Internews' launch of Yalla Yalla web radio in Ventimiglia, Italy will provide a new and vital source of information and psycho-social support to refugees and migrants, especially children traveling alone. Yalla Yalla will broadcast daily in the town, offering information in multiple languages that will allow refugees and migrants to make informed decisions about how to keep themselves safe, find shelter and services, reunite with family, and understand their legal rights.
In Italy, many refugees and migrants are children on their own, desperate to join family in other countries. Without reliable information, they are vulnerable to trafficking, sexual abuse, violence, and acute stress. They do not know where to seek help, shelter, food, or how to connect with family. Many are afraid to approach authorities for help, do not understand the legal processes and experience constant stress, depression and confusion about their status.
Internews is working with WeWorld to create Yalla Yalla - a web radio project broadcasting critical information for refugees and migrants, especially children who are on their own with no official shelter. Yalla Yalla will be made available on speakers in key parts of town where people gather, offering timely and reliable information on shelter, services, news and legal advice in multiple languages, while also giving listeners chance to ask questions and seek advice.
Information is a human right. Yalla Yalla radio promises to be a lifeline for refugees and migrants who face a daily struggle to understand what is happening to them, and will help authorities better coordinate refugee and migrant services in Ventimiglia. Information broadcast in their own languages will enable people to make informed and safe decisions for themselves, as well as offering them psychosocial support and the dignity that comes with being able to ask questions and be heard.
