Radio4Child : UNICEF's Latest Initiative in Northeast India

GUWAHATI: UNICEF launched the Northeast Chapter of its Radio4Child initiative in an event held in Guwahati last Sunday. The aim of this initiative is to encourage communication on topics relevant to the problems faced by women and children using the radio as a medium. Radio professionals from across the region also interacted with frontline workers with various duties at the event.

Maninder Singh, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam was present as the chief guest. "I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge UNICEF for launching this unique platform for radio professionals from the Northeast of India – that will help build their knowledge and capacities on various women and children's issues in this region", he said.

He also felicitated 10 All India Radio part-time correspondents from the states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha for their creative work on awareness about children and women-related health issues and government projects related to them. Awards were given across five categories – Maximum Number of Frontline Workers Covered, Maximum Number of Influencers Covered, Maximum Number of Covid vaccine news, Maximum Number of Influencers covered, and Maximum Number of Voices of Youth covered.

Dr Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of UNICEF in Northeast India emphasised how radio can be used as a platform to bring about social and behavioural change. It can also be a very important tool to highlight the existing resources of different key stakeholders and for dispersing adequate information. She mentioned how radio professionals can work with UNICEF in an attempt to end social evils beyond just routine immunization and nutrition. Some of them are violence against children, education, sanitation and climate change.

Zafrin Chowdhury, Chief of Communication, Advocacy & Partnerships, UNICEF India mentioned how this mass media was used to share important knowledge about COVID-19 vaccination. In other vaccination campaigns, challenges of malnourishment and breastfeeding also came up.

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