Me, Charles and Mike at AIB awards in London

At a glittering ceremony in London last night, Feba’s “Chrysolite” studio in a suitcase was one of five entries short-listed for an Association of International Broadcasters award under the category of ‘most innovative technology’.  Well it didn’t win, but getting to that stage is a pretty good effort and the fact that it is currently running an emergency radio station in Padang following the earthquake, shows its importance to people in hard places.

The winner  was France 24 who had pioneered a way of getting news onto the iPhone.   Interesting… I thought delivering news onto the iPhone had been around a while.  Ah well…

But when it comes to innovative technology… I think all the awards pail into insignificance with this delightful bit of local improvisation - Africa’s answer to the walkman.

Ambacang hotel Padang. Pic: Toby Zerna. Courtesy AAP

As the scale of Wendesday’s earthquake in West Sumatra unfolds, a small team from FEBC, already in Indonesia for a FIRST Response trial and workshop, is heading to Padang to set up an emergency radio response.  FIRST Response is a ministry of FEB Radio International designed to set up an emergency radio station within 72 hours of a disaster.  Studies show that following a disaster, where communications infrastructure is often destroyed, radio can save lives, providing essential information and life-saving messages.  Feba deployed a FIRST Response team to Bihar, North India, during the widespread floods there in October 2008.

Feba’s involvement after the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake convinced me that if a radio station could be set up soon after a disaster, it could save countless lives.  With the breakdown of telecommunications infrastructure and the general confusion that follows a disaster, radio becomes a central focus to providing critical information and even coordination of resources.  It also provides a voice of hope, encouragement and comfort for those in desperate need.

To that end on 23rd June 2008, we begin a 5-day workshop in Bangalore, involving participants from local government, NGO’s, Community Organisations and broadcasters which will combine knowledge about radio and the unique environment experienced from disaster relief work.  Participants will then put their new-found knowledge into practice by running a real emergency radio station for 3-days.  Non-stop!  Just like the real thing. Simulating real conditions.  The trial will take place in Nagapattinam, in Tamil Nadu, which was devastated by the 2004 tsunami and which will form the backdrop for the trial.  The Nambikkai orphanage, founded by a remarkable man, Mr. Parameswaran, is kindly hosting the trial.  His amazing story of courage and hope after the tsunami can be read here: TURNING BACK THE TIDE OF GRIEF.

By the end of the trial we hope to have established a fully equiped and capable team which will be ready to respond to the next disaster in the South Asian region.   I’ll be providing daily coverage of the trial on the FEBA UK web site.  More soon…