“I use my phone to communicate with other people especially on market access.” Ms. Night Juliet

Ms. Night Juliet
Poultry Farmer
Kasese District

I rare Chicken and I help other poultry farmers and potential poultry farmers by providing them with information on better poultry rearing, market access, etc through trainings.

Many people around have learnt from me how to handle poultry when they are affected by a diseases, breeding, market access which has encouraged many people especially women embrace poultry business.

Although the radio is important, most of the times I use my phone to communicate with other people especially on market access. There are also important programs on local FM radio stations which have helped people learn a lot about the poultry business.

In the poultry keeping business, the market for poultry products is still limited which is a very big challenge to the poultry farmers in Kasese District.

Also see a video of Rural Broadcasting for Youth Entrepreneurship Development Conducted by ToroDev in partnership with Stem Van Afrika

“NGO’s like ToroDev should help to teach and train our radio staff especially those who deal with entrepreneurship programs…” Nyakahuma Patrick.

Mr. Nyakahuma Patrick.

Manager Better FM

Kabarole District

We face many challenges in Rural Broadcasting for Entrepreneurship Development ranging from the limited staff training and facilitation for entrepreneurship broadcasting.

When selecting our workers the experiences is want we consider first and then the qualification, the managing director and program director are highly qualified in journalism and presenters are just entertainers with limited skills in journalism.

Nyakahuma Patrick

The Research department is too demanding and facilitation is lacking. Our staffs are not fully facilitated to the level that they wish because the source of income is still lacking.

We have an arrangement for all those who wish to do on-job training. NGO’s like ToroDev should help to teach and train our radio staff especially those who deal with entrepreneurship programs on FM radio stations.

Building a forum for Rwenzori FM Radio staff is a very welcome idea because it will help in information and knowledge sharing but it should be organized or initiated by a neutral person or organization not by one of the radio stations to reduce any bias that may arise as a result of competition.

Despite all the problems faced, we put in efforts to do research on issues that affect the community and broadcast them. We can also arrange radio programs for community benefits at no cost, small scale entrepreneurs can also be catered for by this arrangement.

“In our news bulletin we have specific time for business news…” Thembo Fred

Thembo Fred

Station Manager

Kasese Guide Radio

Kasese District

There has been a lot of improvement on our packaging and we have set categories for our charges and we consider our clients according to the business they are involved in.

We have established a program basically targeting all the business people and we have a business show every Saturday that is focusing on the business people. The program is called Edakacu ebusibuzi.

Tembo Fred

We invite local farmers to join the staff especially we invite the learned people to come on air and teach other who are not learned. The educated are from universities and institutions with degrees in agriculture and business. These people sit and discuss with the other farmers who are not learned to share ideas and knowledge.

In our news bulletin we have specific time for business news where we inform business people and farmers of different prices for different products and other needful information related to business.

We also let other entrepreneurs and farmers to call in and share their ideas; they ask different questions concerning the topic of the day.

We always go to the field with our recorders and record the farmers and other entrepreneurs /business people and get their voices to help others hear from the experienced individuals.

We meet so many challenges while reaching out to the rural small scale entrepreneurs because some of them expect us to solve their problems hence misinterpreting the role of the media.

July 2010 - July 2011 report from Projects, Research and Development Department

The department has achieved alot over the year, it has been the focal department in the implementation of  “The Broadcasting for Entreprenuership Development in the Rwenzori region” project which is supported by both Stem Van Afrika (SvA) and Toro Development Network (ToroDev). The projects goal is to ensure that rural small scale entreprenuers (women and youth) utilise the services of the widely accessed channel of communication (FM radio’s) in Rwenzori region to easily access markets for their produce and services, access to improved seeds and access to appropriate technology among others for better socio-economic development.

The department successfully oversaw the carrying out of survey across the Rwenzori region districts in 2010 which was assesing the needs of rural small scale entreprenuers from rural FM radio stations. The survey has helped rural FM radio journalists, managers and proprietors appreciate the involvement of radio listeners in the programming and designing of radio programmes.



Solomon Akugizibwe (right) monitoring a participants project



To help in fundraising, public relations and networking, the department achieved alot in developing and strenthening ToroDev social media in 2011. It started a facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toro-Development-Network-ToroDev/208441649166138  where latest articles, videos, audio about ToroDev published on online media are posted to keep all stakeholders abreast with the organisations activities. In addition to the existing multimedia website http://torodev.kabissa.org/, the organisation has also set up a blog http://torodev.blogspot.com/ to keep, strengthen and build a strong loyal internet community.

Since the organisation is transforming into a research institution, a youtube page has also been created http://www.youtube.com/user/torodev  so that research work doesnt only stop at being documented in text, for lobbying and advocacy purposes especially in the fields of ICTs and Entreprenuership policies, text researches will be complemented with video documentaries which will be skillfully designed and disseminated to the loyal ToroDev online communities.

In this finacial year (2011/2012), the department is planning to have a fully functional video editing section to strengthen ToroDev advocacy and lobbying  capacity in the country.

The department staff will also receive more on-job trainings in research to ensure that the organisations activities and research work are published on on-line academic journals to influence policies even at the international levels based on empirical evidence from the region.

The year 2010/2011 has been a great year for the organisation because it has led to the establishment of a strong network of all FM radio journalists on all the nine (9) Rwenzori region based FM radio stations and triggered the creation of eight (8) rural radio listenership clubs across the Rwenzori region districts. Continued sharing between rural FM radio journalists and rural small scale entreprenuers which was extremely very limited before the implementation of rural broadcasting for entreprenuership development in Rwenzori region has helped trigger healthy information sharing for improvement of grassroot household incomes.

Solomon Akugizibwe - Head of projects, research and development department

"I have been invited on Kyenjojo FM to speak on air at no cost..." Ahebwa Willam

Mr. Ahebwa Willam
Fruits farmer
Kakabara Sub County, Kyegegwa District



I attended all the workshops of ToroDev on Rural FM Radio Broadcasting for Entrepreneurship Development and I am a leader of the Kyegegwa District Radio Listenership Club, I have gained a lot from all the trainings I attended because my fruit market has expanded.

I have been invited on Kyenjojo FM to speak on air at no cost I really appreciate Toro Development workshop for the training.

Before the training with Toro Dev, I didn’t know the importance of the radio as a farmer but after the training, I got to understand that radio stations are the best ways of marketing my fruits and other produce because they are widely listened to.

I have been on Kyenjojo FM teaching other farmers, I have got different clients who ask for my seeds and come to buy them from my home and my agri-business is now expanding to a bigger level.




Ahebwa William (Lef) sharing with ToroDev M&E Officer Amanya Sheila

 
ToroDev has also connected me with different radio staff and I have got so many friends on the radio who help me to advertise my fruits weekly and monthly without any pay.

People have come from all over the region (Rwenzori Region) to buy my products hence increasing my market and income.

However, I still a have a challenge of expensive pesticides for my fruits.
I appeal to the Civil Society organizations to conduct more training and also establish a forum for fruit Farmers for improved knowledge sharing