MHOP Radio Program Hits the Ground Running!

(Mali Health Organizing Project)  Our latest program, Radio Sigida Joli recently debuted on the most popular radio station in Mali. Few people in Sikoroni have access to televisions and newspapers, and radio serves as a primary source of news and politics. Radio Sigida Joli will serve as a platform to debate local issues, spur community mobilization, and promote health. Our new program will serve as a key component of MHOPs efforts to organize communities around health and social change.

True to our grassroots mission, Radio Sigida Joli is written and hosted by members of our Community Health Action Group (CHAG), which consists of elected representatives from throughout Sikoroni. Our early programs have featured discussions on recent municipal elections, the importance of voting, and holding elected officials accountable. Throughout the program, outside callers phone in to voice their opinions live on the show. The most popular series has been our election soap opera in which CHAG members created a drama around the recent elections, highlighting the platforms of each candidate.

Radio Sigida Joli has already proven critical for addressing relevant community disputes. For example, when the mayor attempted to sell the public land upon which MHOP is building its clinic for private gain, a public debate on Radio Sigida Joli ensued. The discussion made it clear that the community would not stand to lose the clinic for which it had worked so hard, leading the mayor to back down and permit construction to resume.