Keep ORS-FM Maasai community radio on-air for all

Hello supporters, friends, donors and donors-to-be., 

It has been an eventful few months since the last update, and operations continue to move at the ORS-FM radio station in Terat.

As mentioned in the last report, ORS-FM has played a key role in relaying important health information to rural Maasai communities. Progress has been made in this regard, as ORS-FM now has established a partnerships with two community health organisations. This has both enabled them to stay afloat financially, and also continue to relay important health information to the community. The station is also now working in partnership with UNICEF, creating community awareness on the Ebola outbreak. 

Whilst progress is being made, the radio station needs regular funding in order to continue producing high quality content, and pay staff wages. The value of this station cannot be understated, an is a cornerstone of the community in Terrat and the broader Simanjiro district. Your donations will enable this institution to continue to thrive and give a voice to the Maasai community in Tanzania. 

The station is still in desperate need of a new radio transmitter! The current one is very old, and significantly limits the coverage of the radio station for surrounding communities. The replacement of the transmitter will enable the station to continue to broadcasts vital information to over 1 million people in Tanzania. 

Thank you everyone who donated over the past few months- your support continues to make a real difference. As ever, please share this within your network and on social media in order to give this project the publicity it needs! 

All the best,

Iona

Hello ORS-FM Supporters! 

Orkonerei FM has been a bustling hub of activity since our last report, maintaining its position as a central pillar of the community in Terat, as well as a key player in helping tackle a range of community development issues. This was especially noticeable during the pandemic, whereby the station made it their mission to inform the community about the latest developments of Covid-19.

During our last visit, I had the pleasure of featuring on one of Orkonerei FM's shows, discussing female empowerment in community development. All of the staff at the radio station are incredibly talented and driven, with their hard work paying off for the community. 

The station has diversified the range of programmes, with topics now encompassing community-related issues such as female empowerment, climate change, community health and gender-based violence. In addition, the radio is now able to operate for 24 hours a day, as the national grid has now been extended to Terat Village. 

Whilst there have been significant milestones made for Orkonerei FM, there are still significant funding gaps, which urgently need to be filled in order for the station to continue to run smoothly. This quarter has been slow on fundraising, however we hope that with your help we can help get things back on track again to keep operations moving. 

The station is in desperate need of a new radio transmitter! The current one is very old, and significantly limits the coverage of the radio station for surrounding communities. The replacement of the transmitter will increase the scope of the impact of the radio station, and ensure that the audience can reliably stay tuned in.

Your donations will make a huge difference to the station, as it needs your support in order to keep to the fantastic work it is doing. We'll make sure you get an honorary on-air shoutout! 

All the best, 

Iona Smith 

Impact and Outreach Officer 

Dear Friends,

It has been a slow period of fundraising for our partners at ORS-FM. They continue to struggle with the rules imposed on them by the national authorities - getting some local language content in where possible, despite the official guidelines ot only broadcast in Swahili.

The rains, which we told you last time had just started, very sadly stopped almost as soon as they began. So it has been a challenging time for the Maasai in Simanjiro. Because of the lack of feed for the cattle, many have left the area. This of course makes it even more critical to keep in touch with this dispersed community via the radio station, and the staff have been working as hard as they can to keep a sense of community going over the air waves...

We continue to keed your generous contributions to improve the transmitter - to be able to reach more Maasai (especially now), and to also be able to create more programming for the community to help them through these challenging times for access to fresh water, grazing for cattle, and raising of crops.

If you are able to share the fundraising link with any friends and family, or post it on social media, the people of the Maasai Plains of Northern Tanzania will be very grateful.

Best regards, and we look forward to sharing more news with you soon

Bernie

Dear Friends,

It has been a challenging time in the Maasai plains of northern Tanzania recently. The long dry season has just finished, with the "little rains" starting just a few days ago.

But for ORS FM the challenges are as great as ever. The radio station still desperately needs to buy a new transmitter. The old one is just about still working, but requires very frequent maintenance to keep the radio on the air. And in another blow, the Tanzanian broadcast regulator has just banned broadcasting in languages other than Swahili and English. ORS FM intend to challenge this however they can - to serve the needs of the community, many of whom only speak Kimaasai. But that is likely to be a long, difficult and expensive process. It serves to illustrate once again the challenges the Maasai community face on a daily basis.

Please continue to support us in our efforts to keep ORS on-air for the Maasai community, now and in the future.

Thank you