The Simbani News Agency is a good example of an ICT/radio application in support of rural populations that is a joint initiative of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and FAO.
The said news agency prioritised the information needs for development and food security. It developed a multi-thematic approach covering human rights and democracy, gender and develoopment, environment, HIV/AIDS and food security. Rural communities were provided complex but vital information that can be transformed into laymanized radio scripts and distributed through the Internet to radio stations in Africa. The outputs were delivered in English and French but its text-based services was translated to local languages by broadcasters in order to reach as many stakeholders as possible.
The Simbani News Agency aims to inform, educate and sensitize both urban and rural populations on food security issues. They adopted a participatory approach and it equipped and trained a number of correspondents throughout Africa. Their task were to ensure that the experiences and perspectives of the communities are communicated to the network.To read the full article, click here.