UNICEF India launched the Northeast chapter of the Radio4Child platform on October 9, to encourage radio professionals in the region to create innovative messaging on children and women’s issues.
Additional chief secretary, Government of Assam, Maninder Singh, who was the chief guest at the event, launched the chapter.
“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,” Singh said.
“Over the years, there has been a steady rise in the immunization coverage in the Northeast states of India. However, due to the pandemic, we have seen surfacing of zero-dose children and also challenges in nutrition. Radio has the power of reach – it reaches the remotest of regions of Northeast. If key messages are integrated in the popular shows that people tune into, then the information will stay with them,” Singh said.
Singh also felicitated 10 All India Radio (AIR) part-time correspondents from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Odisha for their creative work on COVID-19 vaccination, the free precautionary dose as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, intensified mission Indradhanush 4.0 and POSHAN Maah, besides covering other children and women related health issues.
Acknowledging the role of radio, especially in the Northeast region of India, Madhulika Jonathan, chief of UNICEF Assam and other NE states said: “This is a much-needed chapter in the journey of the Radio4Child platform. It will provide all stakeholders working on children’s rights in the Northeast, especially the state governments, with a very useful platform to spread mass awareness and address social behavioural challenges.”
She hoped that through the platform, the radio professionals would work together with UNICEF on issues like ending violence against children, education, sanitation, climate change beyond routine immunization and nutrition.
Highlighting the need to reduce the gap between immunization goals and coverage in the Northeast, Zafrin Chowdhury, chief of communication, advocacy & partnerships, UNICEF India, said: “Over the years, there has been a steady rise in immunization coverage in the Northeast states of India. However, the pandemic has caused an increase in the number of zero-dose children (those who have not received even a single dose of any vaccine). Radio can play a great role in giving communities a wake-up call that we cannot allow the legacy of COVID-19 to be the resurgence of measles, polio and other childhood killers.”
She also encouraged radio professionals to highlight the challenges of malnutrition (undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overweight and obesity), breastfeeding and complementary feeding.
The Radio4Child NE Chapter was launched at the culmination of a two-day capacity building workshop on nutrition and routine immunization for over 70 radio professionals from Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and other north Indian states.
