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For many communities, conversations around young people’s health, gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and social norms can be difficult to start. Sensitive issues are often surrounded by stigma, fear, or deeply rooted beliefs that make open discussion challenging.
But across Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar, community radio is helping change that — creating platforms where communities can come together, share experiences, challenge harmful practices, and find solutions.
In a fundamental move to strengthen community discussions aimed at advancing the health and well-being of young people, in 2025, UNESCO conducted a four-day training for 27 community radio professionals from 11 community-based radio stations, including Fadhila FM (Mtwara), Loliondo FM (Arusha), Micheweni FM (Pemba), Radio Mlimani (Dar es Salaam), Hope FM (Iringa), Radio SAUT (Mwanza), Mazingira FM (Mara), Adhana FM (Unguja), Radio Joy (Kigoma), Jamii FM (Mtwara), and Radio Karagwe (Kagera).
The training strengthened the capacity of radio practitioners to design and deliver programmes that facilitate meaningful community conversations on issues affecting young people, including sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, mental health, early and forced marriages, and early and unintended pregnancies.
Following the training, the 11 community radio stations across 10 regions — Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Iringa, Kigoma, Kagera, Mara, Mtwara, North Pemba, and Urban West-Unguja — began facilitating open, solutions-focused discussions that bring together local voices to explore how customs, traditions, and everyday realities influence young people’s health and well-being.
Using a public forum approach, the radio stations bring community members together in central locations for live, face-to-face discussions, creating safe spaces where communities can openly discuss challenges and identify solutions.
Giving communities a voice through Micheweni FM
In Pemba, Zanzibar, Micheweni FM is one such radio station that has become a trusted platform for reaching communities with important messages on health, rights, and well-being.
With an estimated listenership reach of 450,000 people, the station is helping bring conversations that were once difficult to discuss into homes and communities.
At the centre of these efforts is Essau Kalukubila, a 30-year-old radio presenter with seven years of experience in community broadcasting.
Through his programmes on Parent-child communication, youth empowerment, health awareness, gender equality, and social change, Essau has witnessed how radio can shift conversations and influence attitudes.
“Before the training, we handled these topics cautiously. We often avoided direct conversations because of fear of backlash from the community,” he explains.
With strengthened skills and confidence from the UNESCO-supported training, Essau and his colleagues began approaching sensitive discussions differently.
“After the training, I became more confident in addressing sensitive issues openly. For example, we hosted a programme on gender-based violence where survivors called in to anonymously share their experiences. This sparked honest dialogue and encouraged community members to reflect on harmful practices.”
One of the most memorable moments came when a traditional leader acknowledged during a live discussion that some cultural practices were harmful to women and girls.
“His openness inspired others to question long-standing norms, showing the transformative power of radio.”
Radio as a bridge for change
The initiative with these 11 community radio stations reached more than 1,000,000 young people in 2025 through the broadcasts, ensuring that key health and well-being messages reach communities through trusted local platforms.
The impact has extended beyond the broadcasts. The community interventions reached more than 2,000 people through face-to-face participation and engaged influential community figures, including government leaders, religious leaders, and traditional leaders, with community members calling for more such programmes to be held across other regions.
Government leaders have also recognized the value of these conversations in helping communities identify challenges and develop solutions ––– proving that community radio is more than a platform for sharing information — it is a bridge connecting communities, leaders, and decision-makers.
For Essau, the strength of community radio lies in its ability to bring different voices together.
“Every group has unique perspectives, and listening to them builds mutual respect. Community radio remains vital because it reaches people in their own language, connects diverse voices, and sparks collective action for change.”
Bringing communities together through dialogue
With UNESCO’s support, Micheweni FM and the other stations started producing and broadcasting community dialogue programmes focused on young people’s health and well-being, including the role of parent-child communication in supporting children’s psychological development.
The programmes were designed to explore how customs, traditions, and everyday realities influence family relationships and the well-being of children and adolescents.
A series of five community dialogues were held across different villages in Micheweni District, bringing together community members, government officials, health experts, educators, social welfare officers, and local leaders.
Discussions focused on topics such as positive parenting, emotional support, child development, and creating stronger relationships between parents and children.
For 28-year-old community member Katija Mbarouck Ali, the dialogues provided an opportunity to speak openly about issues that affect families.
“I felt encouraged and empowered. It gave me confidence to speak openly about issues that affect my life and my community,” she shares.
She explains that conversations on gender-based violence and harmful cultural practices were especially meaningful because these challenges affect many families.
“These conversations help break silence, challenge harmful traditions, and bring people together to find solutions.”
Scaling community voices across East and Southern Africa
The success of community engagement through radio in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar is now paving the way for a wider regional expansion.
Building on lessons learned and the capacity strengthened among community radio stations, UNESCO, through the Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future Programme (O3) is scaling up this community dialogue approach to reach more communities across 10 additional countries in East and Southern Africa.
With funding from the Governments of Ireland, Norway and Sweden, the expanded initiative will continue using community radio as a powerful tool to facilitate open conversations, amplify local voices, address social and health challenges, and strengthen community-driven solutions for young people’s health and well-being.
Because lasting change begins when communities have the knowledge, confidence, and platforms to speak — and when their voices are heard.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/when-communities-find-their-voice?hub=701
