Cameroon Link Shares COL Experiences on Lebialem Community Radio Story Design

Cameroon Link Shares Experiences on Lebialem Community Radio Story Design
By Ayamba Helen Egbe, COL Camlink News
Email: helenayamba@yahoo.com

Cameroon Link has shared experiences on how Lebialem Community Radio, LCR, in Menji is used as a tool for promoting health open distance learning through high quality story design programming with the national focal point, Prof. Ivo Leke Tambo. Prof. Tambo received the Liaison person of the COL Cameroon Link Partnership, James Achanyi-Fontem, on June 7, 2011 at the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Secondary Education. He informed Prof. Tambo that the theme of the COL Lebialem programme piloted by Cameroon Link is on “Mother and Child Health Care Promotion” and at the end of the pilot phase in November 2011, the use of ICTs and Community Media for Open Distance Learning is expected to be scaled up at national level to create opportunities for execution of similar programmes in other regions of Cameroon. He reliably informed the focal point that the Media Action Commonwealth of Learning Programme is supervised by the International Coordinator of the Media Development Unit of COL, Ian Pringle, based in Vancouver, Canada.
Discussions on scaling up the programme at national level started already with the Commonwealth of Learning Focal Point for Cameroon, Professor Ivo Leka Tambo, who doubles as the Secretary General at the Ministry of secondary education promising to update the government through the Prime Minister on the evolution of activities and the possible visit of Ian Pringle in Cameroon next September 2011 . Local broadcasters have been trained by COL facilitators from Malawi, Charles Simbi and Gladson Makowa , on the conception of story design programmes and how to get the listeners involved in the production process on weekly basis.
During the exchange of experiences last May 28, 2011 with Dominique Konji Konji , who has conducted a research on the knowledge, attitudes and practices on immunization and tuberculosis , he provided insights on the vision of health in Cameroon by the year 2035. Some of the issues discussed with Konji Konji were highlighted for inclusion in the COL media action scaling up programme proposal.
On the 7th June 2011, the COL Camlink liaison person, James Achanyi-Fontem, handed over a copy of the mid-term report of activities in Lebialem to Professor Tambo, discussed the follow up of activities and the proposal for scaling up activities nationwide with the involvement of the national education ministries of basic and secondary education, the eminent visit of the International Coordinator of COL Open Distance Media Development Unit based in Vancouver, Canada, Ian Pringle, in September, the possibility of Cameroon sharing its experiences during the forthcoming 7th Pan Commonwealth of Learning Forum slated in South Africa in September and the participation as guest of Professor Leke Tambo in a planned special national television production to highlight activities of Commonwealth of Learning in Cameroon since the 24th August,2006, when he was appointed by the Prime Minister and Head of Government of Cameroon as COL Focal Point, in addition to his administrative function as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Secondary Education.
Addressing issues raised during the audience, he praised the efforts of Cameroon Link and Lebialem Community Radio for the valued amount of work realized by within a short space of time in the context of the current COOL partnership. He added that the COL Media Development action in Lebialem is a good initiative that needs to be copied and that he is very ready to support the scaling up at national level in Cameroon. The Prime Minister needs to be informed of the work done, he added.
Prof. Leke Tambo observed that Cameroon will be very delighted to receive Ian Pringle in Lebialem, Cameroon in September 2011, as he cautioned that preparation should start now and that local authorities in Menji, should be informed and sensitized for mobilisation of the different actors, because September is the heart of the rainy season in that part of the region of Cameroon. On the special COL Cameroon televised programme of activities, he advised that this should happen before July or from the third week of August 2011, because these periods are very busy for release of academic results in Cameroon and preparation of a new academic year in Cameroon.
He concluded by promising to write his recommendation after going through the content of the mid-term report COL Media Open Distance Learning using Lebialem Community Radio as the delivery medium. For more on the Cameroon Health Vision by 2035, click on “BCH”