Event Briefing Memorandum
Event
Live Radio Show ‘App, Hum Aur Behtar Zindigi’ on - FM 101
Air Date, Time,
Duration
Thursday, September 8, 2015 at 11:00 am - 11:40 am
30-40 Minutes
Theme- Together We are Creating a Roshan Pakistan
(International Day of Girl)
Venue
Participants
for recordings
Language
Program format
Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Constitution Avenue‚ Sector G-5/2‚
Islamabad
Contact person from PBC, Abdul Waheed Shiekh ,
Program Executive Producer & Chief Controller Sales
Cell: 0321- 53255350
-USAID Education Representative Mericol Perez
-USAID Gender Lead, Usman
(List the names here)
English and Urdu
This will be an interactive live radio program. The Radio Jockey (RJ) will
begin the show by introducing you and highlighting USAID’s work in
institutional development and local organization capacity building.
Questions asked by the RJ will be shared in advance so you may think
about and prepare your responses. Live calls will be taken during the
program. Participants will arrive early to meet the producer Sadaf Rani
and discuss the program prior to going on air.
Purpose
USAID has a weekly radio show on Radio FM 101 called "Aap, Hum aur Behtr Zindagi.” It is a live
show that airs every Thursday at 11:00 am. Since February 2011, USAID has been running bi-weekly,
and then weekly, radio shows on FM 101 to showcase U.S. development assistance in the country.
Through this special episode we are marking the completion of three years of continuous shows with FM
101. Each of these thirty minute live talk shows features a different USAID program and its benefits for
the Pakistani people. The shows have become the cornerstone of USAID’s publicity effort in the country,
and have been enthusiastically endorsed both by the U.S. Embassy and USAID.
The weekly radio show topics are typically chosen from one of our current projects. Each show usually
includes a USAID official, and an implementing partner staff member who is able to speak about a
specific USAID project, its benefits to the relevant community and other programmatic details. We also
include two to three project beneficiaries who are able to speak about their experiences with the project
and to highlight the impact. After ten minutes, the phone lines are opened and callers may call in to ask
questions of the show’s participants. Mr. Sadaf Rani is the anchor of the show.
U.S. Agency for International Development
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
Tel: [+92] 51 208 0000
Fax [+92] 51 287 0310
www.usaid.gov/pk
Scene Setter
You will arrive at the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation’s (PBC) Radio Pakistan Building at 10:45 am
with your DOC team and will be escorted to the FM 101 studios. You will have a short pre-brief with the
radio producer/ anchor regarding the questions and sequence of the show. The radio show is live and will
begin at 11:00 am sharp. The anchor will start the show in Urdu, introduce you to the listeners and then
ask you questions in English. As you finish your response to each question, the anchor will translate the
summary of your reply in Urdu for comprehension by a larger audience to understand. You may expect
live calls from the audience during the show. In addition to live calls, the anchor will take questions from
listener e-mails, tweets, and SMS messages.
FM 101 Network Reach
USAID has selected FM 101 due to its unique positioning among Pakistan’s radio channels. FM 101 is
owned by Pakistani Broadcasting Corporation; a state-owned government institution that has the largest
network in Pakistan in terms of its penetration, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness.
FM 101 is the biggest FM station in Pakistan, broadcasting for 22 daily transmission hours from nine
stations in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Hyderabad and Multan.
This totals a combined 172 hours of transmission per day.
Contact person
Title
Name
Contact Number
USAID DOC Specialist
Shehla Rizwan
0308-5551594
Suggested Questions for Program Anchor/ RJ along with sample answers:
1. Can you tell us about the International Day of Girl? How the concept started and what is the
day about?
2. As and Education expert working in Pakistan, where do you see Pakistan in this movement?
3. Can you tell us about the International Day of Girl? How the concept started and what is the
day about?
4. As and Education expert working in Pakistan, where do you see Pakistan in this movement?
5. In your opinion as an education expert, where do you see a Pakistani Girl?
6. "Education is a powerful engine for social change", do you agree?
7. What education projects USAID is currently working on in Pakistan?
8. What is USAID doing for women and girls in Pakistan? The answer could mention that
gender is a cross-cutting theme across all sectors in Pakistan and give a few examples from
the gender fact-sheet, Gender Equity Program.
9. With USAID investing in girls' education and other projects focusing on women's
empowerment, what are you hoping to achieve? The answer could mention that when you
educate a girl, you educate a family...
10. What perception did you have about Pakistani women before you came to the country and
has that perception changed since your arrival?
U.S. Agency for International Development
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
Tel: [+92] 51 208 0000
Fax [+92] 51 287 0310
www.usaid.gov/pk
11. If you were to describe Pakistani women in three words, what would those be?
12. If you were to draw a comparison between Pakistani and American women, what are some of
the commonalities and differences?
13. Where can we/our radio show listeners get more information on USAID programs for
women? The answer could include the USAID Pakistan website, as well as our Facebook
and Twitter handles.
14. The Sustainable Development Goals announced recently in the UNGA also include Gender
Equality. How can we work together to ensure that in the next 15 years?
Suggested Remarks
Sadaf, it gives me great pleasure to join you in the studios today.
Just two years ago, the UN declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to
raise awareness about all issues concerning gender inequality around the world. It’s a day when
activist groups come together under the same goal to highlight, discuss, and take action to
advance rights and opportunities for girls everywhere.
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly voted to pass a resolution
adopting October 11, 2012 as the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child.
The resolution states that the Day of the Girl recognizes [the] empowerment of and investment in
girls, which are critical for economic growth, the achievement of all Millennium Development
Goals, including the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, as well as the meaningful
participation of girls in decisions that affect them, are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination
and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human
rights, and recognizing also that empowering girls requires their active participation in decisionmaking processes and the active support and engagement of their parents, legal guardians,
families and care providers, as well as boys and men and the wider community.
Therefore, October 11 is not just a day; it’s a movement.
We want ourselves, and girls everywhere, to be seen as equals, in the eyes of others and in our
own eyes.
As you know, the United States and Pakistan have a long-standing relationship. And as a
representative of the United States Agency for International Development, I’m happy to share
with your listeners that USAID has been a partner in Pakistan’s progress for more than 50 years
now. We are proud of this partnership and look forward to continuing and strengthening it in the
years to come.
Core Message:
It’s important to remember that our assistance is focused on helping Pakistanis help themselves
because, ultimately, only Pakistanis can develop Pakistan. For that to happen, Pakistanis must
take responsibility and make necessary reforms.
U.S. Agency for International Development
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
Tel: [+92] 51 208 0000
Fax [+92] 51 287 0310
www.usaid.gov/pk