Green Fairy, an imaginative educational radio programme for 9-13 year olds has been honoured in the New York Festivals radio awards.
The episode, which won the bronze award in the Best Children’s/Young Adults Programme category, is part of the Stories for Living series, produced by Afghan Education Projects (AEP), based in Kabul.
The series aims to stimulate children’s imaginations and their desire to learn while addressing social and ethical issues.
Featuring tales of demons and fairies, animals and folklore, as well as stories about real people, the 12 minute programmes have included stories about friendship, fighting, aggression and stealing, all with the message that learning and good behaviour pays dividends.
Fairies and demons
Green Fairy tells the story of two fairy sisters who find themselves in a tricky situation at the hands of an evil demon. The family is saved because one of the sisters can read whilst the others can’t.
It carries the message that acquiring knowledge can resolve problems and literacy is important, that all children should aspire to it and can encourage others to do the same.
The annual awards were established to recognise the world’s best radio programmes and receive entries from radio stations, networks and producers from over 30 countries. The awards are judged by top level industry professionals from five continents.
Asked what she felt on receiving the award, the producer and writer of Green Fairy, Wahida Saber, praised the concept and choice of topic as well as the dedication of the actors and the technical capabilities of the crew. “This programme is based on society’s necessities. The actors rehearsed the dialogues enthusiastically, reflecting their interest in the programme and played their parts very well”.
Broadening horizons
Years of conflict in Afghanistan have meant that children have had little or no access to formal education. The Stories for Living series is a collection of programmes that falls within the Our World, Our Future series, designed by AEP to broaden children's horizons and address the problems faced by young people in the country. The series encompasses five different collections, aimed at children aged 6 to 16.
Since 2001, they have broadcast five times a week and are supported by literacy and numeracy books, as well as a listeners’ newsletter. The series is listened to by an estimated 15% of households in the country.
AEP was set up by the BBC World Service in 1994 and is currently in the process of becoming an independent non-governmental organisation. It is the largest media for development initiative in Afghanistan. Run by Afghans for Afghans it provides a range of programming for all ages.
