ESRF establishes a studio to communicate with rural communities

THE Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) has established a studio which will be preparing special developmental programs for Radio and Television with a view to feed the rural people with information that will improve their economic and social activities in the country. The programs prepared will be research based evidence from different stakeholders; Research Institutions and individuals who have research evidences on development, agricultural institutes and higher learning centers such as Sokoine University of Agriculture.  ESRF’s Executive Director Dr. Hoseana Bohela Lunogelo said last week in Dar es Salaam that, the information to be delivered by the studio known as ‘Maendeleo studio’ will help quicken the pace of people’s economic activities in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the poor. Dr. Lunogelo said to start with, the priority issues to be given by the centre are those related with the agriculture which is the main economic activity of most people in rural areas who covers about 80 percent of the country’s population. Other information to be disseminated by the centre will be related with health and education issues as all these sectors contributes to the government’s efforts towards the fight over poverty situation in the country. However, he noted that, these are among the major core development issues proposed by the people living in rural communities that need urgent attention in a one year research work which was carried out by the ESRF. The research aimed at finding out the major challenges affecting people’s life in rural areas and also ways on how to easily help the unprivileged people most of whom the rural dwellers of reaching the targets of the MDGs in the country. 

ESRF’s Executive Director Dr. Hoseana Bohela Lunogelo (Standing left)

During data collection for the research, the three basic issues were pointed by the people to be among the most crucial ideas that are affecting their daily life and which needs urgent attention. It is from this point of view that the ESRF came out with the idea of establishing a studio that would help to educate people so as to make them use various available opportunities in a bid to eradicate poverty stricken situation which Dr. Lunogelo noted that is growing at an alarming rate in rural communities. He said the rate of poverty has increased in the country by 37 percent up to 2013 compared to 16.6 as it was a decade ago, adding that the increased is due mostly to lack of awareness of the basic factors of human development. The studio was inaugurated on Thursday this week in a colorful ceremony that took place at the organization’s head office in Kinondoni in the city and was attended by researchers from both private and public organizations, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and some economists. The government was represented by the Director of the Poverty Alleviation Dept and Empowerment of the Ministry of Finance Anna Mwasha, and among other dignitaries was a Senior Lecturer of economy at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Dr. Oswald Mashindano. In her speech, director Anna said that, the government was highly impressed by the way the ESRF has established and that through the ministry of Finance, it was ready to give support bearing the fact that the targeted audiences are mainly people in rural areas. On his part, Dr. Oswald noted that, Tanzania rural community dwellers needs to get thorough education in a move to fight with the poverty and diseases, the factors has been deteriorating their economic gain.