Spring 2010 Newsletter

Bolivian Homemaker Takes To The Airwaves

“I have a strong will to improve my community, I’m very proud to be a radio producer.” – Lurdes Alvarez

Lurdes Alvarez -- wife, mother and proud weekly radio broadcaster – learned about a lot more than Entertainment Education at a training hosted by
Media Impact and the Bolivian Catholic University in Huajchilla, Bolivia one year ago.

The training also addressed discrimination, human rights and “how women don’t have the same opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities,” said Lurdes. Lessons the radio spot writer and host knows all too well.

Lurdes lives and works in Quime, Bolivia, a mining and farming community four hours from Huajchilla. Her job requires collaboration from local officials, but before the training “they didn’t believe in my ability,” she
said. After applying the workshop lessons to her daily work, Lourdes gained the respect of her community and representatives of the municipal government, who now seek her advice.

Soon, Lurdes will travel to Cochabamba to participate in a national training with 75 other radio hosts and community leaders – targeting 50% female participation – selected to participate in the Our Voices program to promote democracy, tolerance and the right to communication in Bolivia. The training will deepen the participants’ knowledge of Entertainment Education and celebrate the debut of the national radio drama “Dark City.”

Lurdes is excited her station, Radio Agricultura, was one of 36 selected to participate in the program, said, “It is never late to learn, and to get to places we never imagined. Everything will be possible with will
and hard work.”

HELP US MAKE AN EVEN GREATER GLOBAL IMPACT!

The world is rapidly changing and we’re working to ensure it changes for the better. Thanks to donor support, PCI-Media Impact effectively uses creative radio, television and other media to bring millions of underserved people vital information they need to improve their lives – and the world.

My Island – My Community: Stemming the Tide of Global Warming

MEDIA IMPACT, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, The Nature Conservancy and nine other regional organizations have joined forces to tackle climate change in the Caribbean by creating the first-ever soap opera dedicated to the issue.

Though island nations contribute comparatively little of the greenhouse gases emissions that accelerate global climate change, they bear the brunt of its impacts, suffering from rising sea-levels, more frequent and intense tropical storms and hurricanes, and habitat destruction that leaves them especially vulnerable to devastating natural disasters.

These impacts are intensified by increasing population growth along the coastline, which strains already scarce natural resources and contributes to water pollution caused by agricultural run-off and coastal development projects. Without any attempt to mitigate these effects, the communities targeted in My Island – My Community could become the world’s first climate change refugees, displaced from their homes by water, food and housing shortages resulting from flooding and environmental degradation.

Still there is hope for these islands and communities. My Island – My Community will build on more than 200 episodes of the soap opera to host radio call–in shows and community action campaigns that will engage more than 600,000 Caribbean residents and catalyze community–based actions to respond and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.

Because of generous support like yours, Media Impact was able to create and broadcast the successful Apwe Plezi and Coconut Bay programs, which aired from 1996 to 2000 and 2000 to 2001, respectively.

Because they were rooted in local language, customs and culture, both of these shows spoke to the audience and wereable to engage and inspire listeners to slow population growth and reduce environmental degradation in the broadcast communities.

“I think it is local, and that is what I liked the most. It really is Saint Lucian. When you look at programs both on TV and radio, they are all foreign. I think it was good to have a local program that spoke the language that we know,” said one female focus group participant.

Now it’s time to do it again. My Island – My Community promises to build on the rich legacy of Apwe Plezi and Coconut Bay and create a new drama that speaks to the culture and issues confronting the region to truly stem the tide of climate change in the Caribbean and preserve the rich culture and biodiversity the region possesses.

INCREASE YOUR IMPACT AS A SIGNAL SOCIETY MEMBER

Signal Society is a planned giving program created by the Board of Directors to honor those members who have demonstrated a special commitment to ensure Media Impact continues to tell stories and save lives for perpetuity by including a bequest in his/her will or through other planned gifts. Please contact Director of Development, Danforth Preston, at 212-687-3366 to arrange your bequest today!

My School - My Community - NYC

Sixty students from the Urban Assembly Academy for Civic Engagement (UAACE) in Throgs Neck have taken charge of improving their school
atmosphere. With the support of Media Impact and UAACE staff and administrators, these students are designing a Communications for Change program to strengthen communication between teachers, students
and parents, and to improve the school’s physical environment, which students say would advance their overall academic success.

On March 15th, 40 of these students came to the Media Impact offices as part of a school-wide service day to learn about translating problems into entertaining characters and storylines.

Using these new skills, the students have begun to create a serial drama, and a call-in show to be broadcast in May and Community Action Campaign that will improve their school and community.

Members of the Red de Desarrollo Sostenible - Honduras team, led by Victor Hugo Avila, joyfully return to the airwaves after months of silence because of the June 2009 coup. You can hear their broadcast every Saturday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM EST on radioglobo.com.

WHY YOU SUPPORT PCI-MEDIA IMPACT

With my limited funds, I prefer to donate to “teach someone to fish” organizations, rather than those that just “hand out fish”. Most people seem to prefer the latter, since they get immediate gratification as donors... they can see what their money buys. But I’m betting that PCIMedia Impact’s long-range approach will ultimately bring about much greater benefits... and I am not doing this for any immediate “warm and fuzzy” feelings, anyway. I see my donations to PCI-Media Impact as investments in something I personally value: A better world.

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