Urgent Information for Haiti’s Earthquake Victim

To date, Internews has produced and distributed more than 150 Enfomasyon Nou Dwe Konnen (ENDK) shows. The show – “News You Can Use” in English – covers information of critical importance to those affected by the Haiti earthquake.ENDK is recorded daily, and delivered by motorbike in Port-au-Prince to local radio stations that air the broadcast. Initially nine radio stations were broadcasting daily. Today, that number has reached 33. Recent issues covered to inform camp residents and others include:

• Elections: Where to vote, register and file disputes • Disaster preparedness: A US medical boat stands ready to help the Haitian population in case of hurricane disaster. • Entertainment: Announcement of free outdoor movie screenings in Pétion-Ville

On June 1st Internews launched www.enkd.info, with French summaries and Creole transcripts of ENDK broadcasts. The site also allows any radio station to download audio content and customize it for broadcast. The site features Weekly Mailbox, a choice of the most relevant Q&A addressed during the week. More than 400 Weekly Mailbox questions have been answered so far on topics that vary from “How to get a death certificate for a person whose body was never found” to “Is shooting into to the sky to celebrate after a soccer match allowed?”

This information is vital to Haitians as they continue to recover from the devastating earthquake. The radio is the most popular form of consuming information. A recent GlobalPost article details the importance of Haitian journalists and their reporting to the country’s recovery: “Broadcasting from tents outside crumbled stations, Haiti’s radio journalists are striking a stronger, more critical tone, holding local and foreign officials accountable for missteps as the country limps toward recovery.”

Thank you for your support of humanitarian news and information in Haiti.

Links:

• Article: In Haiti, radio evolves into powerful mouthpiece