FADECO Community Radio (FRC 100.8 FM) is a community-based radio station in Karagwe District, Kagera region, NW Tanzania. It was launched by the Family Alliance for Development and Cooperation (FADECO), a grassroots NGO in Karagwe.

Radio FADECO’s mission is to stimulate rural development in Karagwe region by facilitating access to and dissemination of information, learning resources, and communication technologies. The station seeks to be “a voice for the voiceless,” offering its microphone to “marginalized” communities—including the poor, women and children’s groups, the handicapped, and HIV-AIDS sufferers.

FRC 100.8 FM took to the airwaves in 2007, following almost a decade of grassroots organizing work. A March 2009 document lays out the following station objectives:

• To develop into a fully-fledged community multimedia tele-centre, offering easy access to and a channel for the dissemination of information to the Karagwe community via the Internet, local content generation, and radio broadcasting;

• To promote space for increased and meaningful participation in national/regional poverty eradication plans;

• To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on rural development;

• To encourage and promote good governance, democracy, civility, and human rights;

• To help rural communities uphold and preserve their cultures (indigenous knowledge, practices and traditions), while living harmoniously and conserving the environment.

Radio FADECO’s target groups include community development workers, local government, schools and vocational colleges, health facilities, and regional NGOs, farmers, businessmen, livestock managers, and micro-finance institutions. A board of seven—assisted by fourteen committee members representing various community constituencies—governs the station. A four-member board is responsible for staff recruitment, training, evaluation, and other station ownership matters.

Radio FADECO’s program schedule includes daily news, market reports, and sports updates, and programs of widely varying nature: arts, culture, and history; women and youth; governance; human rights; agriculture; the environment, education, health; science and technology; entertainment and faith.

FRC 100.8 FM broadcasts from 5.00 A.M. to midnight, to a potential audience of over 1.5 million in the four districts of Karagwe, Missenyi, Bukoba and Muleba (all in Kagera Region, NW Tanzania). The station can also be heard in neighboring borders districts in Uganda (Mbarara, Rakai and Masaka) and Rwanda (Kibungo, Rusumo).

With the enrichment of its programming in mind, FRC 100.8FM has partnered with the BBC Swahili Service, the Swahili Service of Radio Deutche Welle, the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), Radio Habari Maalum (RHM), and with the Vancouver, Canada-based Commonwealth of Learning. FRC 100.8 FM has partnered with Farm Radio International, and its affiliated Africa Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI).

FRC 100.8 FM listeners participate actively at various levels through fans clubs, salam clubs (greetings clubs), live phone-ins, text-ins, and round-table panel discussions.

FRC 100.8 FM’s greatest challenges are technical. The station transmits at a power of 50W, using a single dipole antenna. Coverage is therefore much smaller than they would wish. Reception in valley bottoms and behind high hills can be difficult. Another challenge is staffing. It is difficult to entice qualified journalists and radio people to come and work in a rural setting.

Radio FADECO earns most of its revenue through advertising, supplemented by short-term contracts and program sponsorships. But making ends meet is still a challenge. Given the benefits of radio, its relative ease of operation and considerable impact, FRC 100.8 FM is pressing forward in a number of areas. Developing in-house production capacity and increasing its power output top the agenda.

FADECO Jumuiya ya Radio (FRC 100.8 FM) ni jamii redio katika Wilaya ya Karagwe, Kagera mkoa, NW Tanzania. Ilizinduliwa na Alliance Family kwa ajili ya Maendeleo na Ushirikiano (FADECO), NGO ngazi ya chini katika Karagwe.

Ujumbe Radio FADECO ni kuleta maendeleo ya vijijini katika mkoa Karagwe kwa kuwezesha upatikanaji na usambazaji wa habari, kujifunza, rasilimali na mawasiliano. Kituo inataka kuwa "sauti kwa ajili ya kukosa sauti," sadaka ya kipaza sauti yake na "pembezoni" jamii-ikiwa ni pamoja na wanawake maskini, na makundi ya watoto, walemavu, na wanaosumbuliwa na virusi vya UKIMWI.

