Rural/Community communication
- Provide Production Facility to other organizations to produce
their own training/educational materials, reports, newsletters,
magazines etc.
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