Community health:-
The annual monsoon season brings along with it an outbreak of epidemics in the coastal belt of Kollam. During the last few years this phenomenon has been claiming many lives. This year, our community workers who visited the people well ahead of the rains brought back with them recorded statements from people about their needs and concerns. These were presented before the concerned district officials for responses. The problems were addressed promptly and efficiently by the district collector, district medical officers, water authority officials, president of jilla panchayath etc. The reduction in the number of casualties this year is a documented fact. The role played by Radio Benziger was acknowledged by the authorities. The campaign for clean city continues.
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Waste Management:-
Dumping of waste matter in public places swelled into a life threatening problem in the city of Kollam. The waste recycling plant erected to resolve the menace failed and the result was a huge garbage hill. A massive agitation by the locals brought the project to a standstill. In this context the city corporation advocated the idea of destroying waste at its source itself. Radio Benziger joined the crusade for responsible waste management by organizing seminars, competitions, discussions and other programmes with the theme, “Reduce, Recycle or Reuse”. After two years of concerted campaign, the quantity of waste dumped daily dwindled from 100 tons to 30 tons. Radio Benziger had a significant role in this success, a fact acknowledged by the city mayor.
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Grievances Redressed:-
Community Radio has become a place where people approach for help. The commissioner of police in Kollam has assigned a police officer in the rank of a circle inspector to listen to the grievances of people expressed through the radio and to provide help. Innumerable people thank the radio for the prompt service they have received from the police. The same kind of services is provided by the other government officers as well. Development information is also made available by the various officers in charge of development projects through phone-in-programmes .
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Aruthe Athmahathya:-
The district of Kollam recorded highest number of suicides last year. Radio Benziger addressed this issue by broadcasting a series of programmes on the value of life and to bring hope to those in despair. The results have not been disappointing. Several people contemplating suicides have called us to say that the programmes helped them give up suicide attempts. People who have openly confessed their suicide tendencies have received incredible amount of support from other radio listeners. Today there is in Kollam a good number of people who are called ‘radio friends’ who are in touch with each other. One day a girl called the station to say the following story: “My father was sleeping in the roof of my house when all of a sudden it started to drizzle. Trying to pull himself up in a hurry, he slipped and fell from the roof to the ground. He is very badly hurt and the neighbours have rushed him to a hospital. I am all alone and so frightened and do not know where to turn for help. My father is very fond of radio. So now I want tell my grief through the radio”. The girl’s cry for help was heard by thousands of listeners and her plea for help received compassionate attention from people. The girl was not alone. The radio was with her!
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Kathodu kathoram- a peoples’ programme:-
The daily phone-in programme from 12Pm. to 2 pm.is an interactive exercise in which people from different walks of life speak over the radio. People tell their stories, sing their songs, ask questions, and express griefs etc. (eg. A woman living by the beach calls and narrates the harrowing tale of the tsunami that took her house and belongings away. Another woman tells of her little grocery shop and how she helps her husband in making an additional income.) Construction labourers, head load workers, cobblers etc. are among those who call and speak to the public.
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Support to the sick and lonely:-
Bedridden people find in radio a companion and a means to connect to the outside world. A paralyzed person once shared his life story through radio. A number of people began calling him since then to assure their concern and support. Today he is well known in public having a wide circle of friends. His mother reports that the man has changed ever since and is even gradually recovering from his ailment. Radio is a tool for people to engage in communication and community building.