MEDIA

YACAN is among the few organizations that operates a child lead Radio production in Sierra Leone. This was initiated through our LWF project to ensure schools are safe from Physical Violence on children, and Sexual Gender Based Violence, it promotes children’s Right and education for children and allows children to express their views in an organized manner.

Our Radio shows have been "Me en Me Teacher" and "Pikin Varanda" meaning a safe space where children can express their views on their Rights, production and wellbeing. Programs are mostly pre-recorded and they are in Local Languages which provides the opportunity for thousands of Sierra Leonean Children to interact with our radio show. From our Studio in Freetown we produce and Aired our radio show weekly in two radio stations. As we strive to continue this the Organization is currently faced with challenges to support our radio shows and to enhance up to date quality output with equipment’s and real time technology to ensure we touch every area in Sierra Leone.

• Pikin Varanda:
The Pikin Varanda was initiated through the Learn Without Fear (LWF) project in 2009 supported by Plan International; it was Aired in two main Radio Station in Sierra Leone i.e. Radio Democracy FM 98.1 and Afri Radio FM 105.3 from Freetown to other districts in Sierra Leone and on the Internet. The program discussed issues that affect children in schools and Communities. It promoted Children’s Rights, Protection, Education, Health, emergency Social Mobilization and positive Gender practice for girls across Sierra Leone.
The Pikin Varanda now serves as a Platform for Child rights advocates; we trained 50 children yearly and provided access to over 100 children to have their say on matters that affect them in Schools and in Communities. Through our Radio partners, the program reaches 12 out of the 16 districts in Sierra Leone. This radio show has been a key monitoring platform by the Ministry of Gender and Children affairs and the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education in Sierra Leone to know what children think about their education and child protection.

• Me and Me teacher:
The Me and Me Teacher Radio program initiative was developed to respond to the COVI-19 in the year 2020 when the Government of Sierra Leone closed all schools. Our children through interaction with volunteers requested that YACAN initiate an idea to do a student and teacher interactive program that will promote learning through the radio. This was supported by the GAA project as a mitigating measure to help girls who are at home and are preparing to take their Basic Secondary School exams, for the first time in sierra Leone a teaching radio program was produce to look at four core subjects (Maths, English, Sciences and Social Studies) children were provided with assignment twice a week as a means to get feedback.
Children from across Sierra Leone benefited from the radio teaching from 12 district according to records on assignment sent to our production team, 10 Professional teachers were training with new remote learning skills with a child moderator reflecting on the syllabus and some challenging topics, the program was only produced for 6 months due to lack of financial support. We are willing to restart this program again as we are convinced that this is another method to promote distance learning for children on core subjects and children across Sierra Leone are craving that YACAN would produce the Me and Me teacher once funding is available.