FRC 100.8 FM alichukua airwaves ya mwaka 2007, kufuatia karibu muongo ya jamii kuandaa kazi. A Machi 2009 hati aliandika nje ya kituo cha malengo yafuatayo:

• Ya kuendeleza katika kikamilifu-fledged kituo cha jamii multimedia tele-, sadaka ya upatikanaji rahisi na Channel kwa ajili ya usambazaji wa habari kwa jamii Karagwe kupitia mtandao, kizazi mitaa maudhui, na utangazaji redio;

• Kukuza nafasi ya kushiriki kuongezeka na maana katika taifa / mikoa mipango ya kuondoa umaskini;

• Ili kutoa jukwaa kwa ajili ya kubadilishana mawazo juu ya maendeleo vijijini;

• Kuhamasisha na kukuza utawala bora, demokrasia, civility, na haki za binadamu;

• Kusaidia jamii za vijijini kuzingatia na kuhifadhi tamaduni zao (maarifa ya asili, mazoea na desturi), wakati wanaoishi umoja na kuhifadhi mazingira.

Radio FADECO lengo ni pamoja na wafanyakazi wa mashirika ya maendeleo ya jamii, serikali za mitaa, shule na vyuo vya ufundi, vifaa vya afya, na NGOs za mikoa, wakulima, wafanyabiashara, mameneja wa mifugo, na taasisi ndogo za fedha. A bodi ya saba na kusaidiwa na wajumbe wa kamati kumi na jamii mbalimbali wanaowakilisha majimbo ya uchaguzi-inasimamia kituo. A bodi ya nne wanachama ni wajibu wa wafanyakazi wa ajira, mafunzo, tathmini, na mambo mengine kituo umiliki.

mpango Radio FADECO wa ratiba ni pamoja na habari za kila siku, taarifa za soko, na updates michezo, na mipango ya sana tofauti na maumbile sanaa, utamaduni na historia, wanawake na vijana; utawala bora, haki za binadamu, kilimo, mazingira, elimu, afya, sayansi na teknolojia ; burudani na imani.

FRC 100.8 FM matangazo kutoka 5:00 hadi usiku wa manane, na watazamaji uwezo wa zaidi ya milioni 1.5 katika wilaya nne za Karagwe, Missenyi, Bukoba na Muleba (yote katika Mkoa wa Kagera, NW Tanzania). Kituo pia inaweza habari katika wilaya jirani ya mipaka nchini Uganda (Mbarara, Rakai na Masaka) na Rwanda (Kibungo, Rusumo).

Pamoja na utajiri wa programu yake katika akili, 100.8FM FRC imeweza kushirikiana na BBC Kiswahili Service, Huduma ya Kiswahili ya Radio Deutche Welle, Shirika la Utangazaji Tanzania (TBC), Radio Habari Maalum (RHM), na kwa Vancouver, Canada msingi wa Jumuiya ya Madola ya kujifunzia. FRC FM 100.8 imeshirikiana na Farm Radio International, na Afrika yake kuviimarisha Farm Radio Utafiti Initiative (AFRRI).

FRC 100.8 FM wasikilizaji kushiriki kikamilifu katika ngazi mbalimbali kwa njia ya vilabu mashabiki, klabu salam (salamu vilabu), kuishi simu ins, Nakala ins, na majadiliano ya pande zote-meza ya jopo.

FRC 100.8 FM kubwa ya changamoto ni ya kiufundi. Kituo transmits katika nguvu ya 50W, kwa kutumia moja dipole antenna. Chanjo hiyo ni ndogo sana kuliko wao ingekuwa unataka. Mapokezi katika bonde makalio na nyuma ya milima high inaweza kuwa vigumu. Changamoto nyingine ni wafanyakazi. Ni vigumu kushawishi watu waliohitimu na waandishi wa habari wa redio ya kuja na kufanya kazi katika mazingira ya vijijini.

Radio FADECO chuma zaidi ya mapato yake kwa njia ya matangazo, zikisaidiwa na mikataba ya muda mfupi na wadhamini wa mpango. Lakini maamuzi mwisho kukutana bado ni changamoto. Kutokana na faida za redio, urahisi jamaa yake ya kazi na madhara makubwa, FRC 100.8 FM ni kubwa mbele katika maeneo kadhaa. Zinazoendelea katika nyumba uwezo wa uzalishaji na kuongeza pato uwezo wake juu ya ajenda.