Zimbabwe’s Community Radio Teams Train to Keep Life-Saving Disaster Warnings on Air

Participants explored how community radio can help people prepare before an emergency, share practical safety information as events unfold and support recovery after the immediate danger has passed.

When floods cut off roads or a cyclone forces families from their homes, a working radio station can help people understand the danger and decide where to go. UNESCO has trained 42 community radio practitioners in Garahwa, Chipinge, to deliver reliable early warnings, report responsibly during disasters and keep broadcasting when emergencies disrupt their stations' normal operations. The training focused on the practical decisions broadcasters face under pressure, from checking information before it goes on air to keeping essential equipment available when a studio becomes difficult to use.

Held at Garahwa Primary School ahead of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the sessions brought together 30 participants from the host station, Ndau FM, and 12 from Avuxeni FM, Chimanimani FM, Tongogara FM and Vemuganga FM. Their work serves communities in Manicaland, where floods, drought, cyclones, veld fires and storms make access to clear, dependable information an important part of disaster preparedness.

Giving communities time to reach safety

Participants explored how community radio can help people prepare before an emergency, share practical safety information as events unfold and support recovery after the immediate danger has passed. Cyclone Idai provided a case study for examining what communities need to hear at each stage of a disaster, including warnings that give vulnerable residents enough time to move to safer places.

For Jeremiah Makiwa of Chimanimani FM, the training clarified the responsibility broadcasters carry when communicating those warnings. He said community radio stations should provide proper early alerts so vulnerable people can reach safety in time and no one is left behind. That responsibility extends beyond announcing a threat: listeners need information they can understand and act on, delivered early enough to make a difference.

Reporting clearly without spreading panic

The sessions examined how broadcasters can report accurately during emergencies without causing unnecessary alarm, a concern that becomes especially important when people are frightened and need trustworthy guidance. Lean Tsuvuka of Avuxeni FM said UNESCO's Disaster Risk Reduction training helped her better understand how to provide clear, factual and timely information, strengthening her confidence in reporting responsibly during a crisis.

Participants used UNESCO's Model Disaster Preparedness Response Plan for Media Institutions to examine how their stations could develop business continuity plans and standard operating procedures suited to their circumstances. The toolkit covers seven areas: business continuity, emergency programming, editorial policies, coordination with authorities and other stakeholders, digital technologies, staff training and support, and ensuring no one is left behind. Together, these areas connect the information audiences receive with the planning, staffing and coordination needed to keep a station functioning.

Keeping broadcasts going when studios are disrupted

A warning service depends on broadcasters being able to stay on air, even when an emergency interrupts access to their usual facilities. Participants discussed taking portable broadcasting equipment, including mixers and microphones, to evacuation centres to help stations remain operational. Planning for that possibility gives stations a practical way to continue sharing essential information from places where displaced communities are gathering.

The training forms part of UNESCO's ongoing work to strengthen community radio in Zimbabwe. It complements the organisation's collaboration with the Governments of Zimbabwe and Mozambique on early warning systems reaching more than 773,000 people in Zimbabwe and 1.1 million in Mozambique. That work is supported by Austrian Development Aid, following initial funding through the World Bank-funded Zimbabwe Idai Recovery Project, and connects the preparation of local broadcasters with wider efforts to get timely warnings to communities exposed to disaster risks.