Radio helps children have their voices heard
The transistor radio was invented over 50 years ago. Read below about why it's still such a vital communications tool, and how we're using it to support children's rights in developing countries.
In 1954, the first transistor radio became available to consumers. It transformed the way radio was used, by turning it from a bulky and expensive piece of furniture, into a cheap personal accessory that can be run off battery power and listened to almost anywhere.
Why is it so powerful in developing countries?
- its low cost and portability
- its suitability for remote areas with no electricity
- its accessibility by people who can not read
Radio gives children:
- a means to access important information about their lives and their rights
- a louder voice: ability to speak to wider audiences on issues that matter to them
Plan’s media projects in Africa, Asia and the Americas, which give children the opportunity to become broadcasters, have embraced the power of radio to reach out to whole communities and demand change.
Mimi Brazeau, Plan West Africa Media Programs Advisor says:
"Our media projects aim to contribute to changing mentalities and behaviour, and the image of children in the community. Children’s voices are and will be heard, making them active participants in changing the world around them."
Fifteen-year old Arnaud, participant in Plan’s child media project and radio host in Burkina Faso says:
"It is important that children instead of adults do the shows because children know what their problems are and adults do not."
Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child says: "The child has the right to express his or her views, obtain information, make ideas or information known, regardless of frontiers."
Plan’s radio projects focus on all children’s rights, as embodied by the Convention, covering issues such as AIDS, child trafficking, violence and exploitation.
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