* In rural Africa, many rely on radio for information
* Project trains young Malawians to cover sensitive subjects
* Shows address child marriage, abuse and teenage pregnancy
By Charles Pensulo
BLANTYRE, July 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When Doreen Sakala fell pregnant as a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Malawi, she felt alone and worried about her future – until one day she switched on the radio.
She was stunned to hear young people discussing the educational challenges faced by pregnant teenagers in the southeastern African country, where youth-led radio is helping tackle taboos from child marriage and sexual abuse to HIV.
“Listening to the radio opened up my eyes to the opportunities I can have if I work hard in school,” Sakala, now 20, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from the Mudzi Wathu radio station in central Malawi.
In many parts of rural Africa, radio is the only source of information. Across the continent, 54% of African youth use radio as their main news source, according to a pan-African survey by the South African-based Ichikowitz Family Foundation.
