Global Disaster Relief
The major catastrophes of the past few years have shown the need for basic programs to be ready for deployment in multiple languages that would cover most crisis areas. These programs would be both audio and script and organized into thematic units along the lines of the four-stage model of crisis and recovery.
Specific programs would be geared towards aid workers, community leaders-teachers, pastors etc., and survivors/victims (further specified into children, youth, and adults). The basic toolkit would include 50-60 programs
Goal:
- To present a clear Christian context throughout, indicating the love and care of God will undergird all recovery efforts.
- The tone is light, and focusing on recovery and renewal, as opposed to trauma and pain.
- The focus is on survivors (as opposed to victims) and on caregivers, those people who come alongside the survivors to help and care.
- The direction is to find and give care to the community, to build each other up, as opposed to seeking the care of professionals. The desired outcome for the listener is to say “I could do that!” While certainly, some people may need professional care, our concern here is for the majority of people who need the support and care of each other.
Tools:
Broadcast guidelines and philosophy materials will be provided along with the radio programs and manuscripts. This would help the participating organization to develop additional context-specific materials. The languages proposed to be in the original toolkit would be English, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese. Additional funding would allow additional languages to be prepared.
Partnership:
MCM & Link Care Center are developing radio program scripts for the immediate phase – 60 scripts in English for 2 months of daily broadcast, 15 minutes each program; and also radio program scripts for the aftermath, support and encouragement – 30 scripts in English for 1 month of daily broadcast; 15 minutes each program;
The daily 15-minute program will help them to focus on their recovery and renewal rather than their trauma and pain.
Within a day of the Haiti Earthquake, MCM started to look at the airing and translation of “When Your Whole World Changes” over TWR’s Bonaire transmitter and with two Haitian Radio stations. As this was taking place the following email arrived: