Students’ Organization for Liberty and Entrepreneurship Western Equatoria State Yambio County-South Sudan
Report on the radio talkshow project
Pictures of some of the winners of the radio quizzes on Yambio FM radio Station-Yambio South Sudan
Background
In 2020 Students’ Organization for Liberty and Entrepreneurship (SOLE) was supported by Network of a Free Society (NFS) to conduct radio talk-shows, weekly radio messaging and on-radio quizzes but due to the outbreak of Covid-19 these activities were suspended. Nevertheless, from April to May 2021 SOLE successfully conducted the radio talkshows, radio messaging and on-radio quizzes on Yambio FM radio station. The text books from which these activities were based on are Free Society Foundation, Peace, Love and Liberty and Why Liberty. The main aim of this program was to educate the public via the local FM radio to embrace the spirit of love, peace and liberty which contribute to human flourishing. The answers to the quizzes were attached with gifts to win by the radio callers. The gifts included branded T-shirts, exercise books and a school bags with NFS and SOLE logos. This was as a means to encourage the listeners to keep tuning in to the program while being educated on the liberal ideas. The program was intended to reach over 9200 audients with 12 winners.
Impact
- The program generated a lot of interests among the population in Western Equatoria as evidenced by the number of callers. For the whole duration of the program, a total of 1213 (321 female and 892 males) radio listeners called in to answer some of the quizzes and comment on the program. Out of the 1213 callers, 12 callers won some of the gifts. The gifts won are characterized as follows, four (4) callers won T-shirts, three (3) won bags and five (5) won exercise books. The winners were issued their gifts and recognized during a graduation ceremony of 18 students who underwent two (2) months of training on the New Entrepreneurship Program. The ceremony was done on the 5th June, 2021in Western Equatoria State Yambio County and was attended by 61 invitees.
- This radio program encouraged and motivated the community to visit SOLE’s office to read more of the books and are requesting SOLE to conduct the same program once again because they have learned new ways to maintain peace and love. For the last two months of the program at least an average of three (3) people every week visited SOLE mini library located at SOLE’s office in Yambio County of Western Equatoria State that is equipped with 60 text books of 6 different types
- This program is part of the contributing factors that are attributed to the current relative peace in the State.
- It is believed that most of the population of 10,000 in Western Equatoria State were educated on the need to embrace and practice peace, love and liberty because the radio program was communicated both in Arabic and English to ensure that every listener gets the message.
- SOLE is grateful to NFS for supporting this noble initiative that seeks to promote human flourishing in Western Equatoria State. The entire population of the State urges SOLE and its partners to continue with this program in the State and also to roll it out to other States if a lasting peace, love and human flourishing are to be realized in South Sudan.