In the first batch, the Ministry handed out 1,000 radios at Badbado camp, Somalia’s largest IDP camp. The radios were received by to those most in need: namely, female-headed households, elderly and youth groups.

The beneficiaries will receive news and important information concerning relief efforts and public safety messages daily. The small emergency radios are both solar-powered and hand-cranked and can also operate with batteries. The radios can be tuned in to multiple frequencies.

The Deputy Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, H.E.
Abdullahi Bile Nur, who witnessed the distribution process at Badbado camp, said: “In any emergency, the first priority is the delivery of critical aid, but communities need more than that. They also need information. It is important for them to know where they can get water, where they can get certain facilities, how to access those facilities." “We believe the radios will make a difference in terms of morale and education;” he added.

Radio Mogadishu broadcasts a daily show named ‘Recovery’ (previously ‘Help’) that is packaged along with the latest announcements and information from humanitarian agencies.

The program offers guidance on hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, child education, good neighborhood, becoming productive members of the society, among other key topics.

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