EVERY SATURDAY VERONICA SANDOVAL wakes up early and starts her journey by foot toward the small town of Tacuba. The walk from her village in northeastern El Salvador is spectacular. Rainforest-covered mountains framed by the occasional volcano undulate in every direction. But the trip has its challenges. The only road in the area is rocky, difficult even for 4X4 vehicles, it frequently pours rain and, given the crime rates in the area, it’s not the kind of place a young girl should be travelling alone.
But not much will stop Veronica, 19, from heading to the small building that houses Radio Tlacopan. The community radio station is funded by World Vision. This morning she, along with six other Tacuba youths ranging in age from 10 to 19, will host a 90-minute radio program called Gotitas de Enseñanza (“Little Drops of Learning”). The radio program is an information highway in this remote region where roads, cable television and Internet access make communication difficult. Thanks to Radio Tlacopan, the community in Tacuba is more informed about itself and the rest of El Salvador.
World Vision launched Tlacopan Community Radio in 2005. The name Tlacopan comes from the local Nahuatl language and means “playing field.” The children who participate in the radio program are either sponsored or have been sponsored in the past by Canadians. Guillermo Molina, a community member who oversees the radio program, says its goal is to give Tacuba’s youth a positive outlet for their energies. Alcoholism and juvenile delinquency are common problems in the region. “Our aim is to ensure that children and youth have recreation and learning options besides gangs,” he says.
Veronica is one of the radio program’s pioneers and now one of its experienced mentors. “[In 2005] we were 17 youths who started the training, all very shy. But two months later we were giving life to our own radio show,” she says. Today, 25 children, many of whom walk two hours to get to the station, produce the show on a rotating basis.
Gotitas de Enseñanza has a set format that allows all its young communicators to participate. The children share the mike, and they take turns at the computer and soundboard. The show opens with a proverb, continues with a joke and then opens up the phone line to Tacuba residents. The community calls in for various reasons. Sometimes it’s to wish a loved one a happy birthday or to cancel an appointment with somebody who might be listening. Local businesses, such as the pupuserias (pupusas are El Salvador’s equivalent of stuffed tortillas), will use the radio program to advertise jobs. And according to Emilio Artero, who helps run the Tacuba programs, sometimes residents call for advice from the hosts. “Women have called crying that they are mistreated by their husbands and ask for advice to overcome this problem,” he says. “We have empowered the children to be the spokespeople for the community.” The show also brings in experts on topics such as health and education. Recently, the children interviewed a doctor about the H1N1 virus, which has hit El Salvador hard.
Radio Tlacopan has no frequency, so Tacuba’s 4,000 residents listen to the children’s program via five loudspeakers that are strategically placed throughout the town. Because so few people own vehicles in Tacuba, the radio voices carry far and wide. Last year, an opinion survey of the town’s residents revealed a unanimous feeling that the radio station fills an information gap.
Currently the young group of radio producers is trying to find ways to put the radio program on an FM frequency. They are selling raffle tickets and their mothers’ homemade pupusas to raise funds. “My dream is that Tlacopan becomes the first radio with frequency in Tacuba,” says Daniel Rodriguez, who has been working on the show since it started.
If they succeed, they can count on Veronica for advice on what’s involved. A year ago, a commercial radio station in nearby Ahuachapan City broadcast a request for new DJs. Veronica decided she had the experience to apply. She was given the job. For four hours every week she fields song requests on her very own program on Stereo Leo 96.5, in a city of 100,000 people. “I want to thank the Canadian donors,” she says. “Thanks for opening new opportunities for me because this inspires me to go on.”
See how Veronica and her peers are changing their community, one radio show at a time.
