Radio storytelling in Sierra Leone: Giving children a voice

Thirty-six young children in Sierra Leone have been given journalism training to help produce Pikin To Pikin Tork, a series of educational radio programmes that gives children a voice on the issues that affect them.

The project was set up by child rights agency Child to Child after the Ebola epidemic in 2014 tore communities apart and left many children vulnerable and without access to education.

The radio programmes, which are recorded by children in the Kailahun district before before being produced and edited in the UK by director Penny Boreham and Electric Breeze Productions, aim to use journalism to enhance children’s social, numeracy, literacy and life skills.

Teams of young male and female journalists have been trained by local NGO Pikin to Pikin and professional reporters, in areas such as microphone techniques, journalism ethics and storytelling – so they are able to pass on educational, health and life skills messages to their peers, family and community.

Among a range of material, programme content is woven with coverage that specifically helps to overcome the severe disadvantage and exclusion that girls often face in education systems and the wider community.

The project will run until August 2016. Watch our report below:



Sierra Leone images and video by Michael Duff, Pearl Works Productions and CDC Global on Flicker – some rights reserved.

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