By Mikhaela Dimpas, IDEALS
In a small village in Barangay Bagong Upam, Shariff Aguak Maguindanao del Sur, rido (clan wars) and armed encounters have become a norm. Displacement was a way of life.
Families have mastered the art of packing bags and safekeeping whatever little they own in the middle of the night. Farmers lose their hard-earned produce to the armed men who attack their village everytime harvesting season starts.
This was Haifa Hussain’s life and the reality for hundreds of residents in Bagong Upam.
She shared that armed conflict hampered their education before and no opportunities were available for them to continue even if they wanted to. But things are changing now — violent conflict has decreased, and schools and education opportunities are now present.
She doesn’t want children in their community to face the same fate as they did, so Haifa’s using the community radio to encourage parents to prioritize their children’s education.
“Sa episode na yun, doon po nila naintindihan kung gaano ka-importante ang edukasyon. Kaya naman, kahit anong nangyayari sa ngayon, kahit giyera o kahirapan sa buhay, pinagsisikapan pa rin nila na mapag-aral ang kanilang mga anak. Kahit na mahirap, pilit nilang tinutustusan ang kanilang mga anak,” Haifa shared.
IDEALS, through its community media outfits S’bang Ka Maguindanao and S’bang Ka Mindanao, conducted media and broadcasting trainings to conflict-affected communities. Broadcasting equipment were installed to ensure that the newly-trained broadcasters can do their own narrowcasted episodes.
Haifa and her fellow community broadcasters started the program “Bityala Lalan sa Kalilintad,” where they discuss topics on education, women’s rights, community resilience, peacebuilding, and farming education. Dutybearers are supportive of the narrowcasting programs as it highlights the needs of their constituents and serves as a dialogue platform to productively discuss these concerns.
Aside from the episodes, the broadcasting equipment is also being used by the local markads (boarding school for learners of Qur’an reading) to do their musabaqa or Qur’an recital competitions.
For Haifa, these narrowcasted episodes are more than just for disseminating information; it assures everyone that their stories matter and that their voices deserve to be heard