Radio Repurposed: An old technology offers girls new chances

Our Nigeria program works with marginalized girls to help ensure they complete secondary school. After COVID‑19 school closures, we collaborated with local partners to offer a radio literacy program, teaching English, Mathematics and Life Skills.

With graduation exams around the corner, grade 10 students in rural Nepal were worried about how COVID‑19 school closures would affect them. We found that distance learning through mediums like the internet and TV were not feasible — many students lacked internet access and hardware like laptops, smartphones and televisions. We chose to disseminate lessons through local FM stations — the most popular and accessible source of information in the region. The radio sessions helped students recall what they had learned in the academic year to better prepare for exams.

In Jordan, radio provides more than a medium for education — it’s a chance for youth to share their own voices on the air. Mercy Corps partnered with Masmoo3, the first company producing Arabic audiobooks in Jordan. Masmoo3 provides professional training for youth to become narrators for scripts of audiobooks, advertisements, cartoon characters, audio translation and documentaries.