Digital interventions led by MIDEQ’s thematic area on digital technologies and inequality, are being disseminated across Nepal through their partnership with the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters Nepal (ACORAB) and Community Information Networks (CIN). Key messages focus on the safe, secure/private and wise use of digital tech by migrants and their family members as well as the Pardesi migrant information platform.
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) across Nepal
ACORAB/CIN have developed and broadcast Public Service Announcements (PSAs) based on MIDEQ’s digital technologies team’s digital preparedness training materials across 300+ community radio stations in Nepal reaching 6.7million listeners (based on independent Nepal media survey data supplied by ACORAB/CIN). In total, four PSAs were developed with each being broadcast 15 times during the Sajha Khabar news bulletin during January and February 2024. These have also been live streamed via Facebook and You Tube garnering thousands of views.
The Public Service Announcements are available on CIN’s Facebook page as follows:
1st PSA https://fb.watch/pwuPquxAlK/ (broadcast during 12-18th January 2024; PSA airs from 11:00 -11:58-minute mark in the bulletin; 5.7K views on 26/2/24)
2nd PSA https://fb.watch/pIkQDUnUb8/ (broadcast during 19-26th January 2024; PSA airs from 15:09 -16:35-minute mark in the bulletin; 3.4 K views on 26/2/24)
3rd PSA https://fb.watch/pSTU2R-0Sd/ (broadcast during 28 Jan – 4th Feb 2024; PSA airs from 13:28 to 14:48 mark in the news bulletin; 2.8K views on 26/2/24)
4th PSA https://fb.watch/q0fo4UeIft/ (broadcast during 5-12th February 2024; PSA airs from 12:20 to 13:40 minute mark in the news bulletin; 5.7K views on 26/2/24)
In addition, the PSAs were also broadcast via CIN’s YouTube channel which currently has 8.42K subscribers.
Government of Nepal recognition
ACORAB/CIN have also broadcast two 30-minute programmes discussing the importance of the safe use of digital technologies by migrants and the role of the Pardesi platform in this regard as part of CIN’s regular programme Sajha Nepal. The Sajha Nepal programme is live streamed on Facebook and distributed across Nepal through ACORAB’s community radio stations.
Mr Kabiraj Upreti from the Department of Labour and Occupational Safety, Nepal has recognised the importance of these interventions by taking part in the first of these two 30-minute episodes. and. This initial episode (photo above, Sajha Nepal Episode 1), which focused on the secure use of digital technologies for safe migration, was aired on 7 February , 2024.
Voices from migrant organisations and migrants
The second 30-minute episode centred on the secure use of digital technologies for safe migration and featured Mr. Swarna Kumar Jha, the Coordinator of the National Network Nepal, and Ms. Sindhu Aryal, the Secretary General of Pourakhi Nepal. It was broadcast on 17 February 2024. According to Ms Ayeesha Joshi from ACORAB/CIN, “The programme also incorporated vox pops from survivors who have recounted their challenges while employed as migrant workers, and a report presented by Ms. Sushila Shrestha (from the 19:10-minute mark to the 22:20-minute mark), enhancing the programme’s interactivity”.
Sajha Nepal Episode 2: Featuring Mr, Swarna Kumar Jha, the Coordinator of the National Network for Safe Migration Nepal, and Ms. Sindhu Aryal, the Secretary General of Pourakhi Nepal .
