Ignorance is the biggest challenge in combating HIV and AIDS problems in Bangladesh. Knowledge and awareness insufficiency on HIV and AIDS is one of the vital causes of the risk situation demonstrated by a national survey conducted in Bangladesh in 2008 which revealed 90% have heard about HIV and AIDS but only 38% could correctly tell about two or more ways of HIV transmission.
Community Radio (CR) can be a powerful channel to create awareness at the community level on any development issues and HIV and AIDS is one of them. In order to inform, raise awareness and educate community on HIV and AIDS issues UNESCO Dhaka Office organised a two day workshop on HIV Response through Community Radio in collaboration with Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) on 13-14 November 2015, at the YWCA Training Center, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The workshop was designed for journalists, presenters and programme producers of Community Radio (CR) stations. A total of twenty nine participants participated in this workshop from fifteen Community Radio stations including 13 female and 16 male participants.
The workshop was inaugurated on Friday, 13 November 2015. Tamanna Rahman, Project Coordinator, BNNRC welcomed the participants to the “Workshop on Combatting HIV/AIDS through Community Radio”. Mr. Kiichi Oyasu, representing UNESCO Dhaka Office delivered his welcome speech, emphasizing the important role of Community Radio to address and disseminate the HIV & AIDS related information.
A set of experimental learning methods, which integrated knowledge, skills and attitude of the participants were applied in the workshop to enhance the active participation of the participants. A discussion session on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with the objective for the participants to express the concept of MDG and SDG in order to explain MDG’s Goal 6 and its target about HIV and communicable diseases was organized. This led to the session on HIV prevention followed by the session on HIV and stigma.
At the end of these two sessions, participants were able to assess the HIV situation in Bangladesh, explain the definition of HIV, possible ways of being exposed to HIV, prevention and treatments of HIV/AIDS. The participants were also capable of identifying HIV related stigma and discriminations that are eminent in our community as well as to assist people living with AIDS to enforce their rights.
Under the facilitation of a Community Media expert, the participants were asked to prepare a 20 minutes Community Radio program on HIV & AIDS which were later fine-tuned with the feedback of the facilitator. The closing session involved the participants to develop an “Action Plan” which will be implemented by them upon returning to their own community/project area.
Contact: Nymas Nargis (n.nargis@unesco.org), Programme Officer, Communication and Information, UNESCO Office Dhaka