Baglung, Nepal: A radio program that has provided a voice for disadvantaged groups in the remote regions of Western Nepal recently completed its first full year on the air.

The program, “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights,” was launched in 2007 by the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), a grassroots human rights organization in Nepal, with support from The Advocacy Project (AP) in Washington. It aired its 52nd episode July 27.

Initially, the radio program helped marginalized groups in Nepal – such as women and lower-caste Dalit – understand the country’s complex electoral system and participate in the historic elections held in April 2008. Now, the show focuses on getting the voices of these groups heard by members of the Constituent Assembly as they draft a new constitution.

A big obstacle to raising political awareness in Nepal is the remoteness of the rural areas, where 86 percent of people in the Western region live. In these villages, there is usually no access to newspapers, television, or mobile phones. For these citizens, the connection to the rest of Nepal comes through radio.

Yogendra Milan Chhantyal, who produces the COCAP show, takes questions from rural Nepalis and members of disadvantaged groups and gets answers from members of parliament. The weekly half-hour show broadcasts in 17 districts in Western Nepal, and has the capacity to reach more than 1.9 million Nepalis each week.

AP Peace Fellow Tassos Coulaloglou helped get the program started in 2007, and AP has sent Peace Fellow Shubha Bala to volunteer with COCAP Radio this summer. However, despite a staff of dedicated volunteers, the show is in danger of shutting down because it cannot keep up with airtime and production costs.

To air the show for one week on one radio station costs $15. To help keep “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights” on the air, or to listen to past episodes, please visit our give page. All donations go directly to COCAP Radio.

Read Shubha’s blog.

Read Tassos’s blog.